[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 236 (Monday, December 9, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73822-73823]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-29269]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc.: Notice
of Availability of an Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of an Environmental Assessment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United
States Department of Agriculture, has issued an Environmental
Assessment (EA) to meet its responsibilities under the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality's
(CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and
RUS's Environmental and Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794) in
connection with potential impacts related to a proposal by Tri-State
Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. (Tri-State) with
headquarters in Westminster, Colorado. The proposal consists of the
construction of approximately 72 miles of 230 kilovolt (kV)
transmission line in eastern Colorado between the Burlington Substation
(located in Kit Carson County) and the Wray Substation (located in Yuma
County) (proposed Project). Tri-State is requesting financial
assistance from RUS for the construction of the proposed Project.
RUS is considering funding the proposed Project, thereby making it
an undertaking subject to review under Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), 16 U.S.C. 470(f), and its
implementing regulation, ``Protection of Historic Properties'' (36 CFR
part 800). To meet its responsibilities under Section 106, RUS must
take into account the effect of the proposed Project on historic
properties; i.e., buildings, structures, sites, objects and districts
which are listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of
Historic Places (NRHP). RUS has coordinated its compliance with Section
106 with the steps taken to comply with NEPA and its environmental
policies and procedures. Accordingly, this EA also documents the manner
in which RUS has met its responsibilities to take into account effects
to historic properties. RUS has determined that the proposed project
will have no adverse effects to historic properties listed on or
eligible for listing on the NRHP.
DATES: Written comments on this Notice must be received on or before
January 8, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the EA will be available for public review at the
Agency's Web site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWP-EA-Burlington-Wray.html., at Tri-State's Web site: http://www.tristategt.org/Transmission/Burlington-Wray.cfm, and at the following repositories:
Table 5--FY 2013 Common Pool Incidental Catch TACs
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Building location Address Phone
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wray Public Library............... 621 Blake Street 970-332-4744
Wray, CO 80758.
Burlington Public Library......... 321 14th Street 719-346-8109
Burlington, CO
90907.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To obtain copies of the EA or for
further information, contact Mr. Dennis Rankin, Environmental
Protection Specialist, USDA/RUS, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., Room 2244-
S, Stop 1571, Washington, DC 20250-1571, or email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Tri-State proposes to construct a single-
circuit 230-kV line approximately 72 miles in length between the
Burlington Substation (located in Kit Carson County) and the Wray
Substation (located in Yuma County). The Burlington Substation would be
expanded from the existing two breaker arrangement to a three breaker
ring bus arrangement to allow for the new 230-kV line bay. The Wray
Substation would require a new 230-kV ring bus configuration with three
new 230-kV circuit breakers.
The overall purpose of the proposed Project is to alleviate
transmission systems limitations in eastern Colorado,
[[Page 73823]]
improve Tri-State's ability to dispatch generation resources in eastern
Colorado, and to improve Tri-State's ability to deliver energy to
native load customers. Specifically, the proposed Project would remedy
the following existing system deficiencies: (1) The Burlington-Wray
115-kV transmission line limits Tri-States ability to dispatch existing
Limon and Burlington generation resources; (2) Operating restrictions
have been placed on the new 51 megawatt (MW) Kit Carson Windpower
Project limit due to thermal limitations on the 115-kV transmission
line; and (3) Thermal limits on the 115-kV line restrict present and
future deliverability of power from Tri-State generation resources (on
the north side of the bottleneck) to serve Tri-State's electric load in
southeastern Colorado (on the other side of the bottleneck).
An EA that describes the proposed Project in detail and discusses
its anticipated environmental impacts has been prepared by Tri-State
and Tetra Tech. RUS has reviewed and accepted the document as its EA
for the proposed Project.
Questions and comments should be sent to RUS at the mailing or
email addresses provided in this Notice. RUS should receive comments on
the EA in writing by January 8, 2014 to ensure that they are considered
in its environmental impact determination. Should RUS, based on the EA,
determine that the impacts of the construction and operation of the
proposed Project would not have a significant environmental impact; it
will prepare a Finding of No Significant Impact. Public notification of
a Finding of No Significant Impact would be published in the Federal
Register and in newspapers with circulation in the proposal area.
Any final action by RUS related to the proposed Project will be
subject to, and contingent upon, compliance with all relevant Federal,
State and local environmental laws and regulations, and completion of
the environmental review requirements as prescribed in RUS's
Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794).
Dated: November 22, 2013.
Mark S. Plank,
Director, Engineering and Environmental Staff, USDA, Rural Utilities
Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-29269 Filed 12-6-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P