[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 95 (Thursday, May 16, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28841-28842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-11696]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Quartzsite Solar Energy Project Record of Decision (DOE/EIS-0440)

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Record of Decision.

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SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency within 
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), received a request from Quartzsite 
Solar Energy, LLC (QSE) to interconnect its proposed Quartzsite Solar 
Energy Project (Project) to Western's Bouse-Kofa 161-kilovolt (kV) 
transmission line. The proposed Project site is in an undeveloped area 
in La Paz County, Arizona, east of State Route (SR) 95, approximately 
10 miles north of Quartzsite, Arizona, on lands administered by the 
U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
    On December 21, 2012, the Notice of Availability of the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Yuma Field Office (Yuma) 
Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment (PRMPA) for Quartzsite 
Solar Energy Project was published in the Federal Register (77 FR 
75632). After considering the environmental impacts, Western has 
decided to allow QSE's request for interconnection to Western's 
transmission system on the Bouse-Kofa 161-kV transmission line and to 
construct, own, and operate a new switchyard and its associated 
communication pathway.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, please 
contact Ms. Liana Reilly, Environmental Project Manager, Corporate 
Services Office, Western Area Power Administration, A7400, P.O. Box 
281213, Lakewood, CO 80228, telephone (720) 962-7253, fax (720) 962-
7263, or email: [email protected]. For general information on DOE's 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) review process, please 
contact Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and 
Compliance, GC-54, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585, 
telephone (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western is a Federal agency under the DOE 
that markets and transmits wholesale electrical power through an 
integrated 17,000-circuit mile, high-voltage transmission system across 
15 western states. Western's Open Access Transmission Service Tariff 
(Tariff) provides open access to its electric transmission system. In 
reviewing interconnection requests, Western must ensure that existing 
reliability and service is not degraded. Western's Large Generator 
Interconnection Procedures provide for transmission and system studies 
to ensure that system reliability and service to existing customers are 
not adversely affected by new interconnections.
    In compliance with the NEPA, as amended, and the Federal Land 
Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, Western as lead agency, 
with the BLM as a cooperating agency, prepared and released the Draft 
EIS/PRMPA on November 10, 2011, and subsequently held public hearings 
on the document in Yuma, Arizona, on December 13, 2011, and in 
Quartzsite, Arizona, on December 14, 2011. Following the release of the 
Draft EIS/PRMPA, Western and the BLM prepared a Final EIS/PRMPA which 
was released on December 21, 2012 (77 FR 76477).\1\ The U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers, the U.S. Army Garrison-Yuma Proving Ground, the Arizona 
Department of Environmental Quality and the Arizona Game and Fish 
Department (AZGFD) were also cooperating agencies.
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    \1\ The Final EIS can be found on Western's Web site at:  http://ww2.wapa.gov/sites/Western/transmission/interconn/Pages/QuartzsiteSolar.aspx.
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Proposed Federal Action

    Western's proposed Federal action is to interconnect the proposed 
Project to Western's transmission system at the existing Bouse-Kofa 
161-kV transmission line and construct, own, and operate a new 
switchyard on BLM-administered land adjacent to the transmission line 
as well as an associated communications pathway. Western has submitted 
a right-of-way (ROW) application to the BLM for its switchyard and 
communication pathway.

QSE Proposed Project

    The proposed Project is a 100-megawatt solar electric power plant 
that would use concentrating solar power technology to capture the 
sun's heat to make steam, which would power a traditional steam turbine 
generator. The proposed Project would contain the central receiver or 
tower, a solar field consisting of mirrors or heliostats to reflect the 
sun's energy to the central tower, a conventional steam turbine 
generator, insulated storage tanks for hot and cold liquid salt, 
ancillary tanks, evaporation ponds, a temporary construction laydown 
area, technical and non-technical buildings, transformers and a 161/
230-kV electrical switchyard, roads, and water wells. All components of 
the proposed Project would be located on BLM-administered land. A new 
1.5-mile long 161/230-kV generation tie line would extend from the 
southern boundary of the solar facility boundary to a new switchyard to 
be constructed adjacent to Western's existing Bouse-Kofa 161-kV 
transmission line.
    QSE has submitted a ROW application to the BLM for the proposed 
Project. The ROW application is for a total of 26,273 acres, of which 
1,675 acres would be utilized for the final Project ROW if approved. 
The proposed Project site is in an undeveloped area in La Paz County, 
Arizona, east of SR 95, approximately 10 miles north of Quartzsite, 
Arizona.

Description of Alternatives

    Three alternatives were analyzed in the EIS/PRMPA including the 
QSE's proposed Project with dry-cooling technology, Alternative 1 with 
hybrid cooling technology, and the No Action alternative. Also analyzed 
were three alternatives related to the Yuma PRMPA including approving 
the PRMPA to change approximately 6,800 acres of Visual Resource 
Management (VRM) Class III to VRM Class IV along with Project approval, 
approving the PRMPA to change approximately 6,800 acres of VRM Class 
III to VRM Class IV without Project approval, and the No Action 
alternative of not approving the PRMPA and leaving the current VRM 
Class III designation in place.
    Western's preferred alternative is to grant the interconnection 
request for the proposed Project to Western's existing Bouse-Kofa 161-
kV transmission line and to construct, operate, and maintain a new 
switchyard and communication pathway.

