[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 141 (Friday, July 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36689-36691]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-17700]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Interconnection of the Grapevine Canyon Wind Project, Coconino 
County, AZ

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 an environmental impact statement (EIS) on 
the interconnection of the Grapevine Canyon Wind Project (Project) in 
Coconino County, near Flagstaff, Arizona. Foresight Flying M, LLC 
(Foresight) has applied to Western to interconnect the proposed Project 
to Western's power transmission system on its Glen Canyon-Pinnacle Peak 
Transmission Line. Western is issuing this notice to inform the public 
and interested parties about Western's intent to prepare an EIS, 
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 Western's Federal action of interconnecting 
the proposed Project to Western's transmission system and making any 
necessary modifications to Western facilities to accommodate the 
interconnection. The EIS will also review the potential environmental 
impacts of constructing, operating, and maintaining Foresight's wind 
generation facility and associated facilities, including access roads, 
collection and feeder lines, step-up substation, communications system, 
transmission tie-line, and switchyard.

DATES: The public scoping period begins with the publication of this 
notice and closes on August 28, 2009. Public scoping meetings will be 
held on August 10 and 11, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Please see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for scoping 
meeting locations. Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be 
addressed to Ms. Mary Barger, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
Document Manager, Western Area Power Administration, Desert Southwest 
Region, P.O. Box 6457, 615 S. 43rd Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85005 or 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Mary Barger, NEPA Document 
Manager, Western Area Power Administration, Desert Southwest Region, 
P.O. Box 6457, 615 S. 43rd Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85005, telephone (602) 
605-2524, fax (602) 605-2630, or e-mail [email protected]. 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 
Arizona. Western owns and operates more than 17,000 miles of high-
voltage transmission lines.
    Foresight has applied to Western to interconnect the proposed 
Project at a new switchyard on Western's Glen Canyon-Pinnacle Peak 
Transmission Line. Western offers capacity on its transmission system 
to deliver electricity, when such capacity is available, under 
Western's Open Access Transmission Service Tariff.
    Foresight also has applied to the U.S. Forest Service for a permit 
to build, operate, and maintain a portion of the proposed project on 
Coconino National Forest land. Additionally, Foresight is subject to 
State and local approvals prior to building the proposed Project, 
including the following: a Certificate of

[[Page 36690]]

Environmental Compatibility from the Arizona Corporate Commission, 
right of way from the Arizona State Land Department, and a Conditional 
Use Permit from Coconino County.

Project Description

    Foresight proposes to construct a wind energy generation project up 
to 500 megawatts (MW). It would occupy approximately 55 square miles in 
Coconino County, Arizona. The wind generation component of the proposed 
Project would be located about 22 miles southeast of Flagstaff and 
about18 miles south of the Twin Arrows Interstate-40 interchange. It 
would be located within the Pinyon-Juniper Woodland Ecozone of the 
Colorado Plateau Semi-Desert Province in the northeastern quarter of 
Arizona. The area has primarily pinyon-juniper and desert scrub 
vegetation types. The current land use is agricultural, primarily 
livestock grazing. Each wind turbine would involve the disturbance of 
about 1.0 to 1.6 acres.
    The wind generation component of the proposed Project would be 
constructed on private lands and land administered by the Arizona State 
Land Department. The proposed Project would generate electricity from 
wind turbine generators rated at 1.5 to 3.0 MW. Final turbine selection 
and size is subject to further wind analysis, and will determine the 
number of turbines. Each turbine would have three blades that would 
revolve at less than approximately 18 revolutions per minute. Each 
blade would measure 125 to 185 feet long. The single pole structures 
supporting each of the turbines would be up to 325 feet high and 
approximately 20 feet in diameter at the base. Each turbine structure 
would be up to approximately 500 feet high, when a blade is in the 12 
o'clock position. Each would be installed on a concrete base, and would 
have a pad-mounted transformer near the base. Lighting would be in 
accordance with Federal Aviation Administration requirements.
    There would be an all-weather service road constructed to each 
turbine location. The wind turbines would be connected by an electrical 
collection system, power collection circuits, and a communications 
network. This collection system would be buried, where feasible, in 
areas without major subsurface obstructions. Foresight would site the 
wind turbine generators to optimize wind and land resources in the area 
while minimizing environmental impacts to the extent practicable. 
Foresight would comply with local zoning requirements, including 
setbacks from residences, roads, and existing transmission and 
distribution lines. Foresight would begin construction on the proposed 
Project approximately fall 2010. The life of the proposed Project is 
anticipated to be a minimum of 30 years.
    To support delivery of the power generated by the Project, 
Foresight proposes to build a new 345-kV transmission tie-line, 
approximately 9 miles in length, to a new 345-kV switchyard, located 
immediately adjacent to Western's existing Glen Canyon-Pinnacle Peak 
Transmission Line. The transmission tie-line would cross lands 
administered by Coconino National Forest. The right-of-way for the 
transmission line would be about 8.5 miles in length by 200 feet wide, 
for a total disturbance area of about 206 acres. The physical area 
affected by the new switchyard would be about 10 acres. The proposed 
Project area would be accessed by an existing road about 18 miles in 
length that would require some realignment for construction activities.

