[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40163-40167]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-16009]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration

[LLWY920000.L51010000.ER0000-LVRWK09K1160; WYW177893; COC72929; 
UTU87238; N86732]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the TransWest Express 600-kV Direct Current Transmission 
Project in Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada, and Prospective Draft 
Land Use Plan Amendments

AGENCIES: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the Interior; and 
Western Area Power Administration, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Western Area Power 
Administration (Western) announce the availability of the TransWest 
Express Transmission Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(DEIS) and draft Land Use Plan Amendments. The DEIS analyzes the 
consequences of granting a right-of-way (ROW) to TransWest Express, LLC 
(TransWest) to construct and operate an extra-high voltage (EHV) direct 
current (DC) transmission system (proposed Project). The Project would 
provide the transmission infrastructure and capacity to deliver 
approximately 3,000 megawatts of electric power from existing and 
future renewable and other energy sources in south-central Wyoming to a 
substation hub in southern Nevada. The Project would consist of an 
approximately 725-mile-long 600-kilovolt (kV), DC transmission line and 
two terminals, each containing an alternating current (AC)/DC converter 
station. The northern AC/DC converter station would be located near 
Sinclair, Wyoming, and the southern AC/DC converter station would be 
located near a group of substations in the Eldorado Valley called 
Marketplace Hub, approximately 25 miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada. A 
ground electrode system (required for transmission line emergency 
shutdown) would be installed within 100 miles of each terminal. The 
Project would retain an option for future interconnection with the 
Intermountain Power Project (IPP) transmission system in Millard 
County, Utah.
    The BLM, through consultation with other Federal, State, and local 
cooperating agencies, has included an

[[Page 40164]]

Agency Preferred Alternative (APA) transmission route in the DEIS. The 
rationale for selecting the location of this alternative is described 
in the Supplementary Information section of this Notice of Availability 
(NOA). The following discussions of Project segment lengths across 
various land ownerships and jurisdictions are specific to the 760-mile-
long APA.
    The requested ROW width would generally be 250 feet. As a general 
planning goal, the APA has been located parallel to existing 
transmission lines and other utilities, within the West-wide energy 
corridors designated pursuant to Section 368 of the Energy Policy Act 
of 2005 and other federally designated utility corridors, unless 
precluded by resource or routing constraints or technical 
infeasibility. Approximately 230 miles (30 percent) of the APA is 
located within or adjacent to designated federal utility corridors.
    The APA is located in proximity and parallel to other utilities 
(transmission lines, pipelines, roads) over a distance of 447 miles (57 
percent) of the total length. The lengths of the APA segments by 
Federal jurisdiction are:
     Wyoming--BLM Rawlins Field Office (78 miles).
     Colorado--BLM Little Snake, White River Field Offices (71 
miles).
     Utah--BLM Vernal, Price, Fillmore, Richfield, Cedar City 
Field Offices (212 miles); Bureau of Indian Affairs/Tribal (3 miles); 
and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Uinta, Manti-La-Sal, Fishlake, and 
Ashley National Forests (18 miles).
     Nevada--BLM Caliente, Las Vegas Field Offices (129 miles) 
and Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) (6 miles).
     The APA transmission route would cross 58 miles of State 
land, and 127 miles of private land.
    In Wyoming, the APA crosses 78 miles of Federal, 1 mile of State 
and 30 miles of private land. In Colorado, the APA crosses 71 miles of 
Federal, 7 miles of State and 12 miles of private land. In Utah the APA 
crosses 230 miles of Federal, 50 miles of State, 3 miles of Tribal and 
123 miles of private land. In Nevada, the APA crosses 135 miles of 
Federal, 14 miles of Tribal and 7 miles of private land.
    Transmission line alternatives were developed as part of this EIS 
analysis. Additional Federal land jurisdictions crossed by Project 
alternatives include: Colorado--BLM Grand Junction Field Office; Utah--
BLM Moab, Richfield, and St. George Field Offices and Fishlake, Ashley 
and Dixie National Forests; Nevada--National Park Service (NPS) and the 
Department of Energy (DOE). These alternatives cross State and private 
lands in addition to the Federal lands.
    The DEIS includes draft amendments of USFS Land and Resource 
Management Plans (Forest Plans) and BLM land use plans (Management 
Framework Plans and Resource Management Plans) that would be needed for 
the Project under each of the alternatives. The BLM and USFS draft 
amendments are described in the Supplementary Information section of 
this NOA. Additionally, based on information learned through the EIS 
process, the USFS may determine that more plan amendments are required 
to fulfill the intent of standards and guidelines in the areas 
affected. Depending on the alternative selected in the Record of 
Decision (ROD), the NPS may consider applications for segments of the 
Project within Lake Mead National Recreation Area and across the Deer 
Lodge Road that provides access to Dinosaur National Monument.
    By this notice, and the Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS, 
published January 4, 2011 (see below), the BLM is providing notice to 
the public of potential amendments to land use plans and Forest Plans, 
as required by 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1610.2(c) and 36 
CFR 219.8. The impacts of these potential amendments are analyzed in 
the DEIS together with the impacts of the various Project alternatives. 
Your input is important and will be considered in the environmental 
analysis process. All comment submissions must include the commenter's 
name and street address. Comments including the names and addresses of 
the commenter will be available for public inspection at the locations 
listed below during normal business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), 
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. While you may ask us in 
your comment to withhold from public review your personal identifying 
information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

