[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 67 (Thursday, April 8, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17913-17915]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7724]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service


Maintenance and Vegetation Management Along Existing Western Area 
Power Administration Transmission Line Rights of Way on National Forest 
System Lands, Colorado, Utah, and Nebraska (DOE/EIS-0442)

AGENCIES: Western Area Power Administration, DOE; Forest Service, USDA.

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: Western Area Power Administration (Western) proposes to 
improve the way it manages vegetation along its rights-of-way (ROW) on 
National Forest System lands in the states of Colorado, Utah, and 
Nebraska. Implementing the proposal would include modifying existing 
United States Forest Service (Forest Service) authorizations or issuing 
new authorizations to accommodate Western's vegetation management 
proposal and maintenance of the electrical transmission facilities. 
Western and the FS will be joint lead agencies in the preparation of an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposal 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 to ensure that it can safely 
and reliably operate and maintain its existing electrical transmission 
facilities. Western must meet North American Electric Reliability 
Corporation's mandatory vegetation management and maintenance standards 
(FAC-003-1) in accordance with section 1211 of the Energy Policy Act of 
2005 and industry standards. These industry standards are designed to 
ensure the safe and reliable operation of the transmission system.
    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: This NOI begins the public scoping period. The public scoping 
period will close May 26, 2010. Western and the Forest Service will 
consider all electronic and written scoping comments that are received 
or postmarked by midnight May 26, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Western and the Forest Service will host public scoping 
meetings on Thursday, April 22, 2010, at the Ramada Plaza Denver North, 
10 East 120th Avenue, Denver, CO 80233; Friday, April 23, 2010, at the 
Museum of Western Colorado, Whitman Educational Center, 248 S. 4th (4th 
and Ute), Grand Junction, CO 81501; and Monday, April 26, 2010, at the 
Uintah Basin Applied Technology College, 450 N. 2000 W., Vernal, UT 
84078. Scoping meetings will be from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The meetings will 
provide information to the public and gather comments from the public. 
The meetings will be informal, and attendees will be able to speak 
directly with Western and FS representatives about the proposal. 
Attendees may provide written comments at the public scoping meetings, 
or send them to James Hartman, Environmental Manager, Rocky Mountain 
Regional Office, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 3700, 
Loveland, CO 80539-3003, e-mail: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the proposal and 
the environmental review process, contact James Hartman at the above 
address. For general information on 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. For information on the Forest Service role in 
this effort, please contact David Loomis, Regional Environmental 
Planner, Rocky Mountain Regional Office, U.S. Forest Service, 740 Simms 
St., Golden, CO 80401 (303) 275-5008.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western is a Federal power marketing agency 
within the DOE that markets and delivers Federal wholesale electric 
power (principally hydroelectric power)

[[Page 17914]]

to municipalities, rural electric cooperatives, public utilities and 
irrigation districts, Federal and State agencies, and Native American 
tribes in 15 western and central States. The proposal covers existing 
transmission lines located on National Forest System lands in Colorado, 
Utah, and Nebraska and operated and maintained by Western's Rocky 
Mountain Region. Western proposes to improve the way it manages 
vegetation on FS lands in part to ensure compliance with section 1211 
of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the subsequent changes in industry 
standards for vegetation management to control the costs of vegetation 
management, to reduce the risk of wildfires caused by vegetation 
interacting with energized transmission lines, and to reduce the 
potential impact of wildfires on the transmission lines. Forest Service 
authorizations, issued under 36 CFR 251.54, for Western's use of 
National Forest System lands would need to be modified to accommodate 
this proposal.

Purpose and Need for Agency Action

    Western must ensure that it can safely and reliably operate and 
maintain its existing electrical transmission facilities to deliver 
electrical power. Western must ensure access to its transmission 
facilities for maintenance and emergency response. Western must also 
ensure that the costs associated with maintaining the transmission 
system can be controlled in accordance with sound business principles. 
Western must meet mandatory vegetation management standards in 
accordance with section 1211 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and 
industry standards. The vegetation management standards are designed to 
ensure the safe and reliable operation of the transmission system.
    To ensure that Western can safely, reliably, and cost-effectively 
operate, maintain, and access its transmission system and implement 
required vegetation management practices on lands managed by the FS, 
Western needs to participate with the FS to evaluate options to renew 
or modify Western's current authorizations.
    Western's objectives for this proposal are to maintain its 
transmission lines, ROW and access roads to:
     Protect public and worker safety
     Ensure power system reliability
     Comply with current industry standards and mandatory 
reliability standards
     Achieve technical and economic efficiencies to minimize 
impacts on transmission line tariff costs and electrical power rates
     Reduce the risk of wildfires caused by vegetation growing 
into or falling onto transmission lines
     Reduce the risks to facilities from fires
     Control the spread of noxious weeds
     Ensure that Western's transmission facilities remain 
operational for the useful life of the facility
     Maintain flexibility to accommodate changes in 
transmission system operation and maintenance requirements

