[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 136 (Friday, July 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 41514]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-17239]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[OR-65891, LLORB00000-L51010000-ER0000-LVRWH09H0560; HAG-10-0189]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed North Steens Transmission Line Project in 
Harney County, OR

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the North Steens 
Transmission Line Project and by this notice is announcing the opening 
of the comment period.

DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Draft EIS within 45 days following the date the 
Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in 
the Federal Register. The BLM will announce future meetings or hearings 
and any other public involvement activities at least 15 days in advance 
through public notices, media releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the North Steens 
Transmission Line Project by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected].
     Mail: North Steens Transmission Line Project Lead, BLM 
Burns District Office, 28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738.
     Fax: (541) 573-4411, Attention North Steens Transmission 
Line Project Lead.
     Written comments may also be hand-delivered to the BLM 
Burns District Office at the address shown above.

Copies of the Draft EIS are available at the Burns District Office at 
the address listed above and electronically at the following Web site: 
http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/burns/plans/index.php.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Robert 
Renchler, North Steens Transmission Line Project Lead, telephone (541) 
573-4400; address 28910 Highway 20 West, Hines, Oregon 97738; or e-
mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The applicant, Echanis, LLC, has filed 
applications for rights-of-way with the BLM and the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service (FWS) for construction, operation, maintenance, and 
termination of a 29-mile long 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line that 
would connect the proposed Echanis Wind Energy Project, located on 
private land on the north end of Steens Mountain, with Harney Electric 
Cooperative's existing transmission system near Diamond Junction, 
Oregon. The proposed line (Proposed Action, West Route-Alternative B) 
would cross approximately 19 miles of private land, 9 miles of BLM-
administered public land, and 1.3 miles of land on the Malheur National 
Wildlife Refuge that is managed by the FWS, including a span over the 
Blitzen Valley. The Draft EIS analyzes impacts of six alternatives: the 
Proposed Action, two deviations of the proposed route, a north route 
alternative, a 115-kV construction option, and the No Action 
Alternative. The Draft EIS also identifies and analyzes measures to 
mitigate adverse impacts for each alternative. The private wind energy 
facilities and associated features are also analyzed in the Draft EIS. 
Major issues brought forward during the public scoping process and 
addressed in the Draft EIS include:
    (1) Vegetation;
    (2) Wildlife;
    (3) Visual and aesthetic values;
    (4) Lands with special designations;
    (5) Cultural and tribal resources;
    (6) Public services and transportation;
    (7) Recreation and tourism;
    (8) Social and economic effects; and
    (9) Public safety.
    A Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS for the North Steens 
Transmission Line Project was published in the Federal Register on July 
27, 2009 (74 FR 37052). Public participation was solicited through the 
media, mailings, and the BLM Web site. Public meetings were held in 
Burns, Bend, Frenchglen, and Diamond, Oregon.
    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1506.6 and 1506.10.

Kenny McDaniel,
Burns District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2010-17239 Filed 7-15-10; 8:45 am]
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