[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 34 (Monday, February 23, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8086-8088]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-3772]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Construction, Operation, and Maintenance of the Proposed 
Transmission Agency of Northern California Transmission Project, 
California

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report and conduct scoping meetings; notice of 
floodplain and wetlands involvement.

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SUMMARY: The Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency of 
the DOE intends to prepare a joint environmental impact statement/
environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) for the construction, operation, 
and maintenance of the proposed Transmission Agency of Northern 
California (TANC) Transmission Project (Project) in California. Western 
is issuing this Notice to inform the public and interested parties 
about the proposed Project, conduct a public scoping process, and 
invite the public to comment on the scope, proposed action, 
alternatives, and other issues to be addressed in the EIS/EIR.
    The EIS/EIR will address the construction, maintenance, and 
operation of the proposed Project, which would include building and 
upgrading about 600 miles of 230-kilovolt (kV) and 500-kV transmission 
lines and associated equipment and facilities in northern California. 
Portions of the proposed Project may affect floodplains and wetlands in 
the area. Western and TANC will hold public scoping meetings in 12 
locations in the Project area during the public scoping period. At the 
scoping meetings, Western and TANC will share additional information on 
the proposed Project and receive comments and suggestions on the scope 
of the EIS/EIR.

DATES: The public scoping period begins with the publication of this 
Federal Register notice and closes on April 30, 2009. Please see the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for scoping meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: Please see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for scoping 
meeting locations. Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be 
addressed to Mr. David Young, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
Document Manager, Western Area Power Administration, Sierra Nevada 
Region, 114 Parkshore Drive, Folsom, CA 95630, telephone (916) 353-
4777, fax (916) 353-4772, or e-mail [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. David Young, NEPA Document 
Manager, Western Area Power Administration, Sierra Nevada Region, 114 
Parkshore Drive, Folsom, CA 95630, telephone (916) 353-4777, fax (916) 
353-4772, or e-mail [email protected]. Additional information and 
submitted comments on the proposed project can be found at http://www.wapa.gov/transmission/ttp.htm. 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, an agency within DOE, markets 
Federal hydroelectric power to preference customers, as specified by 
law. These customers include municipalities, cooperatives, irrigation 
districts, Federal and State agencies, and Native American tribes. 
Western's service territory covers 15 western states, including 
California. Western owns and operates more than 17,000 miles of high-
voltage transmission lines.
    TANC is a registered Transmission Owner, Transmission Planner, and 
Transmission Service Provider (as these terms are defined by the North 
American Electric Reliability Corporation). TANC's mission is to assist 
its publicly owned utility members in providing cost-effective energy 
supplies to their customers, through construction and long-term 
ownership of high-voltage transmission lines within California and the 
western United States. TANC's membership includes the California cities 
of Alameda, Biggs, Gridley, Healdsburg, Lodi, Lompoc, Palo Alto, 
Redding, Roseville, Santa Clara, and Ukiah, the Sacramento Municipal 
Utility District, Modesto Irrigation District, and Turlock Irrigation 
District. The Plumas-Sierra Rural Electric Cooperative is an associate 
member of TANC.

Advance Notice of Intent

    Western published an Advance Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report; Notice of 
Floodplain and Wetlands Involvement on January 7, 2008 (74 FR 707). The 
Advance NOI provided a project description and stated that Western 
would be issuing a formal NOI in early 2009 (74 FR 708). This is the 
formal NOI discussed in the Advance NOI.

Background and Need for Agency Action

    Western and TANC propose to coordinate development of the proposed 
Project, which includes new and upgraded 230-kV and 500-kV transmission 
lines, substations, and related facilities. The Project would satisfy 
Western's and TANC's need to develop new access to renewable energy 
resources in northeastern California, northwestern Nevada, and the 
Pacific Northwest, enhance the California-Oregon Intertie, reduce 
existing congestion and system losses, increase the load-carrying 
capability and reliability of northern California's transmission 
system, improve the reliability of the Balancing Authority Area, in 
which Western resides, and relieve certain existing electrical 
transmission system constraints in northern California.

