[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 35 (Thursday, February 21, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9517-9521]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3194]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Dixie National Forest, UT; Tropic to Hatch 138kV Transmission 
Line Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The Forest Supervisor of the Dixie National Forest gives 
notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement to 
address potential effects of a proposed project by Garkane Energy 
Cooperative (Garkane) to construct, operate and maintain a 138 kilovolt 
(kV) electric transmission line requiring a Special Use Authorization, 
Grant of Right-of-Way, and/or Special Use Permit for a Right-of-Way. 
The proposed project will include the construction of a 138kV 
transmission line, associated substations, access roads and the removal 
and reclamation of a portion of the existing transmission line. The 
proposed action would cross lands administered by the Forest Service, 
Bureau of Land Management, State and private. If approved, the proposed 
project would require amending the Grand Staircase-Escalante National 
Monument Management Plan to allow a utility right-of-way in the 
primitive management zone adjacent to an existing utility right-of-way.
    Dependant upon the final location of the transmission line 
alignment, the Dixie National Forest Plan may need amending to adjust 
or modify the scenic integrity objectives. The Dixie National Forest 
will serve as the lead agency. The National Park Service and the Bureau 
of Land Management Kanab Field Office and Grand Staircase-Escalante 
National Monument will participate as cooperating agencies, and each 
agency will issue separate decisions based on the analysis. The Utah 
State Institutional Trust Lands have been invited as a cooperating 
agency.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis should be received

[[Page 9518]]

within 30 days from date of publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register to be most useful. The Draft Environmental Impact Statement is 
scheduled for release in spring 2009, and the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement is scheduled for completion in summer 2009.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Ms. Susan Baughman, Dixie National 
Forest, USDA Forest Service, Tropic to Hatch 138kV Transmission Line 
Project EIS Project Leader, 1789 N. Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, UT 
84720. Phone: (435) 865-3700; Fax: (435) 865-3791; E-mail: [email protected]. E-mailed comments 
must be submitted in MS Word (*.doc) or rich text format (*.rtf) and 
should include the project name in the subject line. Written comments 
may also be submitted at the above address during regular business 
hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday-Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Susan Baughman, Tropic to Hatch 
138kV Transmission Line Project, EIS Project Leader, Dixie National 
Forest (contact information listed above).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Garkane delivers propane and electric 
service to more than 11,000 customers in northern Arizona and southern 
Utah including the project area. Growth in Garfield and Kane counties 
has increased electrical demand. Garkane, which owns, operates and 
maintains the electric delivery systems in this area, has found the 
existing system insufficient to meet electrical demand without the 
operation of temporary diesel generators. The proposed project involves 
the construction, operation and maintenance of a 138kV transmission 
line from Tropic to Hatch in Garfield County, Utah, and a new 
substation and expansion of the Hatch Substation to serve existing and 
planned electric loads in the region. Currently a 138kV transmission 
line provides connection from the Glen Canyon Dam to the Tropic area; 
however, only a 69kV transmission line provides connection between the 
Tropic and Hatch substations. The 69kV transmission system is Garkane's 
main electrical supply to the area west of Tropic and is insufficent to 
provide power equal to the electrical demand in that area. The existing 
69kV electrical transmission system is operating at its capacity and 
cannot be modified to carry higher voltages due to physical limitations 
of the pole structures. The proposed 138kV electrical system 
improvement would provide a cost-effective solution to adequately 
address current demands and provide capacity for the foreseeable 
future. A special use authorization and right-of-way must be acquired 
or amended to allow the construction, maintenance and operation of the 
new transmission line. Substations would be developed on private land 
as part of the project.
    The new transmission line will be a single 138kV circuit supported 
by wood pole H-frame structures approximately 60 feet tall. The 
proposed project involves the construction of access roads in portions 
of the alignment where a suitable road is not available and where 
development of an access road is permitted by the authorizing agency. 
Access roads would be used for installation of wood transmission 
structures, conductors, and overhead ground wires, removal of poles and 
conductors, and for maintenance and inspection activities. In limited 
areas where vehicle access is not feasible due to topographical 
constraints and/or agency requirements, the alignment would be accessed 
via helicopter, mule, horse, all-terrain vehicle, and/or foot. In order 
to accomplish the planned activities, Garkane will require a 100 foot-
wide permanent right-of-way. In addition, temporary use permits would 
be needed for several 125 by 400 foot pulling and splicing locations 
and turning structure locations, and for approximately eight 200 by 600 
foot temporary staging locations. Project construction activities and 
overland access along the proposed project alignment will be conducted 
within the proposed 100 foot-wide right-of-way and the temporary use 
permit areas.
    The proposed 138kV transmission line would originate at a proposed 
East Valley Substation, located near Tropic, Utah and terminate at the 
existing Hatch Substation near Hatch, Utah, along U.S. Route 89 and 
would extend approximately 31 miles. The project would involve various 
private land owners as well as jurisdictions managed by the State of 
Utah; Dixie National Forest; and Bureau of Land Management's Kanab 
Field Office and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. 
Development of the proposed action would include the removal of the 
existing transmission line between the Bryce Canyon Substation and 
Hatch Mountain Switch Station through Red Canyon. One potential 
alternative would parallel an existing line through Bryce Canyon 
National Park.
    The Bureau of Land Management planning regulations (43 CFR 1600) 
require the preparation of planning criteria to guide the development 
of resource management plan amendments. Planning criteria ensure that 
plans are tailored to the identified issues and ensure that unnecessary 
data collection and analysis are avoided.
    These general planning criteria will be used to develop a Grand 
Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan amendment for the 
Tropic to Hatch 138kV Transmission Line Project. The planning criteria 
are as follows:
     The plan amendment will only consider adding one new 
utility right-of-way in the primitive zone adjacent to an existing 
utility right-of-way.
     It will be completed in compliance with the Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act and all other applicable laws.
     It will meet the intent of the Proclamation that 
established Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument which protects 
objects of geological, paleontological, archaeological, biological, and 
historic values within the Monument.
    Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy 
Act and 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., the Forest Service, Bureau of Land 
Management and National Park Service will be directing a third-party 
contractor in the preparation of the Environmental Impact Statement on 
the impacts of the proposed action.