Proposed Action

    Western proposes to improve the way it manages vegetation along its 
ROW on National Forest System lands in the states of Colorado, Utah, 
and Nebraska. Not all areas of Western's ROW would require the proposed 
changes to vegetation management. Vegetation management approaches 
would vary along the ROW depending on site conditions and identified 
risks to the transmission lines, and other factors. Over the life of 
Western's facilities, proposed vegetation management changes would be 
implemented in locations along its ROW where vegetation could interfere 
with Western's ability to reliably operate and maintain the facilities. 
In general, Western proposes to change its vegetation management 
practices in the following manner:
     Implement and then maintain vegetation conditions along 
the ROW that reduce the risk to the transmission lines from vegetation-
caused interference with the maintenance and operation of the 
transmission line. This could include establishing relatively stable 
native vegetation that, at mature height, would not grow into 
conductors, fall onto conductors or structures, or contribute to high 
fuel loads.
     Change from a largely reactive approach of cutting danger 
trees with annual ROW re-entry cycles to a proactive approach that 
incorporates integrated vegetation management. The objectives would be 
to control vegetation that, at mature height, presents a risk to 
transmission line maintenance and operation, and allow for longer ROW 
re-entry intervals.
     Reduce as necessary and manage the amount of fuel-loading 
on the ROW to reduce the risk of transmission line-caused wildfires and 
to reduce the potential impacts of wildfires to transmission lines and 
structures.

Alternatives

    Alternatives to Western's proposal include the no action 
alternative. In this alternative, Western would continue its 
maintenance according to past and current practices. Danger trees would 
be managed as they are now using a reactive approach with annual re-
entry cycle to locate and cut danger trees. Other alternatives may be 
identified based on public and agency comments.

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, in accordance with 10 CFR 1022.12 (a). The EIS will 
include a floodplain/wetland assessment and floodplain statement of 
findings following DOE regulations for compliance with floodplain and 
wetlands environmental review (10 CFR 1022).

Environmental Issues

    The location of the proposal is on National Forest System lands in 
Colorado, Utah, and Nebraska. National Forests in Colorado include the 
Arapaho-Roosevelt, Grand Mesa-Uncompahgre-Gunnison, White River, Routt, 
San Juan, and Pike-San Isabel. The project also includes the Nebraska 
National Forest in Nebraska and the Ashley National Forest in Utah. 
Western maintains approximately 300 miles of ROW in these forests. The 
ROWs cross through a variety of vegetation communities at elevations 
ranging from approximately 6,000 to 11,000 feet. The widths of the 
transmission line ROW depend on the voltage of the line and typically 
range from 75 to 175 feet. The EIS will evaluate impacts on a variety 
of environmental resources that may occur along the approximately 4,000 
total acres of ROW. The EIS will include design criteria and other 
actions to avoid or minimize impacts. The EIS will also present the 
results of compliance with other environmental regulations including 
the Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Clean 
Water Act, Clean Air Act and others.

Public Participation

    Interested parties are invited to participate in the scoping 
process to identify important 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 and the FS will consult with affected tribes to evaluate 
and address the potential effects on cultural

[[Page 17915]]

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 67429), the President's 
memorandum of April 29, 1994, Government-to-Government Relations with 
Native American Tribal Governments (59 FR 22961), DOE-specific guidance 
on tribal interactions, and applicable natural and cultural resources 
laws and regulations.
    The public is encouraged to provide information and comments on 
issues it believes should be addressed in the EIS. Comments on the 
scope of the EIS will be addressed by Western and the Forest Service. 
Comments will be accepted at any time during the EIS process. Comments 
received outside of the scoping period may be addressed in the draft 
EIS if practicable, otherwise they will be addressed later in the 
process, such as in the final EIS.
    Western has set up a Web site at http://www.wapa.gov/transmission/Western-FS-EIS.htm to facilitate the distribution of project 
information including meeting notices, project documents, schedules and 
other information. The public will be able to obtain documents for 
review from this Web site or request digital or hardcopies of documents 
for review.
    Western anticipates that the EIS process will take about 15 months, 
and will include public scoping meetings; consultation and coordination 
with appropriate Federal, State, county, and local agencies and tribes; 
distribution of and public review and comment on the Draft EIS; a 
formal public hearing on the Draft EIS; distribution of a Final EIS; 
and publication of the Record of Decision in the Federal Register.

Responsible Officials

    Western: Administrator; Forest Service: Rocky Mountain Regional 
Forester.

    Dated: March 24, 2010.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
    Dated: March 24, 2010.
Randall Karstaedt,
Acting Deputy Regional Forester.
[FR Doc. 2010-7724 Filed 4-7-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P