[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 6 (Monday, January 10, 1994)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1404-1405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-349]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 10, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[WY-030-94-5101-10-K014; WYW-130382]

 

Wyoming Wind Energy Project; Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and to conduct scoping for the U.S. Windpower, Wyoming Wind 
Energy Project, Carbon County, Wyoming.

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SUMMARY: Under section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA) of 1969 as amended, the Bureau of Land Management, Rawlins 
District Office, will direct the preparation of an EIS on the potential 
impacts of a proposed wind energy project. A total of 1,390 wind 
turbines and associated facilities will be constructed on 62,000 acres 
(25,091 hectares) of private, Federal and state lands over a 10-12 year 
development period in Carbon County, Wyoming. The EIS will be prepared 
by a third party contractor. If the project is approved, the BLM will 
issue a Right-of-Way Grant under section 501 of the Federal Land Policy 
and Management Act of 1976.

DATES: Comments will be accepted through February 25, 1994. Public 
Scoping Meetings will be held at the Jeffrey Center, Third and Spruce 
Streets, Rawlins, Wyoming on February 2, 1994, at 7 p.m. and on 
February 3, 1994, at the Albany Country Public Library, Large Meeting 
Room, 310 S. 8th Street, Laramie, Wyoming, at 7 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be sent to Bureau of Land Management, 
Rawlins District Office, Walter E. George, Project Leader, 1300 3rd 
Street, P.O. Box 670, Rawlins, WY 82301, or Bonneville Power 
Administration (BPA), Office of Energy Resources (R&E), Richard Stone, 
Environmental Specialist, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, OR 97208.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bureau of Land Management, Walter E. George, Project Leader, 1300 3rd 
Street, P.O. Box 670, Rawlins, WY 82301, phone number (307) 324-7171 or 
Bonneville Power Administration, Richard Stone, Environmental 
Specialist, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, OR 97208, phone number (503) 230-
3797.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: U.S. Windpower proposes to construct a 500 
megawatt (MW) Wind Energy Project to be located on Foote Creek Rim and 
Simpson Ridge in Carbon County, Wyoming. The project area is located 
approximately 40 miles (64.35 Km) southeast of Rawlins and 40 miles 
(64.36 Km) northwest of Laramie, Wyoming. The Foote Creek Rim portion 
is in all or portions of approximately 10 sections in Townships 19N and 
20N, Ranges 78W and 79W north and west of Arlington. Access to the 
Foote Creek Rim site is from I-80 and State Highway 13. The Simpson 
Ridge portion is in all or portions of 92 sections in Townships 20N, 
21N, and 22N, Ranges 80W and 81W, south of Hanna. Access to the Simpson 
Ridge portion is from I-80 and State Highway 287 and State Highway 72. 
Land ownership in the project area is approximately 62% private, 28% 
Public (administered by BLM), and 10% State of Wyoming.
    The project will be constructed in phases over a 10-12 year period. 
The first phase, involving 75 MW of electrical power generated by 
approximately 215 Wind Turbine Generators (WTGs), would be constructed 
on Foote Creek Rim in 1995-96. Later phases would involve 50MW 
(approximately 75 WTGs/50 MW) increases per year, as utility contracts 
are approved, until the 500 MW capacity is reached (for a total of 
1,390 WTGs). Ancillary facilities include, but are not limited to: 
above and below-ground electric and communication lines, access roads, 
substations, control/maintenance building and transformer sites. The 
Bonneville Power Administration, Department of Energy, a Cooperating 
Agency for the EIS, will execute a power output contract to purchase 25 
MW of electricity from the project under element 2b of BPA's Resource 
Supply Expansion Program. The Foote Creek Rim phase of the project 
would meet this requirement.
    The wind turbines will be erected on 80 to 120 ft (24 to 37 m) 
lattice towers with height determined by specific meteorological and 
geographic characteristics. The WTGs are variable speed, up-wind, 
three-fiberglass-bladed machines with a rotor diameter of 108 ft (33 
m). The WTGs will be spaced approximately 162 to 216 ft (49 to 66 m) 
apart with approximately 1,080 to 1,620 ft (329 to 494 m) between each 
row.
    Two potential electrical utility interconnections are proposed. The 
first is with the PacifiCorp 230 kV system at the Miner's substation at 
Hanna, WY. A wood pole 230 kV line would be erected from the project 
site northwest, approximately 25 mi (40 Km), to the Miner's substation. 
The second proposed interconnection would be with the Western Area 
Power Administration's parallel 115 kV lines at a site in T21N, R77W, 
Sec. 34. A transmission line of approximately 7 mi (11 Km) would extend 
from the project site northeast to the proposed tap substation.

    Dated: January 3, 1994.
Ray Brubaker,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 94-349 Filed 1-7-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-M