Project Description

    Details and plans for the proposed Project and alternatives are 
still being developed and refinements will continue throughout the 
public scoping process. TANC would own all facilities of the proposed 
Project except for the Federal Transmission System owned by Western and 
the Sierra Foothills Segment, as noted below. Western's Federal 
Transmission System ownership includes the land rights, towers, and 
circuit 1 between Tracy Substation and Livermore Substation. Some of 
the facilities associated with the proposed Project may require 
modifications to and/or interconnections with Western's transmission 
system.

Proposed Routes and Alternative Routes

    The proposed Project would be located entirely in California. The 
corridor would consist of five segments of transmission line that 
extend from northeastern California through the Central Valley and 
split westward to the San Francisco Bay area and eastward to the Sierra 
Foothills. The proposed corridors have been identified to avoid, to the 
extent possible, residential and

[[Page 8087]]

known environmentally-sensitive areas, and take optimum advantage of 
accessible competitive renewable energy zones, as recommended by the 
State of California's Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative.
    North Segment. The North Segment would include two, new, single-
circuit, 500-kV transmission lines, each trending west from a proposed 
new substation near Ravendale to a proposed, substation near Pacific 
Gas & Electric Company's (PG&E) existing Round Mountain Substation. 
Three corridor alternatives, each 80 to 100 miles long, have been 
identified. These three alternative corridors would be located 
generally to the north of Eagle Lake and State Route (SR) 44; and near 
SR 299. The North Segment would include a new, 1-mile, double-circuit, 
500-kV transmission line from the proposed new substation near Round 
Mountain to PG&E's Round Mountain Substation. The North Segment would 
continue with a new, double-circuit, 500-kV transmission line that 
would run 40 to 45 miles southwest to the California-Oregon 
Transmission Project's (COTP) existing Olinda Substation, south of 
Redding. Three corridor alternatives have been preliminarily identified 
for this segment.
    Central Segment. The Central Segment would begin at the Olinda 
Substation and trend south, approximately 170 to 190 miles to Tracy. It 
would include a new, double-circuit, 500-kV transmission line through 
the Central Valley to a new substation in southern Sacramento County 
and on to a new substation near the COTP's existing Tracy Substation. 
Three possible alternative corridors have been identified for the 
Central Segment: the western, central, and eastern alternatives.
    The 172-mile western corridor alternative of the Central Segment 
would lie along the western side of the Sacramento Valley. This 
alternative would be roughly parallel to and 5 to 20 miles west of the 
Interstate 5 corridor. It would pass just east of Black Butte Lake and 
west of the cities of Orland, Willows, and Williams. South of Winters, 
the western alternative would turn east and cross between the cities of 
Dixon and Vacaville before continuing east for approximately 35 miles 
to a proposed new substation in southern Sacramento County, west of SR 
99 and south of Elk Grove.
    The 167-mile central corridor alternative runs roughly parallel to 
and 5 to 10 miles west of SR 99 through the Sacramento Valley, just 
west of the cities of Red Bluff and Chico, then between the Sutter 
