[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 111 (Thursday, June 10, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31204-31205]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-14658]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[FE Docket No. PP-197, DOE/EIS-0307]


Notice of Reopening Scoping Period and Schedule for Public 
Scoping Meetings; Public Service Company of New Mexico

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: DOE announces that it is reopening the scoping period and will 
hold additional public scoping meetings for the environmental impact 
statement (DOE/EIS-0307) that is being prepared in connection with an 
application for a Presidential permit filed by Public Service Company 
of New Mexico (PNM). An EIS is being prepared because DOE has 
determined that the issuance of the Presidential permit would 
constitute a major Federal action that may have a significant impact 
upon the environment within the meaning of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). PNM has applied for a Presidential permit to 
construct electric transmission lines across the U.S.-Mexican border. 
The previous public scoping period extended from February 12, 1999, to 
April 14, 1999, during which time DOE conducted seven public meetings 
to obtain comments on the three alternative transmission corridors that 
were proposed in PNM's Presidential permit application. The purpose of 
this notice is to open a new scoping period to obtain additional 
comments, particularly on three additional alternative transmission 
corridors that have been identified subsequent to the original scoping 
period.

DATES: DOE invites interested agencies, organizations, and members of 
the public to submit comments or suggestions to assist in identifying 
significant environmental issues and in determining the appropriate 
scope of the EIS. The second scoping period starts with the publication 
of this notice in the Federal Register and will continue until July 14, 
1999. Written and oral comments will be given equal weight, and DOE 
will consider all comments received or postmarked by July 14, 1999, in 
defining the scope of the EIS. Comments received or postmarked after 
that date will be considered to the extent possible. Additional 
information on the scoping process is available in the scoping notice 
published in the Federal Register on February 12, 1999 (64 FR 7173).
    Dates, times, and locations for the public scoping meetings are:
    1. June 29, 1999, 1 to 3 P.M., Desert Hills Social Center, 2980 S. 
Camino del Sol, Green Valley, Arizona.
    2. June 29, 1999, 6 to 8 P.M., St. Ann's Hall, 18 Baca, Tubac, 
Arizona.
    3. June 30, 1999, 10 to 12 P.M., Meeting Room, Buenos Aries 
National Wildlife Refuge, Sasabe, Arizona. (Directions: From Tucson, 
take I-19 S to Ajo Way/Highway 86, go W on Ajo Way 20 miles to Three 
Points/Robles Junction. Proceed S on Route 286 approximately 37 miles. 
Follow signs to headquarters 3 miles E.)
    4. June 30, 1999, 3 to 5 P.M., Mary E. Dill Primary School, Multi 
Purpose Room 10451 South Sasabe, Three Points (Robles Junction), 
Arizona.
    5. June 30, 1999, 7 to 9 P.M., Plaza Hotel and Conference Center 
(Wildcat I and II), 1900 E. Speedway Boulevard, Tucson, Arizona.
    Requests to speak at a public scoping meeting(s) should be received 
by Mrs. Russell, the NEPA Document Manager, at the address indicated 
below on or before June 25, 1999. Requests to speak may also be made at 
the time of registration for the scoping meeting(s). However, persons 
who submitted advance requests to speak will be given priority if time 
should be limited during the meeting.

ADDRESSES: Written comments or suggestions on the scope of the EIS and 
requests to speak at the scoping meeting(s) should be addressed to: 
Mrs. Ellen Russell, NEPA Document Manager, Office of Fossil Energy (FE-
27), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., 
Washington DC 20585-0350; phone 202-586-9624, facsimile: 202-287-5736, 
or electronic mail at Ellen.R[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the proposed 
project or to receive a copy of the Draft EIS when it is issued, 
contact Mrs. Russell at the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of 
this notice.
    For general information on the DOE NEPA review process, contact: 
Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-
42), U.S. Department of Energy 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, 
Washington, DC 20585-0119; Phone: 202-586-4600 or leave a message at 
800-472-2756; Facsimile: 202-586-7031.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background and Need for Agency

