Notice of Reopening Scoping Period and Schedule for Public Scoping Meetings; Public Service Company of New Mexico

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[FE Docket No. PP-197, DOE/EIS-0307]

Notice of Reopening Scoping Period and Schedule for Public

Scoping Meetings; Public Service Company of New Mexico

AGENCY: Department of Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: DOE announces that it is reopening the scoping period and will

hold additional public scoping meetings for the environmental impact

statement (DOE/EIS-0307) that is being prepared in connection with an

application for a Presidential permit filed by Public Service Company

of New Mexico (PNM). An EIS is being prepared because DOE has

determined that the issuance of the Presidential permit would

constitute a major Federal action that may have a significant impact

upon the environment within the meaning of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). PNM has applied for a Presidential permit to

construct electric transmission lines across the U.S.-Mexican border.

The previous public scoping period extended from February 12, 1999, to

April 14, 1999, during which time DOE conducted seven public meetings

to obtain comments on the three alternative transmission corridors that

were proposed in PNM's Presidential permit application. The purpose of

this notice is to open a new scoping period to obtain additional

comments, particularly on three additional alternative transmission

corridors that have been identified subsequent to the original scoping

period.

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 second scoping period starts with the publication

of this notice in the Federal Register and will continue until July 14,

1999. Written and oral comments will be given equal weight, and DOE

will consider all comments received or postmarked by July 14, 1999, in

defining the scope of the EIS. Comments received or postmarked after

that date will be considered to the extent possible. Additional

information on the scoping process is available in the scoping notice

published in the Federal Register on February 12, 1999 (64 FR 7173).

Dates, times, and locations for the public scoping meetings are:

1. June 29, 1999, 1 to 3 P.M., Desert Hills Social Center, 2980 S.

Camino del Sol, Green Valley, Arizona.

2. June 29, 1999, 6 to 8 P.M., St. Ann's Hall, 18 Baca, Tubac,

Arizona.

3. June 30, 1999, 10 to 12 P.M., Meeting Room, Buenos Aries

National Wildlife Refuge, Sasabe, Arizona. (Directions: From Tucson,

take I-19 S to Ajo Way/Highway 86, go W on Ajo Way 20 miles to Three

Points/Robles Junction. Proceed S on Route 286 approximately 37 miles.

Follow signs to headquarters 3 miles E.)

4. June 30, 1999, 3 to 5 P.M., Mary E. Dill Primary School, Multi

Purpose Room 10451 South Sasabe, Three Points (Robles Junction),

Arizona.

5. June 30, 1999, 7 to 9 P.M., Plaza Hotel and Conference Center

(Wildcat I and II), 1900 E. Speedway Boulevard, Tucson, Arizona.

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

by Mrs. Russell, the NEPA Document Manager, at the address indicated

below on or before June 25, 1999. 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 be 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, NEPA Document Manager, Office of Fossil Energy (FE-

27), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.,

Washington DC 20585-0350; phone 202-586-9624, facsimile: 202-287-5736,

or electronic mail at Ellen.R[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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 listed in the ADDRESSES section of

this notice.

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.

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

impacts 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 December 28, 1998, PNM, a regulated public utility, filed an

application for a Presidential permit with the Office of Fossil Energy

of DOE. PNM proposes to construct two transmission lines on a single

right-of-way extending approximately 140 to 230 miles from the electric

switchyard near the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS),

located approximately 30 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona, to the U.S.-

Mexico border in the vicinity of Nogales or Sasabe, Arizona. South of

the border, PNM would extend the lines approximately 60 to 120 miles to

the Santa Ana Substation, located in the City of Santa Ana, Sonora,

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

national electric utility of Mexico. In its application for a

Presidential permit, PNM identified three alternative corridors for

construction of the cross-border transmission lines. These corridors,

Alternatives 1, 2 and 3 below, were the subject of public meetings

conducted in Nogales, Tucson, Patagonia, Sells, Ajo, Gila Bend, and

Casa Grande, Arizona, in March 1999.

