[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 9 (Thursday, January 14, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2138-2140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-569]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Interconnection of the Proposed Hermosa West Wind Farm Project, 
Wyoming (DOE/EIS-0438)

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

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: Shell WindEnergy Inc. (SWE) applied to interconnect their 
proposed 300-megawatt (MW) Hermosa West Wind Farm Project (Project) 
with the Western Area Power Administration's (Western) existing Craig--
Ault 345-kilovolt (kV) transmission line in Albany County, Wyoming. 
Western will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the 
proposal to interconnect the Project in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), U.S. Department of Energy 
(DOE) NEPA Implementing Procedures, and the Council on Environmental 
Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA.
    Western's need for agency action is precipitated by SWE's 
application to interconnect with Western's power transmission system. 
Western needs to consider SWE's interconnection request under its Open 
Access Transmission Service Tariff (Tariff). This EIS will address 
Western's Federal action of interconnecting the proposed Project to 
Western's transmission system, constructing an interconnection facility 
on Western's existing Craig--Ault transmission line, and making 
necessary system modifications to accommodate the interconnection. By 
taking this action, power generated by the proposed Project would use 
Western's transmission system to reach the market.
    Portions of the proposed Project may affect floodplains and 
wetlands, so this Notice of Intent (NOI) also serves as a notice of 
proposed floodplain or wetland action in accordance with DOE floodplain 
and wetland environmental review requirements.

DATES: Public scoping meetings are:
    (1) January 26, 2010, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
    (2) January 27, 2010, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. in Laramie, Wyoming.
    The public scoping period starts with the publication of this 
notice and ends on March 1, 2010. Western will consider all comments on 
the scope of the EIS received or postmarked by that date. The public is 
invited to submit comments on the proposed Project at any time during 
the EIS process.

ADDRESSES: Western will host public scoping meetings at Little America 
Hotel, 2800 West Lincolnway, Cheyenne, Wyoming; and at Hilton Garden 
Inn and UW Conference Center, 2229 East Grand Avenue, Laramie, Wyoming, 
to provide information on the Project and gather comments on the 
proposal. Oral or written comments may be provided at the public 
scoping meetings or mailed or e-mailed to Mark Wieringa, NEPA Document 
Manager, Corporate Services Office, Western Area Power Administration, 
P.O. Box 281213, Lakewood, CO 80228-8213, e-mail [email protected], 
telephone (800) 336-7288.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information on the 
proposed Project, the EIS process, or to receive a copy of the Draft 
EIS when it is published, contact Mark Wieringa at the addresses above. 
For general information on the DOE's NEPA review process, contact Carol 
M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance, GC-54, 
U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, 
DC 20585-0119, telephone (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756, facsimile 
(202) 586-7031.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western is a Federal power marketing agency 
within the DOE that markets and delivers Federal wholesale electric 
power (principally hydroelectric power) to municipalities, rural 
electric cooperatives, public utilities, irrigation districts, Federal 
and State agencies, and Native American tribes in 15 western and 
central States. The proposed Project would be located within Western's 
Rocky Mountain Region, which operates in Colorado, most of Wyoming, and 
portions of Nebraska, Kansas, Utah, and New Mexico. SWE applied to 
interconnect their proposed 300-MW Project with Western's existing 
Craig--Ault 345-kV transmission line in Albany County, Wyoming. The 
proposed Project would be located on private and State lands; no 
federally-managed land would be affected. There are no designated 
cooperating agencies at this time, but

[[Page 2139]]

cooperating agencies could be identified at a later date.
    Western will prepare an EIS on the interconnection of the proposed 
Project in accordance with NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.); DOE NEPA 
Implementing Procedures (10 CFR part 1021), and the CEQ regulations for 
implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508).\1\
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    \1\ On October 4, 1999, DOE's Assistant Secretary for 
Environmental, Safety and Health delegated to Western's 
Administrator the authority to approve EISs for integrating 
transmission facilities with Western's transmission grid.
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Purpose and Need for Agency Action

    Western's need for agency action is precipitated by SWE's 
application to interconnect with Western's power transmission system. 
Western needs to consider SWE's interconnection request under Western's 
Tariff, which provides for open access to its transmission system 
through an interconnection if there is available capacity in the 
transmission system. This EIS will address Western's Federal action of 
constructing an interconnection facility on the existing Craig--Ault 
transmission line, and making necessary system modifications to 
accommodate the interconnection of SWE's proposed Project. Preliminary 
studies indicate that the power system can accommodate the proposed 
interconnection without negatively affecting system reliability or 
power deliveries to existing customers. The transmission system may 
require network and/or transmission system upgrades as determined in 
the final studies.

