Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Sutter Power Plant and Transmission Line Project, California

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

the Proposed Sutter Power Plant and Transmission Line Project,

California

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 102(2) of the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4332, Western Area

Power Administration (Western) intends to prepare an environmental

impact statement (EIS) regarding the proposal by the Calpine

Corporation (Calpine) to construct an electric generating facility and

associated 230-kilovolt (kV) transmission line, approximately 3.5 miles

in length, known as the Sutter Power Plant (SPP). Calpine has

approached Western concerning an interconnection with Western's

Keswick-Elverta and Olinda-Elverta Double-Circuit 230-kV Transmission

Line. Because of the potential for incorporating new generation into

Western's system, along with potential changes in the existing system,

Western has determined to prepare an EIS, in accordance with U.S.

Department of Energy's (DOE) NEPA Implementing Procedures, 10 CFR 1021,

Appendices D5 and 6 to Subpart D. The California Energy Commission

(CEC) is responsible for permitting the proposed SPP. The CEC

responsibilities are similar to those of a lead agency under the

California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In the spirit of the

regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) implementing

NEPA (40 CFR 1501.5(b)), Western and CEC will act as ``joint lead

agencies'' for purposes of satisfying the requirements of NEPA and

CEQA, respectively. In this notice, Western and CEC announce intentions

to prepare an EIS and hold a public scoping meeting for the proposed

project. Western's scoping will include notification of the public and

Federal, State, local, and tribal agencies of the proposed action, and

identification by the public and agencies of issues and reasonable

alternatives to be considered in the EIS.

DATES: The scoping meeting will be Tuesday, March 3, 1998, beginning at

10 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Veterans Memorial Community

Building, 1425 Circle Drive, Yuba City, California, 95993. Written

comments on the scope of the EIS for the proposed SPP should be

received no later than May 5, 1998. Comments on the project will be

accepted throughout the NEPA process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you are interested in receiving

future information or wish to submit written comments, please call or

write Loreen McMahon, Project Manager, Western Area Power

Administration, Sierra Nevada Customer Service Region, 114 Parkshore

Drive, Folsom, California, 95630-4710, (916) 353-4460, FAX: (916) 985-

1930, E-mail: [email protected]. Comments may also be sent to Paul

Richins, Project Manager, Energy Facilities Siting and Environmental

Protection Division, California Energy Commission, 1516 Ninth Street,

MS-15, Sacramento, California 95814, (916) 654-4074, E-mail:

[email protected]. For general information on DOE's NEPA

review procedures or status of a NEPA review, 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: Calpine proposes to construct the SPP on

lands it owns north of Sacramento, California. The SPP will be a

``merchant plant.'' SPP will not be owned by a utility nor by a utility

affiliate selling power to its utility, nor is it supported by a long-

term power purchase agreement with a utility. The SPP will instead sell

power on a short and mid-term basis to customers and the on-the-spot

market. Power purchases by customers will be voluntary, and all

economic costs will be borne by Calpine.

The SPP project consists of a nominal 500 megawatt (MW) net

electrical output natural gas-fired, combined cycle generating

facility, a 230-kV switching station, and 3.5 miles of new 230-kV

transmission line to connect with Western's Keswick-Elverta and Olinda-

Elverta Double-Circuit 230-kV Transmission Line at some point south and

west of the plant. A new 12-mile natural gas pipeline will be

constructed to provide fuel for the project. The 16-inch gas pipeline

will connect to an existing Pacific Gas and Electric natural gas supply

line located to the west of the facility site. Potable water and

cooling water will be provided by an on-site well system that will be

developed as part of the project. It is expected that three wells will

be developed to provide about 3,000 gallons per minute of water that

will be needed during peak operating conditions. Sanitary waste will be

treated on-site. The treated and other waste water generated in the

operation of the plant will be discharged to an existing surface

drainage system, requiring a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination

System Permit.

The SPP will be located in Sutter County, California, on a portion

of Calpine owned 77-acre parcel of land that contains a 49.5 MW

cogeneration plant. Yuba City, California, is about 7 miles to the

northeast; Oswald, California, is about 3.5 miles to the east; and

Sacramento, California, is about 36 miles to the southeast of the

proposed project site. The land surrounding the project area is

farmland used to grow rice, walnuts, almonds, and other orchard crops.

Western was approached by Calpine to consider providing an outlet

for the power produced by the SPP. Since this would require Western to

make facility additions to its existing system to incorporate

additional power from new generation, Western is required by the DOE's

NEPA Implementing Procedures to prepare an EIS on the potential

environmental impacts of this proposal. Western, therefore, agreed to

be the lead Federal Agency, as defined at 40 CFR 1501.5. However,

because the CEC has licensing responsibilities, Western has agreed to

be a joint lead with the CEC and to utilize their expertise in siting

issues.

The purpose of the CEC's Energy Facilities Siting and Environmental

Protection Division (Division) is to ensure that needed energy

facilities are authorized according to this process in an expeditious,

safe, and environmentally acceptable manner. In addition, the Division

prepares all environmental documentation for the CEC as required by

CEQA. To attain its objectives, the Division maintains a staff of

experts in more than 20 environmental and engineering disciplines. The

Division's range of technical expertise allows it to perform balanced,

totally independent evaluations of complex and controversial projects.

Western and the CEC will carefully examine public health and

safety,

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environmental impacts, and engineering aspects of the proposed power

project, including all related facilities, such as electric

transmission and natural gas lines. The permitting process is open to

the public and includes input from the public and all interested

parties as well as consultations with other Federal, State, local, and

tribal agencies. The review process was initiated when Calpine filed an

Application for Certification (AFC) with the CEC on December 15, 1997.

On January 21, 1998, the CEC accepted the AFC as complete which begins

a 1-year review process. General information on the CEC facility siting

process and the SPP can be found on the CEC's Internet web site (http:/

/www.energy.ca.gov/sitingcases/sutterpower). Since the project site is

currently zoned for agricultural uses, Calpine will request Sutter

County to permit a rezone of the 77-acre parcel to a planned

development site, thus allowing industrial use. Western, CEC, and

Sutter County reviews will occur concurrently.

The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the requirements of

CEQ's NEPA implementing regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508) and DOE's NEPA

Implementing Procedures (10 CFR 1021). Full public participation and

disclosure are planned for the entire EIS process. It is anticipated

that the EIS process will take 12 months and will include public

information/scoping meetings; coordination and involvement with

appropriate Federal, State, local, and tribal government agencies;

public review and hearings on the published draft EIS; a published

final EIS; a review period; and publication of a record of decision

(ROD). Public information and scoping meetings will begin March 3,

1998. Publication of the ROD is anticipated in the fall of 1998.

Dated: February 5, 1998.

Michael S. Hacskaylo,

Acting Administrator.

[FR Doc. 98-3724 Filed 2-12-98; 8:45 am]

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