[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 103 (Wednesday, May 29, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24768-24770]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-11140]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Record of Decision; Boardman-to-Ione 69-kV Transmission Line

AGENCY: Bonneville Power Administration (Bonneville), Department of 
Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Record of decision (ROD).

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SUMMARY: The Bonneville Power Administration has decided to implement a 
portion of the Agency Preferred Alternative from the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed Land Use Plan Amendments 
for the Boardman to Hemingway Transmission Line Project (DOI-BLM-ORWA-
V000-2012-0016-EIS, OROR-065375, IDI-036029 and DOE/EIS-0507, November 
2016) (B2H Project Final EIS). More specifically, Bonneville has 
decided to enter into an amended land use agreement with the U.S. Navy 
(Navy) concerning Bonneville's existing 69-kilovolt (kV) Boardman-to-
Ione transmission line. This amended land use agreement authorizes 
Bonneville's ongoing access to certain land on the Navy's Naval Weapon 
Systems Training Facility Boardman (NWSTF Boardman) in Morrow County, 
Oregon for approximately 14 miles of the Boardman-to-Ione transmission 
line, while also including terms to trigger the phased removal of this 
line off of NWSTF Boardman if the B2H Project is constructed.
    Idaho Power Company (IPC) has proposed to construct the 
approximately 290-mile-long B2H Project, a portion of which would 
occupy the Boardman-to-Ione transmission line right-of-way. The 
environmental effects of removing the Boardman-to-Ione transmission 
line from NWSTF Boardman were analyzed in the B2H Project Final EIS, 
and removal of this line was identified as part of the Agency Preferred 
Alternative in the Final EIS. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
was the lead federal agency under the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) for preparation of the B2H Project Final EIS. Bonneville and 
nineteen other public entities were involved in the EIS as cooperating 
agencies under NEPA. Bonneville hereby adopts the relevant portions of 
the Final EIS to support its decision to amend the Boardman-to-Ione 
transmission line land use agreement.
    Several other federal agencies--including the BLM, the U.S. Forest 
Service, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation--have issued approvals to

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IPC for portions of the B2H Project under their jurisdiction. These 
approvals have been for a B2H Project route alignment that follows the 
Agency Preferred Alternative in the Final EIS. Bonneville's decision to 
amend the existing Boardman-to-Ione land use agreement to allow for 
removal of the line for the B2H Project is consistent with these 
approvals.

ADDRESSES: This ROD will be available to all interested parties and 
affected persons and agencies. Copies of this ROD can be obtained from 
Bonneville's Public Information Center, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, 
Oregon, 97208-3621; by calling Bonneville's nationwide toll-free 
request line at 1-800-622-4520; or by accessing Bonneville's Project 
website at: www.bpa.gov/goto/BoardmanHemingway.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jamie Murray, Supervisory Realty 
Specialist, Bonneville Power Administration--TERR-Kalispell; 2520 US 
Highway 2 E., Kalispell, MT 59912; toll-free telephone number 1-800-
622-4519; or email [email protected] or Katey Grange, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, Bonneville Power Administration--ECT-4, P.O. Box 
3621, Portland, Oregon, 97208-3621; toll-free telephone number 1-800-
622-4519; or email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Bonneville is a federal agency that owns and operates the majority 
of the high-voltage electric transmission system in the Pacific 
Northwest. This system is referred to as the Federal Columbia River 
Transmission System (FCRTS). The 69-kV Boardman-to-Ione transmission 
line is part of the FCRTS. This line extends about 30 miles from 
Bonneville's Boardman Substation to near the Ione Substation, both of 
which are located in Morrow County, Oregon. About 14 miles of the 
Boardman-to-Ione transmission line is located along the eastern and 
southern boundary of the NWSTF Boardman, which is managed by the Navy. 
This 14-mile-long section currently occupies a 90-foot-wide right-of-
way. The structures in this section of right-of-way have height 
restrictions (100 feet) based on requirements to operate within NWSTF 
Boardman. The existing land use agreement between Bonneville and the 
Navy was executed in February of 1971 and subsequently amended in March 
2013. This existing land use agreement allows Bonneville to construct, 
reconstruct, operate, maintain, and access the Boardman-to-Ione 
transmission line in its current location on NWSTF Boardman.
    In 2007, IPC formally proposed the B2H Project by initiating an 
application process with the BLM to construct, maintain, and operate 
the B2H Project on BLM-managed lands. As proposed by IPC, the project 
includes about 290 miles of single-circuit 500-kV transmission line and 
other ancillary facilities extending from the proposed Longhorn 
Substation in Morrow County, Oregon, to the existing Hemingway 
Substation in Owyhee County, Idaho.
    The BLM initiated a NEPA process for consideration of IPC's 
application by publishing a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS 
for the B2H Project in the Federal Register on September 12, 2008. 
Various federal agencies (including Bonneville), state agencies, 
counties, and other entities agreed to act as cooperating agencies for 
the EIS. The BLM then published a revised NOI in the Federal Register 
on July 27, 2010 to address 2010 revisions to the B2H Project 
application by IPC.
    The BLM, in coordination with the cooperating agencies, published a 
Draft EIS for the B2H Project on December 19, 2014. The Final EIS for 
the B2H Project was published on November 28, 2016. The Final EIS 
identified an Agency Preferred Alternative for the B2H Project that was 
composed of various segments of the Project analyzed in the EIS. This 
Agency Preferred Alternative included the removal of the Boardman-to-
Ione transmission line from NWSTF Boardman, along with potential 
relocation of this line to nearby private lands.
    In November of 2017, the BLM issued a ROD that authorized issuance 
of a right-of-way grant to IPC for a 250-foot-wide right-of-way for the 
B2H Project on 85.6 miles of BLM-managed lands, consistent with the 
route alignment for the Agency Preferred Alternative identified in the 
Final EIS. In February of 2018, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation 
published a ROD authorizing a right-of-way grant to IPC for the portion 
of the B2H Project right-of-way that crosses about one mile of U.S. 
Bureau of Reclamation lands under the Agency Preferred Alternative. In 
November of 2018, the U.S. Forest Service issued a ROD that selected 
the Agency Preferred Alternative and approved an Electric Transmission 
Line Easement Special Use Authorization and associated forest plan 
amendments, including terms and conditions to IPC contained in an 
easement. The RODs documenting other federal agencies' decisions are in 
process.
    On April 17, 2018, IPC submitted to the Navy an application to 
obtain an easement to construct about seven miles of the B2H Project 
within Bonneville's existing Boardman-Ione transmission line right-of-
way on NWSTF Boardman, consistent with the Agency Preferred Alternative 
identified in the B2H Project Final EIS. The easement application 
states that if IPC constructs the B2H Project within a portion of the 
Boardman-to-Ione transmission line right-of-way on NWSTF Boardman, then 
IPC will remove the entire Bonneville Boardman-to-Ione transmission 
line currently on NWSTF Boardman. The removal of the Boardman-to-Ione 
transmission line will potentially occur in phases. IPC's application 
was deemed complete by the Navy on May 16, 2018.

