[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 228 (Wednesday, November 26, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66410-66411]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-29566]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Valley Electric Association Interconnection of Ivanpah Energy 
Center to Mead Substation (DOE/EIS-0354)

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Record of decision.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM), prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) evaluating the 
construction, operation and maintenance of the Ivanpah Energy Center 
(IEC) power plant and ancillary facilities. The project would provide 
500 megawatts (MW) of baseload power to the southern Nevada power grid. 
As a cooperating agency for the EIS, the Department of Energy's (DOE) 
Western Area Power Administration (Western) considered the 
environmental impacts of the Ivanpah Energy Center Project (Project) 
and the interconnection to Western's Mead Substation. Western 
specifically evaluated proposed modifications to facilities at the 
substation. The modifications are necessary to accommodate the new 
Valley Electric Association (VEA) 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line 
interconnection for this new source of electric power. Western adopted 
the BLM EIS on May 28, 2003. This Record of Decision (ROD) announces 
Western's decision to grant the VEA interconnection request. Western 
will ensure that its responsibilities under the National Historic 
Preservation Act and the Endangered Species Act are met before the 
interconnection is implemented.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Holt, Environmental Manager, 
Desert Southwest Customer Service Region, Western Area Power 
Administration, P.O. Box 6457, Phoenix, AZ 85005, telephone (602) 352-
2592, E-mail [email protected]. Copies of the EIS and the BLM Record of 
Decision are available from Jerry Crockford, Project Manager, BLM 
Farmington Field Office, 1235 La Plata Hwy, Suite A, Farmington, NM 
87401, telephone (505) 599-6333, E-mail [email protected]. For 
information about the DOE National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
process, contact Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, NEPA Policy and 
Compliance, EH-42, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue 
SW., Washington, DC 20585, telephone (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM is the lead agency for the IEC EIS 
(Final EIS dated May 2003). Western requested to be, and was 
designated, a cooperating agency for the IEC EIS on October 2, 2002. 
The EIS addresses the effects of the Project, including modification of 
Western's transmission system. After an independent review of the EIS, 
Western concluded that its comments and suggestions had been satisfied 
and subsequently adopted the IEC EIS as its own under 40 CFR part 
1506.3. Western's EIS document number is DOE/EIS-0354.

Project Purpose and Need

    The Project is designed to provide electric power to the southern 
Nevada power grid. Currently, demand in the southwestern United States 
exceeds capacity and continues to increase. Peak demand energy 
requirements for the Arizona-New Mexico-southern Nevada Power Area are 
projected to grow at an annual compound rate of 3.3 percent between 
2000 and 2010. Annual energy requirements for the period are expected 
to increase at a compound rate of 3.4 percent according to North 
American Electric Reliability Council projections. The Project action 
alternatives considered in the EIS would partially satisfy this 
projected need.

Description of Alternatives

    The Draft EIS evaluated two alternative plant sites, four 
alternative transmission line alignments, and the No Action 
Alternative. The Primm Plant site was selected as the environmentally 
preferred alternative. However, this alternative became commercially

[[Page 66411]]

unavailable to the Project proponent after the Draft EIS was published. 
The Final EIS, therefore, evaluated only the proposed alternative plant 
site (Goodsprings Site) and two associated alternative transmission 
line alignments, plus the No Action Alternative.
    The proposed alternative is located entirely within Clark County, 
Nevada, and primarily on BLM land, within a BLM utility corridor, or on 
Western withdrawn land. The alternative principally consists of a 30-
acre (permanent disturbance) site for the generation plant southeast of 
the town of Goodsprings, Nevada, and a new 230-kV transmission line to 
Western's Mead Substation.
    The plant design is a 500-MW, natural gas-fired, combined-cycle, 
dry- and refrigeration-cooled, baseload electrical power generation 
station, as described in the EIS. Associated Project components include 
an onsite power substation, transmission line interconnection for the 
proposed Table Mountain Wind Generation Facility, fiber optic ground 
wires, natural gas pipeline, water treatment plant, water supply 
pipeline, telecommunications cable, and necessary temporary and 
permanent access roads.
    Two alternative transmission line alignments were considered, 
Alternatives C and E. Both include interconnecting with the existing 
VEA 230-kV Pahrump-to-Mead transmission line at the Goodsprings power 
plant site and constructing a new Goodsprings-to-Mead 230-kV line. 
Alternative E would generally follow or parallel the existing Pahrump-
to-Mead line and right-of-way southeast across the Ivanpah Valley, then 
northeast across the McCullough Mountain Range and the Eldorado Valley 
to Mead Substation (approximately 47.5 miles). Alternative C deviates 
from Alternative E only along one line segment that remains on the west 
side of Eldorado Valley before crossing to Mead Substation 
(approximately 47.8 miles). Regardless of the transmission line 
alternative, the interconnection at Western's Mead Substation will 
require constructing a new transmission line within the same alignment 
across Western's withdrawn lands, and modifying the 230-kV area of the 
substation.
    The No Action Alternative would preclude construction and operation 
of the proposed power plant, transmission line, and other Project 
components. Existing conditions would remain unchanged. No 
environmental impacts are associated with the No Action Alternative, 
but the generation, transmission, and end use of the proposed electric 
power would be unavailable to potential users of the southern Nevada 
power grid.

