[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 164 (Wednesday, August 25, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52374-52375]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-21052]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice 10-093]


National Environmental Policy Act; NASA Glenn Research Center 
Plum Brook Station Wind Farm Project

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
and to conduct scoping for the NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC).

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SUMMARY: NASA intends to conduct scoping and prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the NASA GRC Plum Brook Station Wind Farm 
Project located near Sandusky, Ohio, pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321, et 
seq.), the CEQ Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions 
of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), Executive Order 13423, 
``Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation 
Management'', and NASA policy and procedures (14 CFR part 1216 Subpart 
1216.3). The purpose of scoping is for NASA to obtain public comments 
on construction and operation of the wind farm.
    The purpose of constructing and operating the wind farm is for NASA 
to increase its use of renewable energy sources on the NASA-owned land 
at Plum Brook Station, which will enable NASA to meet the objectives of 
the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
    Three alternatives will be examined in this EIS: Two siting 
alternatives and the no-action alternative. The two siting alternatives 
would involve different configurations for the wind farm on 
approximately 2,000 acres of underutilized land at Plum Brook Station.
    Environmental impacts to be considered in the EIS are those impacts 
associated with construction and operation for up to 30 wind turbines.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments to on this 
proposed action, preferably in writing, no later than 60 days from the 
date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of this EIS should be 
addressed to NASA Wind Farm EIS, P.O. Box 1490, Germantown, MD 20874-
1490. While hard copy comments are preferred, comments may be sent via 
e-mail to [email protected], or by toll-free fax to 877-344-
0517. NASA has also scheduled a public meeting to solicit comments and 
concerns from the public regarding this proposed action. The meeting 
will be held at 6:30 p.m. on September 14, 2010, at Sandusky High 
School, 2130 Hayes Avenue, Sandusky, OH, 44870. NASA will give equal 
weight to written, e-mail, fax, and oral comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding the scoping 
process and requests to be placed on the distribution list for this EIS 
should be directed to Mr. John A. Selby, NASA Glenn Research Center, by 
any of the means given above, or by calling toll-free at 877-303-6530.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: GRC is pursuing this because previous 
studies have concluded that wind energy at Plum Brook Station had the 
greatest potential of generating large amounts of renewable energy.
    The Proposed Action is for GRC to enter into a 20 to 25 year 
strategic partnership with a Wind Energy Developer for the development 
and operation of a wind farm at Glenn's Plum Brook Station campus. The 
wind farm will have a maximum estimated capacity of 70 megawatts, 
consisting of 20 to 30 wind turbines each rated at approximately 2.5 
megawatts. This equates to approximately 20 megawatts of average total 
power output based on a 30% wind capacity factor.

[[Page 52375]]

    In addition, when fully operational, this project could potentially 
provide GRC's Plum Brook Station and Lewis Field with a renewable 
electrical supply which would assist NASA in meeting Executive Order 
13423 (Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy, and Transportation 
Management), requiring 7.5% of all electrical energy used agencywide to 
come from renewable energy sources by the year 2013. This 7.5% goal 
equates to approximately 14 megawatts. All of NASA's agency assets 
currently receive 6.5 megawatts of electrical power from renewables, 
thus leaving a shortfall of 7.5 megawatts in meeting the 2013 target. 
Because Executive Order 13423 provides for a double credit if the 
renewable energy is produced on federal property, Glenn can apply 3.8 
megawatts of the wind farm output to completely meet the total agency 
requirement.
    NASA has identified an approximately 2,000-acre tract along the 
east-central portion of the 6,400-acre Plum Brook Station for initial 
consideration for wind farm development. This area was determined based 
on consideration of the GRC Master Plan, ongoing and planned 
activities, known wildlife areas, and consideration of a potential 
future aircraft runway.
    Currently under consideration are alternatives to the Proposed 
Action that will be discussed in this EIS. They include, but are not 
limited to, the no-action alternative, a wind farm design featuring 
full build-out of 20 to 30 wind turbines, and an alternative featuring 
an intermediate wind farm design based on Ohio Power Siting Board 
setbacks and other siting constraints.
    The EIS will consider the potential impacts associated with 
construction and operation of the Wind Farm Project. Science 
Applications International Corporation of Germantown, Maryland, has 
been contracted to support NASA's preparation of this EIS and 
implementation of associated scoping activities.
    Written public input and comments on environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed Wind Farm Project are hereby solicited. 
Written comments, statements, and or questions regarding the 
alternatives or environmental impacts should identify issues or suggest 
topics to be included in this EIS.

Olga M. Dominguez,
Assistant Administrator for Strategic Infrastructure.
[FR Doc. 2010-21052 Filed 8-24-10; 8:45 am]
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