Buttes and Yuba City, and east of the cities of Woodland and Davis. The 
central alternative would then turn southeast, converging with the 
western alternative, and interconnect at the proposed new substation in 
southern Sacramento County.
    The 173-mile eastern corridor alternative would be located west of 
the Sierra Foothills of the Sacramento Valley, roughly parallel to and 
5 to 10 miles east of SR 99. This alignment would pass east of the 
cities of Red Bluff and Chico, through Oroville and east of Yuba City. 
This proposed alternative would then shift approximately 15 miles to 
the west and continue southward, just west of the Sacramento Airport 
and City of West Sacramento to the proposed substation in southern 
Sacramento County.
    From the proposed new substation in southern Sacramento County, 
each of three alternative corridors would continue 40 to 45 miles 
southwest to a proposed new substation near the COTP's existing Tracy 
Substation.
    West Segment. The West Segment would include two, double-circuit, 
230-kV transmission lines from the Tracy area to the South San 
Francisco Bay area. The first would include upgrading the existing 
transmission line from the new substation near Tracy to Silicon Valley 
Power's existing Kifer Receiving Station (KRS) in Santa Clara. 
Construction of this transmission line would include upgrading about 13 
miles of existing, double-circuit, 230-kV transmission line from the 
proposed substation near Tracy to Western's Livermore Substation, and 
building 30 to 40 miles of new, double-circuit, 230-kV transmission 
line from the Livermore Substation to the proposed substation near the 
KRS Substation. Up to 7 miles of this segment may be built underground. 
From the new substation near KRS, an approximately 500-foot, 115-kV 
transmission tie would be built to KRS. Two possible alternative 
corridors have been identified for this transmission line.
    The second double-circuit, 230-kV transmission line would follow a 
southwesterly path from PG&E's existing Tesla Substation to just south 
of Livermore and through the cities of Fremont and Newark to PG&E's 
existing Newark Substation.
    East Segment. This segment would include building 40 to 45 miles of 
new, double-circuit, 500-kV transmission line east from the new 
substation near Tracy, roughly paralleling Interstate 205 and SR 120, 
to a proposed substation located south of the Oakdale Airport. There 
are two corridor alternatives for the proposed 500-kV transmission 
line, both of which would run north of the cities of Tracy and Modesto 
and south of the cities of Manteca, Escalon, and Oakdale. From the new 
substation near the Oakdale Airport, the East Segment would split into 
two alignments: a 7- to 11-mile, double-circuit, 230-kV transmission 
line would run southwest to the Modesto Irrigation District's existing 
Parker Substation in Modesto; and a 15-to 22-mile, double-circuit, 230-
kV line would run south to a proposed new substation located just east 
of Turlock. Three corridor alternatives have been identified for each 
of the two, proposed, 230-kV transmission lines.
    Sierra Foothills Segment. The Sierra Foothills Segment would be 
built, owned, operated, and maintained by Western. This Segment would 
include a new, double-circuit, 230-kV transmission line, approximately 
28 miles long. It would originate at the proposed substation near the 
Oakdale Airport and trend northeast, generally along SR 108, through 
the Sierra Foothills to Western's existing substation at the New 
Melones Dam. Alternative corridors for this segment have not been 
identified at this time.

