[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 154 (Friday, August 10, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45040-45042]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-15666]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Granby Pumping Plant-Windy Gap Transmission Line Rebuild Project, 
Grand County, CO

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and Conduct Scoping; Notice of Floodplain and Wetlands 
Involvement.

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SUMMARY: The Western Area Power Administration (Western), U.S. 
Department of Energy (DOE), intends to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for rebuilding the Granby Pumping Plant-Windy Gap 
transmission line in Grand County, Colorado. The U.S. Forest Service 
(USFS) will participate in the preparation of the EIS, which will 
address the proposed removal of about 12 miles of 69-kilovolt (kV) 
transmission line, the construction and operation of about 12 miles of 
new 138-kV double-circuit transmission line (operated at 69/138-kV), 
and adding a second power transformer. Input for the scope of the EIS 
may be provided in writing or at an open-house scoping meeting in the 
project area.

DATES: An open-house public scoping meeting will be held Thursday, 
August 30, 2007, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Granby, Colorado. The public 
scoping period starts with the publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register and closes at midnight on September 17, 2007. To be 
assured of consideration, all

[[Page 45041]]

comments or suggestions regarding the appropriate scope must be 
received by the end of the scoping period.

ADDRESSES: The open-house public scoping meeting will be held at 
Mountain Parks Electric, Inc., 321 West Agate Avenue, Granby, CO 80446-
0170. Written comments regarding the project should be addressed to Mr. 
Rodney Jones, NEPA Document Manager, Western Area Power Administration, 
Rocky Mountain Region, P.O. Box 3700, Loveland, CO 80539-3003; fax 
(970) 461-7213, or e-mail [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about the proposed 
project, to be added to the project mailing list, or to request a copy 
of the EIS, contact Mr. Rodney Jones at the address provided above or 
at toll-free telephone (800) 472-2306. For general information on DOE's 
NEPA review procedures or status of a NEPA review, contact Ms. Carol M. 
Borgstrom, Director of NEPA Policy and Compliance, GC-20, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20585, telephone (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western is a power marketing agency of DOE 
that markets Federal electric power to statutorily defined customers, 
including project use, municipalities, irrigation districts, and Native 
American tribes. Western initially determined that an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) would be prepared for the proposed Granby Pumping 
Plant-Windy Gap Transmission Line Rebuild Project on February 25, 2005. 
Western held open-house scoping meetings on July 28, 2005, and November 
15, 2006. The public expressed numerous concerns about the impacts of 
the project. Based on a review of the public's concerns, Western 
subsequently determined that an EIS would be prepared.
    The EIS will address the environmental impacts of the proposal to 
remove about 12 miles of existing 69-kV transmission line and the 
construction and operation of about 12 miles of new 138-kV double-
circuit transmission line (which would be operated at 69/138-kV), and 
adding a second power transformer. Alternatives, including the no 
action alternative, will also be addressed in the EIS. Western's EIS 
process will comply with NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, as amended), 
Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (40 
Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 1500-1508) and DOE NEPA 
implementing procedures (10 CFR part 1021). Because the proposed 
project may involve action in floodplains, the EIS will include a 
floodplain assessment and floodplain statement of findings following 
DOE regulations for compliance with floodplain and wetlands 
environmental review requirements (10 CFR part 1022).

Description

    Western's Rocky Mountain Region proposes to rebuild and upgrade the 
Granby Pumping Plant-Windy Gap 69-kV transmission line, between the 
Windy Gap Substation and the Granby Pumping Plant, a distance of 
approximately 11.7 miles. The transmission line, which was constructed 
on wood-pole H-frame structures, is located in Grand County, Colorado, 
near the towns of Granby and Grand Lake. Other participants in the 
project include Tri-State Generation and Transmission, Inc. (Tri-State) 
and the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District (NCWCD).
    Western's Granby Pumping Plant-Windy Gap 69-kV transmission line 
has been in operation approximately 65 years. It supplies electrical 
power to the Colorado-Big Thompson Project (C-BT) facilities and 
electrical substations operated by Mountain Parks Electric, Inc. 
(MPEI), a Tri-State member operating company.
    The area transmission system has also been served by the Bureau of 
Reclamation's (Reclamation) Adams Tunnel 69-kV cable for the past 50 
years, and the cable is at the end of its planned service life. The 
Adams Tunnel 69-kV cable provides Tri-State with a second power source 
for MPEI loads. In 1992, Western and Reclamation studied costs, 
engineering requirements and electrical system constraints for 
replacing the Adams Tunnel cable in anticipation of its eventual 
failure. In 1994, Western and Reclamation decided not to replace the 
cable if it fails.
    For electrical service reliability, Tri-State must maintain a 
second source of power for MPEI loads. The result of systems studies by 
both Western and Tri-State demonstrated electrical system reliability 
improvements when a new 138-kV transmission line was added between the 
Windy Gap and Granby substations.
    The NCWCD expressed interest in extending the 138-kV transmission 
line directly to C-BT Project facilities at Granby Pumping Plant to 
allow better voltage support for motor starting at Granby Pumping 
Plant.
    The proposed project includes the following actions.
     Remove 10.0 miles of 69-kV circuit: Windy Gap Substation-
Stillwater Tap.
     Remove 1.7 miles of 69-kV circuit: Stillwater Tap to 
Granby-Granby Pumping Plant Substation.
     Remove three 69-kV line switches at Granby Tap.
     Construct 10.0 miles of 138-kV double-circuit transmission 
line with overhead fiber optic ground wire (operated at 69/138-kV): 
Windy Gap Substation-Stillwater Tap.
     Construct 1.7 miles of 138-kV double-circuit transmission 
line with overhead fiber optic ground wire (operated at 69/138-kV): 
Stillwater Tap-Granby Pumping Plant Substation.
     Install 69-kV three-way line switches at new Willow Creek 
Tap (replaces Granby Tap).
     Install 69-kV three-way line switches at Stillwater Tap.
     Construct a new 138/69-kV Granby Pumping Plant Substation, 
consisting of two circuit breakers with 138-kV main and transfer busses 
and a 138/69-kV power transformer.
     Install a new 69-kV circuit breaker at the existing 69/
6.9-kV Granby Pumping Plant Substation.
     Install a new 138-kV circuit breaker bay at the Windy Gap 
Substation.
    The right-of-way for the existing transmission line is generally 
30-feet wide, which is inadequate for new transmission line 
construction and maintenance. Some segments of the proposed rebuilt and 
upgraded transmission line would be constructed on new rights-of-way on 
alternative alignments. Remaining segments of the transmission line 
would be constructed on existing rights-of-way that will be widened to 
accommodate construction, operation, and maintenance.
    The proposed substation site for the new 138/69-kV Granby Pumping 
Plant Substation would be approximately 200 feet by 150 feet in area, 
and located entirely on Reclamation property.

