[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 195 (Monday, October 7, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52445-52448]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-25613]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration


Notice of Availability of the Navajo Transmission Project Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of availability and notice of public hearings.

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SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration's (Western) Colorado River 
Storage Project Customer Service Center (CRSP CSC) announces that the 
Navajo Transmission Project (NTP) Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(draft EIS) is available for public review and comment. Western will 
hold public hearings to receive formal comments on the draft EIS 
according to the schedule below. The Din deg. Power Authority (DPA), an 
enterprise of the Navajo Nation, is proposing the construction and 
operation of a 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line between northwestern 
New Mexico and southern Nevada, called the NTP. The draft EIS describes 
a range of alternatives considered and the potential environmental 
consequences and has been prepared in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the 
Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (40 
CFR Parts 1500-1508), and the DOE regulations for compliance with NEPA 
(10 CFR Part 1021). Western's CRSP CSC is the lead Federal agency to 
the NTP draft EIS.

DATES: Western will accept written and oral comments during the public 
review period. Written comments on the draft EIS should be sent to the 
Project Manager by December 6, 1996, of the EPA FR Notice at the 
following address: Mr. Tony Morton, EIS Manager, Western Area Power 
Administration, Colorado River Storage Project Customer Service Center, 
257 East 200 South, Suite 475, P.O. Box 11606, Salt Lake City, Utah 
84147-0606, telephone 801-524-5636.
    Those wishing to make oral comments may do so at the scheduled 
public hearings. Speakers will be asked to register at the door prior 
to the beginning of the hearing. A court reporter will record the 
proceedings at each hearing. Interpreters for Navajo, Hopi or Hualapai 
Indians will be available at the appropriate sessions. Representatives 
will be responsible for recording comments and concerns of the public. 
Western will respond to all comments, both written and oral, in the 
final EIS.
    The hearings will be held according to the following schedule. 
Western intends

[[Page 52446]]

to conduct open house information sessions for one hour prior to each 
hearing session to field questions and provide information to the 
public.

1. Monday, October 7, 10 a.m.--Sanostee Chapter
2. Monday, October 7, 10 a.m.--Coalmine Mesa Chapter
3. Monday, October 7, 6 p.m.--Beclabito Chapter
4. Tuesday, October 8, 10 a.m.--TeecNos Pos Chapter
5. Tuesday, October 8, 6 p.m.--Red Mesa Chapter
6. Thursday, October 10, 10 a.m.--Sweet Water Chapter
7. Thursday, October 10, 6 p.m.--Mexican Water Chapter
8. Monday, October 14, 10 a.m.--Nenahnezad Chapter
9. Monday, October 14, 2 p.m.--Whippoorwill Chapter
10. Monday, October 14, 6 p.m.--Farmington, NM, Civic Center, 200 
West Arrington
11. Monday, October 14, 6 p.m.--TaChee/Blue Gap Chapter
12. Tuesday, October 15, 10 a.m.--San Juan Chapter
13. Tuesday, October 15, 10 a.m.--Pinon Chapter
14. Tuesday, October 15, 6 p.m.--Hogback Chapter
15. Tuesday, October 15, 6 p.m.--Hard Rock Chapter
16. Wednesday, October 16, 10 a.m.--Shiprock Chapter
17. Wednesday, October 16, 10 a.m.--Round Rock Chapter
18. Wednesday, October 16, 6 p.m.--Cudeii Chapter
19. Wednesday, October 16, 6 p.m.--Rock Point Chapter
20. Thursday, October 17, 10 a.m.--Red Valley Chapter
21. Thursday, October 17, 10 a.m.--Chilchinbeto Chapter
22. Thursday, October 17, 6 p.m.--Cove Chapter
23. Thursday, October 17, 6 p.m.--Shonto Chapter
24. Monday, October 21, 10 a.m.--St. Michaels Chapter
25. Monday, October 21, 10 a.m.--Cameron Chapter
26. Monday, October 21, 6 p.m.--Chinle Chapter
27. Monday, October 21, 6 p.m.--Bodaway Chapter
28. Tuesday, October 22, 10 a.m.--Tselani-Cottonwood Springs Chapter
29. Tuesday, October 22, 10 a.m.--Tuba City Chapter
30. Tuesday, October 22, 6 p.m.--Rough Rock Chapter
31. Tuesday, October 22, 6 p.m.--Tonalea Chapter
32. Wednesday, October 23, 10 a.m.--Many Farms Chapter
33. Wednesday, October 23, 10 a.m.--Inscription House Chapter
34. Wednesday, October 23, 6 p.m.--Lukachukai Chapter
35. Wednesday, October 23, 6 p.m.--Kaibeto Chapter
36. Thursday, October 24, 10 a.m.--Kayenta Chapter
37. Thursday, October 24, 10 a.m.--LeChee Chapter
38. Thursday, October 24, 6 p.m.--Dennehotso Chapter
39. Thursday, October 24, 6 p.m.--Coppermine Chapter
40. Tuesday, October 29, 10 a.m.--Flagstaff, AZ, Council Chambers
41. Tuesday, October 29, 6 p.m.--Hualapai Multi-Purpose Building, 
Hualapai Way and Diamond Creek, Peach Springs, AZ
42. Wednesday, October 30, 10 a.m.--Dolan Springs, AZ, Chamber Bldg, 
Pierce Ferry Road
43. Wednesday, October 30, 6 p.m.--Boulder City, NV, Super 8 Motel, 
704 Nevada Hwy
44. Thursday, October 31, 6 p.m.--Hopi Cultural Center Motel, Second 
Mesa

