[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 190 (Tuesday, October 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60273-60275]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-23988]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
[DOE/EIS-0400]
Granby Pumping Plant Switchyard-Windy Gap Substation Transmission
Line Rebuild, Grand County, Colorado
AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Record of decision.
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SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration (Western), a power marketing
administration in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), owns and
operates the 69-kilovolt (kV) Granby Pumping Plant Switchyard-Windy Gap
Substation (Project) transmission line in Grand County, Colorado. The
transmission line is 13.6 miles long. Western proposes to rebuild the
single-circuit line as a double-circuit line, increase the voltage
rating to 138-kV, and operate one circuit at 69-kV and the second at
138-kV. One circuit would replace Western's existing transmission line
between the Windy Gap Substation and Stillwater Tap and provide a
redundant feed from the tap to the Granby Pumping Plant to prepare for
when the existing 69-kV cable located in the Alva B. Adams Tunnel is no
longer operable. The second circuit was requested by Tri-State
Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. (Tri-State) to improve
reliability for their local customer, Mountain Parks Electric, Inc.,
and to minimize environmental effects by sharing a right-of-way (ROW).
The Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) was published in the Federal Register on July 5, 2013
(78 FR 40474). After considering the environmental impacts, Western has
decided to construct, operate, and maintain the transmission line on
the preferred alignment identified as Alternative D (Option 1), in the
EIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Mr.
Jim Hartman, Corporate Services Office, Western Area Power
Administration, A7400, P.O. Box 281213, Lakewood, CO 80228, telephone
(720) 962-7255, or email: [email protected]. For general information on
DOE's National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) review process,
please contact Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy
and Compliance, GC-20, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585,
telephone (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western markets and transmits wholesale
electrical power generated at federal hydropower facilities through an
integrated 17,000-circuit mile, high-voltage transmission system across
15 western states. At the beginning of the project, Western determined
an environmental assessment (EA) would be the appropriate level of
review under NEPA. In 2005, Western began to prepare the EA. Scoping
for the EA started with notification in local newspapers and mailing to
over 250 landowners, government officials, and persons known to be
interested in similar projects. One public meeting was held in July
2005 and a second in November 2006. After reviewing public comments and
concerns about potential impacts, Western determined an EIS would be
appropriate for this project.
The Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS was published in the
Federal Register on August 10, 2007 (72 FR 45040). Formal public
scoping for the EIS began with the publication of the NOI and ended on
September 17, 2007. One public scoping meeting was held on August 30,
2007.
The Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management were federal
cooperating agencies on the EIS and Grand County was a local
cooperating agency. The NOA for the Draft EIS was published in the
Federal Register on March 30, 2012 (77 FR 19282). The NOA established a
60-day public comment period that ended May 29, 2012. A public meeting
and hearing on the Draft EIS were held in Granby, Colorado on April 24,
2012. Notice of the meeting was provided through an advertisement in
the local newspaper and direct mailing to approximately 1300
addressees. Six individuals provided oral comments during the public
meeting and one individual provided an oral comment at the public
hearing. Western received 43 comment letters, emails, or telephone
comments on the Draft EIS during the comment period. Western received
135 unique comments from all comment sources.
The NOA for the Final EIS was published in the Federal Register on
July 5, 2013 (78 FR 40474). Approximately 1200 notifications were sent
to landowners in the Project area and other stakeholders, and notices
were published in online and printed versions of the local newspaper
from June 21 to 28, 2013. Copies of the Final EIS were available for
review at three local reading rooms and were available for download
from Western's Web site. A copy of the EIS was sent to those who
requested one.
Proposed Project
Western needs to address electrical system deficiencies of their
existing 70-year-old transmission line in the Granby, Colorado area.
Western also needs to ensure reliable power to the Granby Pumping Plant
(also known as the Farr Pumping Plant) if the Adams Tunnel cable fails.
