[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 1, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61619-61621]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24862]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
Modification and Construction of Transmission Lines for the U.S.
93 Hoover Dam Bypass Project (DOE/EIS-0352)
AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Record of Decision.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) prepared an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for construction of a new segment
of U.S. Highway 93 for the purpose of improving congestion and
hazardous vehicle/pedestrian conflicts where the highway crosses the
Colorado River over Hoover Dam. As a cooperating agency for the EIS,
Western Area Power Administration (Western) proposed modifications to
its transmission system and facilities to accommodate the construction
of the new highway and bridge spanning the Colorado River. With this
Record of Decision (ROD), Western is adopting the FHWA EIS and
announcing its decision to modify its transmission system to
accommodate the new highway segment. Western's decision for its action
considered the environmental ramifications of the U.S. 93 Hoover Dam
Bypass Project (Project). Western will ensure that its responsibilities
under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the Endangered
Species Act (ESA) are met before the modifications are implemented.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Holt, Environment Manager,
Desert Southwest Customer Service Region, Western Area Power
Administration, P.O. Box 6457, Phoenix, AZ 85005, telephone (602) 352-
2592, e-mail [email protected] Copies of the EIS and the FHWA ROD are
available from Dave Zanetell, Project Manager, Federal Highway
Administration, 555 Zang Street, HFL-16, Lakewood, CO 80228, telephone
(303) 716-2157. For information about the Department of Energy (DOE)
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, contact Ms. Carol M.
Borgstrom, Director, NEPA Policy and Compliance, EH-42, U.S. Department
of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585,
telephone (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FHWA was the lead agency for the Project EIS
(FHWA-AZNV-EIS-98-03-01; Final dated January 2001). Western was
designated a cooperating agency for the Project EIS by the FHWA on
November 27, 1998. After an independent review of the Final FHWA EIS,
Western concluded that its comments and suggestions have been satisfied
and with this notice, is adopting the FHWA EIS for its participation in
the Project. Western's EIS number is DOE/EIS-0352.
The FHWA released its ROD on the Project in March 2001 and selected
the Sugarloaf Mountain route as its preferred alternative. The
Sugarloaf Mountain Alternative consists of construction of a new bridge
and highway access across the Colorado River in the vicinity of Hoover
Dam. The new bridge and highway will eliminate truck traffic and other
through-traffic over Hoover Dam. The Project is located in Clark
County, Nevada, and Mohave County, Arizona, and lies entirely on
Federal lands, including the Lake Mead National Recreation Area
(administered by the
[[Page 61620]]
National Park Service) and the Hoover Dam Reservation Area
(administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation). The Sugarloaf
Mountain Alternative crosses the Colorado River about 1,500 feet
downstream from Hoover Dam and requires construction of approximately
2.2 miles of highway approach in Nevada, a 1,700-foot-long bridge, and
a 1.1-mile highway approach in Arizona. The EIS addresses the effects
of the Project, including modification of Western's transmission
system.
Western has decided to modify the current transmission system
configuration including substation terminal work, and remove the
Arizona and Nevada (A&N) Switchyard to accommodate the new highway
segment and bridge. Modifications to Western's transmission system will
occur in two phases. The modifications for the first phase include: (a)
Rebuilding approximately 2.6 (total) miles of the Hoover-Mead No. 6
(single circuit) and No. 7 (double circuit) 230-kilovolt (kV)
Transmission Lines (removing electrical equipment, conductors, overhead
ground wires; replacing lattice steel structures with steel poles; and
installing conductors, overhead ground wire, insulators, and
miscellaneous transmission line hardware); (b) Removing conductors and
overhead ground wires and insulator assemblies for approximately 1.2
(total) miles of the existing Arizona-Nevada Circuits 11 and 12 230-kV
Transmission Lines between the Hoover Dam to the A&N Switchyard; (c)
Constructing approximately 0.3 miles of single circuit 230-kV
transmission line connecting Southern California Edison Circuit No. 10
to the A&N Switchyard and to the Hoover Dam Power Plant; and (d)
Modifying transmission line connections at the Hoover Dam Power Plant
yard and A&N Switchyard to accommodate the new configurations. Terminal
work will include replacing surge arresters and associated steel
supports. Other first phase modifications may be required based on
final design. Phase one would be complete by spring 2003.
Modifications for the second phase include the removal of the A&N
Switchyard and the upgrade of the Hoover-Mead transmission line. The
impacts of the removal of the A&N Switchyard were evaluated as part of
the EIS. The removal of the A&N Switchyard will dictate upgrades to
existing transmission lines that connect at the switchyard and run to
the Mead substation (Hoover-Mead Transmission Line Upgrade). The need
for this transmission line upgrade was part of the transmission
reconfiguration options evaluated in the Final EIS, but since the final
configuration was dependent upon the FHWA's decision, this upgrade was
not fully evaluated in the EIS. Phase two is scheduled for completion
in spring 2004.
The FHWA determined that the Sugarloaf Mountain Alternative is the
environmentally preferable alternative and evaluated the social,
economic, and environmental impacts to the affected area in the EIS.
Where the impact from Western's action was addressed as a subset of the
overall Project impacts, the EIS serves as Western's environmental
review. For the Hoover-Mead Transmission Line Upgrade, where the
impacts from Western's action were not addressed pending final Project
design, Western will prepare a separate Environmental Assessment (EA).
Western will complete the EA, including cultural and endangered species
consultations, prior to its implementation.