DATES: The DEIS is now available for public review. The BLM and Western 
request that comments be structured so that they are substantive and 
contain sufficient detail to allow the agencies to address them in the 
Final EIS. To be considered in the Final EIS, written comments on the 
Draft EIS must be received within 90 days after Environmental 
Protection Agency's (EPA) publication in the Federal Register of a 
Notice of Availability of this Draft EIS. The BLM and Western will 
consider timely filed comments and respond to them in the Final EIS.
    All public meetings or other opportunities for public involvement 
related to the TransWest Express Transmission Project will be announced 
to the public by the BLM at least 15 days in advance through public 
notices, media news releases, Web site announcements, or mailings.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the DEIS have been sent to affected Federal, 
State, and local governments, public libraries in the Project area, and 
to interested parties that previously requested a copy. The DEIS and 
supporting documents will be available electronically on the following 
BLM Web site: http://www.blm.gov/wy/st/en/info/NEPA/hdd/transwest.html. 
A list of the locations where copies of the DEIS is available for 
public inspection can be found in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
below. A limited number of paper and cd copies of the document will be 
available as supplies last. To request a copy, contact Sharon Knowlton, 
Project Manager, BLM Wyoming State Office, P.O. Box 20678, Cheyenne, 
Wyoming 82003.
    Written comments may be submitted by the following methods:
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Bureau of Land Management, TransWest Express 
Project, P.O. Box 20678, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003.
     Courier or Hand Delivery: Bureau of Land Management, 
TransWest Express Project, 5353 Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 
82009.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sharon Knowlton, Project Manager, 
Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, P.O. Box 20678, 
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003, or by telephone at (307) 775-6124, or by FAX 
at (307) 775-6203. Any persons wishing to be added to a mailing list of 
interested parties may write or call the Project Manager, at this 
address or phone number. Persons who use telecommunications devices for 
the deaf may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-
800-877-8339 to contact Ms. Knowlton during normal business hours.
    The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a 
message or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply 
during normal business hours.
    For information about Western's involvement, contact Steve Blazek, 
Western National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Document Manager: 
telephone 702-962-7265; email: [email protected]; address: Western Area 
Power Administration, P.O. Box 281213, Lakewood, Colorado 80228-8213.

[[Page 40165]]

