[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 73 (Monday, April 16, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19473-19474]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-9379]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Bonneville Power Administration


Blackfeet Wind Project

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS).

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SUMMARY: BPA intends to prepare an EIS on the proposed Blackfeet Wind 
Project (Project), located in Glacier County, Montana, on the Blackfeet 
Indian Reservation. Blackfeet I, LLC (Blackfeet I) proposes to 
construct and operate the 36- to 66-megawatt (MW) wind generation 
facility. BPA proposes to purchase the electrical output from the 
Project. The EIS will address potential environmental impacts of the 
construction and operation of the wind project itself, as well as all 
related transmission facilities in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act. The Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, will be a cooperating agency because of their need to approve 
the contract and associated permits between Blackfeet I and the 
Blackfeet Indian Nation.

DATES: EIS scoping meetings will be held at the locations below on May 
10, 2001. Written comments are due to the address below no later than 
May 25, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send comment letters and requests to be placed on the 
Project mailing list to Communications, Bonneville Power 
Administration--KC-7, P.O. Box 12999, Portland, Oregon, 97212. The 
phone number of the Communications office is 503-230-3478 in Portland; 
toll-free 1-800-622-4519 outside of Portland. Comments may also be sent 
to the BPA Internet address: [email protected].
    The May 10, 2001, EIS scoping meetings will be held at the Bureau 
of Indian Affairs, Main Conference Room, 531 S.E. Boundary Street, in 
Browning, Montana, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; and at the Cattle Baron 
Restaurant on U.S. 89 near milepost 40.5 in Babb, Montana, from 6 p.m. 
to 8 p.m. At these informal meetings, Blackfeet I will provide 
information, including maps, about the Project. Written information 
will be available, and BPA staff will answer questions and accept oral 
and written comments on the proposed scope of the Draft EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah T. Branum, KEC-4, Bonneville 
Power Administration, PO Box 3621, Portland, Oregon 97208-3621, phone 
number 503-230-5115, fax number 503-230-5699, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background. There is an increased demand in the electric utility 
industry to diversify energy portfolios and include energy produced by 
new renewable resources. The Northwest Power Planning Council's Fourth 
Conservation and Electric Power Plan recommends that Northwest 
utilities offer green power purchase opportunities as a way to help the 
region integrate renewable resources into the power system in the 
future. In addition, BPA has committed to increasing its supply of 
conservation and renewable resources to help meet load.
    Purpose and Need. In the face of regional growth in electrical 
loads and increasing constraints on the existing energy resource base, 
BPA needs to acquire resources that will contribute to diversification 
of the long-term power supply in the region. The purposes of acquiring 
a diverse resource portfolio include:
     Protecting BPA and its utility customers against risk;
     Assuring consistency with BPA's responsibility under the 
Pacific Northwest Electric Power Planning and Conservation Act to 
encourage the development of renewable energy resources;
     Meeting customer demand for energy from renewable energy 
resources, thereby assuring consistency with BPA's Business Plan EIS 
(DOE/EIS-0183, June 1995) and Business Plan Record of Decision (ROD);
     Assuring consistency with the resource acquisition 
strategy of BPA's Resource Programs EIS (DOE/EIS-0162, February 1993) 
and ROD; and
     Meeting the objective in the January 2000 Strategic Plan 
of BPA's Power Business Line to acquire at least 150 average MW of new 
renewable resources by the end of fiscal year 2006 in order to meet 
customer demand for new renewable resources.
    Proposed Action. In September 2000, Blackfeet I proposed to 
construct and operate this 36- to 66-MW wind generation facility, 
located in mid Glacier County, Montana, east of the town of Babb, on 
the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. BPA proposes to execute one or more 
power purchase and transmission services agreements to acquire the full 
electrical output of Blackfeet I's proposed Blackfeet Wind Project. The 
proposed site is tentatively called Duck Lake Ridge, which includes 
portions of Sections 28, 29, 31, 32, T36N R13W, and portions of 
Sections 5 and 6, T35N R13W, on approximately 3800 acres of tribal, 
allotted, and privately owned lands. Land uses within the Project site 
consist of non-irrigated agriculture--primarily cattle grazing and some 
timber. No Project facilities would be constructed upon lands owned by 
the State of Montana or by the United States.
    Approximately 36 to 88 wind turbines would be arranged in several 
''strings,'' with generally between 250 to 425 feet between turbines in 
each string. Blackfeet I is considering using either 600-kilowatt (kW) 
turbines, or 1,000-kW turbines. The proposed turbine type would be an 
upwind, fixed-speed turbine (i.e., the rotor always faces upwind and 
turns at a constant speed), mounted on tubular steel towers installed 
on a reinforced concrete foundation. The wind turbine rotors would turn 
at approximately 18 to 28 revolutions per minute. The typical operating 
range of wind speeds for these turbine types is 10 to 65 miles per hour 
(mph). At speeds greater than 60 or 65 mph, the wind turbines 
automatically cease operating and remain stationary until the wind 
speeds become slower. Foundations would be either tubular or pad, 
ranging from approximately 15 to 20 feet in width and extending up to 
25 to 30 feet underground or anchored into bedrock. Agricultural 
activities generally can continue to take place directly adjacent to 
the turbine pads.
    Power from all turbines in the Project would be collected by an 
underground and overhead cable loop and then fed underground to a 
proposed substation to be located at the Project site. The fenced 
substation site would occupy approximately one to two acres. From the 
substation site, power from the Project would be transmitted by 
existing above-ground transmission lines owned by Glacier Electric 
Cooperative. These facilities are currently operated at 34.5 kilovolts 
(kV) and would be energized at their design and constructed voltage 
rating of 115 kV, which would then interconnect with the existing 
Montana Power Company's 115-kV transmission facilities at Browning, 
Montana, or Western Area Power Administration's 115-kV transmission 
facilities at Shelby, Montana. The power would either be used locally 
or be transmitted to other parts of the Northwest transmission grid to 
meet Northwest loads. Other facilities required as part of the Project 
are down-tower pad-mounted transformers, access roads, an operation and 
maintenance building, and communications system. The Project is 
scheduled to begin commercial operation late in 2002, and would operate 
year-round for at least 20 years.

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    Process to Date. Wind assessments began in October 2000. Surveys 
for sensitive plant and wildlife species are being initiated in the 
spring of 2001. Scoping will help identify what additional studies will 
be required.
    Alternatives Proposed for Consideration. The alternatives include 
the proposed action (executing a power purchase agreement with 
Blackfeet I for up to 36 to 66 MW of electrical energy from the 
proposed Blackfeet Wind Project and contracting for transmission), and 
the No Action alternative.
    Public Participation and Identification of Environmental Issues. 
For other wind projects, noise, visual impacts, impacts on cultural 
resources, and effects on sensitive plant and animal species have been 
identified as potential environmental issues. BPA has established a 30-
day scoping period during which affected landowners, concerned 
citizens, special interest groups, local governments, and any other 
interested parties are invited to comment on the scope of the EIS. 
Scoping will help BPA identify the range of environmental issues that 
should be addressed in the EIS. When completed, the Draft EIS will be 
circulated for review and comment, and BPA will hold at least one 
public comment meeting for the Draft EIS. BPA will consider and respond 
in the Final EIS to comments received on the Draft EIS. The Final EIS 
is expected to be published in early summer 2002. BPA's subsequent 
decision will be documented in a Record of Decision. The EIS will 
satisfy the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act.

    Issued in Portland, Oregon, on April 6, 2001.
Steven G. Hickok,
Acting Administrator and Chief Executive Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-9379 Filed 4-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P