[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 7 (Thursday, January 11, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1315-1317]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-226]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Norborne Baseload Plant

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
and notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency which administers 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities 
Programs (USDA/RD) is issuing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Norborne Baseload Plant (Norborne Plant). The Draft EIS 
was prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA) (U.S.C. 4231 et seq.) in accordance with the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing the procedural 
provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and USDA Rural Utilities 
Service (RUS) regulations (7 CFR part 1794). The U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers is a cooperating agency for this Draft EIS. The purpose of 
the EIS is to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of and 
alternatives to the Associated Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AECI) 
application for a USDA/RD loan to construct the proposed 660 megawatt 
(MW) coal-fired power plant in Carroll County, Missouri, near the town 
of Norborne. AECI is proposing to use a coal combustion technology 
known as supercritical pulverized coal, along with other proposed 
pollution controls collectively known as Best Available Control 
Technology (BACT). The primary components of the Proposed Action 
include the following:
     Power plant and associated facilities and operations, 
including the plant cooling system, waste management operations, 
lighting, and fire protection and other safety systems.
     345-kV substation with associated transmission line 
modifications and communications facilities.
     New and modified substations.
     Approximately 134 miles of new 345-kV transmission lines 
to connect with AECI's existing network.

[[Page 1316]]

     Water supply system consisting of groundwater wells and 
associated pipeline.
     Utility waste landfill.
     New rail access from existing mainline railroads.
     Actions to reduce or prevent environmental impacts.
    The Proposed Action has been identified as USDA/RD's Preferred 
Alternative.

DATES: With this notice, USDA/RD invites any affected Federal, State, 
and local agencies and other interested persons to comment on the Draft 
EIS. Written comments on this Draft EIS will be accepted for 45 days 
following publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's notice 
of availability for this Draft EIS in the Federal Register.
    USDA/RD will hold public meetings at three locations in February 
2007: February 6 at the Knights of Columbus Building, 311 E. Patterson 
Avenue, Salisbury, MO; February 7 at the Best Western State Fair Inn, 
South 65 Highway and 32nd Street, Sedalia, MO; and February 8 at the 
Rupe Community Center, 710 Harvest Hills Road, Carrollton, MO. The 
meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and will include a presentation 
summarizing the findings of the Draft EIS and the opportunity for 
attendees to submit both oral and written comments. In accordance with 
40 CFR 1503.1, Inviting Comments, the purpose of the meeting will be to 
solicit comments from interested parties on the Draft EIS for the 
Norborne Plant. A copy of the Draft EIS can be obtained or viewed 
online at http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/eis.htm. Copies of the 
Draft EIS will also be available for public review at the following 
locations (hours vary; contact individual repositories for available 
times):

Boonslick Regional Library Sedalia Branch, 219 W. 3rd Street, Sedalia, 
MO 65301, Phone: 660/827-7323.
Boonslick Regional Library, 950 E. Main Street, Warsaw, MO 65355, 
Phone: 660/438-5211.
Cameron Public Library, 312 N. Chestnut Street, Cameron, MO 64429, 
Phone: 816/632-2311.
Carnegie Library, 316 Massachusetts Street, St. Joseph, MO 64504, 
Phone: 816/238-0526.
Carrollton Public Library, 1 N. Folger Street, Carrollton, MO 64633, 
Phone: 660/542-0183.
Concordia Library, 709 S. Main Street, Concordia, MO 64020, Phone: 660/
463-2277.
DeKalb County Public Library, 105 N. Polk Street, Maysville, MO 64469, 
Phone: 816/449-5695.
Dulany Memorial Library, 501 S. Broadway, Salisbury, MO 65281, Phone: 
660/388-5712.
Downtown Library, 927 Felix Street, St. Joseph, MO 64501, Phone: 816/
232-7729.
East Hills Library, 502 N. Woodbine Road, Suite A., St. Joseph, MO 
64506, Phone: 816/236-2136.
Hale Library & Museum, 321 Main Street, Hale, MO 64643, Phone: 660/565-
2617.
Lexington Library, 1008 Main Street, Lexington, MO 64067, Phone: 660/
259-3071.
Little Dixie Regional Library, 111 N. 4th Street, Moberly, MO 65270, 
Phone: 660/263-4426.
Macon Public Library, 210 N. Rutherford Street, Macon, MO 63552, Phone: 
660/385-3314.
Marshall Public Library, 214 N. Lafayette, Marshall, MO 65340, Phone: 
660/886-3391.
Maryville Public Library, 509 N. Main Street, Maryville, MO 64468, 
Phone: 660/582-5281.
Mid-Continent Public Library, Excelsior Springs Branch, 1460 Kearney 
Road, Excelsior Springs, MO 64024-1746, Phone: 816/630-6721.
Mid-Continent Public Library, Kearney Branch, 100 S. Platte-Clay Way, 
Kearney, MO 64060-7640, Phone: 816/628-5055.
Mound City Public Library, 205 E. 6th Street, Mound City, MO 64470, 
Phone: 660/442-5700.
Norborne Public Library, 109 E. Second Street, Norborne, MO 64668, 
Phone: 660-593-3514.
Oregon Public Library, 103 S. Washington Street, Oregon, MO 64473, 
Phone: 660/446-3586.
Ray County Library, 215 E. Lexington Street, Richmond, MO 64085, Phone: 
816/776-5104.
Rolling Hills Consolidated Library: Eastside, 1904 N. Belt Highway, St. 
Joseph, MO 64506, Phone: 816/232-5479.
Rolling Hills Consolidated Library: Savannah, 514 W. Main Street, 
Savannah, MO 64485, Phone: 816/324-4569.
Robertson Memorial Library, 19 W. 20th Street, Higginsville, MO 64037, 
Phone: 660/584-2880.
Sedalia Public Library, 311 W. Third Street, Sedalia, MO 65301, Phone: 
660/826-1314.
Sweet Springs Public Library, 217 Turner Street, Sweet Springs, MO 
65351, Phone: 660/335-4314.
Washington Park Library, 1821 N. Third Street, St. Joseph, MO 64505, 
Phone: 816/232-2052.


