[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