[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 207 (Friday, October 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60843-60844]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-21088]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Big Stone II Power Plant and Transmission Project Supplemental 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0377)

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of availability and public hearing.

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SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration (Western) announces the 
availability of the Supplemental Draft Big Stone II Power Plant and 
Transmission Project (Project) Environmental Impact Statement 
(Supplemental Draft EIS) for public review and comment. The U.S. 
Department of Agriculture Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and U.S. 
Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), are 
participating as cooperating agencies in the EIS process. The 
Supplemental Draft EIS addresses the environmental impacts of a 
different back-up water supply plan that uses groundwater instead of 
surface water along with associated cooling alternatives for the 
proposed Big Stone II power plant's back-up water supply. The National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires Western to make the 
Supplemental Draft EIS available to interested members of the public, 
groups, and Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies for review and 
comment to assure they have an opportunity to provide input to the 
Federal decision making process. Comments on the Supplemental Draft EIS 
may be provided in writing or at the hearing scheduled during the 
review period.

DATES: Western invites the public to comment on the Supplemental Draft 
EIS during the 45-day public review and comment period, which begins on 
October 26, 2007, and ends on Monday, December 10, 2007.
    Western will hold one public hearing on November 13, 2007, at 7 
p.m., at the Milbank Chamber of Commerce in Milbank, South Dakota.

ADDRESSES: The hearing will be held at the Milbank Chamber of Commerce, 
1001 E. 4th Ave., Milbank, South Dakota.
    Written comments on the Supplemental Draft EIS should be mailed, 
faxed, or e-mailed to: Ms. Nancy Werdel, NEPA Document Manager, Big 
Stone II EIS, A7400, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 
281213, Lakewood, CO 80228-8213, fax (720) 962-7263 or 7269, e-mail 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information or to request 
a copy or summary of the Supplemental Draft EIS, please write Ms. Nancy 
Werdel, NEPA Document Manager, Big Stone II EIS, A7400, Western Area 
Power Administration, P.O. Box 281213, Lakewood, CO 80228-8213, fax 
(720) 962-7263 or 7269, e-mail [email protected], or telephone her 
at (800) 336-7288.
    For general information on DOE's NEPA review process, please 
contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and 
Compliance, GC-20, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585, 
(202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In May 2006, Western Area Power 
Administration (Western) issued the Big Stone II Power Plant and 
Transmission Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS). 
The Draft EIS described the details of the Proposed Action to construct 
a nominal 600-megawatt (MW), coal-fired, baseload electric generating 
facility and associated transmission line and substation upgrades, 
known as the Big Stone II Project (proposed Project). The primary 
source of water for the existing plant and the proposed Big Stone II 
plant would be withdrawals from Big Stone Lake. The proposed Project 
described in the Draft EIS included construction of a 450-acre surface 
water pond as the source of back-up water. The 450-acre surface water 
pond would have been filled with water from Big Stone Lake during 
normal operating conditions and used in the event of a drought or 
operational constraints, when sufficient quantities of water could not 
be pumped from Big Stone Lake. The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) and 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are participating as 
cooperating agencies in the EIS process.
    The purpose of the Supplemental Draft EIS is to present and analyze 
the environmental impacts of using groundwater instead of surface water 
for the proposed Big Stone II power plant's back-up water supply along 
with different cooling alternatives. Changes to the proposed Project 
are based on comments received on the Draft EIS concerning wetland 
impacts from construction of the 450-acre water storage pond and 
additional construction costs associated with the pond.
    The Council on Environmental Quality NEPA regulations (40 CFR 
1502.9) and DOE NEPA regulations (10 CFR 1021.314) require that a 
supplement to a draft environmental impact statement be prepared if 
there are substantial changes to the Proposed Action or significant new 
circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns, and 
contribute to the impacts of the Proposed Action. Western determined 
that the use of groundwater as the back-up water supply would 
significantly change the environmental impacts of the proposed Project 
as presented in the Draft EIS and required the preparation of a 
Supplemental Draft EIS.
    The Supplemental Draft EIS considers two cooling technology 
alternatives with groundwater as the back-up water supply. Groundwater 
would be produced from the Veblen Aquifer. Both alternatives would use 
surface water from Big Stone Lake as the primary water source. 
Alternative 2 (wet cooling with groundwater back-up water supply), the 
Revised Proposed Action, retains the original wet cooling system 
technology identified in the Draft EIS but uses groundwater supply as 
its back-up water supply. Alternative 3 (wet/dry

