[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 236 (Monday, December 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73822-73823]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29269]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc.: Notice 
of Availability of an Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United 
States Department of Agriculture, has issued an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) to meet its responsibilities under the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality's 
(CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and 
RUS's Environmental and Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794) in 
connection with potential impacts related to a proposal by Tri-State 
Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. (Tri-State) with 
headquarters in Westminster, Colorado. The proposal consists of the 
construction of approximately 72 miles of 230 kilovolt (kV) 
transmission line in eastern Colorado between the Burlington Substation 
(located in Kit Carson County) and the Wray Substation (located in Yuma 
County) (proposed Project). Tri-State is requesting financial 
assistance from RUS for the construction of the proposed Project.
    RUS is considering funding the proposed Project, thereby making it 
an undertaking subject to review under Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), 16 U.S.C. 470(f), and its 
implementing regulation, ``Protection of Historic Properties'' (36 CFR 
part 800). To meet its responsibilities under Section 106, RUS must 
take into account the effect of the proposed Project on historic 
properties; i.e., buildings, structures, sites, objects and districts 
which are listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of 
Historic Places (NRHP). RUS has coordinated its compliance with Section 
106 with the steps taken to comply with NEPA and its environmental 
policies and procedures. Accordingly, this EA also documents the manner 
in which RUS has met its responsibilities to take into account effects 
to historic properties. RUS has determined that the proposed project 
will have no adverse effects to historic properties listed on or 
eligible for listing on the NRHP.

DATES: Written comments on this Notice must be received on or before 
January 8, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the EA will be available for public review at the 
Agency's Web site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWP-EA-Burlington-Wray.html., at Tri-State's Web site: http://www.tristategt.org/Transmission/Burlington-Wray.cfm, and at the following repositories:

           Table 5--FY 2013 Common Pool Incidental Catch TACs
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         Building location                 Address             Phone
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Wray Public Library...............  621 Blake Street        970-332-4744
                                     Wray, CO 80758.
Burlington Public Library.........  321 14th Street         719-346-8109
                                     Burlington, CO
                                     90907.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain copies of the EA or for 
further information, contact Mr. Dennis Rankin, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, USDA/RUS, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., Room 2244-
S, Stop 1571, Washington, DC 20250-1571, or email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Tri-State proposes to construct a single-
circuit 230-kV line approximately 72 miles in length between the 
Burlington Substation (located in Kit Carson County) and the Wray 
Substation (located in Yuma County). The Burlington Substation would be 
expanded from the existing two breaker arrangement to a three breaker 
ring bus arrangement to allow for the new 230-kV line bay. The Wray 
Substation would require a new 230-kV ring bus configuration with three 
new 230-kV circuit breakers.
    The overall purpose of the proposed Project is to alleviate 
transmission systems limitations in eastern Colorado,

[[Page 73823]]

improve Tri-State's ability to dispatch generation resources in eastern 
Colorado, and to improve Tri-State's ability to deliver energy to 
native load customers. Specifically, the proposed Project would remedy 
the following existing system deficiencies: (1) The Burlington-Wray 
115-kV transmission line limits Tri-States ability to dispatch existing 
Limon and Burlington generation resources; (2) Operating restrictions 
have been placed on the new 51 megawatt (MW) Kit Carson Windpower 
Project limit due to thermal limitations on the 115-kV transmission 
line; and (3) Thermal limits on the 115-kV line restrict present and 
future deliverability of power from Tri-State generation resources (on 
the north side of the bottleneck) to serve Tri-State's electric load in 
southeastern Colorado (on the other side of the bottleneck).
    An EA that describes the proposed Project in detail and discusses 
its anticipated environmental impacts has been prepared by Tri-State 
and Tetra Tech. RUS has reviewed and accepted the document as its EA 
for the proposed Project.
    Questions and comments should be sent to RUS at the mailing or 
email addresses provided in this Notice. RUS should receive comments on 
the EA in writing by January 8, 2014 to ensure that they are considered 
in its environmental impact determination. Should RUS, based on the EA, 
determine that the impacts of the construction and operation of the 
proposed Project would not have a significant environmental impact; it 
will prepare a Finding of No Significant Impact. Public notification of 
a Finding of No Significant Impact would be published in the Federal 
Register and in newspapers with circulation in the proposal area.
    Any final action by RUS related to the proposed Project will be 
subject to, and contingent upon, compliance with all relevant Federal, 
State and local environmental laws and regulations, and completion of 
the environmental review requirements as prescribed in RUS's 
Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794).

    Dated: November 22, 2013.
Mark S. Plank,
Director, Engineering and Environmental Staff, USDA, Rural Utilities 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-29269 Filed 12-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P