Purpose and Need for Action

    Growth in Garfield and Kane counties has increased electrical 
demand. The growth in this area has resulted in a 66 percent increase 
in the electrical demand during the past five years. This has caused an 
overloading of the transmission lines and a decrease in the reliability 
of the electrical system. Garkane, which owns, operates and maintains 
the electric delivery systems in this area, has found the existing 
system insufficient to meet electrical demand without operation of 
temporary diesel generators.
    Currently a 138kV transmission line provides connection from the 
Glen Canyon Dam to the Tropic area, however only a 69kV transmission 
line provides connection between the Tropic and Hatch substations. The 
69kV transmission system is Garkane's main electrical supply to the 
area west of Tropic and is insufficient to provide power equal to the 
electrical demand in that area. The existing 69kV electrical 
transmission system is operating at its capacity and cannot be modified 
to carry higher voltages due to physical limitations of the pole 
structures. The proposed project is needed to bring this available 
energy from the Tropic area to the Hatch area where the electric 
demands are increasing. The proposed

[[Page 9519]]

electrical system improvement will provide a cost-effective solution to 
adequately address both current demands and provide capacity for the 
foreseeable future. A right-of-way must be acquired or amended to allow 
the construction, maintenance and operation of the new transmission 
line. Substations will be developed on private land as part of the 
project. Special use authorizations and rights-of-way are needed to 
allow Garkane to upgrade the current electrical service from Tropic to 
Hatch, Garfield County, Utah to meet current and future electrical 
demands.