No Action Alternative

    Western and TANC will also consider the ``No Action'' alternative 
in the EIS/EIR. Under the No Action Alternative, the proposed Project 
would not be built.

Agency Responsibilities

    To participate in the Project, Western must comply with NEPA (42 
U.S.C. 4321-4347, as amended), Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508), and DOE NEPA 
Implementing Procedures (10 CFR 1021). Because the proposed Project may 
involve action in floodplains or wetlands, the EIS/EIR will include, as 
applicable, a floodplain/wetland assessment and floodplain/wetland 
statement of findings following DOE regulations for compliance with 
floodplain and wetlands environmental review (10 CFR 1022).
    Western is the lead Federal agency, as defined at 40 CFR 1501.5, 
for preparation of the NEPA analysis. The U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Forest Service (USFS) and the U.S. Department of Interior, 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) plan to be cooperating agencies because 
of their jurisdiction over proposed routing across public lands. TANC 
has applied to the USFS and the BLM for permits, which may involve 
amending current forest land and resource management plans and/or BLM 
resource management plans.

[[Page 8088]]

    Tribes and other agencies with jurisdiction or special expertise 
are also invited to be cooperating agencies. Such tribes or agencies 
may make a request to Western to be a cooperating agency by contacting 
Mr. Young at the address listed above. Designated cooperating agencies 
have certain responsibilities to support the NEPA process, as specified 
at 40 CFR 1501.6(b).
    TANC will be responsible for satisfying all requirements of the 
California Environmental Quality Act. Thus, Western, TANC, and 
cooperating agencies will prepare a joint EIS/EIR.

Environmental Issues

    This notice is to inform agencies and the public of the proposed 
Project and solicit comments and suggestions for consideration in 
preparing the EIS/EIR. To help the public frame its comments, this 
notice contains a list of potential environmental issues that Western 
and TANC have tentatively identified for analysis. These issues include 
the following:
    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 agriculture, 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;
    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 and TANC invite interested parties 
to suggest specific issues within these general categories, or other 
issues not included above, to be considered in the EIS/EIR.

Public Participation

    Public participation and full disclosure are planned for the entire 
EIS/EIR process. The EIS/EIR process includes public review and 
hearings on the draft EIS/EIR; publication of a final EIS/EIR; and 
publication of a record of decision. The public scoping period begins 
with publication of this notice in the Federal Register and closes 
April 30, 2009. Western and TANC anticipate the Draft EIS/EIR will be 
available in early 2010, with a Final EIS/EIR available in early 2011. 
A record of decision is expected to be issued late in 2011. Persons 
interested in receiving future notices, Project information, copies of 
the EIS/EIR, and other information on the NEPA review process should 
contact Mr. Young.
    Western and TANC will hold public scoping meetings as follows:
    1. March 26, 2009, Radisson Hotel Sacramento, 500 Leisure Lane, 
Sacramento, CA 95815.
    2. March 30, 2009, Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 507 East 4th 
Street, Alturas, CA 96101.
    3. March 31, 2009, Burney Lions Club, 37006 Main Street, Burney, CA 
96013.
    4. April 1, 2009, Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, 5101 Great America 
Parkway, Santa Clara, CA 95054.
    5. April 2, 2009, On Broadway, 153 South Broadway, Turlock, CA 
95380.
    6. April 6, 2009, Chico Family Masonic Center, 1110 West East 
Avenue, Chico, CA 95926.
    7. April 7, 2009, Jensen Hall at Lassen County Fairgrounds, 195 
Russell Avenue, Susanville, CA 96130.
    8. April 8, 2009, Clarion Inn, 1612 Sisk Road, Modesto, CA 95350.
    9. April 9, 2009, Platinum Conference Center at the Opera House, 
902 Central Avenue, Tracy, CA 95376.
    10. April 13, 2009, Red Lion Hotel, 1830 Hilltop Drive, Redding, CA 
96002.
    11. April 14, 2009, Granzella's Inn, 391 6th Street, Williams, CA 
95987.
    12. April 15, 2009, Lexington Plaza Waterfront Hotel, 110 West 
Fremont Street, Stockton, CA 95202.
    Each meeting is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. with an open-house 
format, during which attendees are invited to speak one-on-one with 
Project representatives and agencies. At approximately 6:30 p.m., a 
presentation will be given by the Project representatives, after which, 
the open-house format will resume. The meetings are scheduled to close 
no earlier than 8:30 p.m. Attendees are welcome to come and go at their 
convenience throughout the meeting.
    The purpose of the scoping meetings is to provide information about 
the proposed Project, review Project maps, answer questions, and take 
written comments from interested parties. All meeting locations are 
handicapped-accessible. Anyone needing special accommodations should 
contact Mr. Young to make arrangements.
    The public will have the opportunity to provide written comments at 
the public scoping meetings, or send them to Western by fax, e-mail, or 
U.S. Postal Service mail. Comments may also be submitted on-line at 
http://www.wapa.gov/transmission/ttp.htm. To help define the scope of 
the EIS/EIR, comments should be received by Western no later than April 
30, 2009. Anonymous comments will not be accepted.

    Dated: February 13, 2009.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E9-3772 Filed 2-20-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P