[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 242 (Friday, December 17, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75565-75566]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-27610]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Arrowhead-Weston Transmission Line River Crossing/
Right-of-Way Request, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, WI

AGENCY: National Park Service.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, the National Park Service (NPS) announces the 
availability of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS) for the 
Arrowhead-Weston Transmission Line River Crossing/Right-of-Way Request, 
Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, Wisconsin.

DATES: There will be a 30-day waiting period before the record of 
decision is signed on the final from the day the Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes its notice of availability in the Federal 
Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the FEIS will be sent to agencies, Tribes, and 
individuals that made substantive comments on the draft EIS, and to 
public libraries throughout the project area. Please check the Saint 
Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN) website for a listing of the 
libraries to which the FEIS will be sent. The FEIS is approximately 600 
pages in length with many figures and oversize color plates. Due to the 
size of the document, it was not possible to provide it over the 
Internet. A limited number of hardcopies are available upon request on 
a first-come first serve basis. Additional copies are available on 
compact disk. To request a hardcopy of the FEIS or a copy on compact 
disk, please write to the Superintendent, Saint Croix National Scenic 
Riverway, P.O. Box 708, St. Croix Falls, WI 54024, Attention: Kevin 
Iverson or telephone him at 715-483-3284, Extension 606.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jill Medland, Planning and Compliance 
Specialist, Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway, P.O. Box 708, 401 
Hamilton Street, St. Croix Falls, WI 54024, or by telephone 715-483-
3284, Extension 609.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Arrowhead-Weston Project (Project) is a 
345kV Electric Transmission Line proposed by Minnesota Power, Wisconsin 
Public Service Corporation, and American Transmission Company 
(Applicant) that would run for 220 miles from Duluth, Minnesota, to 
Wausau, Wisconsin. The governmental entity with approval authority for 
the overall Project is the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin 
(PSCW). The PSCW approved the Project in 2001 and re-approved it in 
2003. According to the Applicant, and as reflected in the PSCW 
decision, the purpose of the overall Project is to: (1) Strengthen the 
bulk transmission system by providing a second high-capacity connection 
across the Minnesota-Wisconsin interface; and (2) to transmit 
electricity from the upper Midwest to markets in the eastern Wisconsin 
area.
    The State-approved route of the Project would cross the Namekagon 
River, which is part of the Riverway, in Washburn County at a location 
approximately 10 miles downstream of the city of Hayward, Wisconsin. 
The NPS has received a right-of-way (ROW) request from the Applicant to 
cross the Riverway with the State-approved Project. To reach a decision 
about the ROW request and comply with the NEPA, the NPS is preparing an 
EIS. The Corps of Engineers is a cooperating agency on the EIS, since 
they would also need to issue a permit for the river crossing.
    The Applicants propose to cross the Namekagon River at an existing 
161kV electric transmission line corridor granted to Xcel Energy as an 
easement by private landowners prior to NPS land acquisition in the 
area. All alternatives (except no action) would require additional 
right-of-way from the NPS. The following alternatives are under 
consideration for crossing the Namekagon River:
    No Action (Deny ROW Request): 161kV line as present on 70' wood 
poles (would require that the utilities go around the Namekagon River 
and reopening of the State process);
    Alternative 1: Double circuit the 345kV and 161kV lines overhead on 
145-150' single steel poles (Applicant's preferred);
    Long-span Option: Alternative 1 using long-span conductors (shorter 
poles set

[[Page 75566]]

back out of line of sight from the river, fewer, but thicker 
conductors);
    Alternative 2: Single circuit 345kV overhead on 120-130' single 
steel poles, underground 161kV, transition structures at overhead to 
underground changeover;
    Alternative 3: 161kV upgraded on 85-95' steel poles, 345kv 
underground, transition structures at underground to overhead 
changeover;
    Alternative 4: 345kv and 161kV underground, transition structures 
at underground to overhead changeover.
    The NPS preferred alternative is alternative 1: Long-span Option.
    Persons wishing to comment on the FEIS may do so by any one of 
several methods. They may mail comments to Superintendent, Saint Croix 
National Scenic Riverway, P.O. Box 708, 401 Hamilton Street, St. Croix 
Falls, Wisconsin 54024, Attention: Jill Medland. They also may comment 
via e-mail to [email protected] (include name and return 
address in the e-mail message). Finally, they may hand-deliver comments 
to Riverway Headquarters, St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, 401 
Hamilton Street, St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin 54024.
    The NPS's practice is to make comments, including names and home 
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular 
business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold 
their home address from the record, which we will honor to the extent 
allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which we would 
withhold from the record a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. 
If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state 
this prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we will not 
consider anonymous comments. We will make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses available for public inspection in their entirety.
    The responsible official is Ernest Quintana, Midwest Regional 
Director, National Park Service.

    Dated: October 18, 2004.
Alan M. Hutchings,
Acting Regional Director, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 04-27610 Filed 12-16-04; 8:45 am]
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