[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12306-12307]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6346]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Notice of Availability (NOA) Record of Decision (ROD) for the 
Designation of Energy Corridors on Federal Land in the 11 Western 
States, Including Proposed Amendments to Selected Land Management Plans

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of record of decision.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the National Forest Management Act 
(NFMA, 16 U.S.C. 1600-1614 et seq.), the Forest Service announces the

[[Page 12307]]

decision to amend selected Land Management Plans. Specifically, the ROD 
amends 38 Land Management Plans for National Forests in 10 of the 11 
Western States. The United States Department of the Interior and the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are expected to concurrently announce a 
similar decision amending their respective Resource Management Plans.
    Section 368 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), Public 
Law 109-58, directs the Secretaries of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, 
and the Interior to designate corridors on Federal land in the 11 
Western States for oil, gas, and hydrogen pipelines, as well as 
electricity transmission and distribution facilities, and incorporate 
the designated corridors into relevant agency land use and resource 
management plans or equivalent plans.
    The 11 Western States are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, 
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. The 
Forest Service is not designating any corridors in the State of New 
Mexico.

DATES: Effective Date: This decision is effective April 23, 2009.

ADDRESSES: The ROD is available on the internet at http://www.corridoreis.anl.com. Printed copies will be available at one of the 
involved National Forest supervisor or district ranger offices in the 
10 Western States.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Glen Parker, Realty Specialist, Lands, 
202-205-1196 or Ron Pugh, Planning Specialist, Ecosystem Management 
Coordination, 202-205-0992. USDA Forest Service, L; (Glen Parker); 1400 
Independence Ave., SW, Mailstop Code: 1124; Washington, DC 20050-1124.
    Individuals who use telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) 
may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 
between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through 
Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In October 2008, the BLM released a final 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to designate 
corridors for future oil, gas, and hydrogen pipelines, as well as 
electricity transmission and distribution facilities, and to 
incorporate the designated corridors into the relevant agencies' land 
use and resource management plans or equivalent plans. Section 368 
directs the involved agencies to take into account the need for 
upgraded and new infrastructure and to take actions to improve 
reliability, relieve congestion, and enhance the capability of the 
national grid to deliver energy. This action only pertains to the 
designation of corridors for potential facilities on Federal lands 
located within the 11 Western States.
    Designation of Section 368 energy corridors is an important step in 
addressing critical energy needs in the West. Energy corridors on 
Federal lands provide pathways for future long-distance energy 
transmission that will help to relieve congestion, improve reliability, 
and enhance the national electric grid. Future use of corridors should 
reduce the proliferation of rights-of-way (ROWs) across the landscape 
and minimize the environmental footprint of future development.
    Section 368 energy corridors are located to avoid, to the maximum 
extent possible, significant, known environmental resources. The 
corridors are designated considering potential renewable energy 
development in the West, which is currently constrained in part by a 
lack of transmission capacity. The coordinated, interagency permitting 
and environmental compliance processes, evaluated in the PEIS and 
adopted by this ROD, will foster long-term, systematic planning for 
energy transportation development and offer a consistent and improved 
interagency permitting process. The amendment of the land management 
plans is responsive to USDA's responsibilities under Section 368 of the 
Act and represents a forward-looking proactive response to the Nation's 
energy needs and the sustainable management of NFS lands.
    The ROD is intended to improve coordination among the agencies to 
increase the efficiency of using designated corridors. In many areas of 
the United States, including the West, the infrastructure required to 
deliver energy has not always kept pace with growth in energy demand. 
The agencies hope to improve the delivery of energy, while enhancing 
the electric transmission grid for the future, by establishing a 
coordinated network of Section 368 energy corridors on Federal lands in 
the West. The final PEIS analyzes the environmental impacts of 
designating Section 368 energy corridors in 11 Western States and 
incorporating those designations into relevant agency land use and 
resource management plans or equivalent plans.
    The Agencies prepared this PEIS at the designation stage because 
they believe it is an appropriate time to examine environmental 
concerns at the programmatic level. Impacts that affect the quality of 
the environment will only occur after specific proposals are submitted, 
analyzed through the NEPA process, and approved by the land management 
agency. The agencies expect that the PEIS will assist subsequent site-
specific analyses for individual project proposals.
    These energy corridors comprise a comprehensive, coordinated 
network of preferred locations for future energy projects that could be 
developed to satisfy demand for energy. This ROD designates 
approximately 990 miles of energy corridors on National Forest System 
lands in 10 of the 11 Western States as the preferred location for oil, 
natural gas, and hydrogen pipelines as well as electricity transmission 
and distribution lines. Environmental, engineering, and land use 
screening criteria were applied during the development of the proposed 
action to reduce potential environmental and land use conflicts. The 
energy corridors will typically be 3,500 feet wide, although the width 
may vary in certain areas due to environmental, topographic, or 
management requirements.
    The policies and Interagency Operating Procedures (IOPs) developed 
under the proposed action establish requirements for the management of 
future individual energy transportation projects. The IOPs identify 
required management procedures to be incorporated into the analysis of 
future project-specific energy transportation development proposals.
    The ROD amends a total of 38 Forest Service land management plans 
in 10 of the 11 Western States. The land use plan amendments designate 
the Section 368 energy corridors identified in the final ROD. The plan 
amendments do not eliminate the need for site-specific NEPA analyses of 
individual development proposals.
    Readers should note this decision was signed by the Under Secretary 
of Agriculture for Natural Resources and the Environment; therefore, no 
administrative review of the Record of Decision under 36 CFR part 217 
is available.
    Reference to previously published Federal Register documents: 73 FR 
72521, November 28, 2008; 73 FR 2905, January 16, 2008; 72 FR 64591, 
November 16, 2007; and 70 FR 56647, September 28, 2005.

    Dated: March 12, 2009.
Ann Bartuska,
Acting Deputy Under Secretary, Natural Resources and Environment.
[FR Doc. E9-6346 Filed 3-23-09; 8:45 am]
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