[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15718-15720]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-7813]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utility Service


Proposed PrairieWinds Project, South Dakota

Agencies: Western Area Power Administration, U.S. Department of Energy; 
Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
and to Conduct Scoping Meetings; Notice of Floodplain and Wetlands 
Involvement.

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SUMMARY: The Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency 
within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), and Rural Utilities Service 
(RUS), an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 
intend to jointly prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for 
the proposed PrairieWinds Project (Project) in South Dakota. Western is 
issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) 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.
    The EIS will address the construction, maintenance and operation of 
the proposed Project, which would include a 151.5-megawatt (MW) 
nameplate capacity wind-powered generating facility consisting of wind 
turbine generators, electrical collector lines, collector 
substation(s), transmission line(s), communications system, and service 
roads to access wind turbine sites. The EIS will also address the 
proposed interconnection with existing Western substations. The 
proposed Project would be located within portions of Brule, Aurora, and 
Jerauld counties, South Dakota or entirely within Tripp County, South 
Dakota.
    Portions of the proposed Project may affect floodplains and 
wetlands, so this NOI also serves as a notice of proposed floodplain or 
wetland action. Western and RUS will hold public scoping meetings near 
the proposed Project areas to share information and receive comments 
and suggestions on the scope of the EIS.

DATES: Open house public scoping meetings will be held on April 28, 
2009, at the Holiday Inn Express and Suites, 1360 East Highway 44, 
Winner, South Dakota, 57580, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. CDT; and on April 
29, 2009, at the Commerce Street Grille, 118 N. Main Street, 
Plankinton, South Dakota, 57368, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. CDT. The public 
scoping period starts with the publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register and will continue through May 15, 2009. To help define 
the scope of the EIS, written comments should be submitted through the 
project's Web address: http://www.wapa.gov/sdprairiewinds.htm, or sent 
by letter, fax, or e-mail no later than May 15, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be addressed 
to Ms. Liana Reilly, Document Manager, Western Area Power 
Administration, Corporate Services Office, A7400, P.O. Box 281213, 
Lakewood, Colorado 80228-8213, fax (720) 962-7263, or sent by e-mail to 
[email protected]. Comments may also be submitted through the 
project's Web address: http://www.wapa.gov/sdprairiewinds.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the proposed 
Project, the EIS process, and general information about 
interconnections with Western's transmission system, contact Ms. Reilly 
at (800) 336-7288 or the address provided above. Parties wishing to be 
placed on the Project mailing list for future information, and to 
receive copies of the Draft and Final EIS when they are available, 
should also contact Ms. Reilly.
    For information on RUS financing, contact Mr. Dennis Rankin, 
Project Manager, Engineering and Environmental Staff, Rural Utilities 
Service, Utilities Program, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Mail Stop 
1571, Washington, DC 20250-1571, telephone (202) 720-1953 or e-mail 
[email protected].
    For general information on DOE National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347 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, public 
utilities, irrigation districts, Federal and State agencies, and Native 
American Tribes in 15 western states, including South Dakota. Western 
owns and operates about 17,000 miles of transmission lines.
    RUS, an agency that delivers the USDA's Rural Development Utilities 
Program, is authorized to make loans and loan guarantees that finance 
the construction of electric distribution, transmission, and generation 
facilities, including system improvements and replacements required to 
furnish and improve electric service in rural areas, as well as demand 
side management, energy conservation programs, and on-grid and off-grid 
renewable energy systems.
    Basin Electric is a regional wholesale electric generation and 
transmission cooperative owned and controlled by its member 
cooperatives. Basin Electric serves approximately 2.5 million customers 
covering 430,000 square miles in portions of nine states, including 
Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, 
South Dakota, and Wyoming.
    PrairieWinds, SD1, Incorporated (PrairieWinds), is a wholly owned 
subsidiary of Basin Electric.

Project Description

    PrairieWinds proposes to construct, own, operate, and maintain the 
South Dakota PrairieWinds Project, a 151.5-MW nameplate capacity wind-
powered generation facility, including wind-turbine generators, 
electrical collector lines, collector substation(s), transmission line, 
communications system, and service access roads to access wind-turbine 
sites.
    There are two possible locations for the proposed Project. One site 
is located on about 37,000 acres about 15 miles north of White Lake, 
South Dakota, within Brule, Aurora, and Jerauld counties, South Dakota. 
For this alternative, the requested interconnection is with Western's 
electric transmission system at Wessington Springs Substation, located 
in Jerauld County, South Dakota. The other site is located on about 
83,000 acres about 8 miles south of Winner, South Dakota, entirely 
within Tripp County, South Dakota. If this alternative is selected, the 
interconnection request will be with Western's electric transmission 
system at Winner Substation, located in Tripp County.

