Notice of Availability of the Navajo Transmission Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration

Notice of Availability of the Navajo Transmission Project Draft

Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of availability and notice of public hearings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration's (Western) Colorado River

Storage Project Customer Service Center (CRSP CSC) announces that the

Navajo Transmission Project (NTP) Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(draft EIS) is available for public review and comment. Western will

hold public hearings to receive formal comments on the draft EIS

according to the schedule below. The Din deg. Power Authority (DPA), an

enterprise of the Navajo Nation, is proposing the construction and

operation of a 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission line between northwestern

New Mexico and southern Nevada, called the NTP. The draft EIS describes

a range of alternatives considered and the potential environmental

consequences and has been prepared in compliance with the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the

Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (40

CFR Parts 1500-1508), and the DOE regulations for compliance with NEPA

(10 CFR Part 1021). Western's CRSP CSC is the lead Federal agency to

the NTP draft EIS.

DATES: Western will accept written and oral comments during the public

review period. Written comments on the draft EIS should be sent to the

Project Manager by December 6, 1996, of the EPA FR Notice at the

following address: Mr. Tony Morton, EIS Manager, Western Area Power

Administration, Colorado River Storage Project Customer Service Center,

257 East 200 South, Suite 475, P.O. Box 11606, Salt Lake City, Utah

84147-0606, telephone 801-524-5636.

Those wishing to make oral comments may do so at the scheduled

public hearings. Speakers will be asked to register at the door prior

to the beginning of the hearing. A court reporter will record the

proceedings at each hearing. Interpreters for Navajo, Hopi or Hualapai

Indians will be available at the appropriate sessions. Representatives

will be responsible for recording comments and concerns of the public.

Western will respond to all comments, both written and oral, in the

final EIS.

The hearings will be held according to the following schedule.

Western intends

[[Page 52446]]

to conduct open house information sessions for one hour prior to each

hearing session to field questions and provide information to the

public.

