[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 219 (Friday, November 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70192-70194]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-28574]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Availability of the Plains & Eastern Clean Line 
Transmission Project Final Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announces the availability 
of the Plains & Eastern Clean Line Transmission Project Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0486; Final EIS), prepared 
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This Final 
EIS considered public comments on the Draft EIS, which was issued in 
December 2014, reports on the status of consultations under section 106 
of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and under section 7 of 
the Endangered Species Act (ESA), and identifies DOE's preferred 
alternative. DOE has not made a decision whether to participate in the 
proposed Plains & Eastern Clean Line Transmission Project.

DATES: DOE will publish a Record of Decision no sooner than 30 days 
after publication of the U.S. Environmental

[[Page 70193]]

Protection Agency's (EPA) Notice of Availability in the Federal 
Register.

ADDRESSES: The Final EIS is available on the DOE NEPA Web site at 
http://energy.gov/nepa and on the Plains & Eastern EIS Web site at 
http://www.plainsandeasterneis.com/. Copies of the Final EIS also are 
available in the public reading rooms listed in SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.
    A printed summary and CD of the complete Final EIS or a complete 
printed copy of the Final EIS (approximately 5,500 pages) may be 
requested by sending an email to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the Plains & 
Eastern EIS or the Section 106 process, contact Jane Summerson, Ph.D., 
DOE NEPA Document Manager on behalf of the Office of Electricity 
Delivery and Energy Reliability, U.S. Department of Energy, DOE NNSA, 
Post Office Box 5400 Building 391, Kirtland Air Force Base East, 
Albuquerque, NM 87185; email at [email protected]; or 
telephone at (505) 845-4091.
    For general information regarding the DOE NEPA process, contact 
Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (GC-
54), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20585; or phone at (202) 586-4600; voicemail at (800) 
472-2756; or email at [email protected]. Additional information 
regarding DOE's NEPA activities is available on the DOE NEPA Web site 
at http://energy.gov/nepa.
    Additional information on the Final EIS is also available through 
the EIS Web site at http://www.plainsandeasternEIS.com/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In June 2010, DOE, acting through the Southwestern Power 
Administration and the Western Area Power Administration, both power 
marketing administrations within DOE, issued Request for Proposals for 
New or Upgraded Transmission Line Projects Under Section 1222 of the 
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct; 42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 16421; 
75 FR 32940; June 10, 2010). In response to the request for proposals, 
Clean Line Energy Partners LLC of Houston, Texas, the parent company of 
Plains and Eastern Clean Line LLC and Plains and Eastern Clean Line 
Oklahoma LLC (collectively referred to as Clean Line or the Applicant) 
submitted a proposal to DOE in July 2010 for the Plains & Eastern Clean 
Line Project. In August 2011, Clean Line modified the proposal and 
subsequently submitted additional information (referred to as the Part 
2 Application) in January 2015 at DOE's request.
    DOE is the lead federal agency for the preparation of the Plains & 
Eastern EIS, which examines the potential environmental impacts from 
Clean Line's proposed Project (also referred to as the Applicant 
Proposed Project) and the range of reasonable alternatives. DOE has 
prepared the EIS pursuant to NEPA (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council 
on Environmental Quality NEPA regulations (40 Code of Federal 
Regulations [CFR] parts 1500 through 1508), and the DOE NEPA 
implementing regulations (10 CFR part 1021). DOE's purpose and need for 
agency action is to implement section 1222 of the EPAct. To that end, 
the Plains & Eastern EIS will inform DOE as it decides whether and 
under what conditions it would participate in the Project.
    The Applicant Proposed Project would include an overhead  600-kilovolt (kV) high voltage direct current (HVDC) electric 
transmission system and associated facilities with the capacity to 
deliver approximately 3,500 megawatts (MW) primarily from renewable 
energy generation facilities in the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle 
regions to load-serving entities in the Mid-South and Southeast United 
States via an interconnection with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) 
in Tennessee. Major facilities associated with the Applicant Proposed 
Project consist of converter stations in Oklahoma and Tennessee; an 
approximately 720-mile,  600kV HVDC transmission line; an 
alternating current (AC) collection system; and access roads. Pursuant 
to NEPA, DOE has identified and analyzed potential environmental 
impacts for the range of reasonable alternatives to the Applicant 
Proposed Project. These alternatives include an Arkansas converter 
station and alternative routes for the HVDC transmission line. The 
Arkansas Converter Station alternative would increase the capacity of 
the proposed transmission system and facilities by 500MW (to 4,000MW) 
to facilitate delivery of electricity to the grid in Arkansas.
    DOE has prepared this Final EIS in consultation with the following 
cooperating agencies: Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Natural Resources 
Conservation Service (NRCS), TVA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), 
EPA, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).
    BIA, NRCS, TVA, USACE, and USFWS can, to the extent permitted by 
law, rely on the Plains & Eastern EIS to fulfill their obligations 
under NEPA for any action, permit, or approval by these agencies for 
the Project. Upgrades to TVA's transmission system would be necessary 
to interconnect with the Project while maintaining reliable service to 
its customers. Additionally, TVA would need to construct a new 500kV 
transmission line to enable the injection of 3,500MW of power from the 
Project. TVA would complete its own NEPA review, tiering from this EIS, 
to assess the impact of the upgrades and the new 500kV line. The USACE 
may consider the routing alternatives in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, and 
Tennessee as presented in the Final EIS when making its permit 
decisions and can use the analysis contained in the Final EIS to inform 
all of its permit decisions for the Project.
    DOE is the lead agency for consultation required under section 106 
of the NHPA (54 U.S.C. 300101 et seq.) for the Project. DOE is using 
the NEPA process and documentation required for the Plains & Eastern 
EIS to comply with section 106 of the NHPA in lieu of the procedures 
set forth in 36 CFR 800.3 through 800.6. This approach is consistent 
with the recommendations set forth in the NHPA implementing regulations 
that section 106 compliance should be coordinated with actions taken to 
meet NEPA requirements (36 CFR 800.8(a)(1)). Appendix P of the Final 
EIS includes the draft Programmatic Agreement developed pursuant to 36 
CFR 800.14(b). This draft Programmatic Agreement was developed 
consistent with DOE's obligations under NHPA section 106, including 
government-to-government consultation with Indian Tribes and Nations on 
whose tribal lands the undertaking may occur or that may attach 
religious and cultural significance to historic properties that may be 
affected by the undertaking, and consultation with the Arkansas, 
Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas State Historic Preservation Officers. 
DOE intends to execute the Programmatic Agreement prior to issuance of 
the Record of Decision or otherwise comply with procedures set forth in 
36 CFR part 800.
    DOE and the Applicant have prepared a Biological Assessment of 
potential impacts on special status species protected under the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA) as part of the section 7 consultation 
between DOE and the USFWS. The section 7 consultation review is a 
parallel, but separate, process to the NEPA process, conducted