    For general information on the DOE's NEPA review procedures or on 
the status of a NEPA review, contact Carol M. Borgstrom, Director of 
NEPA policy and Compliance, GC-54, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585; telephone 202-586-4600 
or toll free at 1-800-472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In November 2007, National Grid filed a ROW 
application with the BLM to construct and operate an EHV transmission 
line between Wyoming and delivery points in the Southwestern U.S. 
Subsequently, TransWest Express LLC (TransWest), a subsidiary of the 
Anschutz Corporation, acquired the Project from National Grid and filed 
an amended application to the BLM in September 2008. TransWest 
submitted amended applications to the BLM in 2008 and 2010 to reflect 
changes and refinements in the proposed Project.
    In April 2010, BLM and Western entered into a Memorandum of 
Understanding (MOU) in which BLM and Western agreed to act as joint 
lead agencies for the EIS. The BLM's status as a joint lead agency is 
based on a potential Federal action to grant a utility ROW across BLM 
lands. Western's status as a joint lead agency is based on a potential 
Federal action to provide Federal funds for the Project.
    In September 2011, Western and TransWest executed a Development 
Agreement in which Western and TransWest agreed to jointly fund the 
development phase of the Project, each responsible for 50 percent of 
the development costs, if Western decides to participate in the 
Project.
    Cooperating agencies currently include Federal, State, Tribal and 
local agencies along all the alternative routes. The lead agencies 
recognize over 50 cooperating agencies supporting the Project EIS. Two 
regions of the NPS are now cooperators to the Project. On January 11, 
2011, the BLM and Western published in the Federal Register (76 FR 379) 
their Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS in compliance with NEPA and in 
accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, 43 
CFR Subpart 1610, and BLM's ROW regulations at 43 CFR Part 2800.
    To allow the public an opportunity to review the proposal and 
Project information, the BLM held public meetings from January through 
March 2011 in: Rawlins, Rock Springs, and Baggs, Wyoming; Craig, 
Rangely, and Grand Junction, Colorado; Castledale, Duchesne, Nephi, 
Delta, Richfield, Milford, Moab, Cedar City, St. George, Pine Valley, 
Central, and Enterprise, Utah; and Caliente, Overton, Henderson, and 
Las Vegas, Nevada. Issues and potential impacts to specific resources 
were identified during scoping and preparation of the DEIS.
    The following issues were identified in the scoping process:
     Selection of corridor alternatives;
     Potential private and public land use conflicts;
     Impacts and mitigation to fish, wildlife, vegetation, 
special status species and habitat;
     Public health and safety;
     Impacts to areas with Special Management designations;
     Cumulative impacts;
     Socioeconomic impacts; and
     Noxious weed control and reclamation.
    In response to scoping comments, TransWest made short segment 
adjustments in its Proposed Action in southern Wyoming and central 
Utah. Through the DEIS impact analysis process, and discussions with 
cooperating agencies, approximately 805 miles were removed from further 
consideration. Approximately 500 miles of new alternative transmission 
route segments were added in southern Wyoming and northwestern Colorado 
to address visual resource, wildlife, and historic trail concerns; in 
central Utah to address special management area concerns, wildlife 
concerns, effects on private lands, and visual resources; in 
southwestern Utah to address special management area concerns; and in 
southern Nevada to utilize an existing utility corridor. Some 
alternative corridors that were presented in scoping were removed from 
further analysis due to increased length of the line and because they 
had as much or greater environmental impact as alternatives already 
being considered.
    In addition to the proposed action, the DEIS considers a No Action 
alternative. For this EIS, the No Action alternative means that the ROW 
application for the TransWest Project would be denied by the BLM and 
Western would not participate in the Project. The DEIS includes a 
discussion of two system design options. The first design option would 
be to construct and operate a DC transmission line from Wyoming to IPP 
in Millard County, Utah, and then construct an AC transmission line 
from IPP to the Marketplace Hub, south of Las Vegas, Nevada. The 
transmission line ROW requirements would be similar to the APA, except 
that an AC/DC converter station and ground electrode system would not 
be required at the southern terminus and a new AC converter station 
would be added. The second design option is a phased construction 
alternative. The first phase would consist of constructing the 600 kV 
DC transmission line from Wyoming to IPP, and then utilizing the 
existing transmission system from IPP to southern California. The 
second phase would consist of converting the AC transmission line to DC 
service between Wyoming and IPP, constructing the DC transmission line 
between IPP and the Marketplace Hub, constructing the northern and 
southern AC/DC converter stations, and installing the ground electrode 
stations. The AC substations would be decommissioned.
    The BLM, in coordination with the USFS, other Federal, State, and 
local governments and agencies, developed the APA through a comparative 
evaluation of routing opportunities and constraints and the relative 
potential impacts among the various alternative segments. The 
alternative segments were subdivided into four geographic regions 
(Southern Wyoming and Northwestern Colorado; Northwestern Colorado, 
Eastern and Central Utah; Central and Southwestern Utah, Southern 
Nevada; Southern Nevada-Las Vegas metropolitan area).
    The various alternative segments within regions were compared with 
each other in accordance with standard criteria. The primary criteria 
used to select the APA: (1) Maximize the use of designated utility 
corridors; (2) minimize requirements to amend resource plans; (3) avoid 
and minimize resource impacts regulated by law (for example, the 
Endangered Species Act); (4) avoid and minimize proximity to private 
residences and residential areas; (5) avoid and minimize resource 
impacts to reduce the magnitude and duration of adverse (residual) 
impacts; (6) minimize the use of private lands; and (7) minimize 
transmission system construction, operation and maintenance expense. 
The process for identifying the DEIS APA began at the local level, 
through draft document reviews by Federal and State resource 
specialists, and other cooperating agency staff. The BLM State 
Directors and the USFS Regional Forester contributed to the process. 
The APA represents an effort to balance land ownership, land management 
objectives, and resource effects among the large number of 
jurisdictions to be crossed by the Project. The APA is a recommendation 
derived from currently available information, and is not a decision. 
The BLM and Western are inviting DEIS reviewers to offer comments on 
the APA, as well as the other route and facility alternatives presented 
in the document.

