[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 192 (Tuesday, October 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61414-61415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24993]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Basin Electric Power Cooperative: South Dakota PrairieWinds
Project
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Record of Decision.
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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service, hereinafter referred to as RUS
and/or the Agency, has issued a Record of Decision (ROD) for the
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed South Dakota
PrairieWind Project (Project) in Aurora, Bule and Jerauld Counties,
South Dakota. The Administrator of RUS has signed the ROD, which is
effective upon signing. The EIS was prepared pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (U.S.C. 4231 et seq.) and in
accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ)
regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR
Parts 1500-1508), RUS's NEPA implementing regulations (7 CFR Part
1794), and the Western Area Power Administration's (Western) NEPA
implementing regulations (10 CFR Part 1021). RUS and Western are
serving as co-lead agencies in preparation of the EIS as defined at 40
CFR 1501.5. Each agency is issuing a separate ROD for the project. The
purpose of the EIS was to evaluate the potential environmental impacts
of and alternatives to Basin Electric Power Cooperative's (Basin
Electric) application for a RUS loan and a Western interconnection
agreement to construct the proposed Project. The proposed Project's
facility would include a new 151.5-megawatt wind-powered generation
facility.
ADDRESSES: To obtain copies of the ROD, or for further information,
contact: Mr. Dennis Rankin, Environmental Protection Specialist, USDA,
Rural Utilities Service, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Stop 1571, Room
2239-S, Washington, DC 20250-1571, telephone: (202) 720-1453, fax:
(202) 690-0649, or e-mail: [email protected]. A copy of the
ROD can be viewed online at: http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/eis.htm.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Basin Electric's proposed Project is to
construct, own, operate, and maintain the Project. The proposed Project
includes a 151.5-megawatt (MW) nameplate capacity wind-powered energy
generation facility that would feature 101 wind turbine generators;
6,000-square-foot operations and maintenance building and fence
perimeter; 64 miles of underground communication system and electrical
collector lines (within the same trench); 34.5-kilovolt (kV) to 230-kV
collector substation and microwave tower; 11-mile-long overhead 230-kV
transmission line; temporary equipment/material storage or lay-down
areas; temporary crane walks; and 81 miles of new and/or upgraded
service roads to access the facilities in Aurora, Brule and Jerauld
Counties in eastern South Dakota. The purpose for the proposed Project
is to meet Basin Electric's load growth responsibilities, State
mandated Renewable Portfolio Standards and Renewable Energy Objectives
and renewable energy goals. In accordance with NEPA, the CEQ
regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA, and
applicable agency NEPA implementing regulations, RUS and Western
prepared an EIS to assess the potential environmental impacts
associated with the proposed Project. The decision being documented in
RUS's ROD is that the Agency agrees to consider, subject to loan
approval, funding the proposed Project at the Crow Lake location. More
details regarding RUS's regulatory authority, rationale for the
decision, and compliance with applicable regulations are included in
the ROD. Because two distinct federal actions are being proposed, RUS
and Western decided to issue separate RODs.
On April 7, 2009, RUS and Western published in the Federal Register
a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for the proposed Project. The U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged receipt of the Draft EIS
on January 15, 2010. The 45-day comment period ended on March 1, 2010.
A public hearing to receive comments on the Draft EIS was held in
Chamberlain, South Dakota, on February 11, 2010. All comments received
were addressed in the Final EIS, The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency acknowledged receipt of the Final EIS on July 30, 2010. The 30-
day review period ended on August 28, 2010. Two comment letters were
received; they were addressed in RUS's ROD.
After considering various ways to meet its purpose and need, Basin
Electric identified construction of the proposed Project as its best
course of action. This EIS considered four alternative methods to
provide renewable energy and six alternative site locations. These
alternatives were evaluated in terms of cost-effectiveness, technical
feasibility, and environmental factors (e.g., soils, topography and
geology, water resources, air quality, biological resources, the
acoustic environment, recreation, cultural and historic resources,
visual resources, transportation, farmland, land use, human health and
safety, the socioeconomic environment, environmental justice, and
cumulative effects).
The EIS analyzes in detail the No Action Alternative and the Action
Alternative (construction of the Project) at two separate locations:
The Crow Lake site (approximately 36,000 acres 15 miles north of the
City of White Lake within Brule, Aurora and Jerald Counties, South
Dakota), and the Winner site (approximately 83,000 acres eight miles
south of the City of Winner in Tripp County, South Dakota). The No
Action Alternative would not meet the state's and Basin Electric's
renewable energy goals. The resources or environmental factors that
could be affected by the proposed Project were evaluated in detail in
the EIS. These issues are summarized in Table ES-1: ``Summary of
Potential Impacts of South Dakota PrairieWinds Project,'' of the EIS.
[[Page 61415]]
Based on an evaluation of the information and impact analyses
presented in the EIS, including the evaluation of all alternatives, and
in consideration of the Agency's NEPA implementing regulations,
Environmental Policies and Procedures, as amended (7 CFR Part 1794),
RUS finds that the evaluation of reasonable alternatives is consistent
with NEPA. The Agency has selected the Action Alternative at Crow Lake
site as its preferred alternative. This Notice concludes RUS's
compliance with NEPA and the Agency's ``Environmental Policies and
Procedures.''
Dated: September 29, 2010.
James R. Newby,
Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-24993 Filed 10-4-10; 8:45 am]
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