[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 231 (Thursday, December 2, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75170-75171]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-30298]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc.: Bemidji to Grand Rapids 230 kV 
Transmission Line Project

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Record of Decision.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service, hereinafter referred to as RUS 
and/or the Agency, has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed Bemidji to Grand 
Rapids 230 kV Transmission Line Project (Project) in Beltrami, Hubbard, 
Itasca, and Cass counties, Minnesota. The Administrator of RUS has 
signed the ROD, which is effective upon signing. The RUS, U.S. Forest 
Service Chippewa National Forest (CNF), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(USACE), and Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Division of Resource Management 
(LLBO DRM) cooperated in the development of a Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (Final EIS) prepared pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (U.S.C. 4231 et seq.) and in 
accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) 
regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 
Parts 1500-1508), and RUS's NEPA implementing regulations (7 CFR Part 
1794). RUS is the lead federal agency as defined at 40 CFR 1501.5, and 
CNF and USACE are cooperating agencies. LLBO DRM accepted an invitation 
to participate as a cooperating agency. As the lead federal agency, and 
as part of its broad environmental review process, RUS must take into 
account the effect of the proposal on historic properties in accordance 
with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C 
470f) and its implementing regulation ``Protection of Historic 
Properties'' (36 CFR Part 800). The Final EIS evaluated the potential 
environmental impacts of and alternatives to the Project proposed by 
Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc. (Minnkota) for RUS financing to 
construct the 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line between the Wilton 
Substation near Bemidji, Minnesota and the Boswell Substation near 
Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The Project is being jointly developed by 
Minnkota, Otter Tail Power Company, and Minnesota Power (The 
Utilities).

ADDRESSES: To obtain copies of the ROD, or for further information, 
contact: Ms. Stephanie Strength, Environmental Protection Specialist, 
USDA, Rural Utilities Service, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Stop 
1571, Room 2244-S, Washington, DC 20250-1571, telephone: (970) 403-
3559, fax: (202) 690-0649, or e-mail: [email protected]. 
A copy of the ROD can be viewed online at: http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/eis.htm.

[[Page 75171]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Minnkota's proposed Project is to construct 
a 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line between the Wilton Substation 
near Bemidji, Minnesota and the Boswell Substation near Grand Rapids, 
Minnesota, which will cross portions of Beltrami, Hubbard, Itasca, and 
Cass counties. The Project involves modifying the Wilton and Boswell 
substations, constructing a new 115 kV breaker station at Nary 
Junction, Minnesota, and depending on the route alternative selected, 
upgrading the existing or constructing a new substation in the Cass 
Lake, Minnesota area. The purpose of the Project is for the Applicants 
to meet projected future electric demand and to maintain electric 
transmission reliability standards in accordance with the requirements 
of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). The 
Project as proposed provides increased voltage support not only to the 
Bemidji to Grand Rapids area, including the Leech Lake Reservation, but 
is also required to improve the regional transmission reliability 
throughout the Red River Valley and north central Minnesota. Refer to 
Final EIS, pp. 2-3, and the Alternative Evaluation Study, Section 1.2, 
for additional detail.
    In accordance with NEPA, the CEQ regulations for implementing the 
procedural provisions of NEPA, and applicable agency NEPA implementing 
regulations, RUS, CNF, USACE, and LLBO DRM cooperated in the 
development of a Final EIS to assess the potential environmental 
impacts associated with the proposed Project. The decision being 
documented in RUS's ROD is that the Agency agrees to consider, subject 
to loan approval, funding the proposed Project (Route Alternative 4). 
Because of the distinct federal actions being proposed, RUS, USACE and 
CNF decided to issue separate RODs. LLBO DRM's decision will be through 
a Tribal Resolution.
    On July 18, 2008, RUS published in the Federal Register at 73 FR 
41312 a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for the proposed Project. On 
March 3, 2010, RUS published its Notice of Availability (NOA) of the 
Draft EIS for the proposed Project in the Federal Register at 75 FR 
9573. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged receipt of 
the Draft EIS on March 5, 2010, from RUS. The 45-day comment period 
ended on April 19, 2010. All comments on the Draft EIS have been 
entered into the administrative record, responses are included in the 
Final EIS, and the Final EIS was modified as appropriate. RUS published 
its NOA of the Final EIS for the proposed Project in the Federal 
Register on September 15, 2010 at 75 FR 56051. The U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency acknowledged receipt of the Final EIS on September 
17, 2010, from RUS. The 30-day waiting period ended on October 18, 
2010. One comment was received and is addressed in RUS's ROD.
    After considering various ways to meet these future needs, Minnkota 
identified construction of the proposed Project (Route Alternative 4) 
as its best course of action.
    The Final EIS considered 11 alternatives to meet the Project need, 
including five alternative route locations. These alternatives were 
evaluated in terms of cost-effectiveness, technical feasibility, and 
environmental factors (e.g., soils, topography and geology, water 
resources, air quality, biological resources, the acoustic environment, 
recreation, cultural and historic resources, visual resources, 
transportation, farmland, land use, human health and safety, the 
socioeconomic environment, environmental justice, and cumulative 
effects).
    The Final EIS analyzes in detail the No Action Alternative and 
Route Alternatives 1, 2, 3, and 4. See ROD Section IV.b. ``Alternatives 
Not Selected and RUS' Rational'' for the rationale for eliminating the 
alternatives. The resources or environmental factors that could be 
affected by the proposed Project were evaluated in detail in the Final 
EIS. These issues are summarized in EIS Table ES-2: ``Comparative 
Impacts of Route Alternatives.''
    Based on an evaluation of the information and impact analyses 
presented in the EIS, including the evaluation of all alternatives, and 
in consideration of the Agency's NEPA implementing regulations, 
Environmental Policies and Procedures, as amended (7 CFR Part 1794), 
RUS finds that the evaluation of reasonable alternatives is consistent 
with NEPA. The Agency has selected the Route Alternative 4 as its 
preferred alternative.
    Because the proposed Project may involve action in floodplains or 
wetlands, this Notice also serves as a final notice of action in 
floodplains and wetlands (in accordance with Executive Orders 11988 and 
11990). This Notice concludes RUS's compliance with NEPA and the 
Agency's ``Environmental Policies and Procedures.''

    Dated: November 23, 2010.
Jonathan Adelstein,
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-30298 Filed 12-1-10; 8:45 am]
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