Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Notice of Floodplain and Wetlands Involvement; NRG Energy, Inc.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket No. PP-192]

Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and

Notice of Floodplain and Wetlands Involvement; NRG Energy, Inc.

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

and to Conduct Public Scoping Meetings.

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SUMMARY: NRG Energy, Inc. (NRG) has applied to the Department of Energy

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(DOE) for a Presidential permit to construct a 500,000-volt

transmission line originating at the switchyard of the Palo Verde

Nuclear Generating Station near Phoenix, Arizona, and extending

approximately 177 miles to the southwest, where it would cross the

United States (U.S.) border with Mexico in the vicinity of Calexico,

California. From the border, NRG would extend the line approximately

2.5 miles into Mexico. DOE has determined that the issuance of the

permit would constitute a major Federal action that may have

significant impact upon the environment within the meaning of the

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). For this reason, DOE

intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to address

reasonably foreseeable impacts from the proposed action and reasonable

alternatives.

The purpose of this Notice of Intent is to inform the public about

the proposed action, announce the plans for three public scoping

meetings in the vicinity of the proposed transmission line, invite

public participation in the scoping process, and solicit public

comments for consideration in establishing the scope and content of the

EIS. Because the proposed project may involve an action in floodplains

or wetlands, the EIS will include a floodplain and wetlands assessment

and floodplain statement of findings in accordance with DOE regulations

for compliance with floodplains and wetlands environmental review

requirements (10 CFR Part 1022).

DATES: DOE invites interested agencies, organizations, and members of

the public to submit comments or suggestions to assist in identifying

significant environmental issues and in determining the appropriate

scope of the EIS. The public scoping period starts with the publication

of this Notice in the Federal Register and will continue until November

25, 1998. Written and oral comments will be given equal weight, and DOE

will consider all comments received or postmarked by November 25, 1998,

in defining the scope of this EIS. Comments received or postmarked

after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.

Dates for the public scoping meetings are:

1. November 16, 1998, 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M., and 7:00 P.M. to 9:00

P.M., Phoenix, Arizona.

2. November 17, 1998, 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M., and 7:00 P.M. to 9:00

P.M., Yuma, Arizona.

3. November 18, 1998, 4:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M., El Centro,

California.

DOE will publish additional notices of the date, times, and

location of the scoping meetings in local newspapers in advance of the

scheduled meetings. Any necessary changes will be announced in the

local media.

Requests to speak at a public scoping meeting(s) should be received

by Mrs. Ellen Russell at the address indicated below on or before

November 12, 1998. Requests to speak may also be made at the time of

registration for the scoping meeting(s). However, persons who submitted

advance requests to speak will be given priority if time should become

limited during the meeting.

ADDRESSES: Written comments or suggestions on the scope of the EIS, and

requests to speak at the scoping meeting(s), should be addressed to:

Mrs. Ellen Russell, Office of Fossil Energy (FE-27), U.S. Department of

Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585-0350; Phone

202-586-9624, facsimile: 202-287-5736, or by electronic mail at

Ellen.R[email protected].

The locations of the scoping meetings are:

1. Embassy Suites Hotel, 1515 N. 44th Street, Phoenix, AZ

2. Yuma Civic & Convention Center, 1440 Desert Hills Drive, Yuma, AZ

3. Vacation Inn/Scribbles, 2015 Cottonwood Circle, El Centro, CA

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For general information on the DOE

NEPA review process, contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of

NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585-0119; Phone: 202-586-4600

or leave a message at 800-472-2756; facsimile: 202-586-7031.

For information on the proposed project or to receive a copy of the

Draft EIS when it is issued, contact Mrs. Russell at the address above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background and Need for Agency Action

Executive Order 10485, as amended by Executive Order 12038,

requires that a Presidential permit be issued by DOE before electric

transmission facilities may be constructed, connected, operated, or

maintained at the U.S. international border. The Executive Order

provides that a Presidential permit may be issued after a finding that

the proposed project is consistent with the public interest. In

determining consistency with the public interest, DOE considers the

impact of the project on the reliability of the U.S. electric power

system and on the environment. The regulations implementing the

Executive Order have been codified at 10 CFR 205.320-205.329. Issuance

of the permit indicates that there is no Federal objection to the

project, but does not mandate that the project be completed.

On August 17, 1998, NRG, an independent power producer and wholly-

owned subsidiary of Northern States Power Company, filed an application

for a Presidential permit with the Office of Fossil Energy of DOE. NRG

proposes to construct approximately 177 miles of 500,000-volt

transmission line from the switchyard adjacent to the Palo Verde

Nuclear Generating Station, located 30 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona,

to the U.S.-Mexico border in the vicinity of Calexico, California.

South of the border, NRG would construct an additional 2.5 miles of

transmission line to the Cetys Substation, located east of Mexicali,

Mexico, and owned by the Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE), the

national electric utility of Mexico.

The transmission line proposed by NRG would be designed and

constructed with a nominal capacity of 1000 megawatts of electrical

power but would be restricted to a 600-megawatt capacity under certain

conditions. All but 2.5 miles of the U.S. portion of the proposed

transmission line is expected to be located within an existing utility

corridor designated by the Bureau of Land Management. However, the

applicant would need to obtain approximately 4,300 acres of additional

right-of-way from public and private landowners.

