[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 3, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9573-9574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4342]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc: Bemidji-Grand Rapids 230kV 
Transmission Project

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement and Notice of Public Hearing.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), 
has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to meet its 
responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 
7 CFR 1794 related to possible financial assistance to Minnkota Power 
Cooperative, Inc (Minnkota) for the construction of a 230 kilovolt (kV) 
kV transmission line between the Wilton Substation near Bemidji, 
Minnesota, and the Boswell Substation near Grand Rapids, Minnesota in 
Beltrami, Hubbard, Itasca, and Cass counties. To minimize duplication 
of effort pursuant to 40 CFR 1506.2, RUS prepared the Draft EIS jointly 
with the Minnesota Department of Commerce (Commerce), Office of Energy 
Security (OES) in compliance with federal responsibilities under NEPA 
and other federal statutes and regulations, and state responsibilities 
under the Minnesota Environmental Policy Act and the Minnesota Power 
Plant Siting Act. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Forest 
Service Chippewa National Forest and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe are 
cooperating agencies for this Draft EIS.
    The proposed new transmission line is needed to correct local load 
serving inadequacies for the Bemidji area and west-central Minnesota. 
Minnkota is also proposing to modify the existing Wilton and Boswell 
substations, construct a new 115 kV breaker station at Nary Junction 
and, depending on route alternative selected, upgrade an existing or 
construct a new substation near Cass Lake, Minnesota. Minnkota is 
requesting financial assistance from RUS for the proposed action.

DATES: Written comments on this Notice must be received on or before 
April 19, 2010. RUS and OES will jointly conduct the following public 
meetings March 16 -18, 2010. The first half hour of each meeting will 
be an open house followed by a formal public information and comment 
meeting with brief presentations on the DEIS by OES and RUS staff. 
Members of the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and 
provide comments on the Draft EIS. A court reporter will transcribe 
verbal comments from the formal public comment portion of the meeting. 
Meetings may conclude prior to the listed end time if all attendees 
have had the opportunity to comment and all other business has been 
concluded: Tuesday, March 16 from 1p.m.-4p.m. and 6p.m.-9 p.m. at the 
Hampton Inn, 1019 Paul Bunyan Dr., S. State Hwy 197 in Bemidji, MN 
56601; Wednesday, March 17 from 1p.m.-3 p.m. at the American Legion 
Vets Club, 12 First Street NE., in Deer River, MN 56636; Wednesday, 
March 17 from 6-9 p.m. at the Senior Center, 24 First Street SE, in 
Black Duck, MN 56630; and Thursday, March 18 from 6-9 p.m. at the Leech 
Lake Tribal College, 6945 Little Wolf Road NW., in Cass Lake, MN 56633. 
Comments regarding the project may be submitted (orally or in writing) 
to Ms. Stephanie Strength or Ms. Steinhauer at the addresses provided 
in this Notice or online via the Commission's Web site at: http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/publicComments.html.