[[Page 15719]]

    The proposed Project is subject to the jurisdiction of the South 
Dakota Public Utilities Commission (SDPUC), which has regulatory 
authority for siting wind generation facilities and transmission lines 
within the State. PrairieWinds will submit an application for an Energy 
Conversion Facility Permit to the SDPUC. The SDPUC permit would 
authorize PrairieWinds to construct the proposed Project under South 
Dakota rules and regulations. Western's Federal action is to consider 
Basin Electric's interconnection request under Western's Open Access 
Transmission Service Tariff and make a decision whether to approve or 
deny the interconnection request. If the decision is to approve the 
request, Western's action would include making necessary system 
modifications to accommodate the interconnection of the proposed 
Project. PrairieWinds has requested financial assistance for the 
proposed Project from RUS. RUS' Federal action is whether to provide 
financial assistance; accordingly, completing the EIS is one 
requirement, along with other technical and financial considerations in 
processing PrairieWind's application.
    Western and RUS intend to prepare an EIS to analyze the impacts of 
their respective Federal actions and the proposed Project in accordance 
with NEPA, as amended, DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR 1021), 
the CEQ regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508), and RUS 
Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR 1794). While Western's and 
RUS' Federal actions would be limited to the approval or denial of the 
interconnection request, any modifications to Western's power system 
necessary to accommodate the interconnection, and providing financial 
assistance for the proposed Project, the EIS will also identify and 
address the environmental impacts of the proposed Project. The EIS will 
evaluate in detail the two alternatives, any other viable alternatives 
identified during the public scoping process, and the No Action 
Alternative.
    Regardless of the site selected, the proposed Project would consist 
of four main facilities: Turbines, collector system, roads, and 
transmission lines. PrairieWinds plans to install 101 General Electric 
1.5-MW wind turbines for the proposed Project within one of the 
alternative generation sites. Fifteen additional turbines may be 
installed within the selected site, pending future load, transmission 
availability, and renewable production standard requirements. Each 
generator would have a hub height of 262 feet and a turbine rotor 
diameter of 252 feet. The total height of each wind turbine would be 
389 feet with a blade in the vertical position. The towers would be 
constructed of tubular steel, approximately 15 feet in diameter at the 
base, with internal joint flanges. The color of the towers and rotors 
would be standard white or off-white. During construction, a work/
staging area at each turbine would include the crane pad and rotor 
assembly area. This area would measure about 190 feet by 210 feet. The 
turbine foundations would typically be mat foundations (inverted T-
foundations) or a concentric-ring-shell foundation. The area excavated 
for the turbine foundations would typically be no more than 70 feet by 
70 feet (approximately 0.1 acre). Pad mounted transformers 74 inches by 
92 inches by 70 inches would be placed next to each turbine. In some 
cases, for step-and-touch voltage compliance, an area around a turbine 
may be covered in 4 inches of gravel, river rock or crushed stone.
    Each wind turbine would be interconnected with underground power 
and communications cables, identified as the collector system. This 
system would be used to route the power from each turbine to a central 
collector substation(s) where the electrical voltage would be stepped 
up from 34.5 kilovolt (kV) to 230-kV. The collector substation(s) would 
be enclosed in a fence with dimensions about 350 feet by 140 feet. The 
underground collector system would be placed in one trench or two 
parallel trenches and connect each of the turbines to a central 
collector substation. The estimated trench length, including parallel 
trenches, is 317,000 feet (60 miles).
    The fiber optic communication lines for the proposed Project would 
be installed in the same trenches as the underground electrical 
collector cables and connect each turbine to a proposed operations and 
maintenance (O&M) building and collector substation(s). It is 
anticipated that a 5,500-square foot (50 feet by 110 feet) O&M building 
would be built within the vicinity of the collector substation. The 
final location would be determined in consultation with future 
operations personnel.
    New access roads would be built to facilitate both construction and 
maintenance of the turbines. This road network would be approximately 
70 miles of new and/or upgraded roads. These roads would be designed to 
minimize length and construction impact. Initially, turbine access 
roads would be built to approximately 25-feet wide, to accommodate the 
safe operation of construction equipment. Upon completion of 
construction, the turbine access roads would be reclaimed and narrowed 
to an extent allowing for the routine maintenance of the facility. 
Existing roads, including state and county roads and section line 
roads, would also be improved to aid in servicing the turbine sites. 
Approximately 30 to 40 miles of new turbine access roads would be built 
and 25 to 35 miles of existing roads would be used and, where 
appropriate, improved.
    Under one alternative, a new 230-kV transmission line would be 
required to deliver the power from the collector substation(s) to a new 
230-kV Western interconnection point at the existing Wessington Springs 
Substation. The Wessington Springs Substation is located approximately 
9 to 12 miles from the proposed collector substation(s). The proposed 
line would be built using wood or steel H-frame (two pole) structures 
or steel single-pole structures. The structures would be about 85 to 95 
feet high and span about 800 feet.
    The other alternative site, near Winner, would require 34.5-kV to 
115-kV collector substation(s) as well as a 115-kV transmission line to 
interconnect to Western's existing 115-kV Winner Substation. Other 
facilities would be similar to those described for the proposed 
Project. Because the proposed Project may involve action in floodplains 
or wetlands, this NOI also serves as a notice of proposed floodplain or 
wetland action, in accordance with DOE regulations for Compliance with 
Floodplain and Wetlands Environmental Review Requirements at 10 CFR 
1022.12(a). The EIS will include a floodplain/wetland assessment and, 
if required, a floodplain/wetland statement of findings will be issued 
with the Final EIS or Western's and RUS' Records of Decision.

