[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 206 (Monday, October 26, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57109-57111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-28703]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. PP-192]
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and
Notice of Floodplain and Wetlands Involvement; NRG Energy, Inc.
AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
and to Conduct Public Scoping Meetings.
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SUMMARY: NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) has applied to the Department of Energy
[[Page 57110]]
(DOE) for a Presidential permit to construct a 500,000-volt
transmission line originating at the switchyard of the Palo Verde
Nuclear Generating Station near Phoenix, Arizona, and extending
approximately 177 miles to the southwest, where it would cross the
United States (U.S.) border with Mexico in the vicinity of Calexico,
California. From the border, NRG would extend the line approximately
2.5 miles into Mexico. DOE has determined that the issuance of the
permit would constitute a major Federal action that may have
significant impact upon the environment within the meaning of the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). For this reason, DOE
intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to address
reasonably foreseeable impacts from the proposed action and reasonable
alternatives.
The purpose of this Notice of Intent is to inform the public about
the proposed action, announce the plans for three public scoping
meetings in the vicinity of the proposed transmission line, invite
public participation in the scoping process, and solicit public
comments for consideration in establishing the scope and content of the
EIS. Because the proposed project may involve an action in floodplains
or wetlands, the EIS will include a floodplain and wetlands assessment
and floodplain statement of findings in accordance with DOE regulations
for compliance with floodplains and wetlands environmental review
requirements (10 CFR Part 1022).
DATES: DOE invites interested agencies, organizations, and members of
the public to submit comments or suggestions to assist in identifying
significant environmental issues and in determining the appropriate
scope of the EIS. The public scoping period starts with the publication
of this Notice in the Federal Register and will continue until November
25, 1998. Written and oral comments will be given equal weight, and DOE
will consider all comments received or postmarked by November 25, 1998,
in defining the scope of this EIS. Comments received or postmarked
after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.
Dates for the public scoping meetings are:
1. November 16, 1998, 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M., and 7:00 P.M. to 9:00
P.M., Phoenix, Arizona.
2. November 17, 1998, 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M., and 7:00 P.M. to 9:00
P.M., Yuma, Arizona.
3. November 18, 1998, 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M., El Centro,
California.
DOE will publish additional notices of the date, times, and
location of the scoping meetings in local newspapers in advance of the
scheduled meetings. Any necessary changes will be announced in the
local media.
Requests to speak at a public scoping meeting(s) should be received
by Mrs. Ellen Russell at the address indicated below on or before
November 12, 1998. Requests to speak may also be made at the time of
registration for the scoping meeting(s). However, persons who submitted
advance requests to speak will be given priority if time should become
limited during the meeting.
ADDRESSES: Written comments or suggestions on the scope of the EIS, and
requests to speak at the scoping meeting(s), should be addressed to:
Mrs. Ellen Russell, Office of Fossil Energy (FE-27), U.S. Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585-0350; Phone
202-586-9624, facsimile: 202-287-5736, or by electronic mail at
Ellen.Russell@hq.doe.gov.
The locations of the scoping meetings are:
1. Embassy Suites Hotel, 1515 N. 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ
2. Yuma Civic & Convention Center, 1440 Desert Hills Drive, Yuma, AZ
3. Vacation Inn/Scribbles, 2015 Cottonwood Circle, El Centro, CA
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE
NEPA review process, contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of
NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585-0119; Phone: 202-586-4600
or leave a message at 800-472-2756; facsimile: 202-586-7031.
For information on the proposed project or to receive a copy of the
Draft EIS when it is issued, contact Mrs. Russell at the address above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background and Need for Agency Action
Executive Order 10485, as amended by Executive Order 12038,
requires that a Presidential permit be issued by DOE before electric
transmission facilities may be constructed, connected, operated, or
maintained at the U.S. international border. The Executive Order
provides that a Presidential permit may be issued after a finding that
the proposed project is consistent with the public interest. In
determining consistency with the public interest, DOE considers the
impact of the project on the reliability of the U.S. electric power
system and on the environment. The regulations implementing the
Executive Order have been codified at 10 CFR 205.320-205.329. Issuance
of the permit indicates that there is no Federal objection to the
project, but does not mandate that the project be completed.
On August 17, 1998, NRG, an independent power producer and wholly-
owned subsidiary of Northern States Power Company, filed an application
for a Presidential permit with the Office of Fossil Energy of DOE. NRG
proposes to construct approximately 177 miles of 500,000-volt
transmission line from the switchyard adjacent to the Palo Verde
Nuclear Generating Station, located 30 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona,
to the U.S.-Mexico border in the vicinity of Calexico, California.
South of the border, NRG would construct an additional 2.5 miles of
transmission line to the Cetys Substation, located east of Mexicali,
Mexico, and owned by the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), the
national electric utility of Mexico.
The transmission line proposed by NRG would be designed and
constructed with a nominal capacity of 1000 megawatts of electrical
power but would be restricted to a 600-megawatt capacity under certain
conditions. All but 2.5 miles of the U.S. portion of the proposed
transmission line is expected to be located within an existing utility
corridor designated by the Bureau of Land Management. However, the
applicant would need to obtain approximately 4,300 acres of additional
right-of-way from public and private landowners.
