[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 185 (Friday, September 25, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48947-48948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23186]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Record of Decision: Montana Alberta Tie Limited (DOE/EIS-0399)

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Record of decision.

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SUMMARY: The Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency of 
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has decided to finance a portion 
of the Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. (MATL) 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission 
line (MATL Project) in exchange for ownership of 50 megawatts (MW) of 
southbound capacity on the line and ownership of approximately 18 miles 
of transmission line. This decision is contingent on the MATL Project 
meeting all necessary conditions under Western's Transmission 
Infrastructure Program (TIP). MATL proposed to construct, operate, 
maintain, and connect a new 214-mile, single-circuit 230-kV electric 
transmission line across the U.S.-Canada border near Cut Bank, Montana, 
and DOE prepared the Environmental Impact Statement for the Montana 
Alberta Tie Ltd. (MATL) 230-kV Transmission Line (DOE/EIS-0399), herein 
referred to as the MATL Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), as co-
lead with the State of Montana, to analyze the environmental impacts 
that would be associated with construction and operation of the line. 
The environmental mitigation measures and electric reliability 
conditions required by DOE's permit for the line are identified in the 
Record of Decision (ROD); Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. issued by DOE on 
November 17, 2008, (73 FR 67860), herein referred to as the first ROD.
    Western's decision to finance a portion of the MATL Project has no 
effect on the environmental impacts identified in the MATL EIS, and 
does not in any way modify the first ROD.
    Western has prepared this second ROD in accordance with the 
regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR Parts 1500-
1508) for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 
and DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR part 1021).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about 
Western's decision, contact Robert J. Harris, Regional Manager, Upper 
Great Plains Customer Service Region, Western Area Power 
Administration, P.O. Box 35800, Billings MT 59107-5800, by telephone at 
(406) 247-7405 or (800) 358-3415, or by facsimile at (406) 247-7408. 
The MATL EIS and first ROD are available on the DOE NEPA Web site at 
http://www.gc.energy.gov/NEPA/. In addition, the first ROD may be 
requested by contacting Ellen Russell, Senior Project Manager, Office 
of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, OE-20, U.S. Department 
of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, by 
telephone at (202) 586-9624, by facsimile at (202) 586-8008, or at 
[email protected]. For information on the DOE NEPA process, 
contact Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and 
Compliance, GC-20, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20585, by telephone at (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-
2756, or by facsimile at (202) 586-7031.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

NEPA Review

    When DOE distributed the Final MATL EIS in October 2008, Western 
was not involved in the MATL Project as the MATL Project did not 
include an interconnection with Western's transmission system and the 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5; the 
Recovery Act) was not then law. The environmental impacts that would be 
associated with the line were analyzed in the MATL EIS, and the MATL 
Project would result in low environmental impacts after mitigation 
measures required by DOE's permit are implemented. The environmental 
mitigation measures and electric reliability conditions committed to 
are noted in the first ROD.
    Because the expected environmental impacts of the MATL Project were 
fully addressed in the MATL EIS, and given that Western's participation 
and Federal action does not change the MATL Project or its impacts, 
Western has determined that further NEPA documentation is not required. 
For detailed information on the MATL EIS, please see the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION section above.

Purpose and Need for Agency Action

    Under section 402 of the Recovery Act, Western is given authority 
to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to construct, finance, 
facilitate, plan, operate, maintain, and/or study construction of new 
or upgraded electric power transmission lines and related facilities. 
These transmission lines and related facilities must have at least one 
terminus in Western's marketing area and deliver or facilitate the 
delivery of power from renewable resources constructed or reasonably 
expected to be constructed after the date of enactment of the Recovery 
Act.
    On March 4, 2009, Western published a Notice of Proposed Program 
and Request for Public Comments in the Federal Register (74 FR 9391) 
describing its proposed Transmission Infrastructure Program (TIP) and 
soliciting public input on that program. After considering the comments 
received on its March 4 Federal Register notice, Western published its 
final TIP Notice of Program on May 14, 2009 (74 FR 22732). The TIP will 
guide how Western evaluates proposals for funding under the Recovery 
Act.
    Western also published a Notice of Availability of Request for 
Interest on March 4, 2009, (74 FR 9391) that initiated a public process 
to help identify the first round of transmission projects to be 
developed under the Recovery Act. The MATL Project was one of the 
projects proposed for funding in response to this notice.
    Western's proposed action is to partially finance under its TIP the 
MATL Project as described in the first ROD. In return for its portion 
of Project funding, Western would own 50 MW of southbound capacity on 
the MATL line and gain ownership of approximately 18 miles of 
transmission line extending north from the Great Falls substation.

[[Page 48948]]

Decision

    Western evaluated its participation in the MATL Project based on 
the principles, policies, and practices of Western's TIP. This second 
ROD provides notice that Western has considered the potential 
environmental impacts of the MATL Project and required mitigation as 
presented in the first ROD. It also provides notice that Western has 
decided to partially finance the MATL Project, in exchange for owning 
50 MW of southbound capacity on the line and approximately 18 miles of 
transmission line. This decision is contingent on the MATL Project 
satisfying the other requirements of the TIP. The decision in this 
second ROD will be implemented through contracts with MATL if all 
necessary conditions are met.
    In reaching this decision, Western reviewed the MATL EIS and first 
ROD and considered that the potential impacts from the selected 
alternative, with implementation of the stipulated mitigation measures, 
are expected to be low. Western's decision to finance a portion of the 
MATL Project has no effect on the environmental impacts identified in 
the MATL EIS, and does not in any way modify the first ROD.
    Western has prepared this second ROD in accordance with the 
regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR Parts 1500-
1508) for implementing NEPA, and DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 
CFR Part 1021). Western's authority to issue a ROD is pursuant to 
authority delegated on October 4, 1999.\1\
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    \1\ Western's authority to issue a record of decision is 
pursuant to authority delegated on October 4, 1999, from the 
Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health to Western's 
Administrator.

    Dated: September 18, 2009.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E9-23186 Filed 9-24-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P