Agency Responsibilities

    Western and RUS are serving as co-lead Federal agencies, as defined 
at 40 CFR 1501.5, for preparation of the EIS. With this notice, Native 
American Tribes and agencies with jurisdiction or special expertise are 
invited to be cooperating agencies. Such tribes or agencies may make a 
request to Western to be a cooperating agency by contacting Western's 
NEPA Document Manager. Designated cooperating agencies have certain 
responsibilities to support the NEPA process, as specified at 40 CFR 
1501.6(b).

[[Page 15720]]

Environmental Issues

    This notice is to inform agencies and the public of Western's and 
RUS' Federal actions, and the proposed Project, and to solicit comments 
and suggestions for consideration in preparing the EIS. To help the 
public frame its comments, this notice contains a list of potential 
environmental issues that Western and RUS have tentatively identified 
for analysis. These issues include:
    1. Impacts on protected, threatened, endangered, or sensitive 
species of animals or plants;
    2. Impacts on avian and bat species;
    3. Impacts on land use, recreation, and transportation;
    4. Impacts on cultural or historic resources and tribal values;
    5. Impacts on human health and safety;
    6. Impacts on air, soil, and water resources (including air quality 
and surface water impacts);
    7. Visual impacts; and
    8. 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. Environmental issues associated with 
Western's action, RUS' action, and PraireWinds' proposed Project will 
be addressed separately in the EIS. Western and RUS invite interested 
parties to suggest specific issues within these general categories, or 
other issues not included above, to be considered in the EIS.

Public Participation

    Public participation and full disclosure are planned for the entire 
EIS process. The EIS process will include public scoping open house 
meetings and a scoping comment period to solicit comments from 
interested parties; consultation and involvement with appropriate 
Federal, State, local, and tribal governmental agencies; public review 
and a hearing on the draft EIS; publication of a final EIS; and 
publication of separate Records of Decision by Western and RUS, 
currently anticipated in 2010. Additional informal public meetings may 
be held in the proposed Project areas, if public interest and issues 
indicate a need.
    The public scoping period begins with publication of this notice in 
the Federal Register and closes May 15, 2009. The purpose of the 
scoping meetings is to provide information about Western's Federal 
action, RUS's Federal action, and the proposed Project, display maps, 
answer questions, and take written comments from interested parties.
    Western and RUS will hold open house public scoping meetings in 
Plankinton, South Dakota and Winner, South Dakota as noted above. 
Attendees are welcome to come and go at their convenience and to speak 
one-on-one with Project representatives and agency staff. The public 
will have the opportunity to provide written comments at the meeting. 
In addition, attendees may provide written comments by letter, fax, e-
mail, or through the project's Web address.
    To be considered in defining the scope of the EIS, comments should 
be received by the end of the scoping period. Anonymous comments will 
not be accepted.

    Dated: March 30, 2009.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
    Dated: March 26, 2009.
Mark S. Plank,
Director, Engineering and Environmental Staff, Rural Utilities Service.
 [FR Doc. E9-7813 Filed 4-6-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P