[Federal Register: April 21, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 75)]
[Notices]
[Page 18213-18214]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21ap09-38]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Bonneville Power Administration
Whistling Ridge Energy Project
AGENCY: Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Department of Energy
(DOE).
ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) and floodplain and wetland involvement.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces BPA's intention to prepare a joint
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)/State Environmental Policy Act
(SEPA) EIS with the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council
(EFSEC) for a proposed 75 megawatt (MW) wind energy generation project
to be located on 1,152 acres in Skamania County, Washington. This
project, referred to as the Whistling Ridge Energy Project, has been
proposed by Whistling Ridge Energy LLC (WRE or ``applicant''). The
joint EIS will address Washington EFSEC's proposed action of granting
necessary permits and approvals for siting WRE's proposed project, as
well as BPA's proposed action of allowing the electrical
interconnection of WRE's proposed project to the Federal Columbia River
Transmission System (FCRTS). BPA will act as the federal lead agency
under NEPA and the Washington EFSEC will act as the state lead agency
under SEPA.
In accordance with DOE regulations for compliance with floodplain
and wetland environmental review requirements, BPA will prepare a
floodplain and wetland assessment as necessary to avoid or minimize
potential harm to or within any affected floodplains and wetlands. The
assessment will be included in the EIS being prepared for the proposed
project in accordance with the NEPA.
DATES: Written comments are due to the address below no later than May
18, 2009. Comments may also be made at an EIS scoping meeting to be
held on May 6, 2009, at the address below.
ADDRESSES: Send letters with comments and suggestions on the proposed
scope of the Whistling Ridge Energy Project Draft EIS (DOE/EIS-0419),
and requests to be placed on the project mailing list, to Bonneville
Power Administration, Public Affairs Office--DKC-7, P.O. Box 14428,
Portland, OR 97293-4428. You may also call BPA's toll-free comment line
at 1-800-622-4519, and record your comments, naming this project.
Comments can be submitted online at: www.bpa.gov/comment.
On May 6, 2009, in Stevenson, Washington, a public meeting/scoping
meeting will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Rock Creek
Center, 710 SW. Rock Creek Drive, Stevenson, Washington 98648. At this
informal meeting, information, including maps, will be provided about
the project, and members of the project team will be available to
answer questions and accept oral and written comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew M. Montano, Bonneville Power
Administration, KEC-4, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, Oregon 97208-3621;
toll-free telephone number 1-800-282-3713; fax number 503-230-5699; e-
mail address ammontano@bpa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: WRE has proposed the 75-MW Whistling Ridge
Energy Project on commercial forestland in an unincorporated area of
Skamania County, Washington. The proposed wind energy generation
facility, to be built and operated by WRE, would be located
approximately 7 miles northwest of the City of White Salmon. The
Project site is outside the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, and
encompasses roughly 1,152 acres in Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, and 18 of
Township 3 North, Range 10 East, and in Section 13 of Township 3 North,
Range 9 East, Willamette Meridian.
The Project would consist of up to approximately 50, 1.2- to 2.5-MW
wind turbines, as well as infrastructure such as newly-constructed and
improved roads, transformers, underground collector lines, a
substation, and an operations and maintenance (O&M) facility. Each
turbine would be up to 426 feet tall (measured from the ground to the
turbine blade tip), and would be mounted on a concrete pad. Spaced from
350 to 800 feet apart, the turbines would be grouped in strings of 3 to
21 turbines and connected by an underground electrical collector
system. The turbines would operate at wind speeds ranging from 9 to 56
miles per hour (mph).
The electrical output of each string of turbines would be connected
to the Project substation by underground collector cables. The Project
substation would be built directly adjacent to an existing BPA
transmission line interconnecting to the FCRTS.
WRE proposes that construction of the Project would begin in 2010.
Access to the Project site would likely require improving some existing
private logging roads and constructing several miles of new gravel
roads on private land. During construction, about 330 workers would be
employed. During its year-round operation, there would be eight to nine
permanent full-time and/or part-time employees on the Operations and
Maintenance staff. The Project is expected to function for at least 30
years.
Washington EFSEC has siting jurisdiction over WRE's proposed
project. EFSEC has determined that it will prepare an EIS to analyze
the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project. This EIS
will inform EFSEC's decision whether or not to grant the necessary
permits and approvals for siting WRE's proposed project.
BPA's Proposed Action: BPA has received a request from SDS Lumber
Company (SDS) (parent company to WRE) to interconnect the proposed
Project to the FCRTS. This request is referenced as Request No. G0108
in BPA's Generator Interconnection Queue. In order to allow this
interconnection, BPA would need to grant the applicant's request for
generation interconnection. Granting this request would involve
offering contract terms to the applicant for this interconnection.
Thus, BPA's proposed action is to offer contract terms for the proposed
interconnection.
Alternatives Proposed for Consideration: The alternatives under
consideration by BPA include the proposed action and a no-action
alternative. For BPA, the proposed action alternative is to offer
contract terms for the interconnection of the Project to BPA's
transmission system.
[[Page 18214]]
The no-action alternative is for BPA to deny WRE's request that BPA
offer contract terms for this interconnection. The scoping process may
help identify other alternatives suitable for consideration in the EIS.
Process to Date: WRE has filed an application for a site
certificate to construct the Project. Surveys for sensitive plant and
wildlife species and cultural resources were initiated in the spring of
2001 and have been ongoing. Scoping will help identify what additional
studies will be needed for the Project and the interconnection.
Public Participation and Identification of Environmental Issues:
The potential issues of concern identified for most wind projects
include visual issues, noise levels, impacts to cultural resources,
socio-economic ramifications, effects on rare plant and animal species,
and impacts to wildlife, including migratory birds and bats. The joint
EIS will assess these potential impacts for the proposed Project, as
well as potential environmental impacts from the proposed
interconnection. Other issues, identified during scoping, will also be
addressed in the EIS.
When completed, a Draft EIS will be circulated for review and
comment, and BPA and EFSEC will hold at least one combined public
comment meeting for the Draft EIS. BPA and EFSEC will consider and
respond in the Final EIS to comments received on the Draft EIS. BPA's
subsequent decision will be documented in a Record of Decision.
Issued in Portland, Oregon, on April 13, 2009.
Stephen J. Wright,
Administrator and Chief Executive Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-9096 Filed 4-20-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P