Proposed Action

    The Forest Supervisor of the Dixie National Forest and the Utah 
State Director of the Bureau of Land Management propose to conduct 
analysis and decide whether to grant the necessary Special Use 
Authorization and Right-of-Way permits to Garkane to construct, operate 
and maintain a 138kV transmission line and all associated features from 
Tropic to Hatch in Garfield County, Utah. The proposed project would 
require amending the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument 
Management Plan to allow a utility right-of-way in the primitive zone 
adjacent to an existing utility right-of-way. Dependant upon the final 
location of the transmission line alignment, the Dixie National Forest 
Plan may need to be amended to adjust or modify the scenic integrity 
objectives.
    The proposed corridor originates on private land at the proposed 
East Valley Substation and extends northeast following East Valley Road 
to an existing Rocky Mountain Power 230kV transmission line corridor. 
The project route then parallels the south side of the Rocky Mountain 
Power 230kV Transmission Line to the northwest through Cedar Fork 
Canyon. As the project route exits the Canyon on the Paunsaugunt 
Plateau, it diverges from the Rocky Mountain Power 230kV Transmission 
Line corridor and extends east across John's Valley for approximately 
seven miles. At this point, the corridor turns south for approximately 
two miles crossing State Route 12 near the Bryce Canyon Pines Motel. 
The route then extends west through Johnson Bench until it intersects 
Forest Service Road 1150, and then parallels Forest Service Road 1150 
to the head of the Hillsdale Canyon. The project route continues 
through a designated utility corridor west down the canyon to Forest 
Road 223 and turns north for approximately 0.5 mile. At this point, the 
project route leaves the road and extends due west across Long Valley 
paralleling section lines, and eventually crossing U.S. Route 89 where 
it then turns to the southwest for approximately two miles to the Hatch 
Substation. The proposed line would cross approximately 15 miles of 
National Forest, 3.67 miles of Grand Staircase-Escalante National 
Monument, 3.53 miles of Bureau of Land Management Kanab Field Office, 
7.27 miles of State, and 1.76 miles of private lands.
    Legal description for the project route corridor is as follows: 
Sections 27-29, 31, 32, 34, and 35, T35S, R3W; sections 34-36, T35S, 
R4W; sections 7, 17, 18, 20, 28, 29, 32, and 33, T36S, R2W; sections 2, 
11, and 12, T36S, R3W; sections 3, 4, and 7-9, T36S, R4W; sections 8, 
9, and 11-16, T36S, R4.5W; and sections 11-16, and 21, T36S, R5W.
    The new transmission line will be a single 138kV circuit supported 
by wood pole H-frame structures approximately 60 feet tall. The 
proposed project involves the construction of access roads in portions 
of the alignment where a suitable road is not available and where 
development of an access road is permitted by the authorizing agency. 
Access roads would be used for installation of wood transmission 
structures, conductors, overhead ground wires, removal of poles and 
conductors, and for maintenance and inspection activities. In limited 
areas where vehicle access is not feasible due to topographical 
constraints and/or agency requirements, the alignment would be accessed 
via helicopter, mule, horse, all-terrain vehicle, and/or foot. In order 
to accomplish the planned activities, Garkane will require a 100 foot-
wide permanent right-of-way. In addition, temporary use permits will be 
needed for 125 by 400 foot areas at pulling and splicing locations at 
turning structures and for approximately eight 200 by 600 feet areas 
for temporary staging activities. Project construction activities and 
overland access along the proposed project alignment will be conducted 
within the proposed 100 foot-wide right-of-way and temporary use permit 
areas.
    Development of the proposed action would include the removal and 
reclamation of the existing transmission line between the Bryce Canyon 
Substation and the Hatch Mountain Switch Station through Red Canyon.