The Adams Tunnel cable has exceeded its expected life and cannot be
economically replaced. The purposes of the Project are to address the
deficiencies in the existing system, ensure a reliable and safe
electrical supply, and decrease maintenance costs. Western's preferred
alternative is to rebuild and upgrade the existing transmission line
along Alternative D, (Option 1). This includes rebuilding and upgrading
the existing single-circuit 69-kV transmission line between the Windy
Gap Substation and Stillwater Tap, and between the Stillwater Tap and
the Granby Pumping Plant. The transmission line was constructed in 1939
by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson
Project. Much of the line has a 30-foot
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wide ROW. To provide additional voltage support to address startup
issues for the pumps at the Granby Pumping Plant, Western's circuit
would be upgraded to 138-kV capacity but operated at 69-kV. At the
request of Tri-State, Western would share the ROW so Tri-State could
construct a redundant feed for the local electrical system owned by
Mountain Parks Electric, Inc. Adding a second 138-kV circuit requires
the use of double-circuit steel structures. Western needs to expand
ROWs where they are inadequate to ensure public safety and to support
the higher voltage and double-circuit conductor. The Granby Pumping
Plant Switchyard would be expanded to accommodate a 138-kV yard and a
breaker would be added to the Windy Gap Substation. The proposal
includes reroutes to avoid existing developments and existing
incompatible commercial uses that have been built near the line since
it was constructed. The proposal consolidates utility ROWs and reduces
visual impacts. The proposed Project is located on private and Federal
land and would be about 12.6 miles long.
Western revised its preferred action alternative in the Final EIS
to accommodate requests by landowners along County Road 64 to move the
preferred alternative further to the west. Western met with the Forest
Service on August 10, 2012, to discuss this request since the request
would move the line closer to the Cutthroat Bay Campground. After this
meeting, the alignment of the preferred alternative was moved further
west of the residences to cross County Road 64 onto Forest Service
lands. Based on the field review and discussions with the Forest
Service, the route was modified to meet additional objectives and local
constraints. Minor localized modifications to structure locations to
protect resources and accommodate landowner requests will be considered
during design as long as the modifications would not adversely affect
adjacent landowners, increase environmental impacts, or appreciably
increase costs or affect maintenance and operations.
Description of Alternatives
A range of reasonable alternatives for the proposed project was
identified by evaluating routing opportunities and constraints,
engineering design standards, public comments, and environmental
resources. The objective was to identify alternatives that address
public, environmental, and social concerns, and meet the project
purpose and need and engineering criteria. Relevant issues identified
during both the EA and EIS public scoping processes were used to refine
the alternatives. The Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest Plan goals
and objectives and Grand County zoning and land use policies applicable
to the project area were considered in the development of alternatives.
Western relied on additional studies and public comments to refine
transmission line alignments and to identify the proposed action and
alternatives to analyze in the EIS.
Ultimately, five alternatives were identified for detailed analysis
in the EIS: (1) Alternative A: keep the existing transmission line (no
action); (2) Alternative B1: rebuild and upgrade the transmission line
primarily on the existing transmission line ROW; (3) Alternative C1:
reroute and upgrade the transmission line; (4) Alternative C2: reroute
and upgrade the transmission line, with options to use existing utility
ROWs; and (5) Alternative D (Options 1 and 2): rebuild and upgrade the
transmission line primarily on existing utility ROWs. Alternative D
(Option 1) was selected as the preferred alternative.
Both Option 1 and Option 2 of Alternative D follow the existing
transmission line ROW and then interconnect with an existing water
pipeline ROW. Option 1 follows the water pipeline ROW further than
Option 2. Options 1 and 2 have the fewest residences within 100 feet of
the proposed transmission line centerline. Both Options 1 and 2 reduce
impacts to houses by removing the existing line and relocating the ROW
further from existing development. The options also remove an existing
line from a Forest Service campground and incorporate modification in
the campground area that was requested by local residents. On the
southwest end of the project area, key impacts and differences between
alternatives surround issues of planned development and proximity to
sage grouse leks.
