[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 143 (Tuesday, July 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44008-44010]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-18220]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

[LLORV00000.L51010000.ER0000.LVRWH09H0480; OR 065375; IDI 036029; HAG 
10-0278]


Revised Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Boardman to Hemingway 500 Kilovolt 
Transmission Line Project in Idaho and Oregon and Possible Land Use 
Plan Amendments

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior; and U.S. Forest Service, 
Agriculture.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice is a revision of a September 12, 2008, Notice of 
Intent [73 FR 52944]. In compliance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) Vale District Office, Vale, Oregon, and the U.S. Forest Service 
(FS), Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Baker City, Oregon, intend to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Boardman to 
Hemingway (B2H) Project, and by this notice are announcing the re-
initiation of the NEPA scoping process to solicit public comments. This 
notice is in response to substantive changes in the proposed B2H 
Project route as submitted by Idaho Power Company (IPC) in its amended 
right-of-way (ROW) application to the BLM and special use application 
to the FS. The proposed B2H route is about 300 miles long and would 
cross Federal, State, and private lands in 6 counties in Oregon and 
Idaho. Approximately 93 miles (31 percent) of the lands the 
transmission line would cross are administered by Federal agencies, 
including the BLM, the FS, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the 
Department of Defense.

DATES: This notice re-initiates the comment period for scoping on the 
B2H Project EIS. The comment period will be open until September 27, 
2010. Scoping meetings are being considered in the following locations: 
Baker City, John Day, Burns, Ontario, Boardman, La Grande, and 
Pendleton, Oregon; and Marsing, Idaho. The dates and locations of the 
scoping meetings will be announced at least 15 days in advance

[[Page 44009]]

