[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 178 (Friday, September 12, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52945-52947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-20764]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Huron-Manistee National Forests, Michigan, White Pines Wind Farm 
Project

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

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

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SUMMARY: The Forest Service has accepted an application for a special 
use authorization from White Pines Wind Farm LLC for the installation 
and operation of 20 to 28 wind turbines and associated infrastructure 
to provide between 50 and 70 megawatts (MW) of wind energy on National 
Forest System (NFS) lands managed by the Huron-Manistee National 
Forests. The White Pines Wind Farm Project (the Project) would occupy 
approximately 75 acres of NFS land within a Project Area of about 
10,000 acres on the Cadillac-Manistee Ranger District over its proposed 
30-year life.

DATES: Comments concerning the scope of the analysis must be received 
by October 12, 2008. The draft environmental impact statement is 
expected May 2009 and the final environmental impact statement is 
expected December 2009.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Patricia O'Connell, 
Interdisciplinary Team Leader, Cadillac-Manistee Ranger District, 
Huron-Manistee National Forests, 412 Red Apple Road, Manistee, MI 
49660; fax: 231-723-8642. Send electronic comments to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia O'Connell, Cadillac-Manistee 
Ranger District, Huron-Manistee National Forests; telephone: 231-723-
2211, ext. 3119; fax: 231-723-8642. See address above under ADDRESSES. 
Copies of documents may be requested at the same address. Another means 
of obtaining information is to visit the Forest Web page at http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/hmnf then click on ``Project and Planning,'' then 
``Cadillac and Manistee Projects,'' and then ``White Pines Wind Farm 
Project.''

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose and Need for Action

    The purpose of this project is to respond to an application for a 
special use authorization submitted by White Pines Wind Farm LLC to 
develop a wind farm on National Forest System lands within the Huron-
Manistee National Forests. White Pines Wind Farm LLC proposes to 
generate 50 to 70 MW of wind energy by constructing and operating 
between 20 and 28 wind turbines, in proximity to existing distribution 
facilities (utility grid), in an area with an adequate wind resource on 
National Forest System lands with consolidated ownership. The proposed 
project is needed to help meet Michigan's and the region's growing 
demand for reliable sources of clean, cost-effective, renewable energy. 
The project is consistent with the Huron-Manistee National Forests' 
Land and Resource Management Plan and with Forest Service objectives 
for management of special uses on National Forest System lands.

Proposed Action

    White Pines is proposing to install and operate the Project on land 
located mostly within the boundaries of the Huron-Manistee National 
Forests. The Project proposes construction of the wind turbines and 
associated infrastructure in April 2010, with an anticipated in-service 
date of December

[[Page 52946]]

2010, and operation of the facility for an estimated service life of 30 
years.
    The vast majority of the Project's facilities and activities would 
occur on National Forest System lands on the Cadillac-Manistee Ranger 
District of the Forest. A portion of the Project's transmission line 
route would be located off of National Forest System lands. In 
addition, it would be necessary to expand the public road system to 
support development of the Project.
    The Project would consist of the construction, installation, 
operation, and maintenance of 28 new state-of-the-art 2.5 MW wind 
turbines, which would have a combined power generating capacity of 70 
MW (at peak capacity). The Project is proposing to use the Clipper 
Class II Liberty Series 2.5 MW Wind Turbine, which are manufactured 
domestically in Iowa. It is feasible that a higher megawatt turbine 
could become available and be utilized for this Project. If available 
in the future, turbines with a larger capacity would be located within 
the existing array plan footprint and would not affect the overall 
maximum Project power generating capacity of 70 MW.
    Each turbine is comprised of three components--the tower, the 
nacelle, and the rotor blades. The turbines use a tubular steel tower, 
with a hub height of 262 feet. The tower is topped by the nacelle, 
which houses the turbine's mechanical components. The rotor, mounted on 
the nacelle, consists of three fiberglass blades 153 feet in length and 
has a rotor diameter of 315 feet. The total height of the wind turbines 
would be approximately 420 feet above a concrete foundation base. Each 
turbine would be anchored to a 60 foot diameter concrete foundation of 
which a 20-foot diameter pedestal would be visible above ground. A pad 
mounted step-up transformer would be located on each concrete 
foundation base to increase the voltage from each wind turbine 
generator to 34.5 kilovolt (kV). The area of the total disturbed 
footprint per turbine, including clearing and grubbing of vegetation, 
would have a radius of approximately 125 feet, for an aggregate 
footprint of about 1.1 acres per wind turbine foundation during 
construction. Subsequent to construction, the turbine footprint area 
would be reduced to less than 0.2 acres.
    In addition to the turbines, the Project would consist of the 
following components:
     Approximately 9 miles of road reconstruction to existing 
roads (3 miles of Forest Service roads and 6 miles of County roads) and 
approximately 5 miles of new road construction would occur on NFS 
lands. During construction of the Project, these roads would be widened 
and cleared to approximately 40 feet to allow for equipment delivery 
and crane transport between turbine locations. However, to allow for 
the installation of the collection system and drainage, some of these 
roads may be cleared to approximately 80 feet. Road reclamation and 
revegetation would be performed at the end of construction to reduce 
access roads to standards mutually agreed upon with the appropriate 
road agencies (i.e., Forest Service and Mason County). Roads would 
remain accessible, to the extent practicable, to the public. The new 
roads for the Project would be permanent roads added to the road system 
on NFS lands.
     Installation of over 40 miles of 34.5 kV underground 
electrical interconnections between turbines to collect and deliver 
electricity to a new substation. Where practicable, the underground 
electrical collection system would be installed along the same right-
of-way (RoW) corridor as the access roads. In addition, fiber optic 
communication lines would be installed along with the electrical 
collection system to monitor the operation of the wind farm. No 
additional clearing beyond that described for the roadway clearing 
would be required for the installation of the electrical collection 
system and fiber optic lines between turbines.
     A step-up transformer at each turbine location plus one 
transformer for the electrical substation site. Each step-up 
transformer would be located on the concrete foundation base.
     An electrical substation on a 5-acre parcel would be 
constructed on NFS lands within the Project Area to step up the 
electrical collection system voltage to the existing local transmission 
line voltage.
     An above ground, 138 kV transmission line to connect the 
proposed wind farm substation to the existing Pere Marquette-Stronach 
138-kV transmission line running north-south and located east of the 
Project Area. The transmission line would have a RoW corridor of 
approximately 150 feet. Approximately 3 miles of the transmission line 
would be located on NFS lands and approximately 2 miles of the line 
would cross private lands.
     Three 199-foot tall meteorological monitoring towers have 
been constructed and are currently collecting data within the Project 
Area boundary. At the completion of the Project, 1 to 3 meteorological 
towers would remain within the Project Area during the life of the 
Project.
     Three temporary staging areas would be located within the 
Project Area for construction-related temporary facilities, which 
include a concrete batch plant and cleared areas for construction 
parking, equipment laydown, and construction management trailers. These 
areas, totaling approximately 10 acres, would be restored and 
revegetated upon completion of construction.
     A second electrical substation would be needed at the end 
of the 138 kV transmission line to tie into the existing 138 kV 
overhead transmission line. This substation would be located on private 
land outside of the Project Area.
    In addition to these facilities, the Project development process 
would also involve upgrading local transportation infrastructure to 
accommodate the expected size of construction materials. At this time, 
it is anticipated that the infrastructure upgrades would be minor in 
scale (e.g., increased turning radius at road intersections).
    The Project area boundary encompasses a total of approximately 
10,024 acres, of which 8,600 acres are within the NFS lands within the 
Cadillac-Manistee Ranger District. The Project components described 
above would be sited within this Project Area boundary and would occupy 
a permanent footprint of approximately 75 acres of NFS lands. 
Consideration of species management and habitat, water resources, 
cultural resources, visuals, public access and safety, maximization of 
existing facilities, and the layout of buried and above ground 
facilities have been incorporated as part of the Project design to the 
extent practicable and would be evaluated through the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) site-specific environmental analysis 
process.

