[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 3, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9573-9574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-4342]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc: Bemidji-Grand Rapids 230kV
Transmission Project
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement and Notice of Public Hearing.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS),
has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to meet its
responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and
7 CFR 1794 related to possible financial assistance to Minnkota Power
Cooperative, Inc (Minnkota) for the construction of a 230 kilovolt (kV)
kV transmission line between the Wilton Substation near Bemidji,
Minnesota, and the Boswell Substation near Grand Rapids, Minnesota in
Beltrami, Hubbard, Itasca, and Cass counties. To minimize duplication
of effort pursuant to 40 CFR 1506.2, RUS prepared the Draft EIS jointly
with the Minnesota Department of Commerce (Commerce), Office of Energy
Security (OES) in compliance with federal responsibilities under NEPA
and other federal statutes and regulations, and state responsibilities
under the Minnesota Environmental Policy Act and the Minnesota Power
Plant Siting Act. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Forest
Service Chippewa National Forest and the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe are
cooperating agencies for this Draft EIS.
The proposed new transmission line is needed to correct local load
serving inadequacies for the Bemidji area and west-central Minnesota.
Minnkota is also proposing to modify the existing Wilton and Boswell
substations, construct a new 115 kV breaker station at Nary Junction
and, depending on route alternative selected, upgrade an existing or
construct a new substation near Cass Lake, Minnesota. Minnkota is
requesting financial assistance from RUS for the proposed action.
DATES: Written comments on this Notice must be received on or before
April 19, 2010. RUS and OES will jointly conduct the following public
meetings March 16 -18, 2010. The first half hour of each meeting will
be an open house followed by a formal public information and comment
meeting with brief presentations on the DEIS by OES and RUS staff.
Members of the public will have an opportunity to ask questions and
provide comments on the Draft EIS. A court reporter will transcribe
verbal comments from the formal public comment portion of the meeting.
Meetings may conclude prior to the listed end time if all attendees
have had the opportunity to comment and all other business has been
concluded: Tuesday, March 16 from 1p.m.-4p.m. and 6p.m.-9 p.m. at the
Hampton Inn, 1019 Paul Bunyan Dr., S. State Hwy 197 in Bemidji, MN
56601; Wednesday, March 17 from 1p.m.-3 p.m. at the American Legion
Vets Club, 12 First Street NE., in Deer River, MN 56636; Wednesday,
March 17 from 6-9 p.m. at the Senior Center, 24 First Street SE, in
Black Duck, MN 56630; and Thursday, March 18 from 6-9 p.m. at the Leech
Lake Tribal College, 6945 Little Wolf Road NW., in Cass Lake, MN 56633.
Comments regarding the project may be submitted (orally or in writing)
to Ms. Stephanie Strength or Ms. Steinhauer at the addresses provided
in this Notice or online via the Commission's Web site at: http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/publicComments.html.
ADDRESSES: To send comments or to obtain copies of the Draft EIS, or
for further information, contact: Stephanie Strength, Environmental
Protection Specialist, USDA, Rural Utilities Service, 1400 Independence
Avenue, SW., Room 2244, Stop 1571, Washington, DC 20250-1571, e-mail
[email protected]., or Suzanne Steinhauer, Project
Manager, Minnesota Office of Energy Security, 85 7th Place East, Suite
500, St. Paul, Minnesota, 55101-2198, FAX: (651) 297-7891, e-mail
[email protected]. A copy of the Draft EIS may be viewed
online at the following Web sites: http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/eis.htm, http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/Docket.html?Id=19344,
and at the: Bemidji Public Library, 509 America Ave., NW., Bemidji, MN
56601; Cass Lake Community Library, 223 Cedar Ave. NW., Cass Lake, MN
56633; Grand Rapids Area Library, 140 NE 2nd Street, Grand Rapids, MN
55744; Blackduck Community Library, 72 First St., SE., Blackduck, MN
56630; Margaret Welch Memorial Library, 5051 State 84, Longville, MN
56655; Walker Public Library, 207 4th St., Walker, MN 56484; Bovey
Public Library--Village Hall, 402 2nd Street, Bovey, MN 55709-0130; and
Coleraine Public Library, Independent Building, 203 Cole Avenue,
Coleraine, MN 55722-0225.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc (Minnkota),
in conjunction with Otter Tail Power Company and Minnesota Power,
proposes to construct and operate a 230 kV transmission line between
the Wilton substation west of Bemidji and the Boswell Substation west
of Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The proposal is designed to correct a local
load serving inadequacy for the Bemidji area and west central
Minnesota. Three route alternatives are under consideration for the
transmission line. The proposed routes for the transmission line
primarily follow existing rights-of-way and cross sections of Beltrami,
Hubbard, Cass, and Itasca counties. Depending upon the route selected,
the Project may also include modifications to the existing Cass Lake
Substation, construction of a new substation in the Cass Lake area, and
construction of a new 115 kV breaker station near Nary, Minnesota.
The proposed transmission line would be approximately 68 to 116
miles in length with a 125-foot right-of-way. The construction of the
proposal is
[[Page 9574]]
tentatively scheduled to begin in the fall of 2010 with an estimated
duration of construction of 1 year.
RUS is the lead agency for the federal environmental review with
Division of Resource Management of the Leech Lake Reservation, the
Chippewa National Forest, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
participating as cooperating agencies. In addition to federal review,
the project is subject to Power Plant Siting Act (Minn. Stat. 216E).
Accordingly OES and RUS have collaborated to create a joint draft EIS
for this project. A Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS and Hold a
Scoping Meeting was published in the Federal Register at 73FR41312, on
July 18, 2008, and local newspapers. Scoping meetings for the EIS were
held in the project area in August, 2008, and public comments were
accepted from July 22, 2008, through September 30, 2008. The OES issued
an EIS scoping decision on March 31, 2009, and modified it on February
5, 2010. RUS issued a Scoping Decision/Report in December, 2009.
As part of its broad environmental review process, RUS must take
into account the effect of the proposal on historic properties in
accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
and its implementing regulation, ``Protection of Historic Properties''
(36 CFR Part 800). Pursuant to 36 CFR Sec. 800.2(d)(3), RUS is using
its procedures for public involvement under NEPA to meet its
responsibilities to solicit and consider the views of the public during
Section 106 review. Accordingly, comments submitted in response to
scoping will inform RUS' decision making in Section 106 review. Any
party wishing to participate more directly with RUS as a ``consulting
party'' in Section 106 review may submit a written request to the RUS
contact provided in this notice.
Alternatives to the proposed project considered by RUS, OES, and
Minnkota included (a) no action, (b) generation alternatives, (c) load
management, (d) alternative transmission line configurations, and (e)
alternative transmission routes. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) that describes the proposal in detail and discusses its
anticipated environmental impacts has been prepared and is available
for public review at the addresses provided in this Notice.
Questions and comments should be sent to RUS or OES at the mailing
or e-mail addresses provided in this Notice. RUS should receive
comments on the Draft EIS in writing by April 19, 2010 to ensure that
they are considered in the Final EIS. Once available, the final EIS
will be noticed in the Federal Register and local newspapers. The
Federal Agencies will then issue a Record of Decision following a 30-
day public comment period on the Final EIS.
Any final action by RUS related to the proposal will be subject to,
and contingent upon, compliance with all relevant Federal, state and
local environmental laws and regulations, and completion of the
environmental review requirements as prescribed in RUS' Environmental
Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794).
Dated: February 25, 2010.
Nivin Elgohary,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Electric Program, USDA/Rural Utilities
Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-4342 Filed 3-2-10; 8:45 am]
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