[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 245 (Wednesday, December 22, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 80488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-32121]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Notice of Cancellation of Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed NextGen Project Near Selby, Walworth County, SD (DOE/EIS-0401)

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Cancellation of Environmental Impact Statement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Western Area Power 
Administration (Western) is issuing this notice to advise the public 
that it is cancelling the preparation of an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on 
an interconnection request by the Basin Electric Power Cooperative 
(BEPC). BEPC proposed to design, construct, operate, and maintain a 
500- to 700-megawatt base load, coal-fired generation facility near 
Selby, Walworth County, South Dakota, and interconnect it with 
Western's transmission system, thus triggering a NEPA review of 
Western's action to allow the interconnection. BEPC has notified 
Western it is suspending further action on its proposed project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on the 
cancellation of this EIS process, contact Matt Marsh, Upper Great 
Plains Regional Office, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 
35800, Billings, MT 59107-5800, e-mail <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9dd0d0fcefeef5ddeafcedfcb3faf2eb"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e5a8a88497968da592849584cb828a93">[email protected]</span></a>, telephone (800) 
358-3415. For general information on the DOE's NEPA review process, 
contact Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and 
Compliance, GC-54, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20585-0119, telephone (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-
2756, facsimile (202) 586-7031.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Western 
Area Power Administration (Western) is cancelling the preparation of an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) under the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) on an interconnection request by the Basin Electric 
Power Cooperative (BEPC). BEPC proposed to design, construct, operate, 
and maintain a 500- to 700-megawatt base load, coal-fired generation 
facility near Selby, Walworth County, South Dakota. BEPC's proposed 
NextGen Project would have been entirely owned and operated by BEPC, 
and would have been constructed on private land. Western received a 
request for interconnection from BEPC, which triggered a NEPA process 
on Western's proposed action to approve or deny BEPC's request to 
interconnect their proposed project with Western's transmission system. 
If the interconnection were to be approved, Western would have needed 
to construct and operate an interconnection facility at the point of 
interconnection.
    A Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement was 
published in the Federal Register on July 27, 2007 (72 FR 41307). 
Public scoping meetings were held subsequent to the Notice of intent, 
but a Draft EIS was not produced. BEPC has notified Western that it is 
suspending further action on its proposed project; accordingly Western 
is terminating the NEPA review process on its interconnection decision.

    Dated: December 10, 2010.
Timothy J. Meeks,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2010-32121 Filed 12-21-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P


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