[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 202 (Wednesday, October 19, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 64941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-27046]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration

[DOE/EIS-0461]


Notice of Cancellation of Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Hyde County Wind Energy Center Project, Hyde County, SD

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of Cancellation of Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Western Area Power 
Administration (Western) is issuing this notice to advise the public 
that it is cancelling the preparation of an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on 
an interconnection request by NextEra Energy Resources (NextEra).

DATES: This cancellation is effective on October 19, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information on the 
cancellation of this EIS process, contact Matt Marsh, NEPA Document 
Manager, Upper Great Plains Regional Office, Western Area Power 
Administration, P.O. Box 35800, Billings, MT 59107-5800, e-mail 
[email protected], telephone (800) 358-3415. For general information on 
DOE's NEPA review process, contact Carol M. Borgstrom, Director of NEPA 
Policy and Compliance, GC-54, Department of Energy, 1000 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0119, telephone (202) 586-4600 or 
(800) 472-2756, facsimile (202) 586-7031.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NextEra proposed to design, construct, 
operate, and maintain a 150-megawatt Hyde County Wind Energy Center 
Project (Project) in Hyde County, South Dakota, and interconnect that 
Project with Western's transmission system. NextEra's interconnection 
request caused Western to initiate a NEPA review of its action to allow 
the interconnection. Western published a Notice of Intent for the EIS 
in the Federal Register on November 30, 2010 (75 FR 74040), and started 
the EIS process. A public scoping meeting was held subsequent to the 
Notice of Intent, but a Draft EIS was not produced because NextEra 
decided to suspend further action on its proposed Project. NextEra 
notified Western of its decision, and Western is now terminating the 
NEPA review process on its interconnection decision and NextEra's 
proposed Project. NextEra could decide to reinitiate the proposed 
Project at some future date. In that event Western would issue a new 
Notice of Intent, and would start an entirely new NEPA process.
    The Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety, and Health granted 
approval authority to Western's Administrator for EISs related to 
integrating major new sources of generation in a October 4, 1999, 
memorandum. Under the authority granted by that memorandum, I have 
terminated the NEPA process for NextEra's proposed Hyde County Wind 
Energy Center Project with the publication of this notice.

    Dated: October 11, 2011.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2011-27046 Filed 10-18-11; 8:45 am]
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