15970 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 55 / Tuesday, March 22, 2011 / Notices 

project are presented in the EIS. 

Alternative sources of water supply and 

reasonable alternative routes for linear 

facilities are addressed as options in the 

draft EIS. 

The draft EIS considers the 

environmental consequences that may 

result from the proposed project and 

describes additional mitigation that 

might be used to reduce various 

impacts. Potential impacts identified 

during the scoping process and 

analyzed in the draft EIS relate to the 

following: 

Air quality; soils, geology, and 

mineral resources; ground water; surface 

water; biological resources; aesthetics; 

cultural resources; land use; 

socioeconomics; environmental justice; 

community services; utility systems; 

transportation; materials and waste 

management; human health, safety, and 

accidents; and noise and vibration. 

Availability of the Draft EIS 

Copies of the draft EIS have been 

distributed to Members of Congress; 

Native American tribal governments; 

Federal, State, and local officials; and 

agencies, organizations, and individuals 

who may be interested or affected. The 

draft EIS will be available on the 

Internet at: http://nepa.energy.gov/. 

Copies of the draft EIS are available for 

public review at the following location: 

University of Texas of the Permian 

Basin, J. Conrad Dunagan Library, Main 

Floor, 4901 E. University Avenue, 

Odessa, TX 79762–0001. Additional 

copies also can be requested (see 

ADDRESSES). 

Public Hearing 

DOE will conduct a public hearing on 

April 5, 2011 at the MCM Elegante 

Hotel, 5200 E. University Boulevard, 

Odessa, TX 79762 to obtain comments 

on the draft EIS. Requests to speak at the 

public hearing can be made by calling 

or writing to Mr. Mark L. McKoy (see 

ADDRESSES). Requests to speak that have 

not been submitted prior to the hearing 

will be accepted in the order in which 

they are received during the hearing. 

Speakers are encouraged to provide a 

written version of their oral comments 

or supplementary materials for the 

record. Each speaker will be allowed 

approximately five minutes to present 

comments. Those speakers who want 

more than five minutes should indicate 

the length of time desired in their 

request. Depending on the number of 

speakers, DOE may need to limit all 

speakers to five minutes initially and 

provide additional opportunities as time 

permits. Comments will be recorded by 

a court reporter and will become part of 

the public record. Oral and written 

comments will be given equal 

consideration. 

The hearing will begin at 4 p.m. with 

an informational session. Formal 

presentations and a formal comment 

session will begin at approximately 

7 p.m. DOE will begin the hearing’s 

formal session with overviews of the 

DOE program, proposed project, and 

NEPA process, followed by oral 

statements by the pre-registered 

speakers. Speakers may be asked 

questions to help ensure that DOE fully 

understands the comments. A presiding 

officer will establish the order of 

speakers and provide any additional 

procedures necessary to conduct the 

meetings. 

All meetings will be accessible to 

people with disabilities. In addition, 

any individual needing specific 

assistance, such as a sign language 

interpreter or a translator, should 

contact Mr. Mark L. McKoy (See 

ADDRESSES) at least 48 hours in advance 

of the hearing so that arrangements can 

be made. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on March 17, 

2011. 

Mark J. Matarrese, 

Director, Office of Environment, Security, 

Safety & Health, Office of Fossil Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2011–6694 Filed 3–21–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Bonneville Power Administration 

Central Ferry to Lower Monumental 

500-kilovolt Transmission Line Project 

AGENCY: Bonneville Power 

Administration (BPA), Department of 

Energy (DOE). 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Record 

of Decision (ROD). 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

availability of the ROD to implement the 

Central Ferry—Lower Monumental 500- 

kilovolt (kV) Transmission Line Project 

in Garfield, Columbia, and Walla Walla 

counties, Washington. BPA has decided 

to implement the Combination A 

Alternative identified in the Central 

Ferry—Lower Monumental 500-kV 

Transmission Line Project Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/ 

EIS–0422, February 2011). The 

Combination A Alternative consists of 

constructing a new 500-kV single-circuit 

transmission line from BPA’s new 

Central Ferry Substation near the Port of 

Central Ferry in Garfield County 

generally west through Garfield, 

Columbia, and Walla Walla counties to 

BPA’s existing Lower Monumental 

Substation in Walla Walla County, a 

distance of about 38 miles. The 

transmission line route begins at the 

new Central Ferry Substation along the 

Snake River, and runs southwest for 

about 11 miles mostly parallel to and 

about 1,200 to 2,500 feet (about 1⁄4; mile 

to c mile) south of BPA’s two existing 

Little Goose-Lower Granite 500-kV steel 

lattice transmission lines. The route 

then angles away from the existing lines 

and proceeds southwest for about 6 

miles before crossing the Tucannon 

River directly north of the town of 

Starbuck. The route then proceeds west 

for about 20 miles from the Tucannon 

River crossing to BPA’s existing Lower 

Monumental Substation. BPA will 

acquire new 150-foot-wide right-of-way 

for the entire length of the new line. 

Approximately 161 new lattice steel 

transmission towers, ranging in height 

from about 104 to 189 feet with an 

average span length between towers of 

about 1,200 feet, will be constructed in 

the new right-of-way. The conductor 

and overhead ground wire for the new 

transmission line will be placed on 

these towers, and counterpoise would 

be buried in the ground at selected 

towers. Construction of the new line 

also will include the upgrade of about 

5 miles of existing access roads, and the 

construction of about 38 miles of new 

access roads. Power circuit breakers, 

disconnect switches, and other 

electrical equipment will be installed at 

Lower Monumental Substation. In the 

vicinity of the Lower Monumental 

Substation, six existing steel lattice 

towers that support existing 

transmission lines in this area will be 

relocated to allow entry of the Central 

Ferry-Lower Monumental transmission 

line into the substation. Fiber optic 

cable will be installed along a portion of 

the new line. All mitigation measures 

identified in the EIS are adopted. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the ROD and EIS 

may be obtained by calling BPA’s tollfree document request line, 1–800–622– 

4520. The ROD and EIS are also 

available on our Web site, http:// 

www.bpa.gov/go/centralferrylomo. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tish 

Eaton, Bonneville Power 

Administration—KEC–4, P.O. Box 3621, 

Portland, Oregon 97208–3621; toll-free 

telephone number 1–800–622–4519; fax 

number 503–230–5699; or e-mail 

tkeaton@bpa.gov. 

Issued in Portland, Oregon, on March 11, 

2011. 

Stephen J. Wright, 

Administrator and Chief Executive Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2011–6662 Filed 3–21–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 


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