[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 68 (Friday, April 9, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18166-18167]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-8179]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Proposed Baseload Power Plant, East Kentucky 
Power Cooperative, Inc., Clark County, KY

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in accordance with 
42 U.S.C. 4321 to 4370(f), is issuing this notice to advise the public 
that a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) has 
been prepared and is available for review and comment.

DATES: Written comments on the Draft SEIS will be accepted for 45 days 
following publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's notice 
of availability for the Draft SEIS in the Federal Register. The USACE 
will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. (EDT) on June 8, 2010.

ADDRESSES: The Draft SEIS can be viewed online at: http://www.ekpc.coop/smith-unit1.html. The Draft SEIS will also be available 
for viewing at the locations listed in the Supplementary Information 
section. Comments should be submitted to Mr. Michael Hasty, Acting 
Chief, South Section, Regulatory Branch, Louisville District, P.O. Box 
59, Louisville, KY 40201-0059. The Public Hearing will be held at the 
Clark County Extension Service office located at 1400 Fortune Drive in 
Winchester KY 40391.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Michael Hasty, Acting Chief, South 
Section, Regulatory Branch, Louisville District, P.O. Box 59, 
Louisville, KY 40201-0059. Phone (502) 315-6676, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A final EIS and Record of Decision was 
prepared by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2002/2003 for a proposed 
540 megawatt coal-fired integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) 
electric generating plant at the same location, the Smith Site. That 
project, known as the Kentucky Pioneer IGCC Demonstration Project, was 
never built. The Corps has reviewed the EIS prepared by DOE and, based 
on similarities between the two projects, has determined to adopt that 
EIS as the basis for review of the current proposal. The Corps is 
preparing this Supplemental EIS (SEIS) to evaluate those aspects of the 
current proposal that are not substantially similar to the DOE project, 
as a result of changes in project parameters, existing environmental 
conditions, and relevant laws and regulations.
    East Kentucky Power Cooperative, Inc. (EKPC) has applied for a 
Department of the Army (DA) permit from the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (Corps) to authorize unavoidable impacts to jurisdictional 
waters of the U.S. pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act 
(Section 404) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (Section 
10).

[[Page 18167]]

    EKPC's Proposed Action, and the subject of the Draft SEIS, is to 
construct and operate a 278 megawatt circulating fluidized bed electric 
generating unit (CFB) and associated infrastructure at the existing 
J.K. Smith Power Station (the Smith Site) in southern Clark County, 
Kentucky. In addition to the CFB unit, other components of the Proposed 
Action on the Smith Site include: An approximately one-mile, 345 kV 
electric transmission line; two (2) beneficial reuse structural fills 
using coal combustion by-products (CCB); two (2) landfills for the on-
site disposal of CCB; an emergency drought water storage reservoir; 
several soil borrow areas for landfill cover and other site development 
uses; and a new water intake/outfall structure in the Kentucky River.
    The Proposed Action is needed to provide sufficient electric 
generating capacity to meet the projected baseload electric power needs 
of EKPC's rural member distribution cooperatives in the year 2013.
    As proposed, the project would impact approximately 4.8 acres of 
jurisdictional wetlands and 75,495 linear feet of jurisdictional 
streams, including 17,811 linear feet of perennial stream. The 
construction of the intake/outfall structure would impact the Kentucky 
River, a navigable waterway. A separate Public Notice has been prepared 
announcing these proposed ``waters of the United States'' impacts and 
the requested DA permit. Construction of the Kentucky River intake 
structure and the dam and reservoir would result in floodplain impacts. 
Measures to minimize and mitigate the proposed impacts are included in 
the Draft SEIS.
    The USACE has determined that the construction of this undertaking 
(Proposed Action) would have an adverse effect on two archaeological 
properties determined eligible for listing in the National Register of 
Historic Places. The USACE has consulted with the Kentucky State 
Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) in accordance with 36 CFR part 
800, has invited tribes with an interest in the area to participate in 
government-to-government consultation, and is working with the Kentucky 
SHPO and other interested parties to enter into a memorandum of 
agreement to address mitigation of the properties that would be 
affected if the Proposal is implemented.
    The Draft SEIS considered 17 technology alternatives; several 
alternatives that did not include EKPC's construction of a new baseload 
plant; adding capacity at an existing EKPC facility; and a number of 
siting alternatives as means of responding to the identified purpose 
and need for the project. These alternatives were evaluated in terms of 
cost-effectiveness, technical feasibility, and environmental soundness. 
The Draft SEIS analyzes in detail the Proposal, two alternative 
technologies, IGCC and natural gas combined cycle, and the no action 
alternative.
    Copies of the Draft SEIS are available for review at the following 
libraries (hours vary; contact individual repositories for available 
times):
    1. Clark County Public Library, 370 South Burns Avenue, Winchester, 
KY 40391-1876, Phone (859) 744-5661.
    2. Estill County Public Library, 246 Main Street, Irvine, KY 40336, 
Phone (606) 723-3030.
    3. Lexington Public Library, 140 East Main Street, Lexington, KY 
40507, Phone (859) 231-5520.
    4. Madison County Public Library, 507 West Main Street, Richmond, 
KY 40475, Phone (859) 623-6704.
    5. Mt. Sterling-Montgomery County Library, 241 West Locust Street, 
Mt. Sterling, KY 40353, Phone (859) 498-2404.
    6. Paris-Bourbon County Public Library, 701 High Street, Paris, KY 
40361, Phone (859) 987-4419.
    7. Powell County Public Library, 725 Breckenridge Street, Stanton, 
KY 40380, Phone (606) 663-4511.
    With this notice, the USACE invites any affected Federal, State, 
and local agencies and other interested persons to comment on the Draft 
SEIS. Written comments on the Draft SEIS will be accepted for 45 days 
following publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's notice 
of availability for the Draft SEIS in the Federal Register. The USACE 
will hold a public hearing at 7 p.m. on June 8, 2010 at the Clark 
County Extension Service, 1400 Fortune Drive, Winchester KY 40391. The 
hearing will include a presentation summarizing the proposed project 
and the findings of the Draft SEIS. The hearing will also provide 
attendees with an opportunity to submit both oral and written comments.

    Dated: April 2, 2010.
Keith A. Landry,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Commander.
[FR Doc. 2010-8179 Filed 4-8-10; 8:45 am]
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