The EIS impact analysis concluded that, with mitigation measures,
most impacts from the Project would not be significant. There would be
significant unavoidable visual impacts to several historic properties
and Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs), including the Hoover Dam
National Historic Landmark and the Gold Strike Canyon and Sugarloaf
Mountain TCPs. Other historic sites or features would be affected or
potentially affected by the Project, including some elements of the
transmission system not owned by Western (the Nevada State Switchyard,
the Metropolitan Water District Switchyard, and the Southern California
Edison Switchyard), as well as the transmission towers and lines in
Arizona and Nevada and the A&N Switchyard that would be affected by
Western's action. The FHWA has consulted with the State Historic
Preservation Office, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and
Native American tribes. A Programmatic Agreement (PA) and treatment
plan was developed for avoidance, minimization, and mitigation of
adverse effects to historical and cultural properties. Western is a
signatory to the PA. The FHWA is required to complete historic
documentation of facilities affected by the Project as described in the
PA. Western will ensure that its responsibilities under the NHPA are
met before its action is implemented.
There will be no air, noise, land use, or socioeconomic impacts
stemming from phase one of Western's action. For the Project as a
whole, there will be no long-term impacts to air quality. Noise levels
would be elevated during construction due to construction traffic and
blasting. Some recreational activities would be restricted during
construction for safety purposes, but there are no long-term impacts to
the general uses of the area. Since the Project area is located in a
currently unpopulated area, no minority or low-income groups live in
the area; therefore, no disproportionately high and adverse human
health or environmental effects on minority and low-income groups is
anticipated.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a Biological Opinion for
the Project, which determined that the Project is not likely to
adversely affect the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), razorback
sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), southwestern willow flycatcher (Empodonax
traillii extimus), bonytail chub (Gila elegans), or Devil's Hole
pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis), which are federally listed endangered
species. The Sugarloaf Mountain Alternative may affect the desert
tortoise, a Federally-listed threatened species. The Biological Opinion
provides mitigation to avoid harm to the desert tortoise. Western will
ensure that its responsibilities under the ESA are met before the
transmission line modifications are implemented.
Other species of concern affected by the Project include the desert
bighorn sheep (Ovis canidensis nelsoni), banded Gila monster (Heloderma
suspectum cinctum), Yuma puma (mountain lion) (Felis concolor growni),
and bicolored penstemon (Penstemon bicolor ssp. roseus). Western is
adopting the mitigation measures in the Final EIS and the terms and
conditions identified in the FHWA Biological Opinion for reducing
impacts to these species.
While the Colorado River itself is in an area subject to flooding,
the Project area is considered to be in an area of minimal or moderate
risk of flooding. There are no wetlands in the Project area.
Construction impacts to water quality will primarily be from runoff
from new cut and fill slopes and construction roads. Western
construction activities may impact water quality; therefore, it is
adopting mitigation measures specified in the EIS to minimize these
impacts.
The A&N Switchyard will be removed as part of Western's phase two
action. The site may contain soil contaminated with polychlorinated
biphenyls (PCBs). Prior to any construction activities, contaminated
soil will be identified, removed, and properly disposed of in
accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and other
applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements.
[[Page 61621]]
Description of Alternatives
Construction of the FHWA preferred alternative will require removal
and modification of Western's transmission system. Western evaluated
seven preliminary electrical transmission reconfiguration options as
part of the EIS. All options require removal of existing spans and
towers and construction of new spans. Three of the options would
require removal of the existing A&N Switchyard and replacing a single-
phase circuit with a double-phase circuit to the Mead Substation (phase
two). Additionally, the Sugarloaf Mountain Alternative requires a
realignment of two of the Hoover-Mead transmission lines to accommodate
the new highway alignment.
Western determined the best engineering approach for the phase one
and two modifications discussed above based on an evaluation of the
electrical conditions on the transmission lines and switchyards and
current transmission line construction and electrical standards.
The No Action Alternative was evaluated in the EIS and found to not
meet the Project purpose and need.
Mitigation Measures
The Final EIS identified mitigation measures needed to reduce the
impacts of the Project. The specific measures are discussed in the FHWA
ROD on pages 22 to 35 and in Chapter 3 of the EIS. Western is adopting
those measures that are applicable to its action and will issue a
Mitigation Action Plan (MAP) prior to any construction activities that
will address the adopted and standard mitigation measures. Some of the
measures include restricting vehicular traffic to existing access roads
or public roads, recontouring and reseeding disturbed areas,
environmental awareness training for all construction and supervisory
personnel, and mitigation of radio and television interference
generated by transmission lines. Long-term operations of the
transmission line will follow Western's standard operating procedures
and will not be affected by this action. The mitigation that applies to
the construction of the new lines and the upgrading of the existing
lines includes the following provisions:
1. Protection of the desert tortoise and banded Gila monster
through compliance with the FHWA Biological Opinion.
2. Protection of Cultural and Historical resources as signators to
the Programmatic Agreement.
3. Adoption of mitigation measures as specified in the FWHA EIS.
4. Monitor actions for compliance with Western's standard
mitigation measures.
This ROD has been prepared in accordance with Council on
Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts
1500-1508) and DOE Procedures for Implementing NEPA (10 CFR part 1021).
Upon approval, the MAP will be made available.
Dated: September 20, 2002.
Michael S. Hacskaylo,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 02-24862 Filed 9-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
