[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 192 (Wednesday, October 3, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50396-50397]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-24740]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a draft environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS),
has released for public review and comment a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for the Southern Intertie Project. The project being
proposed by the Intertie Participants Group (IPG) is the construction
of a 138 kilovolt (kV) transmission line between the Kenai Peninsula
and Anchorage, Alaska. The RUS is the lead Federal agency in the
environmental review process. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are serving as
cooperating agencies.
Three public hearings have been scheduled during the review and
comment period on the DEIS. The dates and locations of these hearings
are described below.
DATES: The public hearing dates are:
1. October 30, 2001, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Washington, DC
2. November 13, 2001, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Anchorage, Alaska
3. November 14, 2001, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Soldotna, Alaska
ADDRESSES: The public hearing locations are:
1. Washington, DC--U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax
Drive, Room 200 A/B, Arlington, VA
2. Anchorage, AK--Loussac Library, 3600 Denali Street, Wilda Marston
Theater, Anchorage, AK
3. Soldotna, AK--Kenai Peninsula Borough Administration Building, 144
North Binkley Street, Kenai Peninsula Borough Chambers, Soldotna, AK
FOR INFORMATION CONTACT: Lawrence R. Wolfe, Senior Environmental
Protection Specialist, Engineering and Environmental Staff, USDA Rural
Utilities Service, Stop 1571, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,
Washington, DC 20250-1571, telephone (202) 720-1784. The E-mail address
is: lwolfe@rus.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The IPG has proposed a new 138 kV
transmission line in order to improve the overall Railbelt electrical
system reliability and energy transfer capabilities between the Kenai
Peninsula and Anchorage. The IPG proposed alternative, the Enstar
Route, would connect the Soldotna Substation on the Kenai Peninsula
with the International Substation in Anchorage. This alternative would
parallel the Enstar Pipeline through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
(KNWR). A second alternative, the Tesoro Route, would connect the
Bernice Lake Substation on the Kenai Peninsula with the Pt. Woronzof
Substation in Anchorage. This alternative would parallel the Tesoro
Pipeline from the
[[Page 50397]]
Captain Cook State Recreational Area to Pt. Possession. The DEIS
analyzes the potential impacts of constructing and operating a 138 kV
transmission line along both the Enstar and Tesoro Routes. The DEIS
evaluates a number of routing alternatives and related system
improvements between the proposed substation connections, as well as
alternative technologies and the no-action alternative.
The RUS, USACE, and USFWS will issue final decisions regarding the
IPG proposal at the conclusion of the environmental review process.
Regardless of which routing alternatives are selected, certain
construction activities will require a Department of the Army permit. A
copy of the Public Notice of Application for Permit is included in the
DEIS. Comments on the permit application may be submitted to the USACE
directly or may be included with other comments on the DEIS.
The USFWS must decide whether to issue a right-of-way permit to the
IPG to construct and operate the proposed facilities on lands within
the KNWR. The decision will be made in accordance with the requirements
of Title XI of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
(ANILCA) (Pub. L. 96-487) for access by transportation and utility
systems across conservation system units in Alaska. Title XI of ANILCA
stipulates that public hearings be held in Washington, DC and Alaska
during the DEIS review period.
The USFWS must also prepare a compatibility determination in
accordance with the requirements of the National Wildlife Refuge System
Administration Act (16 U.S.C. 668dd), as amended, for any proposed
facilities on lands within the KNWR. The compatibility determination
will be prepared by the USFWS following the public review and comment
period on the DEIS. Public comments received during the review will be
used in the compatibility determination process.
Copies of the DEIS are available for public review at the following
public libraries in Anchorage: Z.J. Loussac Public Library; Chugiak-
Eagle Public Library; Gerrish (Girdwood) Branch Library; Mountain View
Branch Library; Muldoon Branch Library; and the Samson-Dimond Public
Library. Copies will also be available for review at the following
libraries on the Kenai Peninsula: Hope Community Library; Cooper
Landing Community Library; Soldotna Public Library; and Kenai Community
Library. In Washington, D.C., copies are available for review at RUS
offices. A copy of the DEIS is also available for review online at
http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/eis.htm.
Public comments concerning the adequacy and accuracy of the DEIS
will be accepted during a 60 day comment period ending December 5,
2001. Comments should be sent to Lawrence R. Wolfe at the address
provided above.
Dated: September 26, 2001.
Alfred Rodgers,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Electric Program, Rural Utilities
Service.
[FR Doc. 01-24740 Filed 10-2-01; 8:45 am]
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