[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 62 (Thursday, April 1, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15744-15746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-8057]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
Record of Decision and Floodplain Statement for the
Interconnection of the Southpoint Power Plant With the Western Area
Power Administration's Parker-Davis No. 1 and No. 2, 230-kilovolt
Transmission Lines (DOE/EIS-0308)
AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Record of Decision.
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SUMMARY: Calpine Corporation (Calpine) applied for transmission service
from the Western Area Power Administration (Western) for the Southpoint
Power Plant Project. To accommodate the request, Western proposed to
upgrade its transmission system in order to accommodate the
incorporation of new generation into the system. This Record of
Decision (ROD) and Statement of Findings has been prepared in
accordance with Council on Environmental Quality regulations for
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (40 CFR parts
1500-1508) and Department of Energy (DOE) Procedures for Implementing
NEPA (10 CFR part 1021), and DOE's Floodplain/Wetland Review
Requirements (10 CFR 1022). Western's decision for its action
considered the environmental ramifications of the Southpoint Power
Plant Project. Western has determined that no significant environmental
impacts will result from construction, operation and maintenance of
Calpine Corporation's Southpoint Power Plant, the two natural gas
pipelines, or the approximately 7 miles of high voltage transmission
lines, or from the upgrade of the Parker-Davis No. 1 230-kilovolt (kV)
transmission line. Therefore, Western has decided to provide an
interconnection with the plant and Western's transmission system in
west central Arizona. However, Calpine has yet to obtain a permit from
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the construction of the two
natural gas pipelines. Western will reconsider this decision if Calpine
fails to obtain the permit from the BLM.
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, email holt@wapa.gov. Copies of the Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs ROD are available from Ms. Amy
Heuslein,
[[Page 15745]]
Area Environmental Protection Officer, Bureau of Indian Affairs, P.O.
Box 10, Phoenix, AZ 85001.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western based its decision on the
information contained in the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Southpoint
Power Plant Project EIS (BIA EIS 98-25; Final dated November 1998), the
BLM's Topock Substation Environmental Assessment (EA) 1997 and South
Point Natural Gas Pipeline draft EA. The Phoenix Area Office of the BIA
prepared the Southpoint Power Plant Project EIS in considering the
approval of a lease between Calpine and the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe
(Tribe) for the project site. Western was designated a cooperating
agency for the Southpoint Power Plant Project EIS by the BIA on
November 24, 1998. After an independent review of the Final EIS,
Western concluded that its comments and suggestions have been satisfied
and adopted the BIA EIS for its participation in the Southpoint Power
Plant Project. However, following the preparation of the Final EIS and
based on system studies conducted for the proposed interconnection,
Western identified a need to upgrade its existing Parker-Davis No. 1
230-kV transmission line between the Topock Substation and the Parker
Substation. To determine whether a Supplemental EIS was required for
the proposed upgrade, Western prepared a Supplement Analysis (DOE/EIS-
0308-SA-1) pursuant to 10 CFR part 1021. Based on the Supplement
Analysis, Western determined that no further NEPA documentation is
required for the proposed upgrade. Therefore, Western has decided to
provide an interconnection for the power plant with Western's Parker-
Davis transmission system in west-central Arizona and enter into
construction agreements with Calpine Corporation for new transmission
lines described in the EIS.
The Southpoint Power Plant Project EIS addresses the effects of
constructing and operating a 540-megawatt, natural gas-fired, combined
cycle, electrical generation station on the Fort Mojave Indian
Reservation in Mojave County, Arizona. Calpine proposes to lease the
site from the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe (Tribe) to build the project.
The project will include the construction of a natural gas transmission
system for supplying fuel to the plant site, a water transmission
system for cooling and on-site use, and an electric transmission system
for delivering the power. The BIA ROD (March 1999) for the Southpoint
Power Plant Project indicated that the environmentally preferred
alternative was selected, and concluded that no significant,
unmitigated impacts will occur.
The gas transmission system will include two pipelines, one
connected to an El Paso Natural Gas pipeline and one to a Transwestern
Gas Company pipeline. The second pipeline will ensure reliability. The
BLM, Lake Havasu Field Office, is the lead Federal agency for the gas
pipeline. A draft EA has been prepared for the grant of right-of-way
for the gas pipeline. A review of the draft EA has shown that the
pipeline will have no significant impacts. BLM's visual resource
management requirements will be met, and impacts to soils and geology
will be moderate due to the erosion potential. There will be no long-
term impacts to air quality. Biological resources are rare to
nonexistent in the project area, and the pipeline will not affect
significant cultural properties. The project will impact floodplains
but impacts will be minor. Only one Federally protected species, the
southwestern willow flycatcher, has been documented in the area;
however, there is no habitat for that species in the vicinity of the
pipeline route.