Possible Alternatives

    All alternatives studied in detail must fall within the scope of 
the purpose and need for action and will generally tier to and comply 
with the Dixie National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan 
(1986), Grand Staircase Escalante National Mounment Management Plan 
(1999), Cedar, Beaver, Garfield, Antimony Resource Management Plan 
(1986), and if necessary the Bryce Canyon National Park General 
Management Plan (1987) and National Park Service Management Policies 
(2006). Law requires evaluation of a ``no-action alternative.''
    A possible alternative would be to build the transmission line 
roughly parallel to the existing 69kV transmission line corridor. The 
current 69kV line would need to remain in place until such time as the 
upgraded line is energized. This alternative would originate at the 
proposed East Valley Substation and extend generally west though 
Tropic, Utah crossing State Route 12, continuing approximately three 
miles through Bryce Canyon National Park with 1.2 miles of new 
alignment onto the Paunsaugunt Plateau to the Bryce Substation near the 
Ruby's Inn area. The route would then parallel the existing line across 
the Paunsaugunt Plateau in a northwest direction to Red Canyon where it 
would parallel the existing line through Red Canyon into Long Valley, 
cross U.S. Route 89 to the Hatch Mountain Switch Station. From the 
switch station, the route would parallel the existing line south to the 
Hatch Substation. This alternative would remove and reclaim the portion 
of the existing 69kV line between the Tropic Substation and Hatch 
Mountain Switch Station. The Tropic and Bryce substations would need to 
be expanded, and probably relocated. In limited areas where vehicle 
access is not feasible due to topographical constraints and/or agency 
requirements, the alignment would be accessed via helicopter, mule, 
horse, all-terrain vehicle, and/or foot.
    The legal description for the alternative corridor is as follows: 
Sections 31 and 32, T35S, R4W; sections 26-28, 30, 35, and 36, T35S, 
R4.5W; sections 25-27, 33, and 34, T35S, R5W; sections 31 and 32, T36S, 
R2W; sections 16-18, 21-23, 25, 26, and 36, T36S, R3W; sections 3-5, 
and 10-13, T36S, R4W; and sections 4, 9, 16, and 21, T36S, R5W. 
Additional alternatives may be developed based on scoping comments.

Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The Forest Service is the lead agency. The Bureau of Land 
Management and National Park Service will participate as cooperating 
agencies. The Utah State Institutional Trust Lands have been invited to 
be a cooperating agency.

Responsible Officials

    Robert G. MacWhorter, Forest Supervisor, Dixie National Forest, 
1789

[[Page 9520]]

N. Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, Utah 84720.
    Selma Sierra, Utah BLM State Director, P.O. Box 45155, Salt Lake 
City, Utah 84145-0155.
    Mike Snyder, Regional Director, National Park Service Regional 
Office, 12795 West Alameda Pkwy, P.O. Box 25287, Lakewood, Colorado 
80225.

Nature of Decisions To Be Made

    The responsible officials will decide whether to adopt and 
implement the proposed action, an alternative to the proposed action, 
or take no action.
    The Forest Supervisor, Dixie National Forest will decide whether to 
issue a Special Use Authorization for the construction, operation and 
maintenance of a 138kV transmission line from Tropic to Hatch, Utah. 
The Forest Service may propose to amend the Forest Plan to adjust the 
scenic integrity objective if necessary depending on route alignment 
and impact analysis. The Bureau of Land Management State Director will 
decide whether approve an amendment to the Grand Staircase-Escalante 
National Monument Management Plan necessary to issue a right-of-way for 
the construction operation and maintenance of a 138kV transmission line 
from Tropic to Hatch, Utah.
    The National Park Service Regional Director would decide whether to 
issue a Special Use Permit for a right-of-way for the construction, 
operation and maintenance of a 138kV transmission line through Bryce 
Canyon National Park if an alternative through the park is selected.