Proposed Agency Action and Alternatives

    Western's proposed action is to interconnect the proposed Project 
to Western's transmission system. The U.S. Forest Service's proposed 
action is to grant a permit for the transmission line to cross Federal 
lands and for associated road improvements. Any additional action 
alternatives identified will be analyzed in the EIS.
    Western will also consider the no-action alternative in the EIS. 
Under the no-action alternative Western would not interconnect and/or 
the U.S. Forest Service would not issue a permit.

Agency Responsibilities

    Because interconnection of the proposed Project would incorporate a 
major new generation resource into Western's power transmission system, 
Western has determined that an EIS is required under DOE NEPA 
implementing procedures, 10 CFR part 1021, subpart D, Appendix D, class 
of action D6. Western will be the lead Federal agency for preparing the 
EIS, as defined at 40 CFR 1501.5. The proposed Project includes 
construction of a tie-line across Coconino National Forest land, for 
which the U.S. Forest Service has jurisdiction and has agreed to be a 
cooperating agency for preparation of the EIS. Western will invite 
other Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies with jurisdiction by 
law or special expertise with respect to environmental issues to be 
cooperating agencies on the EIS, as defined at 40 CFR 1501.6. Such 
agencies may also make a request to Western to be a cooperating agency 
by contacting Ms. Barger at the address listed above in the ADDRESSES 
section.
    The proposed Project may affect floodplains or wetlands. This 
notice also serves as notice of proposed floodplain or wetland action, 
in accordance with 10 CFR part 1022.

Environmental Issues

    This notice is to inform agencies and the public of Western's 
intent to prepare an EIS and solicit comments and suggestions for 
consideration in the EIS. To help the public frame its comments, the 
following list contains potential environmental issues preliminarily 
identified for analysis in the EIS:
    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.
    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. Western invites interested parties to 
suggest specific issues within these general categories, or other 
issues not included above, to be considered in the EIS.

Public Participation

    The EIS process includes a public scoping period; public review and 
hearings on the draft EIS; publication of a final EIS; and publication 
of a record of decision (ROD). The public scoping period begins with 
publication of this notice and closes August 28, 2009. At the 
conclusion of the NEPA process, Western and the U.S. Forest Service 
will each prepare a ROD. Persons interested in receiving future 
notices, Project information, copies of the EIS, and other information 
on the NEPA review process should contact Ms. Barger at the address 
listed above in the ADDRESSES section.
    Western will hold public scoping meetings as follows:
    1. August 10, 2009, Mormon Lake Fire Station, 43 Mormon Lake Road, 
Mormon Lake, AZ 86038.
    2. August 11, 2009, Northern Arizona Center for Emerging 
Technologies (NACET), 2225 N. Gemini Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86001.

[[Page 36691]]

    Each meeting is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. with an open-house format, 
during which attendees are invited to speak one-on-one with agency and 
Project representatives. Project presentations will be given at 6:15 
and 7:30 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 Ms. Barger 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. To help define the scope of the EIS, comments 
should be received by Western no later than August 28, 2009.

    Dated: July 15, 2009.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E9-17700 Filed 7-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P