ADDRESS FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: To send comments or for more 
information, contact: Stephanie A. Strength, USDA, Rural Development, 
Utilities Programs, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Mail Stop 1570, Room 
2244, Washington, DC 20250-1570, telephone (202) 720-0468, fax (202) 
720-0820, or e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: AECI is an electric generation and 
transmission cooperative, a non-profit utility owned by its members. It 
provides wholesale electricity and related services to six electric 
generation and transmission cooperatives that in turn provide 
electricity to 51 distribution cooperatives. AECI's service area 
includes most of Missouri outside of urban areas, part of northeast 
Oklahoma, and a small part of southeast Iowa. AECI is contractually 
obligated to provide all the electric power needs of the cooperative 
member systems it serves. AECI does not have the capacity to meet all 
of its members' power needs beyond 2013.
    After considering various ways to meet those future needs, AECI 
identified the construction of a new coal-fired power plant near 
Norborne, Missouri as its best course of action. This Draft EIS 
considered 17 technology alternatives, several alternatives that did 
not include AECI construction of a new baseload plant, adding capacity 
at an existing AECI facility, and a number of siting alternatives as 
means of responding to the identified purpose and need for the project. 
These alternatives were evaluated in terms of cost-effectiveness, 
technical feasibility, and environmental soundness. The Draft EIS 
analyzes in detail the Proposed Action (Norborne Plant and related 
facilities), essentially the same plant and ancillary facilities at a 
different location (Big Lake Site), an alternative technology 
(integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), and the No Action 
Alternative. Under the No Action Alternative, the project would not be 
constructed.
    With actions that have been incorporated into the Proposed Action 
to reduce or avoid impact, no significant adverse impacts are 
anticipated. Other adverse but non-significant impacts of the Proposed 
Action include those on soils, water, air, fisheries and wildlife, 
noise, transportation, floodplains, wetlands, and farmland. Impacts 
associated with the use of IGCC are similar.
    Use of the Big Lake Site would result in impacts similar to those 
of the Proposed Action for most resources, but, when compared with the 
Proposed Action, would likely result in greater adverse impacts on 
floodplains, recreation and public lands and cultural

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resources; and potentially significant impacts on fisheries and 
wildlife (migratory birds), threatened and endangered species (bald 
eagles), and environmental justice (Native Americans).
    AECI's Proposed Action has been identified as USDA/RD's Preferred 
Alternative. The Preferred Alternative has the potential to have non-
significant impacts on wetlands and floodplains.
    Any final action by the USDA Rural Development related to the 
proposed project will be subject to, and contingent upon, compliance 
with all relevant Federal, state and local environmental laws and 
regulations, and completion of the environmental review requirements as 
prescribed in the USDA Rural Utilities Services' Environmental Policies 
and Procedures (7 CFR part 1794).

    Dated: December 29, 2006.
James R. Newby,
Assistant Administrator, USDA/Rural Development/Electric Program.
[FR Doc. E7-226 Filed 1-10-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P