1. Monday, October 7, 10 a.m.--Sanostee Chapter

2. Monday, October 7, 10 a.m.--Coalmine Mesa Chapter

3. Monday, October 7, 6 p.m.--Beclabito Chapter

4. Tuesday, October 8, 10 a.m.--TeecNos Pos Chapter

5. Tuesday, October 8, 6 p.m.--Red Mesa Chapter

6. Thursday, October 10, 10 a.m.--Sweet Water Chapter

7. Thursday, October 10, 6 p.m.--Mexican Water Chapter

8. Monday, October 14, 10 a.m.--Nenahnezad Chapter

9. Monday, October 14, 2 p.m.--Whippoorwill Chapter

10. Monday, October 14, 6 p.m.--Farmington, NM, Civic Center, 200

West Arrington

11. Monday, October 14, 6 p.m.--TaChee/Blue Gap Chapter

12. Tuesday, October 15, 10 a.m.--San Juan Chapter

13. Tuesday, October 15, 10 a.m.--Pinon Chapter

14. Tuesday, October 15, 6 p.m.--Hogback Chapter

15. Tuesday, October 15, 6 p.m.--Hard Rock Chapter

16. Wednesday, October 16, 10 a.m.--Shiprock Chapter

17. Wednesday, October 16, 10 a.m.--Round Rock Chapter

18. Wednesday, October 16, 6 p.m.--Cudeii Chapter

19. Wednesday, October 16, 6 p.m.--Rock Point Chapter

20. Thursday, October 17, 10 a.m.--Red Valley Chapter

21. Thursday, October 17, 10 a.m.--Chilchinbeto Chapter

22. Thursday, October 17, 6 p.m.--Cove Chapter

23. Thursday, October 17, 6 p.m.--Shonto Chapter

24. Monday, October 21, 10 a.m.--St. Michaels Chapter

25. Monday, October 21, 10 a.m.--Cameron Chapter

26. Monday, October 21, 6 p.m.--Chinle Chapter

27. Monday, October 21, 6 p.m.--Bodaway Chapter

28. Tuesday, October 22, 10 a.m.--Tselani-Cottonwood Springs Chapter

29. Tuesday, October 22, 10 a.m.--Tuba City Chapter

30. Tuesday, October 22, 6 p.m.--Rough Rock Chapter

31. Tuesday, October 22, 6 p.m.--Tonalea Chapter

32. Wednesday, October 23, 10 a.m.--Many Farms Chapter

33. Wednesday, October 23, 10 a.m.--Inscription House Chapter

34. Wednesday, October 23, 6 p.m.--Lukachukai Chapter

35. Wednesday, October 23, 6 p.m.--Kaibeto Chapter

36. Thursday, October 24, 10 a.m.--Kayenta Chapter

37. Thursday, October 24, 10 a.m.--LeChee Chapter

38. Thursday, October 24, 6 p.m.--Dennehotso Chapter

39. Thursday, October 24, 6 p.m.--Coppermine Chapter

40. Tuesday, October 29, 10 a.m.--Flagstaff, AZ, Council Chambers

41. Tuesday, October 29, 6 p.m.--Hualapai Multi-Purpose Building,

Hualapai Way and Diamond Creek, Peach Springs, AZ

42. Wednesday, October 30, 10 a.m.--Dolan Springs, AZ, Chamber Bldg,

Pierce Ferry Road

43. Wednesday, October 30, 6 p.m.--Boulder City, NV, Super 8 Motel,

704 Nevada Hwy

44. Thursday, October 31, 6 p.m.--Hopi Cultural Center Motel, Second

Mesa

Because there are so many hearings scheduled, there will be two

hearings teams holding concurrent meetings throughout the project

area. All chapter meetings will be held at the chapter houses on the

Navajo Reservation, Arizona.

ADDRESSES: The CRSP CSC maintains a mailing list of those interested in

the NTP EIS. Copies of the complete draft EIS, or a summary of the

document (Introduction, Purpose and Need, and Description of the

Alternatives) have been distributed to all persons and groups on the

EIS mailing list, according to what each person/organization previously

requested. A distribution has been made to various libraries and

reading rooms in the project area. Copies of the draft EIS are

available for public review at the Navajo chapter houses, the offices

of the cooperating agencies, and other locations listed below:

Cooperating Agencies Offices

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Phoenix Area Office, One North First Street,

Phoenix, AZ 85001.

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Area Office, 301 West Hill, Gallup, NM

87305.

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Truxton Canon Agency, 13067 East Highway 66,

Valentine, AZ 86437.

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Hopi Agency, Main Street, Keams Canyon, AZ

86034.

Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, 691 Scenic Drive, Page, AZ 86040.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area, 601 Nevada Highway, Boulder City,

NV 89005.

Bureau of Land Management, 1235 LaPlata Highway, Farmington, NM 87401.

Bureau of Land Management, 2475 Beverly Avenue, Kingman, AZ 86401.

Bureau of Land Management, 4765 Vegas Drive, Las Vegas, NV 89108.

Coconino National Forest, Peaks Ranger District, 5075 North Highway 89,

Flagstaff, AZ 86004.

Kaibab National Forest, Tusayan Ranger District, Highway 64, Admin

Site, Grand Canyon, AZ 86023.

Navajo Nation, Historic Preservation Office, Navajo Nation Inn Office

Building, 48 West Highway 264, Window Rock, AZ 86515.

Hopi Tribe, Cultural Preservation Office, Main Street, Kykotsmovi, AZ

86039.

Hualapai Tribe, Office of Cultural Resources, 215 Diamond Creek Road,

Peach Springs, AZ 86434.

Other Locations

Arizona State University, Hayden Library, Tempe, AZ 85287.

Flagstaff Public Library, 300 West Aspen Street, Flagstaff, AZ 86001.

Mohave County District Library, 3269 Burbank, Kingman, AZ 86401.

Mohave County Library, 1170 East Hancock Road, Bullhead City, AZ 86442.

Northern Arizona University, Cline Library, Flagstaff, AZ 86011.

Page Public Library, 697 Vista Avenue, Page, AZ 86040.

Phoenix Public Library, 1221 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85004.

Seligman Public Library, 325 North Main Street, P.O. Box 623, Seligman,

AZ 86337.

University of Arizona, Main Library, Tucson, AZ 85721.