    Because there are so many hearings scheduled, there will be two 
hearings teams holding concurrent meetings throughout the project 
area. All chapter meetings will be held at the chapter houses on the 
Navajo Reservation, Arizona.

ADDRESSES: The CRSP CSC maintains a mailing list of those interested in 
the NTP EIS. Copies of the complete draft EIS, or a summary of the 
document (Introduction, Purpose and Need, and Description of the 
Alternatives) have been distributed to all persons and groups on the 
EIS mailing list, according to what each person/organization previously 
requested. A distribution has been made to various libraries and 
reading rooms in the project area. Copies of the draft EIS are 
available for public review at the Navajo chapter houses, the offices 
of the cooperating agencies, and other locations listed below:

Cooperating Agencies Offices

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Phoenix Area Office, One North First Street, 
Phoenix, AZ 85001.

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Area Office, 301 West Hill, Gallup, NM 
87305.

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Truxton Canon Agency, 13067 East Highway 66, 
Valentine, AZ 86437.

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Hopi Agency, Main Street, Keams Canyon, AZ 
86034.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, 691 Scenic Drive, Page, AZ 86040.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 601 Nevada Highway, Boulder City, 
NV 89005.

Bureau of Land Management, 1235 LaPlata Highway, Farmington, NM 87401.

Bureau of Land Management, 2475 Beverly Avenue, Kingman, AZ 86401.

Bureau of Land Management, 4765 Vegas Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89108.

Coconino National Forest, Peaks Ranger District, 5075 North Highway 89, 
Flagstaff, AZ 86004.

Kaibab National Forest, Tusayan Ranger District, Highway 64, Admin 
Site, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023.

Navajo Nation, Historic Preservation Office, Navajo Nation Inn Office 
Building, 48 West Highway 264, Window Rock, AZ 86515.

Hopi Tribe, Cultural Preservation Office, Main Street, Kykotsmovi, AZ 
86039.

Hualapai Tribe, Office of Cultural Resources, 215 Diamond Creek Road, 
Peach Springs, AZ 86434.

Other Locations

Arizona State University, Hayden Library, Tempe, AZ 85287.

Flagstaff Public Library, 300 West Aspen Street, Flagstaff, AZ 86001.

Mohave County District Library, 3269 Burbank, Kingman, AZ 86401.

Mohave County Library, 1170 East Hancock Road, Bullhead City, AZ 86442.

Northern Arizona University, Cline Library, Flagstaff, AZ 86011.

Page Public Library, 697 Vista Avenue, Page, AZ 86040.

Phoenix Public Library, 1221 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Seligman Public Library, 325 North Main Street, P.O. Box 623, Seligman, 
AZ 86337.

University of Arizona, Main Library, Tucson, AZ 85721.

Window Rock Library, Window Rock Administrative Offices, Dean Jackson's 
Education Center, Morgan Boulevard, Window Rock, AZ 86515.