Action
    Executive Order 10485, as amended by Executive Order 12038, 
requires that a Presidential permit be issued by DOE before electric 
transmission facilities may be constructed, connected, operated, or 
maintained at the U.S. international border. The Executive Order 
provides that a Presidential permit may be issued after a finding that 
the proposed project is consistent with the public interest. In 
determining consistency with the public interest, DOE considers the 
impacts of the project on the reliability of the U.S. electric power 
system and on the environment. The regulations implementing the 
Executive Order have been codified at 10 CFR 205.320-205.329. Issuance 
of the permit indicates that there is no Federal objection to the 
project, but does not mandate that the project be completed.
    On December 28, 1998, PNM, a regulated public utility, filed an 
application for a Presidential permit with the Office of Fossil Energy 
of DOE. PNM proposes to construct two transmission lines on a single 
right-of-way extending approximately 140 to 230 miles from the electric 
switchyard near the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS), 
located approximately 30 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona, to the U.S.-
Mexico border in the vicinity of Nogales or Sasabe, Arizona. South of 
the border, PNM would extend the lines approximately 60 to 120 miles to 
the Santa Ana Substation, located in the City of Santa Ana, Sonora, 
Mexico, and owned by the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), the 
national electric utility of Mexico. In its application for a 
Presidential permit, PNM identified three alternative corridors for 
construction of the cross-border transmission lines. These corridors, 
Alternatives 1, 2 and 3 below, were the subject of public meetings 
conducted in Nogales, Tucson, Patagonia, Sells, Ajo, Gila Bend, and 
Casa Grande, Arizona, in March 1999.
    During these meetings, residents and interested groups provided 
comments that have led to the identification of three additional 
alternative corridors (Alternatives 4, 5, and 6) that will be studied 
in the EIS. The purpose of this notice is to reopen the scoping period 
for the EIS and to announce additional public scoping meetings to 
collect additional comments, particularly on Alternatives 4, 5, and 6. 
To assist the first time reader, a description of each of the corridors 
follows. Oral and written comments previously submitted on Alternatives 
1, 2, and 3 have been entered in the official record of this proceeding 
and need not be resubmitted.

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Alternative 1

    This alternative corridor begins at the electrical switchyard near 
the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS), continues south, 
following existing transmission lines, past Gila Bend and across the 
Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range to Ajo where it turns southeast to 
the vicinity of Why and continues across the western boundary of the 
Tohono O'odham Nation and then southeast to the international border 
(145 miles in the U.S., 264 miles total).

Alternative 2

    This alternative corridor proceeds south and east from the 
electrical switchyard near the PVNGS to the vicinity of Mobile where it 
turns south crossing the middle to eastern area of the Tohono O'odham 
Nation and then proceeds southeast to the international border in the 
vicinity of San Miguel (158 miles in the U.S., 240 miles total).

Alternative 3

    This alternative corridor extends southeasterly from the electrical 
switchyard near the PVNGS to Interstate 10, approximately three miles 
north of Red Rock. From this point, the corridor continues in a 
southeasterly direction, following I-10 and existing transmission 
lines, through Tucson, to Arizona Highway 83. East of Highway 83 the 
corridor turns south, following a designated utility corridor (that 
does not contain transmission lines) to Sonoita, then southwest to 
Patagonia, crossing the border in the vicinity of Nogales (234 miles in 
the U.S., 301 miles total).

Alternative 4

    This alternative corridor extends southeasterly from the electrical 
switchyard near the PVNGS to I-10, approximately three miles north of 
Red Rock. From this point, the line continues in a southeasterly 
direction, following I-10 and existing transmission lines to Marana. At 
Marana, this alternative corridor turns south, following an existing 
powerline corridor west of the Saguaro National Park, across the 
eastern edge of the Tohono O'odham Nation Schuk Toak District (known as 
the Garcia Strip) to an area just north of Three Points (Robles 
Junction). From Three Points, this alternative corridor heads southwest 
toward the Baboquivari Mountains on new right-of-way. This alternative 
corridor remains west of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and 
east of the Baboquivari Mountains, crossing into Mexico near Sasabe 
(209 miles in the U.S., 288 miles total).

Alternative 5

    This alternative corridor extends southeasterly from the electrical 
switchyard near the PVNGS to I-10, approximately three miles north of 
Red Rock. The corridor continues in a southeasterly direction, 
following I-10 and existing transmission lines, through Tucson. Near 
the intersection of I-10 and Business Route 19, the corridor turns 
south, paralleling Business Route 19 and I-19, passing Sahuarita and 
Green Valley. The corridor remains well east of I-19, gradually 
approaching I-19 near Amado and Tubac, and continuing south crossing 
the border in Nogales (216 miles in the U.S., 283 miles total).

Alternative 6

    This alternative corridor is the same as Alternate 4 from the 
electrical switchyard near the PVNGS to an area north of three Points 
(Robles Junction.). From Three Points, this alternative corridor would 
turn southeast, following an existing powerline corridor across the 
southwestern corner of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O'odham 
Nation and then east, across an area south of ASARCO's Mission Complex 
Mine Area. This alternative corridor continues east, following an 
existing transmission corridor, across I-19 and Business Route 19 to a 
point east of Sahuarita. This corridor then turns south following the 
same route as Alternative 4, crossing the border in Nogales (229 miles 
in the U.S., 296 miles total).
    Battelle Memorial Institute is assisting DOE in preparation of the 
EIS. Battelle is also maintaining an EIS web site for DOE at: 
www.battelle.org/projects/pnmeis. From this site, the PNM Presidential 
permit application can be downloaded, as well as the project fact 
sheet, verbatim transcripts from the March 1999 public scoping 
meetings, and other project-related information.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on June 4, 1999.
Anthony J. Como,
Manager, Electric Power Regulation, Office of Coal and Power Im/Ex, 
Office of Coal and Power Systems, Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 99-14658 Filed 6-9-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P