through local media, newspapers, and the B2H Project Web site at: 
http://www.boardmantohemingway.com. Comments must be received prior to 
the close of the comment period or 15 days after the last scoping 
meeting, whichever is later, to be considered in the B2H Project EIS 
analysis. Relevant comments submitted during the previous B2H Project 
comment period will also be considered. Additional opportunities for 
public participation will be provided upon publication of the Draft 
EIS.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
     E-mail: [email protected];
     Web site: http://www.boardmantohemingway.com/comment;
     Mail: BLM, B2H Project, P.O. Box 655, Vale, Oregon 97918; 
or
     In person at a scoping meeting.
    The amended B2H ROW and special-use application is available for 
inspection at the Web site listed above or may be examined at:
     BLM, Vale District Office, 100 Oregon Street, Vale, Oregon 
97918;
     FS, Whitman Ranger District, 3285 11th Street, Baker City, 
Oregon 97814; and
     FS, La Grande Ranger District, 3502 Highway 30, La Grande, 
Oregon 97850.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information or to have 
your name added to or removed from the B2H Project mailing list, visit 
the Web site or e-mail a request to the address identified in the 
ADDRESSES section above, or mail your request to the BLM, B2H Project, 
P.O. Box 655, Vale, Oregon 97918.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The B2H Project is a new single-circuit 500-
kilovolt (kV) electric transmission line proposed for construction by 
IPC between the existing Hemingway substation, located near Melba in 
Owyhee County, Idaho, and the planned Grassland substation adjacent to 
the Boardman Generating Plant, located near Boardman in Morrow County, 
Oregon. The B2H Project will deliver up to 1,500 megawatts of 
additional energy capacity to meet load requirements in Oregon and 
Idaho, provide service to wholesale customers, maintain reliable 
electric service, and relieve existing congestion and capacity 
constraints.
    On December 19, 2007, IPC submitted an application for a ROW grant 
to construct, operate, and maintain a single-circuit 500-kV 
transmission line across BLM-administered lands. On March 25, 2008, IPC 
also submitted an application for a special use authorization to the FS 
to cross FS-administered lands. In April 2010, IPC resubmitted these 
applications to the BLM and FS because of proposed route changes.
    The proposed B2H route is approximately 300 miles long and will 
cross Federal, State, and private lands in 6 counties in Oregon and 
Idaho. The route generally parallels existing interstate and other 
existing overhead and underground utilities and roadways, and makes use 
of existing utility corridors on Federal lands. Approximately 31 
percent (93 miles) of the route is located on public lands. The project 
is designed to utilize steel lattice-type structures, about 150 feet 
high, with average spans between towers of 1,200 feet. Access roads 
would be 14 to 20 feet wide. Additional temporary work space would also 
be required during construction. The requested ROW width is 250 feet. A 
map is available for review at the Web site identified above.
    The purpose of the NEPA scoping process is to identify issues and 
alternatives that will influence the scope of the environmental 
analysis and guide the process for developing the project EIS. At this 
time, the proposed B2H route has been identified for analysis in the 
EIS. The BLM and FS have identified the following preliminary issues: 
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern, National Historic Oregon Trail 
Interpretive Center, Oregon National Historic Trail, visual resources, 
Threatened and Endangered Species, wildlife, impacts to critical 
wildlife habitat, use of existing utility corridors, exclusive farm 
use, and lands with wilderness characteristics. The Hemingway 
substation will not be analyzed in this EIS, since it is currently 
under construction and will operate regardless of the outcome of the 
B2H project. The proposed Grassland substation is part of the proposed 
B2H project and will be analyzed in this EIS.
    Authorization of the B2H project by the BLM and FS may require an 
amendment to the BLM's Baker Resource Management Plan, the Southeastern 
Oregon Resource Management Plan, the Owyhee Resource Management Plan, 
and the Cascade Resource Management Plan, and the FS's Wallowa-Whitman 
National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan. Plan amendments 
currently under consideration include an amendment to the Wallowa-
Whitman National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (USDA-Forest 
Service 1990, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Land and Resource 
Management Plan, Baker City, Oregon) that currently prevents the 
harvest and removal of all live trees greater than or equal to 21-inch 
diameter within the proposed ROW. Amendment of this standard would 
allow for the removal of these trees to provide for the safe, long-term 
operation of the B2H transmission line.
    By this notice, the BLM and FS are complying with requirements in 
43 CFR 1610.2(c) and 36 CFR 219.35(b)(2000) to notify the public of 
potential amendments to land use plans, subject to the analysis in the 
B2H EIS. The BLM and FS will integrate the land use planning process 
with the B2H Project EIS for any necessary land use plan amendments.
    The BLM, as the lead Federal agency for the B2H Project EIS, will 
utilize and coordinate the NEPA comment process to satisfy the public 
involvement process of Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f) as provided for in 36 CFR 
800.2(d)(3). Native American Tribal consultations will be conducted in 
accordance with agency policies, and Tribal concerns, including impacts 
on Indian trust assets, will be given due consideration. The following 
is a list of current cooperating agencies that will assist with 
preparation of the EIS: United States Department of Agriculture, FS, 
Wallowa-Whitman National Forest; the State of Idaho; the State of 
Oregon Department of Energy; State of Oregon Department of Fish and 
Wildlife; Malheur, Baker, Umatilla, Morrow, and Union counties, Oregon; 
Payette, Washington, and Canyon counties, Idaho; the City of Parma, 
Idaho; the Ten Davis Recreation District, Idaho; the Black Canyon 
Irrigation District, Idaho; the Owyhee Irrigation District, Oregon; and 
the Joint Committee of the Owyhee Project, Oregon. Other Federal, 
State, and local agencies, along with stakeholders that may be 
interested in or affected by the Federal agencies' decision on this 
project, are invited to participate in the scoping process and, if 
eligible, may request or be requested by the BLM to participate as a 
cooperating agency.
    Pursuant to Section 501 of the Federal Land Policy and Management 
Act of 1976 (Pub. L. 94-579), the Secretary of Agriculture is 
authorized to grant ROWs through National Forest System lands (except 
those designated as wilderness) and the Secretary of the Interior is 
authorized to grant ROWs through the National System of Public Lands 
for generation, transmission, and distribution of electric energy. In 
addition, Section 368 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-58)

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directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and Interior to expedite 
applications to construct or modify electricity transmission and 
distribution facilities within utility corridors.
    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 1501.7, 43 CFR 1610.2, 36 CFR 219.35(b).

Donald N. Gonzalez,
Vale District Manager, BLM.
Steven A. Ellis,
Forest Supervisor, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, FS.
[FR Doc. 2010-18220 Filed 7-26-10; 8:45 am]
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