Williams Public Library, 113 South First Street, Williams, AZ 86046.

Winslow Public Library, 420 West Gilmore Street, Winslow, AZ 86047.

Farmington Public Library, Reference Department, 100 West Broadway, 
Farmington, NM 87401.

University of New Mexico, Zimmerman Library, University Hill Northeast, 
Albuquerque, NM 87131.

Gallup Public Library, 115 West Hill Avenue, Gallup, NM 87301.

Boulder City Library, 539 California Avenue, Boulder City, NV 89005.

Clark County Library, 1401 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109.

Henderson Library, 55 Water Street, Henderson, NV 89015.

Las Vegas Public Library, 833 North Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV 
89101.

University of Nevada-Las Vegas, James Dickerson Library, P.O. Box 7001, 
Las Vegas, NV 89154-7001.


[[Page 52447]]


West Charleston Public Library, 6301 West Charleston Boulevard, Las 
Vegas, NV 89102.

    Copies of the draft EIS and all supporting documents are also 
available for public review at Western's offices at:
Colorado River Storage Project, Customer Service Center, 257 East 200 
South, Suite 475, Salt Lake City, UT 84147-0606.

Corporate Services Office, 1627 Cole Boulevard, Building 18, Golden, CO 
80401.

    This information is also available at the DOE Reading Room at the 
following address: U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, 
Reading Room 1E-190, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, to submit 
written comments, or to request a copy or summary of the draft EIS, 
please call or write the CRSP CRC at the address shown above.
    For general information on DOE's NEPA review process, please 
contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and 
Assistance, EH-42, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue 
SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A surplus of electrical generation exists in 
the Four Corners region of the United States but there is insufficient 
capacity to transmit the power west, where it could be used to meet the 
needs of expanding load centers in Arizona, Nevada and California. The 
extra-high-voltage transmission system west of Four Corners consists of 
one 500-kV line and two 345-kV lines owned by Arizona Public Service 
(APS). There are restrictions on how much capacity each of the lines 
west of Four Corners may carry for reasons of safety and reliability. 
Since 1970, attempts to construct additional lines across the Navajo 
Reservation in northern Arizona have failed to gain approval of the 
Navajo Nation government.
    The role of the Navajo Nation in the energy industry traditionally 
has been that of a passive resource owner. Nonrenewable resources from 
the Navajo Nation lands are exported to provide fuel for power for much 
of the western United States. The economy and self-sufficiency of the 
Navajo Nation depend heavily on the export of these resources. However, 
the businesses associated with the energy activities are typically non-
Navajo. NTP is an opportunity for the Navajo Nation to own a majority 
of a transmission line that would be an integral part of a regional 
electrical transmission system, thereby establishing a role for the 
Navajo in the electric industry.
    In 1992, DPA began studies to determine the feasibility of 
constructing and operating a Navajo majority-owned 500-kV transmission 
line that would deliver bulk electricity west from the Four Corners 
region of New Mexico. The project was viewed as an opportunity to 
provide a steady source of revenue for the Navajo Nation. The Navajo 
Nation is the second largest American Indian tribe in the United States 
and, according to the 1990 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, approximately 
57 percent of families live below the poverty level.
    As NTP is currently envisioned, revenue would be generated by 
leasing the capacity of the transmission line to regional utilities. 
Annual revenues over the life of the project would provide funds to 
allow the Navajo Nation to invest in other long-range productive 
business opportunities. The amount of revenue received by the DPA would 
depend on its final percent of ownership; right-of-way costs; lease 
agreements; construction, operation and maintenance costs; and 
availability of capacity. In addition, the development of NTP would 
provide short-term employment opportunities for American Indian groups 
during construction in a region having an unemployment rate of about 30 
percent (on the Navajo Reservation). Skills and experience gained from 
construction jobs would be useful for future employment. After 
construction, it is anticipated that there may be limited opportunities 
for long-term employment in aspects of operation and maintenance of the 
transmission line. NTP is expected to contribute to an increase in the 
income and standard of living for the Navajo Nation.
    Studies conducted by DPA and Western have shown that NTP would 
provide the needed transfer path for bulk electrical power and increase 
the electrical transfer level west of the Four Corners area. The 
additional capacity would support the existing system and prevent or 
reduce damages from outages, thereby enhancing the existing 
transmission grid and contributing to increased reliability, 
efficiency, and capability in the southwestern United States. By 
removing the existing transmission restrictions and/or interconnecting 
with other regional systems in the Four Corners area, Arizona, 
California, and Nevada utilities would be able to increase economical 
transfer of seasonal surpluses of electrical generation from resources 
in the Rocky Mountain and Four Corners areas and they would be able to 
support their peak load periods by importing power from existing hydro 
and coal-fired generation sources in the Rocky Mountain area. Such 
economic purchases reduce the use of more expensive generation.
    More than 60 percent of Navajo Nation residences do not have 
electricity. Availability of electricity on the Navajo Reservation is 
critical to economic growth and infrastructure development of the 
Navajo Nation. NTP would allow Western an alternate path for firm-power 
deliveries across northern Arizona, thus reducing dependence and 
freeing capacity on Western's existing 230-kV transmission line for 
increased deliveries of electricity to the Kayenta and Long House 
Valley substations that currently provide service to the Navajo Tribal 
Utility Authority (NTUA). That would provide NTUA with more flexibility 
to plan additional distribution on the Navajo Reservation. Because of 
vast distances between available transmission and low-density 
populations of consumers on Navajo Nation lands, it is not economically 
feasible for NTUA alone to construct a high-voltage transmission line 
solely to accommodate the small number of business and residential 
consumers in the area. Also, NTP would allow access by the utility 
participants to the Western Systems Coordinating Council's (WSCC) 
southern 500-kV transmission grid, which covers the states of New 
Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. This would provide the 
opportunity for NTUA to buy less expensive power that may be available 
through regional and seasonal diversity, or due to the new Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) transmission open access 
guidelines.
    DPA approached Western in 1992 about participating in the proposed 
project. Western agreed to be the lead Federal agency for the project, 
in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, and agreed to 
take the responsibility for ensuring compliance with applicable 
regulations of other affected agencies. On May 26, 1993, Western 
announced in the Federal Register its intention to prepare an EIS on 
NTP. Western and DPA initiated extensive public involvement in the 
project, which has resulted in over 40 meetings with the public, and 
many meetings with a variety of state, tribal, county and local 
agencies and representatives. The effort was assisted by the 
cooperating agencies, consisting of representatives from units of the 
National Park Service; the U.S. Forest Service; the Bureau of Land

