[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 64 (Friday, April 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16496-16497]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-8760]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Griffith Power Plant and Transmission Line Project, Mohave 
County, AZ

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 102(2)(c) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332, Western Area 
Power Administration (Western) intends to prepare an environmental 
impact statement (EIS) regarding the proposal by Griffith Energy (GE), 
LLC, to construct an electric generating facility on private property 
and to interconnect this facility with Western's system in the vicinity 
of Kingman, Arizona. To facilitate this interconnection, Western 
proposes to construct three 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines to 
connect the generating facility to two existing Western transmission 
lines which are part of the regional grid. Two 6-mile parallel lines 
will connect the generating facility to the Davis-Prescott 230-kV line 
about 6 miles north of the proposed plant site and about 5 miles 
southwest of Kingman. An additional 28-mile line will connect the 
facility to the Mead-Liberty 345-kV transmission line about 15 miles 
east of Kingman. The three new lines will parallel existing lines or 
occupy approved corridors for most of their lengths. Because 
implementing this proposal would incorporate new generation into 
Western's system, Western has determined that an EIS is required in 
accordance with U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) NEPA Implementing 
Procedures, 10 CFR 1021, Subpart D, Appendices D5 and D6. In this 
notice Western announces intentions to prepare an EIS and hold a public 
scoping meeting for the proposed project. Western's scoping will 
include notifying the general public and Federal, State, local, and 
tribal agencies of the proposed action for identification by the public 
and agencies of issues and alternatives to be considered in the EIS.

DATES: The scoping meeting will be held on April 20, 1998, beginning at 
7 p.m, at the County Board of Supervisors Office, 809 East Beale 
Street, Kingman, Arizona 86401. Written comments on the scope of the 
EIS for the proposed Project should be received no later than May 21, 
1998. Comments on the project will be accepted throughout the NEPA 
process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you are interested in receiving 
future information or wish to submit written comments, please call or 
write John Holt, Environmental Manager, Western Area Power 
Administration, Desert Southwest Region, P.O. Box 6457, Phoenix, 
Arizona 85005-6457, (602) 352-2592, FAX: (602) 352-2630, E-mail: 
[email protected]. For general information on DOE's NEPA review procedures 
or status of a NEPA review, 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: GE proposes to construct the Griffith Energy 
Project (Project) on private land south of the City of Kingman in 
Mohave County, Arizona. The Project would be a ``merchant plant,'' 
meaning it would not be owned by a utility or by a utility affiliate 
selling power to its utility, nor is it supported by a long-term power 
purchase agreement with a utility. The Project would instead sell power 
on a short and mid-term basis to customers and the on-the-spot market. 
Power purchases by customers would be voluntary, and all economic costs 
would be borne by GE.
    The Project consists of a 520-megawatt natural-gas-fired, combined-
cycle generating facility and on-site supporting infrastructure, 
including an administration building, a storage warehouse, water 
treatment and storage facilities, cooling towers, gas conditioning 
equipment, and new access roads. The generating facility and 
infrastructure would occupy less than 40 acres of a 160-acre site in 
the Mohave County I-40 Industrial Corridor south of Kingman. Additional 
off-site facilities would include water pipelines and buried natural 
gas pipelines which would bring high-pressure gas to the generating 
facility to fuel the gas-fired turbines from nearby natural gas 
transmission pipelines. The Project's water requirements would be about 
2,500 to 3,000 gallons per minute during peak operating periods.
    Western, with funding from GE, proposes to construct three 230-kV

[[Page 16497]]

transmission lines to interconnect with two existing Western 
transmission lines. Two 6-mile parallel lines will connect the plant 
with the Davis-Prescott 230-kV line about 6 miles north of the proposed 
plant site and about 5 miles southwest of Kingman, and a 28-mile line 
would connect the plant with the Mead-Liberty 345-kV transmission line 
about 15 miles east of Kingman. These interconnections would integrate 
the power generated by the Project into the Western electrical grid. 
Western proposes to build these lines parallel to existing transmission 
lines or approved corridors. Since this would connect power from new 
generation to Western's system, DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures 
require Western to prepare an EIS on the potential environmental 
impacts of this proposal. Western, therefore, will be the lead Federal 
Agency, as defined at 40 CFR 1501.5.
    Western will carefully examine public health and safety, 
environmental impacts, and engineering aspects of the proposed power 
project, including all related facilities, such as the power plant and 
electric transmission and natural gas lines.
    The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the 
Council of Environmental Quality's NEPA Implementing Regulations (40 
CFR 1500-1508) and DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR 1021). 
Western will invite local and State agencies with jurisdiction over the 
Project to be cooperating agencies on the EIS. Full public 
participation and disclosure are planned for the entire EIS process. It 
is anticipated that the EIS process will take 8 months and will include 
a public information and scoping meeting; consultation and involvement 
with appropriate Federal, State, local, and tribal government agencies; 
public review and hearings on the published draft EIS; a published 
final EIS; a review period; and publication of a record of decision 
(ROD). A public information and scoping meeting will be held on April 
20, 1998. Publication of the ROD is anticipated in the fall of 1998.

    Dated: March 23, 1998.
Michael S. Hacskaylo,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 98-8760 Filed 4-2-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P