Alternatives Considered

    Specific to the removal of the Boardman-to-Ione transmission line 
from NWSTF Boardman, the B2H Project Final EIS identified and evaluated 
three design options for the removal and relocation of the Boardman-to-
Ione transmission line. Design Option 1 involves partial removal of 
this transmission line from NWSTF Boardman. Design Option 2 involves 
full removal of this line from NWSTF Boardman. Finally, Design Option 3 
also involves full Removal of this line from NWSTF Boardman but also 
includes construction of a new step-down substation. These design 
options are described in Section 2.5.2.1 of the Final EIS.
    As part of implementing any of these design options, amendment of 
the existing land use agreement between Bonneville and the Navy for the 
Boardman-to-Ione transmission line on NWSTF Boardman is required. The 
amended land use agreement requires the following conditions be met 
before Bonneville relinquishes the right-of-way for this line on the 
NWSTF Boardman:
     A new transmission line and associated infrastructure on 
the east side of Bombing Range Road be constructed to allow Bonneville 
to continue service to its customer(s);
     Bonneville is able to secure transmission service under 
reasonable terms and conditions or own capacity on the new line to 
continue to provide cost effective and reliable service to its 
customer(s);
     The B2H Project funds the costs associated with Bonneville 
relinquishing the right-of-way and replacing the existing service 
capability and reliable service to its customer; and
     The resolution of any associated real property or 
commercial issues.
    Under the amended land use agreement, if these conditions are 
realized, Bonneville will relinquish, potentially in phases, its right-
of-way along the boundary of NWSTF

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Boardman. The Boardman-to-Ione transmission line removal timing, the 
design of the transmission line to replace the Boardman-to-Ione line, 
and other supporting infrastructure needed to meet service requirements 
will depend on the construction of other transmission infrastructure on 
the east side of Bombing Range Road, across the roadway from NWSTF 
Boardman. Ultimately, if all Bonneville service and reliability 
conditions are met and the B2H Project is constructed, under the 
amended land use agreement, the entire Boardman-to-Ione transmission 
line will be removed from NWSTF Boardman within 10 years of the B2H 
Project being placed in service.
    If the B2H Project is not constructed on NWSTF Boardman or the Navy 
does not grant an easement to the B2H project, all terms of the 
existing land use agreement, including all previous amendments, between 
Bonneville and the Navy for the Boardman-to-Ione transmission line 
right-of-way will remain in place and unchanged.
    The B2H Project Final EIS also included a No Action Alternative. 
Under the No Action Alternative, Bonneville would not amend the 
Boardman-to-Ione transmission line's land use agreement. The B2H 
Project would not be constructed within the existing Boardman-to-Ione 
transmission line right-of-way. There would be no changes to the 
location, operation, maintenance, or Bonneville access for the 
Boardman-to-Ione transmission line on NWSTF Boardman. Because there 
would be no ground disturbance or other new environmental impacts 
related to this portion of the existing Boardman-to-Ione transmission 
line, the No Action Alternative would be considered the environmentally 
preferable alternative for Bonneville's action that is the subject of 
this ROD.