[[Page 52448]]

Management; and Bureau of Indian Affairs in Arizona, New Mexico, and 
Nevada; and three Tribes (Hopi, Hualapai, and Navajo). In addition, 
work on a Programmatic Agreement for the purposes of compliance with 
the National Historic Preservation Act resulted in contacts and 
comments from the Historic Preservation Officers of Nevada, New Mexico 
and Arizona, and 14 other area tribes.
    This draft EIS was prepared to analyze and describe the 
environmental consequences of a range of alternatives. Western and DPA 
developed six alternatives for analysis in the draft EIS which are 
structured around the purpose and need. Four alternatives were removed 
from further analysis because they did not meet all of the requirements 
of the purpose and need, i.e., energy conservation and electric load 
management, new generation facilities, alternate transmission systems, 
and alternative transmission methods. The remaining two alternatives 
studied in depth in the EIS are identified as No Action and the 
Proposed Action. The Proposed Action included analysis of over 2,000 
miles of routing alternatives. The draft EIS evaluates the potential 
impacts of the no action and proposed action alternatives on air 
quality, water resources (water quality and floodplain management), 
earth resources (geology, mineral resources, seismicity and faults, and 
soils and erosion potential), biological resources, paleontological 
resources, land use (linear features; jurisdictions; existing and 
future land use; and parks, preservation, and recreation), 
socioeconomic resources, visual resources, and cultural resources. 
Environmentally preferred options have been identified, however, no 
preferred construction route is identified in the draft EIS. A decision 
on the proposed action will be made after considering comments on the 
draft EIS. A final routing alternative will be recommended in the final 
EIS.

    Issued at Golden, Colorado, September 23, 1996.
J. M. Shafer,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 96-25613 Filed 10-4-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P