The route proposed by NRG would parallel the existing Southwest
Powerlink 500,000-volt transmission line beginning at the Palo Verde
Nuclear Generating Station Switchyard. The route would continue
southwest, crossing the Gila Bend Mountains approximately one mile
north of the Signal Mountain Wilderness Area. The route would traverse
the Muggins Mountains on the northern boundary of the Muggins Mountains
Wilderness Area, and 8.2 miles of the Army's Yuma Proving Grounds. The
line would cross the Colorado River from Arizona into California and
proceed northwest, crossing the northeast corner of the Fort Yuma-
Quechan Indian Reservation for 1.7 miles before turning southwest and
paralleling the Bureau of Land Management-designated utility corridor
through the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. The route would
continue north of the northern boundary of the Indian reservation,
about one mile south of the Pichacho Peak Wilderness
[[Page 57111]]
Area and then turn to a southeastern direction, crossing 2.1 miles of
the northwest corner of the Fort Yuma-Quechan Indian Reservation. The
route would then continue west between the U.S.-Mexico boundary and the
All-American Canal. At the Hemlock Canal, the route would turn south,
following the Hemlock Canal alignment for 2.5 miles to the border. The
proposed route would cross approximately 25 linear miles of 100-year
floodplains.
Project activities would include clearing rights-of-way and access
roads, digging tower footings, setting transmission towers, hanging
transmission wires, and modifying existing substation(s).
The NRG application, which can be downloaded in its entirety
(including maps) from the Office of Fossil Energy's web site
(www.fe.doe.gov; choose regulatory, then electricity), states that
there are no firm contracts in place for the sale of power to Mexico
using the proposed transmission line. Prior to commencing electricity
exports to Mexico using the proposed line, NRG, or any other
electricity exporter, must obtain an electricity export authorization
from DOE pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act.
Identification of Environmental Issues
A purpose of this notice is to solicit comments and suggestions for
consideration in the preparation of the EIS. As background for public
comment, this notice contains a list of potential environmental issues
that DOE has tentatively identified for analysis. This list is not
intended to be all-inclusive or to imply any predetermination of
impacts. Following is a preliminary list of issues that may be analyzed
in the EIS:
(1) Socioeconomic impacts of development of the land tracts and
their subsequent uses;
(2) Impacts to protected, threatened, endangered, or sensitive
species of animals or plants, or their critical habitats;
(3) Impacts to floodplains and wetlands;
(4) Impacts to cultural or historic resources;
(5) Impacts to human health and safety;
(6) Impacts on air, soil, and water;
(7) Visual impacts;
(8) Disproportionately high and adverse impacts to minority and
low-income populations; and
(9) Environmental impacts within Mexico.
The EIS will also consider alternatives to the proposed
transmission line, including:
(1) No Action Alternative: The EIS will analyze the impacts
associated with ``no action.'' Since the proposed action is the
issuance of a Presidential permit for the construction of the proposed
transmission line, ``no action `` means that the permit would not be
issued. However, not issuing the permit would not necessarily imply
maintenance of the status quo. It is possible that the applicant and/or
the Mexican government may take other actions if the proposed
transmission line is not built. The No Action Alternative will address
the environmental impacts that are reasonably foreseeable to occur if
the Presidential permit is not issued, to the extent practicable;
(2) Alternative transmission line routes;
(3) Construction of a powerplant in the U.S. closer to the U.S.-
Mexico border with a shorter transmission line extending to the border,
an alternative concept for supplying electric power to the target
region.
Scoping Process
Interested parties are invited to participate in the scoping
process both to refine the preliminary alternatives and environmental
issues to be analyzed in depth, and to eliminate from detailed study
those alternatives and environmental issues that are not significant or
pertinent. The scoping process is intended to involve all interested
agencies (Federal, state, county, and local), public interest groups,
Native American Tribes, businesses, and members of the public.
Potential Federal cooperating agencies include the U.S. Department of
the Interior (including Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian
Affairs, and the Fish and Wildlife Service) and the International
Boundary and Water Commission.
Public scoping meetings will be held at the locations, dates, and
times indicated above. These scoping meetings will be informal and
conducted as a discussion between attendees and DOE. The DOE presiding
officer will establish only those procedures needed to ensure that
everyone who wishes to speak has a chance to do so and that DOE
understands all issues and comments. Speakers will be allocated
approximately 10 minutes for their oral statements. Depending upon the
number of persons wishing to speak, DOE may allow longer times for
representatives of organizations. Consequently, persons wishing to
speak on behalf of an organization should identify that organization in
their request to speak. Persons who have not submitted a request to
speak in advance may register to speak at the scoping meeting(s).
However, advance requests to speak are encouraged. Should any speaker
desire to provide for the record further information that cannot be
presented within the designated time, such additional information may
be submitted in writing by the date listed above in the DATES section.
Both oral and written comments will be considered and given equal
weight by DOE. Meetings will commence at the times specified above and
will continue until all those present who wish to participate have had
an opportunity to do so.
Draft EIS Schedule and Availability
The Draft EIS is scheduled for completion by March 1999, at which
time its availability will be announced in the Federal Register and
public comments again will be solicited.
Those individuals who do not wish to submit comments or suggestions
at this time but who would like to receive a copy of the Draft EIS for
review and comment when it is issued should notify Mrs. Russell at the
address above.
The Draft EIS will be made available for public inspection at
several public libraries or reading rooms in Arizona and California. A
notice of these locations will be provided in the Federal Register at a
later date.
Issued in Washington, D.C. on October 22, 1998.
Peter N. Brush,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and Health.
[FR Doc. 98-28703 Filed 10-23-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