Bonneville's Rationale for Decision

    In making its decision to amend the land use agreement with the 
Navy for the Boardman-to-Ione transmission line, Bonneville has 
considered and balanced a variety of relevant factors. Bonneville 
considered the environmental impacts described in the Final EIS, as 
well as public comments received throughout the NEPA process and on the 
Draft and Final EISs. Bonneville also considered the following 
Bonneville purposes (i.e., objectives) identified in the Final EIS:
     Maintain Bonneville's transmission system reliability and 
performance
     Meet Bonneville's contractual and statutory obligations
     Minimize impacts on the environment
     Minimize costs while meeting Bonneville's power and 
transmission service needs
    Finally, Bonneville considered the decisions by the BLM, U.S. 
Bureau of Reclamation, and U.S. Forest Service to grant respective 
approvals, in part, based on the analysis contained in the Final EIS 
for the B2H Project, for rights-of-way over the lands they manage for 
the Agency Preferred Alternative. After considering and balancing all 
of these factors, Bonneville has decided to amend the land use 
agreement with the Navy that authorizes the on-going operation and 
maintenance of the 69-kV Boardman-to-Ione transmission line on NWSTF 
Boardman in Morrow County, Oregon.
    Amending the land use agreement will not interfere with or 
otherwise affect Bonneville's ability to maintain the stability and 
reliability of its transmission system or for Bonneville to meet 
contractual or statutory obligations. The implementation of the removal 
actions based on the reliability and customer conditions identified in 
the amended land use agreement will ensure that any change in 
transmission infrastructure will continue to meet Bonneville's system 
stability and reliability needs and to provide service to its 
customer(s).
    The removal of the Boardman-to-Ione transmission line from NWSTF 
Boardman and any supporting infrastructure construction, such as a 
stepdown substation or access roads, will likely result in impacts to 
soils, land uses, vegetation, wildlife habitat, and, potentially, some 
sensitive resources. The impacts associated with these activities were 
analyzed in the B2H Project Final EIS, which also identifies numerous 
mitigation measures and required design features to reduce, avoid, or 
compensate for B2H Project impacts. IPC has committed to implement 
these design features and mitigation measures as part of the 
development of the B2H Project. Specific to removing the line, methods 
would be used to minimize ground disturbance and restrict vehicle 
access in order to minimize potential environmental impacts. In 
addition, final removal plans would be coordinated with NWSTF Boardman 
personnel as well as Morrow County Public Works, Oregon Department of 
Transportation, adjacent landowners, and other relevant agencies. As 
additional site-specific information to refine the location and nature 
of the Boardman-to-Ione transmission line's removal activities are 
further known, Bonneville may identify additional necessary 
minimization and/or mitigation actions.
    Should the Boardman-to-Ione transmission line be removed to 
accommodate the B2H Project, the estimated cost of the removal and 
replacement activities will be about $16 million dollars, which will be 
paid for by the B2H Project. Should the B2H Project not be built, the 
Boardman-to-Ione transmission line will remain in place and there will 
be no costs associated with removal and replacement activities. Either 
way, costs to Bonneville would be minimal to non-existent.

Mitigation

    A complete list of required environmental protection measures 
designed to avoid and/or minimize environmental harm from B2H Project 
construction, operation, and maintenance activities, is available in 
Chapter 2 (Table 2-7) of the Final EIS and in Appendix D of BLM's ROD. 
All the mitigation measures that apply to removal of the Boardman-to-
Ione transmission line from NWSTF Boardman are adopted. IPC will be 
responsible for implementing mitigation measures for their actions 
identified in the EIS. As additional site-specific information to 
refine the location and nature of the Boardman-to-Ione transmission 
line's removal activities are further known, Bonneville may identify 
additional necessary minimization and/or mitigation actions. Before 
Bonneville takes any action to begin removal of the Boardman-to-Ione 
transmission line, Bonneville will prepare a Mitigation Action Plan for 
all mitigation it intends to implement.

    Signed on the 13th day of May 2019.
Elliot E. Mainzer,
Administrator and Chief Executive Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-11140 Filed 5-28-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P