99-27738. Great River Energy; Notice of Intent  

  • [Federal Register Volume 64, Number 205 (Monday, October 25, 1999)]
    [Notices]
    [Pages 57437-57438]
    From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
    [FR Doc No: 99-27738]
    
    
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    DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
    
    Rural Utilities Service
    
    
    Great River Energy; Notice of Intent
    
    AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
    
    ACTION: Notice of intent to hold scoping meeting and prepare an 
    environmental assessment.
    
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    SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), 
    pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 
    U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) 
    Regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and RUS 
    Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794) proposes to 
    hold a scoping meeting and prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) for 
    its Federal action related to a project proposed by Great River Energy 
    (GRE) of Elk River, Minnesota. The project consists of constructing a 
    natural gas-fired simple cycle, combustion turbine power generation 
    facility in Pleasant Valley Township in Mower County, Minnesota. Total 
    electrical output from the facility is expected to range from 434 
    megawatts (MW) to 526 MW depending upon operating conditions.
    
    MEETING INFORMATION: RUS will conduct a scoping meeting in open house 
    forum on Tuesday, November 9, 1999, at the Sargeant Community Center, 
    Chestnut Avenue, Sargeant, Minnesota, from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m.
    
    FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nurul Islam, Environmental Protection 
    Specialist, RUS, Engineering and Environmental Staff, 1400 Independence 
    Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-1571, telephone (202) 720-1784, FAX: 
    (202) 720-0820, e-mail: nislam@rus.usda.gov; or Tim Seck, Environmental 
    Project Leader, GRE, 17845 East Highway 10, P.O. Box 800, Elk River, 
    Minnesota 55330-0800, telephone (612) 241-2278, FAX: (612) 241-6078, e-
    mail: tseck@grenergy.com.
    
    SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: GRE proposes to construct the facility in 
    Pleasant Valley Township in Mower County, Minnesota. The primary 
    purpose of the facility is to meet GRE peak electrical load during hot 
    summer weather. Under those conditions the facility's expected output 
    is about 434 MW of power. The proposed project will consist of three 
    simple cycle combustion turbines. Two of the turbines will have a 
    maximum rating of 195.5 MW, with a summertime rating of 155 MW. The 
    third unit will have a maximum rating of 135 MW with a summertime 
    rating of 124 MW. The primary fuel will be natural gas and distillate 
    oil will serve as the back-up fuel. The plant will require 
    approximately 18 acres of land. The following additional facilities 
    will also be constructed. A 161/345 kV substation will be constructed 
    at the plant site. A short transmission line tap (500 feet) will be 
    needed to connect to an existing Byron-Adams 345-kV transmission line. 
    A new 69/161 kV transmission line, between 5 and 7 miles long, will be 
    built from the plant to the Sargeant Substation. A new 161 kV line, 
    approximately 17 miles long, will be constructed from the Sargeant 
    Substation to the Austin North Substation in Austin. Where feasible the 
    new 161 kV line will follow an existing 69 kV transmission line 
    corridor. A total of about three-mile long new high-pressure gas line 
    from the proposed generating station north to an existing gas line will 
    provide gas supply. The total water usage will be approximately 1.8 
    million gallons per year.
        Alternatives to be considered by RUS and GRE include no action, 
    purchased power, upgrade of existing resources, new transmission 
    facilities, alternative sites, alternative routes, fossil fuel 
    technologies, customer-owned generation, energy conservation, renewable 
    resources, and emerging technologies.
        GRE has prepared an Alternative Evaluation and Site Selection Study 
    for the project. The Alternative Evaluation and Site Selection Study is 
    available for public review at the RUS or GRE at the addresses provided 
    in this notice or at the following locations:
    
    Austin Public Library, 323 4th Avenue, NE, Austin, Minnesota, (507) 
    433-2391
    Brownsdale Public Library, Brownsdale Community Building, Brownsdale, 
    Minnesota 55918, (507) 567-9951
    Rochester Public Library, 101 2nd Street, SE, Rochester, Minnesota 
    55904, (507) 285-8022
    Sargeant Community Center, Chestnut Avenue, Sargeant, Minnesota 55973, 
    (507) 584-6885
    
        Federal, state and local agencies, private organizations, and the 
    public are invited to participate in the planning and analysis of the 
    proposed project. Representatives from RUS and GRE will be available at 
    the scoping meeting to discuss RUS's environmental review process, the 
    proposed project and the alternatives being considered, scope of the 
    environmental issues to be considered, and answer questions. Oral and 
    written comments will be accepted at the scoping meeting. Written 
    comments regarding the proposed project will also be accepted for at 
    least
    
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    30 days after the scoping meeting. All written comments should be sent 
    to RUS at the address provided in this notice.
        Any final action by RUS related to the proposed project will be 
    subject to, and contingent upon, compliance with all relevant Federal 
    environmental laws and regulations and completion of environmental 
    review procedures as prescribed by the CEQ Regulations and RUS 
    Environmental Policies and Procedures.
    
        Dated: October 18, 1999.
    Lawrence R. Wolfe,
    Acting Director, Engineering and Environmental Staff, Rural Utilities 
    Service.
    [FR Doc. 99-27738 Filed 10-22-99; 8:45 am]
    BILLING CODE 3410-15-P
    
    
    

Document Information

Published:
10/25/1999
Department:
Rural Utilities Service
Entry Type:
Notice
Action:
Notice of intent to hold scoping meeting and prepare an environmental assessment.
Document Number:
99-27738
Pages:
57437-57438 (2 pages)
PDF File:
99-27738.pdf