[[Page 60844]]

cooling with groundwater back-up water supply) would use a combined 
wet/dry cooling system. The dry portion would use an air-cooled 
condenser as a heat transfer mechanism and the wet portion of the 
system would be used in parallel to the dry system, as needed, to 
achieve full unit output on warmer days. Both alternatives would 
require installation of groundwater production wells and a pipeline 
system to convey groundwater to the proposed plant site. Other changes 
described in the Supplemental Draft EIS include plant water usage, 
water treatment, and wastewater management. There are no other 
significant changes to the Proposed Action as described in Section 2.2 
of the Draft EIS.
    The Supplemental Draft EIS evaluates the environmental impacts of 
the proposed Project on air quality, water resources (groundwater, 
floodplains, surface water), geology, minerals, paleontological 
resources, soils, biological resources (vegetation, wildlife, 
fisheries, special status species, wetland/riparian areas), cultural 
and historical resources, land use (land use planning, public 
facilities, recreation, agricultural practices and prime and unique 
farmland), infrastructure, public health, waste management, visual 
resources, noise, social and economic values, environmental justice, 
and cumulative impacts.
    Western maintains a mailing list of those interested in the Big 
Stone II Project EIS. Copies of the complete Supplemental Draft EIS or 
the Executive Summary have been distributed to all persons and groups 
on the mailing list that requested a copy. A distribution has been made 
to various libraries in the proposed Project area.
    Oral comments on the Supplemental Draft EIS will be accepted only 
during the public hearing scheduled for the date and location provided 
above. Those wishing to make oral comments may do so at the scheduled 
public hearing. Speakers will be asked to register at the door prior to 
the beginning of the hearing. Speakers are encouraged to provide a 
written version of their oral comments for the record. Each speaker 
will be allowed 5 minutes to present comments unless more time is 
requested and available. Comments will be recorded by a court reporter 
at the hearing and will become part of the public hearing record. 
Western will conduct an open house information session 2 hours prior to 
the public hearing to field questions and provide information to the 
public.
    Copies of the Supplemental Draft EIS are available for public 
review at the offices and public libraries listed below:
Public Libraries
Ortonville Public Library, 412 Second Street Northwest, Ortonville, 
Minnesota.
Morris Public Library, 102 East 6th Street, Morris, Minnesota.
Granite Falls Public Library, 155 7th Avenue, Granite Falls, Minnesota.
Appleton Public Library, 322 W. Schlieman Avenue, Appleton, Minnesota.
Canby Public Library, 110 Oscar Avenue North, Canby, Minnesota.
Willmar Public Library, 410 5th Street Southwest, Willmar, Minnesota.
Kerkhoven Public Library, 208 10th Street North, Kerkhoven, Minnesota.
Benson Public Library, 200 13th Street South, Benson, Minnesota.
Grant County Public Library, 207 Park Avenue East, Milbank, South 
Dakota.
Watertown Regional Library, 611 Bruhn Avenue NE., Watertown, South 
Dakota.
    The Draft EIS is also available at DOE Reading Rooms at the 
following addresses:

    U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building, Reading Room 1E-190, 
1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585; Western Area Power 
Administration, Corporate Services Office, 12155 West Alameda Parkway, 
Lakewood, Colorado 80228; and Western Area Power Administration, Upper 
Great Plains Customer Service Region, South Dakota Maintenance Office, 
200 4th Street, SW., Huron, South Dakota 57350.
    Western will consider all written comments postmarked or received 
during the public comment period in preparing the Final EIS. Decisions 
by each of the involved Federal agencies will be made after considering 
comments on the Draft, Supplemental Draft, and Final EIS. The decisions 
to be made by Western, RUS, and USACE regarding the proposed Big Stone 
II Power Plant and Transmission Project will be issued following the 
Final EIS in the form of separate records of decision for each agency.

    Dated: October 19, 2007.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E7-21088 Filed 10-25-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P