Alternative D (Option 1) is the environmentally preferable
alternative because it best balances impacts to existing and planned
development, scenic values, and wildlife resources. Alternative D
(Option 1) consolidates a pipeline and transmission line ROW through a
proposed development on the southwest end of the project area, which
reduces impacts to proposed development by avoiding areas planned for
higher density development. It locates the line away from the northern
boundary of the planned development to reduce impacts to the last known
active sage grouse lek in eastern Grand County and avoids construction
of new access and utility ROWs. Alternative D (Option 1) reduces
potential visual impacts by placing the transmission line further away
from the scenic byway near Scanloch Subdivision and Grand Elk Marina,
removing an existing line and locating the rebuilt line out of the view
toward Lake Granby from Scanloch Subdivision, and removing an existing
line from the Cutthroat Bay Campground to improve views toward Lake
Granby. Alternative D (Option 1) furthers the intent of the Grand
County Three Lakes Design Review Area to preserve scenic values by
using non-reflective conductors and consolidating two separate lines
onto one ROW between Stillwater Tap and Granby Pumping Plant
Switchyard, thereby avoiding the need for two separate, single-circuit
transmission lines. Further, it would use non-reflective conductors.
The proposal maximizes the use of Federal land and minimizes conflicts
with existing development.
Western considered eleven additional alternatives that were
eliminated from further evaluation based on technical or economic
considerations. Western assessed the alternatives for their reasonable
ability to achieve the stated purpose and need of the project, while
reducing significant environmental effects. Among the alternatives
eliminated were undergrounding, placing the transmission lines inside
an existing underground water pipeline, rebuilding and upgrading the
Adams Tunnel Cable, installing part of the line under Lake Granby, and
other routing and system alternatives. These are described in the EIS.
The No Action Alternative did not meet the purpose and need for the
project. This alternative would require continued actions to maintain
the transmission line to ensure that it remained safe and provided
reliable service. While this alternative would maintain the current
level of service in the project area, it would not address the
decreased system reliability if the Adams Tunnel cable failed.
Additionally, Tri-State would still need to expand their transmission
system to improve service reliability to their customers by building a
line roughly parallel to Western's because of topographic and
environmental constraints and the need to interconnect at the same
substations. The No Action Alternative would not address the increasing
costs associated with maintaining the 70-year old transmission line, it
would not address the voltage fluctuations and other system operation
issues described in the EIS, and it would not address the constraints
to maintenance that have developed in some areas where the
[[Page 60275]]
ROW could not be expanded to ensure adequate clearances and access.
Mitigation Measures
Practicable methods to avoid or minimize environmental impacts from
the selected alternative are adopted in this Record of Decision.
Western's standard practices and project-specific protection measures,
listed in the Final EIS, will be implemented. Many of the protection
measures will be implemented through design and the project
construction contract. A Mitigation Action Plan will be prepared that
includes protective measures that will be implemented during design,
construction, and routine maintenance or Forest Service agreements.
Comments on Final EIS
Western received two comment letters on the Final EIS. Colorado
Parks and Wildlife submitted a letter reiterating their preference to
keep the project on the existing ROW and further from the sage grouse
lek, and requesting that Western ensure that wildlife resource
protection measures be implemented. The Final EIS responded to these
comments and described protective measures for wildlife. The
Environmental Protection Agency commented that it was unclear whether
new sources of power would be needed for the project. No new sources of
power would be needed for the project. The resource mix would not be
modified for the project. Other comments on the Final EIS included
email comments stating a preference for undergrounding and requesting
additional information on the construction schedule.
Decision
Western's decision is to construct the project along the preferred
alternative described in the Final EIS.\1\ This satisfies Western's
statutory mission while minimizing harm to the environment. This
decision is based on the information in the Final EIS. This Record of
Decision was prepared according to the requirements of the Council on
Environmental Quality's regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts
1500-1508) and DOE's procedures for implementing NEPA (10 CFR part
1021).
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\1\ On November 16, 2011, DOE's Acting General Counsel delegated
to Western's Administrator all the authorities of the General
Counsel respecting environmental impact statements.
Dated: September 23, 2013.
Mark A. Gabriel,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2013-23988 Filed 9-30-13; 8:45 am]
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