Scoping Process

    The first formal opportunity to comment on the Tropic to Hatch 
138kV Transmission Line Project is during the scoping process (40 CFR 
1501.7), which begins with the issuance of this Notice of Intent. Mail 
comments to: Ms. Susan Baughman, Dixie National Forest, 1789 N. 
Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, Utah 84720. E-mail comments can be sent to: 
[email protected].
    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying 
information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    The Forest Service is inviting Federal, State and local agencies, 
the public, and other interested parties to provide comments, 
suggestions and input regarding the nature and scope of the 
environmental, social and economic issues, and possible alternatives 
related to the Tropic to Hatch 138kV Transmission Line Project. The 
scoping process for this Environmental Impact Statement will include 
two public meetings for interested agencies and the public to submit 
written concerns and issues they believe should be addressed. Comments 
concerning the scope of the analysis should be received within 30 days 
from date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register to be 
most useful.
    A series of public opportunities are scheduled to describe the 
proposal and to provide an opportunity for public input. Two scoping 
meetings are planned:
    March 12, 2008: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Panquitch Library, 25 South 200 
East, Panguitch, Utah 84759.
    March 13, 2008: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Cannonville Visitor Center, 10 
Center Street, Cannonville, Utah 84718.
    Written comments will be accepted at these meetings. The Forest 
Service will work with tribal governments to address issues that would 
significantly or uniquely affect them.

Preliminary Issues

    Issues that may be analyzed in all alternatives include: Effects on 
flora and fauna (e.g., threatened and endangered species, sensitive 
species, and management indicator species); effects on scenic and 
visual resources; effects on cultural and paleontological resources; 
effects on upland vegetation; effects on Forest Service inventoried 
roadless areas and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument 
primitive management zones; and effects on noxious weeds and invasive 
species. Specific issues will be developed through review of public 
comments and internal review.

Permits or Licenses Required

    It is assumed applications will be filed with affected agencies as 
necessary. Currently, alternative corridors cross lands managed by the 
Forest Service, National Park Service, and Grand Staircase-Escalante 
National Monument. The entitlements required from each Federal agency 
are:
     Forest Service--Special Use Authorization
     Bureau of Land Management--Grant of Right-of-Way
     Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument--Grant of 
Right-of-Way
     National Park Service--Special Use Permit for a Right-of-
Way, if applicable.

Comment Requested

    This Notice of Intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. Consequently 
site-specific comments or concerns that are tied directly to the 
proposed action are the most important types of information needed for 
this Environmental Impact Statement.

Early Notice of Importance of Public Participation in Subsequent 
Environmental Review

    A draft environmental impact statement will be prepared for 
comment. The comment period on the draft environmental impact statement 
will be at least 45 days from the date the Environmental Protection 
Agency publishes the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. If 
a Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument Management Plan amendment 
is required, the comment period would be 90 days.
    The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, it is important 
to give reviewers notice of several court rulings related to public 
participation in the environmental review process. First, reviewers of 
draft environmental impact statements must structure their 
participation in the environmental review of the proposal so that it is 
meaningful and alerts an agency to the reviewer's position and 
contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 
553 [1978]. Also, environmental objections that could be raised at the 
draft environmental impact statement stage, but that are not raised 
until after completion of the final environmental impact statement may 
be waived or dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F.2d 
1016, 1022 [9th Cir. 1986] and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490 
F. Supp. 1334, 1338 [E.D. Wis. 1980]. Because of these court rulings, 
it is very important that those interested in this proposed action 
participate by the close of the 45 day comment period so that 
substantive comments and objections are made available to the Forest 
Service at a time when it can meaningfully consider them and respond to 
them in the final Environmental Impact Statement.
    To assist the Forest Service in identifying and considering issues 
and concerns on the proposed action, comments on the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement should be as specific as possible. It is 
also helpful if comments refer to specific pages or chapters of the 
draft statement. Comments may also address the adequacy of the Draft 
Environmental

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Impact Statement or the merits of the alternatives formulated and 
discussed in the statement. Reviewers may wish to refer to the Council 
on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the procedural 
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act at 40 CFR 1503.3 in 
addressing these points.
    Comments received, including the names and addresses of those who 
comment, will be considered part of the public record on this proposal 
and will be available for public inspection.

    Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service Handbook 
1909.15, Section 21.

    Dated: February 14, 2008.
Robert G. MacWhorter,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E8-3194 Filed 2-20-08; 8:45 am]
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