The water transmission system will consist of a pipeline, which
will carry water from the Tribe's existing pumping platform on the
Colorado River to the power plant site. The system will be part of the
Tribe's central irrigation pumping complex. A backup system consisting
of two wells on site will be used only if river water becomes
temporarily unavailable. Process wastewater will be handled separately
from domestic wastewater. Domestic wastewater will be collected and
trucked to the Tribe's wastewater treatment plant. Process wastewater,
the waste stream created by operation of the power plant, will be
discharged into a 30-acre evaporation pond located on the bluffs above
the proposed plant.
The electric transmission system includes the Topock Substation,
which is being built by the Arizona Electric Power Cooperative. The
Topock facility includes the substation, two 69-kV transmission lines
for local service, and two 230-kV transmission lines to tie into
Western's Parker-Davis No. 1 and No. 2, 230-kV Transmission Lines. The
Kingman Field Office of the BLM was the lead Federal agency for the EA.
The BLM issued a finding of no significant impact for the substation
project in 1997. Western will construct two 230-kV transmission lines
to bring power from the Southpoint Power Plant to the Topock
Substation.
Western will also be required to upgrade the existing Parker-Davis
No. 1 Transmission Line in order to carry the additional load from the
Southpoint Power Plant. The upgrade will require the replacement of the
existing conductor and the addition of up to 15 new structures for that
portion of the line from the Topock Substation to the Parker Dam
Substation. These structures will add support to the line where
additional ground clearance is required. The design of the new lines
and the upgraded facilities is such that electrocutions of birds of
prey will be minimized.
Description of Alternatives
The BIA evaluated three alternative power plant sites. The
environmentally preferred location was selected. The No Action
Alternative for the power plant was evaluated and found that it will
not meet the needs of the Tribe. The natural gas pipeline draft EA
evaluated two different routing locations and identified the
environmentally preferred route. The gas pipeline No Action Alternative
will not meet the need of providing natural gas to fuel the power
plant. The Topock Substation EA, which is incorporated into the
Southpoint Power Plant Project EIS by reference, evaluated two
alternative substation locations, two system configurations, three
routing alternatives, and two access alternatives. In each case,
Western selected the environmentally preferred alternative. The No
Action Alternative was not selected because it will not meet the needs
defined in the Southpoint Power Plant Project EIS and the Supplement
Analysis. Nor will the No Action Alternative allow Western to meet its
obligations defined by its own Open Access Transmission Tariff which
was implemented to meet the intent of the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) order to open transmission line access (FERC Order
Nos. 888 and 888-A).
Mitigation Measures
The BIA identified mitigation measures needed to reduce the impacts
of Southpoint Power Plant to less than significant levels. The specific
measures are discussed in the EIS on pages 229 to 231. In addition,
mitigative measures associated with the Topock Substation EA are
discussed on pages 3-3; 3-10; 3-14; 3-18; and Appendix A. Mitigative
measures are suggested in the draft EA for the natural gas pipeline in
Appendix A. Each agency will be required to monitor the project for
compliance with its own mitigation measures. Table 3.1-4 of Western's
Supplement Analysis lists the standard mitigative measures that are
part of every Western
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construction contract that will apply to this project. Some of the
measures include restricting vehicular traffic to existing access roads
or public roads, re-contouring and reseeding disturbed areas,
environmental awareness training for all construction and supervisory
personnel, and mitigation of radio and television interference
generated by transmission lines. Mitigation for the desert tortoise is
in Table 3.1-5 of the Supplement Analysis.
Specific mitigation that applies to the construction of the new
lines and the upgrading of the existing lines is identified in the
Supplement Analysis. These measures include the following provisions:
1. A desert tortoise mitigation plan which will include
compensation for unmitigated impacts;
2. Restriction of construction and routine maintenance activities
along the transmission lines in bighorn sheep lambing areas between
January 1 and June 30;
3. When existing conductors are replaced, non-specular conductors
will be used; and
4. High-pressure sodium lights will be turned on only when
maintenance personnel are present.
Floodplain/Wetlands Statement of Findings
Construction of the Southpoint Power Plant will result in
substantial alteration to the natural drainage patterns onsite.
However, no significant impacts to off-site drainage patterns or
stormwater volumes will result from the construction of the plant or
the associated facilities. The existing volume of stormwater flows,
prior to construction of the plant, will be retained on site in
constructed basins to minimize sheet flows.
Only minor impacts from constructing the gas pipeline are
anticipated to the floodplain of the unnamed wash in the southwest
corner of Section 9, Township 17 North, Range 21 West. The ground
surface will remain relatively unchanged from pre-development
conditions.
The electric transmission system avoids floodplains to the extent
practical. The Topock Substation and associated lines are not located
in designated floodplains. The existing Parker-Davis No. 1 230-kV
transmission line crosses some ephemeral washes, but few transmission
structures were placed in the floodplains.
No wetlands or waters of the United States will be affected by the
proposed action. The proposed facilities will conform to all Tribal,
State, and local floodplain protection standards.
Dated: March 19, 1999.
Michael S. Hacskaylo,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-8057 Filed 3-31-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