[[Page 40166]]

    The DEIS analyzes the potential environmental consequences of 
granting a ROW to TransWest to construct a transmission line from 
Sinclair, Wyoming, to its terminus at the Marketplace Hub south of Las 
Vegas, Nevada. The approximately 760-mile APA is discussed below, by 
region.
    Region I (Southern Wyoming, Northwestern Colorado). The APA 
transmission line route would extend approximately 170 miles from the 
vicinity of Sinclair, Carbon County, Wyoming, to the vicinity of U.S. 
Highway 40 southwest of Maybell in western Moffat County, Colorado. The 
major environmental and social considerations for recommending this 
route include: limiting impacts to the Cherokee Trail in southern 
Wyoming, reducing visual impacts to motorists on Wyoming Highway 789, 
Colorado Highway 13, and backcountry recreation areas; avoiding 
agricultural and residential lands near Baggs and the Little Snake 
River Valley; avoiding or minimizing impacts to Dinosaur National 
Monument; and responding to local government concerns. Three additional 
route alternatives were evaluated in this region.
    Region II (Northwestern Colorado, Eastern Utah, Central Utah). The 
APA transmission line route would extend approximately 270 miles from 
the vicinity of the eastern Utah border near Vernal to the vicinity of 
the IPP near Delta, Millard County, Utah. The major environmental and 
social considerations for recommending this route include: avoiding 
agricultural lands and residential areas in the vicinity of Vernal, 
Roosevelt, and Duchesne; avoiding or minimizing impacts to Inventoried 
Roadless Areas on National Forest Lands; Areas of Critical 
Environmental Concern on BLM lands; high density cultural resource 
areas; the Old Spanish Trail; Dinosaur National Monument, and sage-
grouse habitat. Five additional route alternatives were evaluated in 
this region.
    Region III (Central Utah, Southwest Utah, Southern Nevada). The APA 
transmission line route would extend approximately 285 miles from the 
vicinity of the IPP, Millard County, Utah, to the vicinity of Apex on 
Interstate 15, northeast of Las Vegas, Nevada. The major environmental 
and social considerations for recommending this route include: locating 
transmission facilities in existing utility corridors; avoiding or 
minimizing impacts to: military training and operations areas, 
Inventoried Roadless Areas (Dixie National Forest); designated historic 
sites (Mountain Meadows Massacre Site in Utah); the Old Spanish Trail; 
Areas of Critical Environmental Concern; and desert tortoise and sage-
grouse habitat. Three additional route alternatives were evaluated in 
this region.
    Region IV (Southern Nevada--Apex to the Marketplace Hub. The APA 
transmission line route would extend approximately 40 miles from Apex 
on Interstate 15 to the Marketplace Hub in the Eldorado Valley, 
southeast of Las Vegas. The major environmental and social 
considerations for recommending this route include: locating Project 
transmission line facilities within existing transmission line 
corridors in Las Vegas Valley densely populated areas; minimizing 
impacts to, or avoiding Lake Mead Recreation Area; residential areas in 
and near Boulder City. Two additional route alternatives were evaluated 
in this region.
    The BLM, Western and cooperating agencies worked together to 
develop routes that would conform to existing Federal land use plans. 
However, this objective was not reached for a number of the alternative 
routes analyzed in the DEIS. Plan amendments that would be necessary to 
implement each of the evaluated alternatives were identified by 
affected agencies and analyzed in Chapter 4 of the DEIS. The specific 
land use plan amendments that are actually needed will depend upon 
which route is selected in the agencies' ROD if the BLM makes a 
decision to approve the ROW application. In the Final EIS, the BLM and 
Western will identify the APA, and BLM will identify the requisite 
proposed plan amendments necessary to implement that alternative. Each 
of the proposed BLM plan amendments would: (1) Expand an existing 
utility corridor; (2) create a new utility corridor while allowing for 