Window Rock Library, Window Rock Administrative Offices, Dean Jackson's

Education Center, Morgan Boulevard, Window Rock, AZ 86515.

Williams Public Library, 113 South First Street, Williams, AZ 86046.

Winslow Public Library, 420 West Gilmore Street, Winslow, AZ 86047.

Farmington Public Library, Reference Department, 100 West Broadway,

Farmington, NM 87401.

University of New Mexico, Zimmerman Library, University Hill Northeast,

Albuquerque, NM 87131.

Gallup Public Library, 115 West Hill Avenue, Gallup, NM 87301.

Boulder City Library, 539 California Avenue, Boulder City, NV 89005.

Clark County Library, 1401 East Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109.

Henderson Library, 55 Water Street, Henderson, NV 89015.

Las Vegas Public Library, 833 North Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV

89101.

University of Nevada-Las Vegas, James Dickerson Library, P.O. Box 7001,

Las Vegas, NV 89154-7001.

[[Page 52447]]

West Charleston Public Library, 6301 West Charleston Boulevard, Las

Vegas, NV 89102.

Copies of the draft EIS and all supporting documents are also

available for public review at Western's offices at:

Colorado River Storage Project, Customer Service Center, 257 East 200

South, Suite 475, Salt Lake City, UT 84147-0606.

Corporate Services Office, 1627 Cole Boulevard, Building 18, Golden, CO

80401.

This information is also available at the DOE Reading Room at the

following address: U.S. Department of Energy, Forrestal Building,

Reading Room 1E-190, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC

20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, to submit

written comments, or to request a copy or summary of the draft EIS,

please call or write the CRSP CRC at the address shown above.

For general information on DOE's NEPA review process, please

contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and

Assistance, EH-42, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue

SW., Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A surplus of electrical generation exists in

the Four Corners region of the United States but there is insufficient

capacity to transmit the power west, where it could be used to meet the

needs of expanding load centers in Arizona, Nevada and California. The

extra-high-voltage transmission system west of Four Corners consists of

one 500-kV line and two 345-kV lines owned by Arizona Public Service

(APS). There are restrictions on how much capacity each of the lines

west of Four Corners may carry for reasons of safety and reliability.

Since 1970, attempts to construct additional lines across the Navajo

Reservation in northern Arizona have failed to gain approval of the

Navajo Nation government.

The role of the Navajo Nation in the energy industry traditionally

has been that of a passive resource owner. Nonrenewable resources from

the Navajo Nation lands are exported to provide fuel for power for much

of the western United States. The economy and self-sufficiency of the

Navajo Nation depend heavily on the export of these resources. However,

the businesses associated with the energy activities are typically non-

Navajo. NTP is an opportunity for the Navajo Nation to own a majority

of a transmission line that would be an integral part of a regional

electrical transmission system, thereby establishing a role for the

Navajo in the electric industry.

In 1992, DPA began studies to determine the feasibility of

constructing and operating a Navajo majority-owned 500-kV transmission

line that would deliver bulk electricity west from the Four Corners

region of New Mexico. The project was viewed as an opportunity to

provide a steady source of revenue for the Navajo Nation. The Navajo

Nation is the second largest American Indian tribe in the United States

and, according to the 1990 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, approximately

57 percent of families live below the poverty level.

As NTP is currently envisioned, revenue would be generated by

leasing the capacity of the transmission line to regional utilities.

Annual revenues over the life of the project would provide funds to

allow the Navajo Nation to invest in other long-range productive

business opportunities. The amount of revenue received by the DPA would

depend on its final percent of ownership; right-of-way costs; lease

agreements; construction, operation and maintenance costs; and

availability of capacity. In addition, the development of NTP would

provide short-term employment opportunities for American Indian groups

during construction in a region having an unemployment rate of about 30

percent (on the Navajo Reservation). Skills and experience gained from

construction jobs would be useful for future employment. After

construction, it is anticipated that there may be limited opportunities

for long-term employment in aspects of operation and maintenance of the

transmission line. NTP is expected to contribute to an increase in the

income and standard of living for the Navajo Nation.