The route proposed by NRG would parallel the existing Southwest

Powerlink 500,000-volt transmission line beginning at the Palo Verde

Nuclear Generating Station Switchyard. The route would continue

southwest, crossing the Gila Bend Mountains approximately one mile

north of the Signal Mountain Wilderness Area. The route would traverse

the Muggins Mountains on the northern boundary of the Muggins Mountains

Wilderness Area, and 8.2 miles of the Army's Yuma Proving Grounds. The

line would cross the Colorado River from Arizona into California and

proceed northwest, crossing the northeast corner of the Fort Yuma-

Quechan Indian Reservation for 1.7 miles before turning southwest and

paralleling the Bureau of Land Management-designated utility corridor

through the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area. The route would

continue north of the northern boundary of the Indian reservation,

about one mile south of the Pichacho Peak Wilderness

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Area and then turn to a southeastern direction, crossing 2.1 miles of

the northwest corner of the Fort Yuma-Quechan Indian Reservation. The

route would then continue west between the U.S.-Mexico boundary and the

All-American Canal. At the Hemlock Canal, the route would turn south,

following the Hemlock Canal alignment for 2.5 miles to the border. The

proposed route would cross approximately 25 linear miles of 100-year

floodplains.

Project activities would include clearing rights-of-way and access

roads, digging tower footings, setting transmission towers, hanging

transmission wires, and modifying existing substation(s).

The NRG application, which can be downloaded in its entirety

(including maps) from the Office of Fossil Energy's web site

(www.fe.doe.gov; choose regulatory, then electricity), states that

there are no firm contracts in place for the sale of power to Mexico

using the proposed transmission line. Prior to commencing electricity

exports to Mexico using the proposed line, NRG, or any other

electricity exporter, must obtain an electricity export authorization

from DOE pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act.

Identification of Environmental Issues

A purpose of this notice is to solicit comments and suggestions for

consideration in the preparation of the EIS. As background for public

comment, this notice contains a list of potential environmental issues

that DOE has tentatively identified for analysis. This list is not

intended to be all-inclusive or to imply any predetermination of

impacts. Following is a preliminary list of issues that may be analyzed

in the EIS:

(1) Socioeconomic impacts of development of the land tracts and

their subsequent uses;

(2) Impacts to protected, threatened, endangered, or sensitive

species of animals or plants, or their critical habitats;

(3) Impacts to floodplains and wetlands;

(4) Impacts to cultural or historic resources;

(5) Impacts to human health and safety;

(6) Impacts on air, soil, and water;

(7) Visual impacts;

(8) Disproportionately high and adverse impacts to minority and

low-income populations; and

(9) Environmental impacts within Mexico.

The EIS will also consider alternatives to the proposed

transmission line, including:

(1) No Action Alternative: The EIS will analyze the impacts

associated with ``no action.'' Since the proposed action is the

issuance of a Presidential permit for the construction of the proposed

transmission line, ``no action `` means that the permit would not be

issued. However, not issuing the permit would not necessarily imply

maintenance of the status quo. It is possible that the applicant and/or

the Mexican government may take other actions if the proposed

transmission line is not built. The No Action Alternative will address

the environmental impacts that are reasonably foreseeable to occur if

the Presidential permit is not issued, to the extent practicable;

(2) Alternative transmission line routes;

(3) Construction of a powerplant in the U.S. closer to the U.S.-

Mexico border with a shorter transmission line extending to the border,

an alternative concept for supplying electric power to the target

region.

Scoping Process

Interested parties are invited to participate in the scoping

process both to refine the preliminary alternatives and environmental

issues to be analyzed in depth, and to eliminate from detailed study

those alternatives and environmental issues that are not significant or

pertinent. The scoping process is intended to involve all interested

agencies (Federal, state, county, and local), public interest groups,

Native American Tribes, businesses, and members of the public.

Potential Federal cooperating agencies include the U.S. Department of

the Interior (including Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Indian

Affairs, and the Fish and Wildlife Service) and the International

Boundary and Water Commission.

Public scoping meetings will be held at the locations, dates, and

times indicated above. These scoping meetings will be informal and

conducted as a discussion between attendees and DOE. The DOE presiding

officer will establish only those procedures needed to ensure that

everyone who wishes to speak has a chance to do so and that DOE

understands all issues and comments. Speakers will be allocated

approximately 10 minutes for their oral statements. Depending upon the

number of persons wishing to speak, DOE may allow longer times for

representatives of organizations. Consequently, persons wishing to

speak on behalf of an organization should identify that organization in

their request to speak. Persons who have not submitted a request to

speak in advance may register to speak at the scoping meeting(s).

However, advance requests to speak are encouraged. Should any speaker

desire to provide for the record further information that cannot be

presented within the designated time, such additional information may

be submitted in writing by the date listed above in the DATES section.

Both oral and written comments will be considered and given equal

weight by DOE. Meetings will commence at the times specified above and

will continue until all those present who wish to participate have had

an opportunity to do so.

Draft EIS Schedule and Availability

The Draft EIS is scheduled for completion by March 1999, at which

time its availability will be announced in the Federal Register and

public comments again will be solicited.

Those individuals who do not wish to submit comments or suggestions

at this time but who would like to receive a copy of the Draft EIS for

review and comment when it is issued should notify Mrs. Russell at the

address above.

The Draft EIS will be made available for public inspection at

several public libraries or reading rooms in Arizona and California. A

notice of these locations will be provided in the Federal Register at a

later date.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on October 22, 1998.

Peter N. Brush,

Acting Assistant Secretary, Environment, Safety and Health.

[FR Doc. 98-28703 Filed 10-23-98; 8:45 am]

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