Proposed Action

    Subject to compliance with the provisions of the Tariff, Western 
proposes to approve SWE's interconnection request and construct an 
interconnection facility on the Craig--Ault transmission line. By 
taking this action, power generated by the proposed Project would use 
Western's transmission system to reach the market.

Alternatives

    Western will evaluate location options for the interconnection 
facility in the vicinity of the proposed Project along the existing 
Craig--Ault transmission line. Under the no action alternative, Western 
would not approve the interconnection request, nor construct the 
interconnection facility.

Applicant's Proposed Project

    SWE's proposed Project would consist of up to 200 wind turbine 
generators with a combined total generating capacity of up to 300 MW, 
located within an 11,125-acre site in southeast Albany County, near the 
towns of Hermosa and Tie Siding. The turbines would be located in 11 
north-south oriented strings of varying lengths, with the strings being 
approximately one-half mile apart. In addition to the turbines, other 
proposed Project facilities would include all-weather access roads to 
each turbine location; underground power collection lines linking 
turbines to the Project Substation; the Project Substation; a short 
high-voltage transmission line linking the Project Substation to 
Western's transmission system; operation and maintenance facilities and 
yard; Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition equipment and metering 
equipment; and a permanent meteorological tower. The proposed Project 
Substation would likely be co-located with Western's interconnection 
facility.
    While Western's Federal action is to consider the interconnection 
request and the physical interconnection to Western's existing 
transmission system, the EIS will also identify and review the 
environmental impacts of SWE's proposed Project. SWE will complete 
necessary coordination with State and local agencies to permit their 
proposed Project.

Floodplain or Wetland Involvement

    Since the proposed Project may involve action in floodplains or 
wetlands, this NOI also serves as a notice of proposed floodplain or 
wetland action. The EIS will include a floodplain/wetland assessment 
and floodplain/wetland statement of findings following DOE regulations 
for compliance with floodplain and wetlands environmental review (10 
CFR part 1022).

Environmental Issues

    The location of the proposed Project is in a sparsely populated 
portion of southeastern Wyoming. Available overview information 
indicates this area has a relatively low probability of substantial 
natural resources conflicts. SWE's siting process for the wind turbine 
strings and associated facilities considered sensitive resources, and 
the proposed Project was designed to avoid these areas. The EIS will 
evaluate the level of impact Western's proposed action and SWE's 
proposed Project would have on environmental resources within the 
11,125-acre site, which may lead to minor modifications in the proposed 
Project to further avoid or minimize resource impacts. While no 
substantive resource conflicts have been identified thus far, the EIS 
will analyze the potential impacts on potentially affected 
environmental resources. Wind farm projects are generally known to have 
visual and noise effects, and may affect birds and bats.

Public Participation

    Interested parties are invited to participate in the scoping 
process to help define the important resources and issues to be 
analyzed in depth, and to eliminate from detailed study issues that are 
not pertinent. The scoping process will involve all interested agencies 
(Federal, State, county, and local), Native American tribes, public 
interest groups, businesses, affected landowners, and individual 
members of the public.
    Western will consult with affected tribes to jointly evaluate and 
address the potential effects on cultural resources, traditional 
cultural properties, or other resources important to the tribes. These 
consultations will be conducted in accordance with Executive Order 
13175, Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribal Governments (65 
FR 67249), the President's memorandum of April 29, 1994, Government-to-
Government Relations with Native American Tribal Governments (59 FR 
22951), DOE-specific guidance on tribal interactions, and applicable 
natural and cultural resources laws and regulations.
    Public scoping meetings will be held as described under DATES and 
ADDRESSES above. The meetings will be informal, and attendees will be 
able to speak directly with Western and SWE representatives about the 
proposed Project. The public is encouraged to provide information and 
comments on issues it believes Western should address in the EIS. 
Comments may be broad in nature or restricted to specific areas of 
concern. After gathering comments on the scope of the EIS, Western will 
address issues raised in the EIS. Comments on Western's proposed action 
and SWE's proposed Project will be accepted at any time during the EIS 
process, and may be directed to Western as described under ADDRESSES 
above.
    Western's EIS process will include the public scoping meetings; 
consultation and coordination with appropriate Federal, State, county, 
and local agencies and tribal governments; involvement with affected 
landowners; distribution of and public review and comment on the Draft 
EIS; a formal public hearing or hearings on the Draft EIS; distribution 
of a published Final EIS; and publication of Western's Record of 
Decision in the Federal Register.


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    Dated: January 6, 2010.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2010-569 Filed 1-13-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P