Studies conducted by DPA and Western have shown that NTP would

provide the needed transfer path for bulk electrical power and increase

the electrical transfer level west of the Four Corners area. The

additional capacity would support the existing system and prevent or

reduce damages from outages, thereby enhancing the existing

transmission grid and contributing to increased reliability,

efficiency, and capability in the southwestern United States. By

removing the existing transmission restrictions and/or interconnecting

with other regional systems in the Four Corners area, Arizona,

California, and Nevada utilities would be able to increase economical

transfer of seasonal surpluses of electrical generation from resources

in the Rocky Mountain and Four Corners areas and they would be able to

support their peak load periods by importing power from existing hydro

and coal-fired generation sources in the Rocky Mountain area. Such

economic purchases reduce the use of more expensive generation.

More than 60 percent of Navajo Nation residences do not have

electricity. Availability of electricity on the Navajo Reservation is

critical to economic growth and infrastructure development of the

Navajo Nation. NTP would allow Western an alternate path for firm-power

deliveries across northern Arizona, thus reducing dependence and

freeing capacity on Western's existing 230-kV transmission line for

increased deliveries of electricity to the Kayenta and Long House

Valley substations that currently provide service to the Navajo Tribal

Utility Authority (NTUA). That would provide NTUA with more flexibility

to plan additional distribution on the Navajo Reservation. Because of

vast distances between available transmission and low-density

populations of consumers on Navajo Nation lands, it is not economically

feasible for NTUA alone to construct a high-voltage transmission line

solely to accommodate the small number of business and residential

consumers in the area. Also, NTP would allow access by the utility

participants to the Western Systems Coordinating Council's (WSCC)

southern 500-kV transmission grid, which covers the states of New

Mexico, Arizona, and southern California. This would provide the

opportunity for NTUA to buy less expensive power that may be available

through regional and seasonal diversity, or due to the new Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) transmission open access

guidelines.

DPA approached Western in 1992 about participating in the proposed

project. Western agreed to be the lead Federal agency for the project,

in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, and agreed to

take the responsibility for ensuring compliance with applicable

regulations of other affected agencies. On May 26, 1993, Western

announced in the Federal Register its intention to prepare an EIS on

NTP. Western and DPA initiated extensive public involvement in the

project, which has resulted in over 40 meetings with the public, and

many meetings with a variety of state, tribal, county and local

agencies and representatives. The effort was assisted by the

cooperating agencies, consisting of representatives from units of the

National Park Service; the U.S. Forest Service; the Bureau of Land

[[Page 52448]]

Management; and Bureau of Indian Affairs in Arizona, New Mexico, and

Nevada; and three Tribes (Hopi, Hualapai, and Navajo). In addition,

work on a Programmatic Agreement for the purposes of compliance with

the National Historic Preservation Act resulted in contacts and

comments from the Historic Preservation Officers of Nevada, New Mexico

and Arizona, and 14 other area tribes.

This draft EIS was prepared to analyze and describe the

environmental consequences of a range of alternatives. Western and DPA

developed six alternatives for analysis in the draft EIS which are

structured around the purpose and need. Four alternatives were removed

from further analysis because they did not meet all of the requirements

of the purpose and need, i.e., energy conservation and electric load

management, new generation facilities, alternate transmission systems,

and alternative transmission methods. The remaining two alternatives

studied in depth in the EIS are identified as No Action and the

Proposed Action. The Proposed Action included analysis of over 2,000

miles of routing alternatives. The draft EIS evaluates the potential

impacts of the no action and proposed action alternatives on air

quality, water resources (water quality and floodplain management),

earth resources (geology, mineral resources, seismicity and faults, and

soils and erosion potential), biological resources, paleontological

resources, land use (linear features; jurisdictions; existing and

future land use; and parks, preservation, and recreation),

socioeconomic resources, visual resources, and cultural resources.

Environmentally preferred options have been identified, however, no

preferred construction route is identified in the draft EIS. A decision

on the proposed action will be made after considering comments on the

draft EIS. A final routing alternative will be recommended in the final

EIS.

Issued at Golden, Colorado, September 23, 1996.

J. M. Shafer,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 96-25613 Filed 10-4-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450-01-P