[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 13 (Thursday, January 21, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3486-3487]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1094]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Susquehanna to Roseland 500kV Transmission Line, Environmental
Impact Statement, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Middle
Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River, and Appalachian
National Scenic Trail, Pennsylvania and New Jersey
AGENCY: National Park Service, Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for a construction and right-of-way permit requested from
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Middle Delaware National
Scenic and Recreational River, and Appalachian National Scenic Trail,
in connection with the Susquehanna to Roseland 500kV Transmission Line.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42
U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park Service (NPS) is preparing an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and conducting public scoping
meetings for a construction and right-of-way permit requested from
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Middle Delaware National
Scenic and Recreational River, and Appalachian National Scenic Trail,
in connection with the proposed Susquehanna (Berwick, Pennsylvania) to
Roseland, New Jersey 500 kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line. The line is
being proposed by Pennsylvania Power and Light Electric Utilities (PPL)
and Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), and would cross
the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area (DEWA), Middle Delaware
National Scenic and Recreational River, and Appalachian National Scenic
Trail (AT), in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This NPS EIS will examine a
range of feasible alternatives and evaluate potential impacts on the
natural resource and cultural resource values, and the human
environment in the areas of these NPS units.
PPL and PSE&G, applicants for an NPS permit, have proposed
expansion of an existing electric transmission line right-of-way that
crosses the three NPS units. The Applicants currently have a 230 kV
transmission line running through their existing right-of-way. They are
proposing to replace the existing line with a double circuit 500 kV
transmission line with one circuit being operated at 500 kV and the
second circuit being energized at 230 kV. The two circuits would be
separate but carried on the same structures. The existing single 230 kV
power line and towers currently on the right-of-way would be removed
and replaced with larger towers. This would necessitate widening the
cleared area, and the granting of additional rights to expand the width
of the transmission line right-of-way beyond the Applicant's current
holdings. The Applicants are also proposing to build new roads and
rehabilitate and widen existing roads in DEWA for accessing the
transmission line corridor. The Applicant's stated purpose for the
project is to strengthen the grid at the direction of the Regional
Transmission Operator, PJM Interconnection (PJM). PJM oversees the
overall movement of wholesale electricity between many electric
utilities throughout a 13 state region. PJM's 2007 load forecast model
[[Page 3487]]
identified 23 projected reliability criteria violations, starting in
2012 and beyond, that the proposed project is designed to alleviate.
The Federal action under consideration in this EIS is the
Applicant's proposal that the National Park Service grant the permits
it has requested. The National Park Service's purpose in taking action
is to respond to the Applicant's expressed need to expand its current
right-of-way to construct new and taller power lines and add an
additional 500kV power line, in light of the purposes and resources of
the affected units of the National Park System, as expressed in
statutes, regulations, and policies. Federal action is needed because
the applicant has submitted the required applications and construction
plan to replace and expand the existing line in accordance with 36 CFR
Part 14 and applicable NPS Management Policies. The NPS therefore has a
duty to consider whether, and with what conditions, if any, to issue
the requested permits.
The NPS will analyze the proposed action and no action
alternatives, as well as other possible alternatives including granting
of the permits as requested, granting of the permits with stipulations,
or denying the permits, and alternatives to the proposed line both
within and outside the park. The NPS expects to identify additional
alternatives, issues concerning the alternatives, and alternative
mitigation strategies during the public scoping process.
This notice initiates the public participation and scoping process
for the EIS. The public is invited to comment on the purpose, need,
objectives, preliminary alternatives, or any other issues associated
with the proposal. Information that details the purpose, need, and
issues identified to date is available from the NPS Planning,
Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/dewa/.
Dates and Meeting Notices: The public scoping period will commence
on the date this notice is published in the Federal Register and last
for at least 30 days. The NPS will hold public meetings near the parks
and surrounding region to provide the public an opportunity to review
the proposal and project information. All public meetings will be
announced through local media, mailings, and the NPS PEPC Web site at
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/dewa/. Comments will be accepted within 30
days after this publication date and/or until at least 15 days after
the last public scoping meeting.
ADDRESSES: Comments on issues, potential impacts, or suggestions for
additional alternatives can be submitted using any one of the following
methods. You may submit comments through the NPS PEPC Web site at
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/dewa/, which is the preferred method. You
may mail your comments to the National Park Service, Attention: DEWA
PPL EIS Planning Team, Denver Service Center--Planning, P.O. Box 25287,
Denver, CO 80225. Comments may also be submitted at any of the three
public meetings to be announced.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kara Deutsch, NEPA Compliance
Specialist, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, HQ River Rd.
off Route 209, Bushkill, PA 18324-9999, telephone 570-426-2491.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Before including your address, phone number,
e-mail address or other personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware your entire comment--including your
personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so. The NPS will not consider anonymous comments. All
submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their
entirety.
Michael T. Reynolds,
Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-1094 Filed 1-20-10; 8:45 am]
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