exceptions to other resource stipulations if avoidance measures or 
impact minimization are not feasible within the designated corridor; or 
(3) create a one-time exception through a ROW exclusion area. Depending 
on the route alternative, potential plan amendments include the 
following:
     Region I. One or two plan amendments would be required. 
The BLM Rawlins and Little Snake Field Office plans may be affected.
     Region II. One or up to four plan amendments would be 
required. The BLM White River, Vernal, Price, and Salt Lake Field 
Offices, and the Fishlake National Forest plans may be affected.
     Region III. None or one plan amendment would be required. 
The BLM Caliente Field Office plan may be affected.
     Region IV. None or one plan amendment would be required. 
The BLM Las Vegas Field Office plan may be affected.
    The APA identified in the DEIS would involve five plan amendments 
across the four regions: the BLM Rawlins, Little Snake, Vernal, Salt 
Lake, and Las Vegas Field Offices; no amendments for Forest Plans are 
identified for the APA. Other BLM or USFS management plans could be 
amended depending upon the specifics of the route that is selected in 
the ROD if the BLM makes a decision to approve the ROW application. 
Proposed amendments to plans that are potentially affected by the 
various alternatives are identified and analyzed in the DEIS.
    Copies of the DEIS are available for public inspection during 
normal business hours at the following locations:
     BLM, Wyoming State Office, Public Room, 5353 Yellowstone 
Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82009;
     BLM, Rawlins Field Office, 1300 North Third Street, 
Rawlins, Wyoming 82301;
     BLM, Rock Springs Field Office, 280 Highway 191 North, 
Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901;
     BLM, Colorado State Office, Public Reading Room, 2850 
Youngfield Street, Lakewood, Colorado 80215-7093;
     BLM, Little Snake Field Office, 455 Emerson Street, Craig, 
Colorado 81625;
     BLM, White River Field Office, 220 East Market Street, 
Meeker, Colorado 81641;
     BLM, Grand Junction Office, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, 
Colorado 81506;
     BLM, Utah State Office, Public Reading Room, 440 West 200 
South, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101-1345;
     BLM, Cedar City Field Office, 176 East DL Sargent Drive, 
Cedar City, Utah 84721;
     BLM, Fillmore Field Office, 95 East 500 North, Fillmore, 
Utah 84631;
     BLM, Moab Field Office, 92 East Dogwood, Moab, Utah 84532;
     BLM, Price Field Office, 125 South 600 West, Price, Utah 
84501;
     BLM, Richfield Field Office, 150 East 900 North, 
Richfield, Utah 84701;
     BLM, St. George Field Office, 345 East Riverside Drive, 
St. George, Utah 84790;
     BLM, Vernal Field Office, 170 South 500 East, Vernal, Utah 
84078;
     BLM, Nevada State Office, Public Reading Room, 1340 
Financial Blvd., Reno Nevada 89502;
     BLM, Egan Field Office, 702 North Industrial Way, Ely, 
Nevada 89301;
     BLM, Caliente Field Office, U.S. Highway 93, Building 
1, Caliente, Nevada 89008;

[[Page 40167]]

     BLM, Las Vegas Field Office, 4701 North Torrey Pines 
Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130; and
     USFS (Lead Forest Office) Dixie National Forest, 1789 
North Wedgewood Lane, Cedar City, Utah 84721.
    The BLM will utilize and coordinate the NEPA comment process to 
satisfy the public involvement process for Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470f), as provided for in 36 CFR 
800.2(d)(3). Ongoing consultations with Native American Tribes will 
continue in accordance with policy, and Tribal concerns, including 
impacts on Indian trust assets, will be given due consideration. 
Federal, State, and local agencies, along with other stakeholders that 
may be interested or affected by the BLM's decision on this Project, 
are invited to participate.

    Dated: May 31, 2013.
Mark A. Gabriel,
Administrator, Western Area Power Administration.
    Dated: June 3, 2013.
Donald A. Simpson,
BLM Wyoming State Director.
[FR Doc. 2013-16009 Filed 7-2-13; 8:45 am]
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