[[Page 28842]]

    Western has identified the No Project/No Action Alternative as its 
environmentally-preferred alternative. Under this alternative, Western 
would deny the interconnection request and not modify its transmission 
system to interconnect the proposed Project. Under this alternative, 
there would be no modifications to Western's transmission system, and 
thus no new environmental impacts.

Mitigation Measures

    QSE has incorporated best management practices and has incorporated 
built-in mitigation to the proposed Project. The mitigation includes 
regular weed monitoring and management during construction to prevent 
noxious weed introductions and conducting nest clearance surveys prior 
to construction and protecting the nests until chicks have fledged or 
have been relocated into suitable habitat. QSE has committed to these 
and the other mitigation measures that are noted in the Draft EIS/PRMPA 
in section 2.7: Best Management Practices and Built-In Mitigation. The 
measures were designed to avoid and minimize harm to the environment 
from the proposed Project. For Western's proposed switching station, 
Western requires its construction contractors to implement standard 
environmental protection provisions. These provisions are provided in 
Western's Construction Standard 13 (included as an appendix in the 
Draft EIS) and will be applied to the proposed switchyard. In addition, 
Western will comply with the stipulations in the special use permit 
that the BLM would issue, including desert tortoise fencing and the use 
of flat tone colors for the switchyard intended to blend with the 
surrounding environment.
    With this decision, Western is not adopting any additional 
mitigation measures that apply to its action outside of the measures 
addressed in the Final EIS/PRMPA. The measures in the Final EIS/PRMPA 
reflect all practicable means to avoid or minimize environmental harm 
from the proposed Project and Western's proposed action.

Comments on Final EIS/PRMPA

    Western received several comments on the Final EIS/PRMPA. Western 
received comments from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 
from the Defenders of Wildlife and one from a collection of 
organizations including: The Wilderness Society/Arizona Wilderness 
Coalition/Sierra Club-Grand Canyon (Arizona) and Sonoran Institute. 
Based on a review of these comments, Western has determined that the 
comments do not present any significant new circumstances or 
information relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the 
proposed Project or its impacts, and a Supplemental EIS is not 
required. The basis for this determination is summarized below.
    EPA acknowledged that some of their previously expressed concerns 
were addressed. Additionally, EPA expressed concern regarding the lack 
of specificity regarding mitigation measures and the lack of 
consideration of numerous reasonably foreseeable projects in the 
limited analysis of cumulative impacts. As noted in the Final EIS/
PRMPA, reasonably forseeable projects and their impacts were addressed 
in the Draft and Final EIS/PRMPA. Western references pages 4-3 through 
4-10 of the Draft EIS/PRMPA and page 22 of the Final EIS/PRMPA for more 
information on the rationale for which projects were included in and 
excluded from the cumulative impacts analysis. EPA also expressed an 
interest in the implementation of recommendations that it feels could 
reduce the proposed Project's environmental impacts. Western's role in 
the proposed Project is to make a decision regarding the 
interconnection request. Western does not have authority over the 
generation facility to require the QSE to implement EPA's 
recommendations for improvements to the facility.
    The Defenders of Wildlife expressed concern about the lack of 
compensatory habitat for the Mohave fringe-toed lizard. As noted on 
page 4-65 of the Draft EIS/PRMPA, current data shows there is no 
optimal habitat for the Mohave fringe-toed lizard in the proposed 
Project area and no compensatory habitat plan is in place for this 
species. Should impacts to the Mohave fringe-toed lizard occur, as 
noted on page 4-69 of the Draft EIS/PRMPA, ``adaptive-management 
strategies to mitigate unforeseeable impacts as they occur,'' will be 
incorporated. Furthermore, as noted on page 47 of the Final EIS/PRMPA, 
the BLM in cooperation with the AZGFD, proposes to authorize a monitor 
and study plan to address impacts to habitat functions and values to 
increase the scientific community's information on the Mohave fringe-
toed lizard and its habitat.
    Finally, The Wilderness Society/Arizona Wilderness Coalition/Sierra 
Club-Grand Canyon (Arizona) and Sonoran Institute expressed concern 
about the BLM management of lands with wilderness characteristics in 
and around the proposed Project area. Western does not have authority 
over BLM-administered lands and cannot dictate how lands with 
wilderness characteristics are managed. Land with wilderness 
characteristics were addressed on pages 42-43 of the Final EIS/PRMPA.

Decision

    Western's decision is to allow QSE's request for interconnection to 
Western's transmission system at its Bouse-Kofa 161-kV transmission 
line and to construct, own and operate a new switchyard.\2\ Western's 
decision to grant this interconnection request satisfies the agency's 
statutory mission and QSE's objectives while minimizing harm to the 
environment. Full implementation of this decision is contingent upon 
QSE obtaining all other applicable permits and approvals as well as 
executing an interconnection agreement in accordance with Western's 
Tariff.
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    \2\ On November 16, 2011, DOE's Acting General Counsel restated 
the delegations to Western's Administrator of all the authorities of 
the General Counsel respecting environmental impact statements.
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    This decision is based on the information contained in the Project 
Draft and Final EIS/PRMPA. This ROD was prepared pursuant to the 
requirements of the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for 
Implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and DOE's Procedures for 
Implementing NEPA (10 CFR part 1021).

    Dated: May 6, 2013.
Mark A. Gabriel,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2013-11696 Filed 5-15-13; 8:45 am]
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