Western's Decision

    The BLM released its Project ROD on October 23, 2003, granting BLM 
rights-of-way for the Goodsprings Alternative plant site and 
Alternative E transmission line alignment. Based on the need for the 
Project and the results of the EIS, Western's decision is to grant the 
interconnection request for the VEA transmission line component of the 
Project. Western will facilitate the VEA 230-kV Alternative E 
transmission line approach across Western's withdrawn lands to Mead 
Substation and modify current substation configuration to accommodate 
the requested interconnection in the southeast portion of the 230-kV 
area within the Mead Substation. The No Action Alternative was not 
selected because it would not meet the defined purpose and need for the 
Project. Nor would this alternative allow Western to meet its 
obligations to VEA, as defined by Western's General Requirements for 
Interconnections and Western's obligations to provide interconnection 
under Section 211 of the Federal Power Act.

Mitigation Measures and Commitments

    The Final EIS identified mitigation measures needed to reduce 
Project impacts. Specific measures are discussed in Section 1.3 on 
pages 1-2 to 1-6 of the Final EIS. Additional mitigation measures and 
standard practices are provided in the BLM Construction, Operations and 
Maintenance Plan.
    The EIS impact analysis concluded that, with mitigation measures, 
most impacts from the selected Project alternative would not be 
significant. The only significant and unavoidable impacts of the 
Project are to Category B (medium population density) desert tortoise 
habitat. These impacts are associated with construction at the plant 
site, telecommunication lines, access roads, water supply line, and 
transmission lines. Significant impacts would result from direct 
incidental take during construction or operation, habitat 
fragmentation, introduction of nonnative plant species, soil 
compaction, and increased public access to the Project area.
    The BLM provided a biological assessment outlining Project impacts 
to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). In response, the FWS 
issued a Biological Opinion for the Project dated October 17, 2003. 
Western's decision is to grant the VEA interconnection request. 
However, the grant is issued with the condition that the Project must 
comply with the terms and conditions recommended in the FWS Final 
Biological Opinion to avoid, minimize, or mitigate any Project impacts 
to biological resources. Western will ensure that its responsibilities 
under the Endangered Species Act are met before the transmission system 
modifications are implemented.
    The BLM has consulted with the State Historic Preservation Office 
and Native American Tribes. A Programmatic Agreement (PA) and treatment 
plan were developed to avoid, minimize, and mitigate adverse effects to 
historical and cultural properties. Western is a signatory to the PA 
and will ensure that its responsibilities under the PA and the National 
Historic Preservation Act are met before the action is implemented.
    Western contacted 26 Native American Tribes during the Final EIS 
30-day waiting period to ensure it satisfied Nation-to-Nation 
consultation requirements regarding the Project. Western received no 
response to its inquiries and no additional action is required.
    The Project area does intersect 100-year floodplains in a few 
locations, but individual and cumulative floodplain impacts associated 
with transmission line structure location and construction are 
negligible. There are no wetlands affected by the Project. However, 
Western will require appropriate measures to minimize any potential 
impacts.
    Western is adopting those mitigation measures that apply to its 
action, the interconnection and authorization for use of its withdrawn 
land for the 230-kV transmission line, and will issue a Mitigation 
Action Plan before any construction activity takes place. The Plan will 
address the adopted and standard mitigation measures. When completed, 
the Mitigation Action Plan will be made available to the public.

Compliance With Regulations

    This ROD has been prepared following Council on Environmental 
Quality 1 regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) 
and DOE Procedures for Implementing NEPA (10 CFR part 1021).

    Dated: November 18, 2003.
Michael S. Hacskaylo,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 03-29566 Filed 11-25-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P