No Action Alternative

    Under the No Action alternative, none of the proposed facilities 
would be constructed, and the existing 69-kV transmission line would be 
left in place. Different transmission projects could be proposed by 
other entities to strengthen the electrical system in the project area.

Agency Responsibilities

    Western has determined that an EIS is required under DOE NEPA 
implementing procedures, 10 CFR 1021, in light of the public's concerns 
about potential impacts of the project. Western will be the lead 
Federal agency for preparing the EIS, as defined in 40 CFR 1501.5. In 
addition, the USFS has been designated a cooperating agency. Western 
invites interested agencies,

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Tribes, organizations, and members of the public to submit comments or 
suggestions to assist in identifying environmental issues and in 
determining the appropriate scope of the EIS. Western will invite other 
Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies with jurisdiction by law or 
special expertise, with respect to environmental issues, to be 
cooperating agencies on the EIS, as defined in 40 CFR 1501.6. Such 
agencies also may make a request to Western to be a cooperating agency. 
Designated cooperating agencies have certain responsibilities to 
support the NEPA process, as specified in 40 CFR 1501.6(b).

Environmental Issues

    The EIS will address impacts from the proposed project and a range 
of reasonable alternatives that achieve that same purpose and need. 
This notice is to inform agencies and the public of the proposed 
project and solicit comments and suggestions for consideration in 
preparing the EIS. To help the public frame its comments, this notice 
contains a list of potential environmental issues Western has 
tentatively identified for analysis. These issues include:
    1. Impacts on protected, threatened, endangered, or sensitive 
species of animals or plants or their critical habitats;
    2. Impacts on other biological resources;
    3. Impacts on land use, recreation, and transportation;
    4. Impacts on floodplains and wetlands;
    5. Impacts on cultural or historic resources and tribal values;
    6. Impacts on human health and safety;
    7. Impacts on air, soil, and water resources (including air 
quality, surface water impacts, and groundwater impacts);
    8. Visual impacts; and
    9. Socioeconomic impacts and disproportionately high and adverse 
impacts to minority and low-income populations.
    This list is not intended to be all-inclusive or to imply any 
predetermination of impacts. Western invites interested parties to 
suggest specific issues within these general categories, or other 
issues not included above, to be considered in the EIS.

Public Participation

    Opportunities for public participation are planned for the entire 
EIS process. Western anticipates the EIS process will take about 12 
months and will include an open-house public scoping meeting; 
consultation and involvement with appropriate Federal, State, local, 
and tribal agencies; public review and hearing on the published Draft 
EIS; a published Final EIS; and publication of a Record of Decision. 
Western will mail newsletters to the mailing list developed for the 
proposed project to communicate project status and developments. Anyone 
may request to be placed on the mailing list.
    The scoping period will provide opportunity for interested members 
of the public, representatives of groups, and Federal, State, local, 
and tribal agencies to give input on the scope of alternatives and 
issues that will be addressed in the EIS. As part of the scoping 
period, Western will hold a public open-house scoping meeting near the 
project area. Interested individuals and groups are invited to attend 
anytime between 4 and 7 p.m., according to the date and location noted 
above. The open-house scoping meeting will be informal, with Western 
representatives available for one-on-one discussions with attendees. 
Attendees will have the opportunity to view maps of the proposed 
transmission line route, learn about the NEPA process and the proposed 
schedule, suggest changes and improvements to the proposed project, and 
obtain additional information. Written comments regarding environmental 
issues, alternatives, and other scoping issues may be turned in at the 
scoping meetings or may be provided to Western by fax, e-mail, U.S. 
Postal Service, or other carrier. Although comments on the proposed 
project may be submitted at any time during the EIS process, to be 
assured consideration in helping define the scope of the EIS, all 
comments or suggestions regarding the appropriate scope must be 
received by the end of the scoping period. Comments received by Western 
at or as a result of the July 28, 2005, and November 15, 2006, open 
houses will be used to help define the scope of the EIS.

    Dated: July 30, 2007.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E7-15666 Filed 8-9-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P