[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 185 (Friday, September 25, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48947-48948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-23186]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
Record of Decision: Montana Alberta Tie Limited (DOE/EIS-0399)
AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Record of decision.
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SUMMARY: The Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency of
the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has decided to finance a portion
of the Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. (MATL) 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission
line (MATL Project) in exchange for ownership of 50 megawatts (MW) of
southbound capacity on the line and ownership of approximately 18 miles
of transmission line. This decision is contingent on the MATL Project
meeting all necessary conditions under Western's Transmission
Infrastructure Program (TIP). MATL proposed to construct, operate,
maintain, and connect a new 214-mile, single-circuit 230-kV electric
transmission line across the U.S.-Canada border near Cut Bank, Montana,
and DOE prepared the Environmental Impact Statement for the Montana
Alberta Tie Ltd. (MATL) 230-kV Transmission Line (DOE/EIS-0399), herein
referred to as the MATL Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), as co-
lead with the State of Montana, to analyze the environmental impacts
that would be associated with construction and operation of the line.
The environmental mitigation measures and electric reliability
conditions required by DOE's permit for the line are identified in the
Record of Decision (ROD); Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. issued by DOE on
November 17, 2008, (73 FR 67860), herein referred to as the first ROD.
Western's decision to finance a portion of the MATL Project has no
effect on the environmental impacts identified in the MATL EIS, and
does not in any way modify the first ROD.
Western has prepared this second ROD in accordance with the
regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR Parts 1500-
1508) for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),
and DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR part 1021).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about
Western's decision, contact Robert J. Harris, Regional Manager, Upper
Great Plains Customer Service Region, Western Area Power
Administration, P.O. Box 35800, Billings MT 59107-5800, by telephone at
(406) 247-7405 or (800) 358-3415, or by facsimile at (406) 247-7408.
The MATL EIS and first ROD are available on the DOE NEPA Web site at
http://www.gc.energy.gov/NEPA/. In addition, the first ROD may be
requested by contacting Ellen Russell, Senior Project Manager, Office
of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, OE-20, U.S. Department
of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585, by
telephone at (202) 586-9624, by facsimile at (202) 586-8008, or at
[email protected]. For information on the DOE NEPA process,
contact Carol Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and
Compliance, GC-20, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue,
SW., Washington, DC 20585, by telephone at (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-
2756, or by facsimile at (202) 586-7031.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
NEPA Review
When DOE distributed the Final MATL EIS in October 2008, Western
was not involved in the MATL Project as the MATL Project did not
include an interconnection with Western's transmission system and the
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Pub. L. 111-5; the
Recovery Act) was not then law. The environmental impacts that would be
associated with the line were analyzed in the MATL EIS, and the MATL
Project would result in low environmental impacts after mitigation
measures required by DOE's permit are implemented. The environmental
mitigation measures and electric reliability conditions committed to
are noted in the first ROD.
Because the expected environmental impacts of the MATL Project were
fully addressed in the MATL EIS, and given that Western's participation
and Federal action does not change the MATL Project or its impacts,
Western has determined that further NEPA documentation is not required.
For detailed information on the MATL EIS, please see the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION section above.
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
Under section 402 of the Recovery Act, Western is given authority
to borrow funds from the U.S. Treasury to construct, finance,
facilitate, plan, operate, maintain, and/or study construction of new
or upgraded electric power transmission lines and related facilities.
These transmission lines and related facilities must have at least one
terminus in Western's marketing area and deliver or facilitate the
delivery of power from renewable resources constructed or reasonably
expected to be constructed after the date of enactment of the Recovery
Act.
On March 4, 2009, Western published a Notice of Proposed Program
and Request for Public Comments in the Federal Register (74 FR 9391)
describing its proposed Transmission Infrastructure Program (TIP) and
soliciting public input on that program. After considering the comments
received on its March 4 Federal Register notice, Western published its
final TIP Notice of Program on May 14, 2009 (74 FR 22732). The TIP will
guide how Western evaluates proposals for funding under the Recovery
Act.
Western also published a Notice of Availability of Request for
Interest on March 4, 2009, (74 FR 9391) that initiated a public process
to help identify the first round of transmission projects to be
developed under the Recovery Act. The MATL Project was one of the
projects proposed for funding in response to this notice.
Western's proposed action is to partially finance under its TIP the
MATL Project as described in the first ROD. In return for its portion
of Project funding, Western would own 50 MW of southbound capacity on
the MATL line and gain ownership of approximately 18 miles of
transmission line extending north from the Great Falls substation.
[[Page 48948]]
Decision
Western evaluated its participation in the MATL Project based on
the principles, policies, and practices of Western's TIP. This second
ROD provides notice that Western has considered the potential
environmental impacts of the MATL Project and required mitigation as
presented in the first ROD. It also provides notice that Western has
decided to partially finance the MATL Project, in exchange for owning
50 MW of southbound capacity on the line and approximately 18 miles of
transmission line. This decision is contingent on the MATL Project
satisfying the other requirements of the TIP. The decision in this
second ROD will be implemented through contracts with MATL if all
necessary conditions are met.
In reaching this decision, Western reviewed the MATL EIS and first
ROD and considered that the potential impacts from the selected
alternative, with implementation of the stipulated mitigation measures,
are expected to be low. Western's decision to finance a portion of the
MATL Project has no effect on the environmental impacts identified in
the MATL EIS, and does not in any way modify the first ROD.
Western has prepared this second ROD in accordance with the
regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR Parts 1500-
1508) for implementing NEPA, and DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures (10
CFR Part 1021). Western's authority to issue a ROD is pursuant to
authority delegated on October 4, 1999.\1\
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\1\ Western's authority to issue a record of decision is
pursuant to authority delegated on October 4, 1999, from the
Assistant Secretary for Environment, Safety and Health to Western's
Administrator.
Dated: September 18, 2009.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. E9-23186 Filed 9-24-09; 8:45 am]
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