[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 21, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 43837]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21068]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc., Notice of Intent

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to hold a public meeting and prepare an 
environmental assessment.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), 
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Council 
on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the National 
Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and RUS 
Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR part 1794), proposes to 
prepare an Environmental Assessment related to possible financing 
assistance to East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc., related to the 
construction and operation of two 250 megawatt electric power units.
    Meeting Information: RUS and East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc., 
will conduct a public meeting on Thursday, September 6, 2001, from 6:00 
p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the French Quarter Inn, 25 East McDonald 
Parkway, Maysville, Kentucky.
    Government agencies, private organizations, and the public are 
invited to participate in the planning and analysis of the proposed 
project. Representatives of RUS and East Kentucky Power Cooperative, 
Inc., will be available at the public meeting to discuss RUS' 
environmental review process, describe the project and alternatives 
under consideration, discuss the scope of environmental issues to be 
considered, answer questions, and accept oral and written comments. 
Written comments will be accepted for 30 days after the public scoping 
meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Quigel, Engineering and 
Environmental Staff, Rural Utilities Service, at (202) 720-0468. Mr. 
Quigel's E-mail address is [email protected]. Information is also 
available from Bob Hughes of East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc., at 
(859) 744-4812. Mr. Hughes' e-mail address is [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc., 
proposes to add two 250 megawatt coal fired electric generation units 
at its Spurlock Station located in Mason County, Kentucky, near 
Maysville. The units will consist of two circulating fluidized bed 
boilers, two turbine-generators, two baghouses, two dry scrubbers, two 
selective non-catalytic reduction units, and two 720-foot stacks. The 
project will include two transmission lines. One of the transmission 
lines will be 345 kilovolt (kV) from the Spurlock Station to an inter-
tie to an existing 345 kV transmission line in Brown County, Ohio. The 
length of the line will be approximately 3.5 miles with a 150-foot wide 
right-of-way. This transmission line will cross the Ohio River. The 
other transmission line will be 138 kV. It will be constructed between 
the Cranston Distribution Substation and the Rowan County Substation. 
Its length is approximately 7.5 miles with a 100-foot wide right-of-
way. It will be located entirely within Rowan County, Kentucky.
    Alternatives considered by RUS and East Kentucky Power Cooperative, 
Inc., include: (a) No action, (b) purchased power, (c) load management 
(d) hydro-electric, (e) biomass, (f) geothermal, (g) wind and solar, 
(h) fuel cells, (i) co-generation, and (j) various site locations.
    An alternatives evaluation and siting study for the projects was 
submitted to RUS by East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc. The 
alternatives evaluation and siting study is available for public review 
at RUS in Room 2242, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, and 
at the headquarters of East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc., 4775 
Lexington Road, Winchester, Kentucky. This document will also be 
available at the Clark County Public Library, 370 South Burns Avenue, 
Winchester, Kentucky, (859) 744-5661, the Mason County Public Library, 
218 East Third Street, Maysville, Kentucky, (606) 564-3286, the Rowan 
County Public Library, 185 East First Street, Morehead, Kentucky, (606) 
784-7137, and the Brown County Public Library, 200 West Grant Avenue, 
Georgetown, Ohio, (937) 378-3197.
    From information provided in the alternatives evaluation and site 
selection study, input that may be provided by government agencies, 
private organizations, and the public, East Kentucky Power Cooperative, 
Inc., will prepare an environmental analysis to be submitted to RUS for 
review. RUS will use the environmental analysis to determine the 
significance of the impacts of the projects and may adopt it as its 
environmental assessment of the projects. RUS'' environmental 
assessment of the project will be available for review and comment for 
30 days.
    Should RUS determine, based on the environmental assessment of the 
project, that the impacts of the construction and operation of the 
project will not have a significant environmental impact, it will 
prepare a finding of no significant impact. Public notification of a 
finding of no significant impact will be published in the Federal 
Register and in newspapers with a circulation in counties where the 
power plants and transmission line are proposed to be located.
    Any final action by RUS related to the proposed project will be 
subject to, and contingent upon, compliance with environmental review 
requirements as prescribed by Council on Environmental Quality and RUS 
environmental policies and procedures.

    Dated: August 14, 2001.
Glendon D. Deal,
Acting Director, Engineering and Environmental Staff.
[FR Doc. 01-21068 Filed 8-20-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P