[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 153 (Tuesday, August 8, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48490-48491]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-19986]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Bonneville Power Administration


Transmission System Vegetation Management Program

AGENCY: Bonneville Power Administration (Bonneville), Department of 
Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Record of Decision (ROD).

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[[Page 48491]]

SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the ROD for the 
Transmission System Vegetation Management Program Environmental Impact 
Statement (DOE/EIS-0285, May 2000). This program is the policy and 
direction for managing vegetation at Bonneville's facilities throughout 
its service area (seven states of the Pacific Northwest: Oregon, 
Washington, Idaho, western Montana, and small portions of northwest 
Wyoming, northern California, and Utah). Bonneville has decided to 
manage vegetation at its facilities by: (1) Promoting the establishment 
of low-growing plant communities on the rights-of-way to ``out-
compete'' trees and tall-growing brush; (2) having all possible 
vegetation control methods available for use to maintain rights-of-way 
(manual, mechanical, biological, and herbicides--spot, localized, 
broadcast, and aerial applications); (3) allowing herbicides to be 
available for use on any kind of vegetation needing management on 
rights-of-way; (4) continuing our current practice of controlling 
vegetation in electrical yards using mostly pre-emergent herbicides; 
and (5) for other non-electric facilities, continuing to have available 
a variety of methods for use to manage vegetation, including manual, 
mechanical, herbicides, and fertilizers. Bonneville has also put in 
place planning steps and mitigaiton measures to be used to make site-
specific project decisions tiered to the EIS and ROD.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD and Environmental Impact Statement may be 
obtained by calling Bonneville's toll-free document request line: 1-
800-622-4520.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stacy Mason, Environmental Project 
Manager--KECP-4, Bonneville Power Administration, P.O. Box 3621, 
Portland, Oregon, 97208-3621, phone number (503) 230-5455, fax number 
(503) 230-5699, e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Bonneville is responsible for maintaining a 
network of 15,000 miles of electric transmission lines, 350 
substations, and other related facilities. As vegetation grows near or 
into Bonneville's electrical facilities, or hampers access roads 
leading to those facilities, it can interfere with electric power flow, 
pose safety problems for Bonneville and neighboring members of the 
public, and interfere with Bonneville's ability to carry out both 
routine and emergency maintenance of these facilities. Bonneville's 
facilities include the following: rights-of-way (transmission lines--
including trees just outside of the right-of-way, access roads, and 
microwave beam paths), electric yards (substations and switching 
stations), and non-electric facilities (maintenance work yards, 
landscaping around buildings, and microwave sites).

    Issued in Portland, Oregon, on July 28, 2000.
Steven G. Hickok,
Acting Administrator and Chief Executive Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-19986 Filed 8-7-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P