[[Page 70194]]

pursuant to the requirements of ESA and the applicable implementing 
regulations. The Biological Assessment and associated addendum are 
included as Appendix O to the Final EIS. The Biological Opinion, to be 
issued by the USFWS, may identify additional protective measures to 
avoid or minimize impacts to special status species.
    In the Final EIS, DOE analyzed the potential environmental impacts 
of the Applicant Proposed Project, the range of reasonable 
alternatives, and a No Action Alternative. The potential environmental 
impacts resulting from connected actions (wind energy generation and 
substation and transmission upgrades related to the Project) were also 
analyzed in the Final EIS. The Final EIS considers comments submitted 
on the Draft EIS, including those submitted during the public comment 
period that began on December 19, 2014, and ended on April 20, 2015. 
Late comments have been considered to the extent practicable. During 
the comment period, DOE held 15 public hearings in Oklahoma, Texas, 
Arkansas, and Tennessee. Approximately 950 comment documents were 
received from individuals, interested groups, tribal governments, and 
federal, state, and local agencies during the public comment period on 
the Draft EIS. This total includes a single copy of documents that were 
received as part of 50 email and letter campaigns (i.e., identical 
letters signed and submitted by more than one commenter). The total 
number of campaign documents was approximately 1,700 emails or letters. 
In addition to numerous comments that provided a statement of general 
opposition or support, the primary topics raised include, but are not 
limited to concern about electric and magnetic fields from the 
transmission line; concern about reductions in property value; concern 
about impacts to agricultural resources such as crop production, 
irrigation, and aerial spraying; concern about the use of eminent 
domain; and concern about visual impacts from the transmission line.
    As indicated above, DOE's purpose and need for agency action is to 
implement section 1222 of the EPAct. While developing the Final EIS, 
DOE considered the alternatives analyzed in the Draft EIS, the 
comparison of potential impacts for each resource area, and input 
received on the Draft EIS. Based on the information presented in the 
Final EIS, DOE has identified participation in the Project as its 
preferred alternative in the Final EIS. The Project would include the 
Oklahoma converter station and AC interconnection, the AC collection 
system, the Applicant Proposed Route for the majority of the HVDC 
transmission line (with the exception of route variation Region 4, 
Applicant Proposed Route Link 3, Variation 2), and the Arkansas 
converter station and AC interconnection.
    Consistent with section 1222 of the EPAct, DOE's participation 
would be limited to states in which Southwestern operates, namely, 
Oklahoma, Arkansas, and, possibly, Texas, but not Tennessee. 
Consequently, DOE would not participate in the portions of the Project 
that would be sited in Tennessee.

