[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 64 (Friday, April 3, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16496-16497]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-8760]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Griffith Power Plant and Transmission Line Project, Mohave
County, AZ
AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 102(2)(c) of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4332, Western Area
Power Administration (Western) intends to prepare an environmental
impact statement (EIS) regarding the proposal by Griffith Energy (GE),
LLC, to construct an electric generating facility on private property
and to interconnect this facility with Western's system in the vicinity
of Kingman, Arizona. To facilitate this interconnection, Western
proposes to construct three 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines to
connect the generating facility to two existing Western transmission
lines which are part of the regional grid. Two 6-mile parallel lines
will connect the generating facility to the Davis-Prescott 230-kV line
about 6 miles north of the proposed plant site and about 5 miles
southwest of Kingman. An additional 28-mile line will connect the
facility to the Mead-Liberty 345-kV transmission line about 15 miles
east of Kingman. The three new lines will parallel existing lines or
occupy approved corridors for most of their lengths. Because
implementing this proposal would incorporate new generation into
Western's system, Western has determined that an EIS is required in
accordance with U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) NEPA Implementing
Procedures, 10 CFR 1021, Subpart D, Appendices D5 and D6. In this
notice Western announces intentions to prepare an EIS and hold a public
scoping meeting for the proposed project. Western's scoping will
include notifying the general public and Federal, State, local, and
tribal agencies of the proposed action for identification by the public
and agencies of issues and alternatives to be considered in the EIS.
DATES: The scoping meeting will be held on April 20, 1998, beginning at
7 p.m, at the County Board of Supervisors Office, 809 East Beale
Street, Kingman, Arizona 86401. Written comments on the scope of the
EIS for the proposed Project should be received no later than May 21,
1998. Comments on the project will be accepted throughout the NEPA
process.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you are interested in receiving
future information or wish to submit written comments, please call or
write John Holt, Environmental Manager, Western Area Power
Administration, Desert Southwest Region, P.O. Box 6457, Phoenix,
Arizona 85005-6457, (602) 352-2592, FAX: (602) 352-2630, E-mail:
holt@wapa.gov. For general information on DOE's NEPA review procedures
or status of a NEPA review, 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, (202) 586-4600 or
(800) 472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: GE proposes to construct the Griffith Energy
Project (Project) on private land south of the City of Kingman in
Mohave County, Arizona. The Project would be a ``merchant plant,''
meaning it would not be owned by a utility or by a utility affiliate
selling power to its utility, nor is it supported by a long-term power
purchase agreement with a utility. The Project would instead sell power
on a short and mid-term basis to customers and the on-the-spot market.
Power purchases by customers would be voluntary, and all economic costs
would be borne by GE.
The Project consists of a 520-megawatt natural-gas-fired, combined-
cycle generating facility and on-site supporting infrastructure,
including an administration building, a storage warehouse, water
treatment and storage facilities, cooling towers, gas conditioning
equipment, and new access roads. The generating facility and
infrastructure would occupy less than 40 acres of a 160-acre site in
the Mohave County I-40 Industrial Corridor south of Kingman. Additional
off-site facilities would include water pipelines and buried natural
gas pipelines which would bring high-pressure gas to the generating
facility to fuel the gas-fired turbines from nearby natural gas
transmission pipelines. The Project's water requirements would be about
2,500 to 3,000 gallons per minute during peak operating periods.
Western, with funding from GE, proposes to construct three 230-kV
[[Page 16497]]
transmission lines to interconnect with two existing Western
transmission lines. Two 6-mile parallel lines will connect the plant
with the Davis-Prescott 230-kV line about 6 miles north of the proposed
plant site and about 5 miles southwest of Kingman, and a 28-mile line
would connect the plant with the Mead-Liberty 345-kV transmission line
about 15 miles east of Kingman. These interconnections would integrate
the power generated by the Project into the Western electrical grid.
Western proposes to build these lines parallel to existing transmission
lines or approved corridors. Since this would connect power from new
generation to Western's system, DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures
require Western to prepare an EIS on the potential environmental
impacts of this proposal. Western, therefore, will be the lead Federal
Agency, as defined at 40 CFR 1501.5.
Western will carefully examine public health and safety,
environmental impacts, and engineering aspects of the proposed power
project, including all related facilities, such as the power plant and
electric transmission and natural gas lines.
The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of the
Council of Environmental Quality's NEPA Implementing Regulations (40
CFR 1500-1508) and DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR 1021).
Western will invite local and State agencies with jurisdiction over the
Project to be cooperating agencies on the EIS. Full public
participation and disclosure are planned for the entire EIS process. It
is anticipated that the EIS process will take 8 months and will include
a public information and scoping meeting; consultation and involvement
with appropriate Federal, State, local, and tribal government agencies;
public review and hearings on the published draft EIS; a published
final EIS; a review period; and publication of a record of decision
(ROD). A public information and scoping meeting will be held on April
20, 1998. Publication of the ROD is anticipated in the fall of 1998.
Dated: March 23, 1998.
Michael S. Hacskaylo,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 98-8760 Filed 4-2-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
