[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 100 (Friday, May 23, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 29759]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-12003]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
[DOE/EIS-0438]
Notice of Cancellation of Environmental Impact Statement for the
Proposed Hermosa West Wind Energy Project, Albany County, Wyoming
AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of Cancellation of Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Western Area Power
Administration (Western) is issuing this notice to advise the public
that it is cancelling the preparation of an environmental impact
statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on
an interconnection request by Shell WindEnergy, Inc. (SWE).
DATES: This cancellation is effective on May 23, 2014.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For additional information on the
cancellation of this EIS process, contact Mark Wieringa, NEPA Document
Manager, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 281213, Lakewood,
CO 80228-8213, email [email protected], telephone (720) 962-7448. For
general information on DOE's NEPA review process, contact Carol M.
Borgstrom, Director of NEPA Policy and Compliance, GC-54, Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0119,
telephone (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756, facsimile (202) 586-7031.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: SWE proposed to design, construct, operate,
and maintain an up to 300-megawatt Hermosa West Wind Energy Project
(Project) in Albany County, Wyoming, and interconnect that Project with
Western's transmission system. SWE's interconnection request caused
Western to initiate a NEPA review of its Federal action to allow the
interconnection. Western published a Notice of Intent for the EIS in
the Federal Register on January 14, 2010 (75 FR 2138), and started the
EIS process. Public scoping meetings were held subsequent to the Notice
of Intent, and a Draft EIS was approved by Western's acting
Administrator for public review and comment on September 24, 2012. The
Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of Availability for the Draft
EIS was published on October 5, 2012 (77 FR 60986). Public hearings on
the Draft EIS were held on October 29 and 30, 2012, in Laramie and
Cheyenne, Wyoming, respectively. SWE has since decided to suspend
further action on its proposed Project. SWE notified Western of their
decision to withdraw their interconnection request and Western is now
terminating the NEPA review process on its interconnection decision and
SWE's proposed Project. No Final EIS or Record of Decision will be
issued for the Hermosa West Wind Energy Project. SWE could decide to
reinitiate the proposed Project at some future date. In that event
Western would issue a new Notice of Intent, and would initiate an
entirely new NEPA process.
On November 16, 2011, the DOE General Counsel re-delegated all EIS
authorities to Western's Administrator. Under the authority granted by
that memorandum, I have terminated the NEPA process for SWE's proposed
Hermosa West Wind Energy Project with the publication of this notice.
Dated: May 5, 2014.
Mark A. Gabriel,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2014-12003 Filed 5-22-14; 8:45 am]
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