ADDRESSES: To send comments or to obtain copies of the Draft EIS, or 
for further information, contact: Stephanie Strength, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, USDA, Rural Utilities Service, 1400 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Room 2244, Stop 1571, Washington, DC 20250-1571, e-mail 
[email protected]., or Suzanne Steinhauer, Project 
Manager, Minnesota Office of Energy Security, 85 7th Place East, Suite 
500, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55101-2198, FAX: (651) 297-7891, e-mail 
[email protected]. A copy of the Draft EIS may be viewed 
online at the following Web sites: http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/eis.htm, http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/Docket.html?Id=19344, 
and at the: Bemidji Public Library, 509 America Ave., NW., Bemidji, MN 
56601; Cass Lake Community Library, 223 Cedar Ave. NW., Cass Lake, MN 
56633; Grand Rapids Area Library, 140 NE 2nd Street, Grand Rapids, MN 
55744; Blackduck Community Library, 72 First St., SE., Blackduck, MN 
56630; Margaret Welch Memorial Library, 5051 State 84, Longville, MN 
56655; Walker Public Library, 207 4th St., Walker, MN 56484; Bovey 
Public Library--Village Hall, 402 2nd Street, Bovey, MN 55709-0130; and 
Coleraine Public Library, Independent Building, 203 Cole Avenue, 
Coleraine, MN 55722-0225.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc (Minnkota), 
in conjunction with Otter Tail Power Company and Minnesota Power, 
proposes to construct and operate a 230 kV transmission line between 
the Wilton substation west of Bemidji and the Boswell Substation west 
of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The proposal is designed to correct a local 
load serving inadequacy for the Bemidji area and west central 
Minnesota. Three route alternatives are under consideration for the 
transmission line. The proposed routes for the transmission line 
primarily follow existing rights-of-way and cross sections of Beltrami, 
Hubbard, Cass, and Itasca counties. Depending upon the route selected, 
the Project may also include modifications to the existing Cass Lake 
Substation, construction of a new substation in the Cass Lake area, and 
construction of a new 115 kV breaker station near Nary, Minnesota.
    The proposed transmission line would be approximately 68 to 116 
miles in length with a 125-foot right-of-way. The construction of the 
proposal is

[[Page 9574]]

tentatively scheduled to begin in the fall of 2010 with an estimated 
duration of construction of 1 year.
    RUS is the lead agency for the federal environmental review with 
Division of Resource Management of the Leech Lake Reservation, the 
Chippewa National Forest, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
participating as cooperating agencies. In addition to federal review, 
the project is subject to Power Plant Siting Act (Minn. Stat. 216E). 
Accordingly OES and RUS have collaborated to create a joint draft EIS 
for this project. A Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS and Hold a 
Scoping Meeting was published in the Federal Register at 73FR41312, on 
July 18, 2008, and local newspapers. Scoping meetings for the EIS were 
held in the project area in August, 2008, and public comments were 
accepted from July 22, 2008, through September 30, 2008. The OES issued 
an EIS scoping decision on March 31, 2009, and modified it on February 
5, 2010. RUS issued a Scoping Decision/Report in December, 2009.
    As part of its broad environmental review process, RUS must take 
into account the effect of the proposal on historic properties in 
accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act 
and its implementing regulation, ``Protection of Historic Properties'' 
(36 CFR Part 800). Pursuant to 36 CFR Sec.  800.2(d)(3), RUS is using 
its procedures for public involvement under NEPA to meet its 
responsibilities to solicit and consider the views of the public during 
Section 106 review. Accordingly, comments submitted in response to 
scoping will inform RUS' decision making in Section 106 review. Any 
party wishing to participate more directly with RUS as a ``consulting 
party'' in Section 106 review may submit a written request to the RUS 
contact provided in this notice.
    Alternatives to the proposed project considered by RUS, OES, and 
Minnkota included (a) no action, (b) generation alternatives, (c) load 
management, (d) alternative transmission line configurations, and (e) 
alternative transmission routes. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) that describes the proposal in detail and discusses its 
anticipated environmental impacts has been prepared and is available 
for public review at the addresses provided in this Notice.
    Questions and comments should be sent to RUS or OES at the mailing 
or e-mail addresses provided in this Notice. RUS should receive 
comments on the Draft EIS in writing by April 19, 2010 to ensure that 
they are considered in the Final EIS. Once available, the final EIS 
will be noticed in the Federal Register and local newspapers. The 
Federal Agencies will then issue a Record of Decision following a 30-
day public comment period on the Final EIS.
    Any final action by RUS related to the proposal will be subject to, 
and contingent upon, compliance with all relevant Federal, state and 
local environmental laws and regulations, and completion of the 
environmental review requirements as prescribed in RUS' Environmental 
Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794).

    Dated: February 25, 2010.
Nivin Elgohary,
 Acting Assistant Administrator, Electric Program, USDA/Rural Utilities 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-4342 Filed 3-2-10; 8:45 am]
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