Other Regulations

    Parallel with the NEPA process, DOE is evaluating Clean Line's 
application under section 1222 of the EPAct. This non-NEPA evaluation 
includes, but is not limited to, reviewing the application against 
statutory criteria and other factors listed in the 2010 request for 
proposals (75 FR 32940). An outcome of this evaluation could be a 
Participation Agreement between Clean Line and DOE, which would define 
under what conditions DOE would participate with Clean Line and, if 
applicable, would include any stipulations or requirements that 
resulted from this environmental review under NEPA. The DOE Office of 
Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability Web site (http://www.energy.gov/oe/services/electricity-policy-coordination-and-implementation/transmission-planning/section-1222-0) provides more 
information about the section 1222 evaluation.

Public Reading Rooms

    Copies of the Final EIS and supporting documents are available for 
inspection at the following locations:

Oklahoma

     Guymon Public Library--1718 N. Oklahoma St., Guymon, OK 
73942
     Beaver County Pioneer Library--201 Douglas Ave., Beaver, 
OK 73932
     Woodward Public Library--1500 W. Main St., Woodward, OK 
73801
     Muskogee Public Library--801 W. Okmulgee Ave., Muskogee, 
OK 74401
     Enid & Garfield County Public Library--120 W. Maine St., 
Enid, OK 73701
     Buffalo Public Library--11 E. Turner St., Buffalo, OK 
73834
     Fairview City Library--115 S. 6th St., Fairview, OK 73737
     Guthrie Public Library--201 N. Division St., Guthrie, OK 
73044
     Stillwater Public Library--1107 S. Duck St., Stillwater, 
OK 74074
     Chandler Public Library--1021 Manvel Ave., Chandler, OK 
74834
     Montfort and Allie B. Jones Memorial Library--111 W. 7th 
Ave., Bristow, OK 74010
     Bartlett-Carnegie Sapulpa Public Library--27 W. Dewey 
Ave., Sapulpa, OK 74066
     Cushing Public Library--215 North Steele Ave., Cushing, OK 
74023
     Okmulgee Public Library--218 S. Okmulgee Ave., Okmulgee, 
OK 74447
     Stanley Tubbs Memorial Library--101 E. Cherokee Ave., 
Sallisaw, OK 74955

Arkansas

     Van Buren Public Library--1409 Main St., Van Buren, AR 
72956
     Pope County Library--116 E. 3rd St., Russellville, AR 
72801
     Jackson County/W.A. Billingsley Memorial Library--213 
Walnut St., Newport, AR 72112
     Searcy Public Library--113 E. Pleasure Ave., Searcy, AR 
72143
     Marked Tree Public Library--102 Locust St., Marked Tree, 
AR 72365
     Franklin County Library--407 W. Market St., Ozark, AR 
72949
     Johnson County Library--2 Taylor Cir., Clarksville, AR 
72830
     Conway County Library--101 W. Church St., Morrilton, AR 
72110
     Conway Public Library--1900 W. Tyler St., Conway, AR 72034
     Mary I. Wold Cleburne County Library--1009 W. Main St., 
Heber Springs, AR 72543
     Poinsett County Library--200 N. East St., Harrisburg, AR 
72432
     Blytheville Public Library--200 N. 5th St., Blytheville, 
AR 72315
     Osceola Public Library--320 W. Hale Ave., Osceola, AR 
72370
     Cross County Library--410 E. Merriman Ave., Wynne, AR 
72396

Tennessee

     Munford Memorial Library--1476 Munford Ave., Munford, TN 
38058

Texas

     Hansford County Library--122 Main St., Spearman, TX 79081

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 2, 2015.
Patricia A. Hoffman,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy 
Reliability.
[FR Doc. 2015-28574 Filed 11-12-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P