Responsible Official

    Barry Paulson, Forest Supervisor, Huron-Manistee National Forests, 
1755 S. Mitchell Street, Cadillac, MI 49601.

Nature of Decision To Be Made

    White Pines Wind Farm LLC has submitted an application to the 
Forest Service for a Special Use authorization seeking approval to 
occupy and use NFS lands for the purpose of constructing and operating 
a wind power facility on the Huron-Manistee National Forests. The 
decision to be made is whether to grant the authorization for the 
construction and operation activities as proposed, or as modified by an 
alternative to the proposed action, or to deny granting the 
authorization.

[[Page 52947]]

Scoping Process

    The Forest Service plans to scope for information by contacting 
persons and organizations interested or potentially affected by the 
proposed action by using mailings, public announcements, and personal 
contacts. In addition, two separate public scoping meetings will be 
held to collect public input on the scope of this project:
    Scoping Meeting #1: September 30, 2008, at the Ramada Inn, 4079 W. 
U.S. 10, Ludington, MI. An open house format will be used. The public 
is welcome between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.
    Scoping Meeting #2: October 1, 2008, at the Days Inn, 1462 U.S. 
Hwy. 31, Manistee, MI. An open house format will be used. The public is 
welcome between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Comment Requested

    This notice of intent initiates the scoping process which guides 
the development of the environmental impact statement. The primary 
purpose of scoping is to gather public comments, issues, and concerns 
regarding the proposed action. We are especially interested in 
information that might identify a specific undesired result of 
implementing the proposed action. Comments will be used to help 
formulate alternatives to the proposed action. Please make your written 
comments as specific as possible as they relate to the proposed action, 
and include your name, address, and if possible, telephone number and 
e-mail address. Comments received in response to this solicitation, 
including names and addresses of those who comment, will be considered 
part of the public record on this proposed action and will be available 
for public inspection. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted 
and considered; however, those who submit anonymous comments will not 
have standing to appeal the subsequent decisions under 36 CFR parts 215 
or 217. Additionally, pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any persons may 
request the agency to withhold a submission from the public record by 
showing how the FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) permits such 
confidentiality. Persons requesting such confidentiality should be 
aware that under FOIA confidentiality may be granted in only very 
limited circumstances, such as to protect trade secrets. The Forest 
Service will inform the requester of the agency's decision regarding 
the request for confidentiality and, should the request be denied, 
return the submission and notify the requester that the comments may be 
resubmitted with or without name and address within 90 days.
    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 45 days following the date the Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes the notice of availability in the Federal 
Register. The Forest Service believes, at this early stage, that 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 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: August 22, 2008.
Barry Paulson,
Forest Supervisor.
[FR Doc. E8-20764 Filed 9-11-08; 8:45 am]
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