[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 29, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 52320]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21302]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Notice of Cancellation of Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Interconnection of the Buffalo Ridge III Wind Project, 
Brookings and Deuel Counties, SD (DOE/EIS-0437)

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 Heartland Wind, LLC (Heartland), a wholly 
owned subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables, Inc.

DATES: This cancellation is effective on August 29, 2012.

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, email 
[email protected], telephone (406) 255-2811. 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: Heartland proposed to design, construct, 
operate, and maintain a 170-megawatt Buffalo Ridge III Wind Project 
(Project) in Brookings and Deuel counties, South Dakota, and 
interconnect that Project with Western's transmission system. 
Heartland's interconnection request caused Western to initiate a NEPA 
review of its proposal to allow the interconnection. Western published 
a Notice of Intent for the EIS in the Federal Register on November 27, 
2009 (74 FR 62298), 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 Heartland decided to suspend further action on 
its proposed Project. Heartland notified Western of its decision, and 
Western is now terminating the NEPA review process on its 
interconnection proposal and Heartland's proposed Project. Heartland 
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 
a new NEPA process.
    The DOE's Acting General Counsel provided a ``Restatement of 
Delegations of Environmental Impact Statement Authorities'' to 
Western's Administrator in a November 16, 2011, memorandum. Under the 
authority granted by that memorandum, I have terminated the NEPA 
process for Heartland's proposed Buffalo Ridge III Wind Project with 
the publication of this notice.

    Dated: August 17, 2012.
Anthony H. Montoya,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2012-21302 Filed 8-28-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P