During these meetings, residents and interested groups provided

comments that have led to the identification of three additional

alternative corridors (Alternatives 4, 5, and 6) that will be studied

in the EIS. The purpose of this notice is to reopen the scoping period

for the EIS and to announce additional public scoping meetings to

collect additional comments, particularly on Alternatives 4, 5, and 6.

To assist the first time reader, a description of each of the corridors

follows. Oral and written comments previously submitted on Alternatives

1, 2, and 3 have been entered in the official record of this proceeding

and need not be resubmitted.

[[Page 31205]]

Alternative 1

This alternative corridor begins at the electrical switchyard near

the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station (PVNGS), continues south,

following existing transmission lines, past Gila Bend and across the

Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range to Ajo where it turns southeast to

the vicinity of Why and continues across the western boundary of the

Tohono O'odham Nation and then southeast to the international border

(145 miles in the U.S., 264 miles total).

Alternative 2

This alternative corridor proceeds south and east from the

electrical switchyard near the PVNGS to the vicinity of Mobile where it

turns south crossing the middle to eastern area of the Tohono O'odham

Nation and then proceeds southeast to the international border in the

vicinity of San Miguel (158 miles in the U.S., 240 miles total).

Alternative 3

This alternative corridor extends southeasterly from the electrical

switchyard near the PVNGS to Interstate 10, approximately three miles

north of Red Rock. From this point, the corridor continues in a

southeasterly direction, following I-10 and existing transmission

lines, through Tucson, to Arizona Highway 83. East of Highway 83 the

corridor turns south, following a designated utility corridor (that

does not contain transmission lines) to Sonoita, then southwest to

Patagonia, crossing the border in the vicinity of Nogales (234 miles in

the U.S., 301 miles total).

Alternative 4

This alternative corridor extends southeasterly from the electrical

switchyard near the PVNGS to I-10, approximately three miles north of

Red Rock. From this point, the line continues in a southeasterly

direction, following I-10 and existing transmission lines to Marana. At

Marana, this alternative corridor turns south, following an existing

powerline corridor west of the Saguaro National Park, across the

eastern edge of the Tohono O'odham Nation Schuk Toak District (known as

the Garcia Strip) to an area just north of Three Points (Robles

Junction). From Three Points, this alternative corridor heads southwest

toward the Baboquivari Mountains on new right-of-way. This alternative

corridor remains west of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge and

east of the Baboquivari Mountains, crossing into Mexico near Sasabe

(209 miles in the U.S., 288 miles total).

Alternative 5

This alternative corridor extends southeasterly from the electrical

switchyard near the PVNGS to I-10, approximately three miles north of

Red Rock. The corridor continues in a southeasterly direction,

following I-10 and existing transmission lines, through Tucson. Near

the intersection of I-10 and Business Route 19, the corridor turns

south, paralleling Business Route 19 and I-19, passing Sahuarita and

Green Valley. The corridor remains well east of I-19, gradually

approaching I-19 near Amado and Tubac, and continuing south crossing

the border in Nogales (216 miles in the U.S., 283 miles total).

Alternative 6

This alternative corridor is the same as Alternate 4 from the

electrical switchyard near the PVNGS to an area north of three Points

(Robles Junction.). From Three Points, this alternative corridor would

turn southeast, following an existing powerline corridor across the

southwestern corner of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O'odham

Nation and then east, across an area south of ASARCO's Mission Complex

Mine Area. This alternative corridor continues east, following an

existing transmission corridor, across I-19 and Business Route 19 to a

point east of Sahuarita. This corridor then turns south following the

same route as Alternative 4, crossing the border in Nogales (229 miles

in the U.S., 296 miles total).

Battelle Memorial Institute is assisting DOE in preparation of the

EIS. Battelle is also maintaining an EIS web site for DOE at:

www.battelle.org/projects/pnmeis. From this site, the PNM Presidential

permit application can be downloaded, as well as the project fact

sheet, verbatim transcripts from the March 1999 public scoping

meetings, and other project-related information.

Issued in Washington, DC, on June 4, 1999.

Anthony J. Como,

Manager, Electric Power Regulation, Office of Coal and Power Im/Ex,

Office of Coal and Power Systems, Office of Fossil Energy.

[FR Doc. 99-14658 Filed 6-9-99; 8:45 am]

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