Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 86 / Thursday, May 3, 2012 / Notices 26275 

there will be presentations by three 

Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee 

subcommittees and a presentation on 

Accident Tolerant Fuels. Finally, a 

presentation will be given on the status 

of NE’s University Program. The agenda 

may change to accommodate committee 

business. For updates, one is directed to 

the NEAC Web site: http:// 

www.ne.doe.gov/neac/ 

neNeacMeetings.html. 

Public Participation: Individuals and 

representatives of organizations who 

would like to offer comments and 

suggestions may do so on the day of the 

meeting, Tuesday June 12, 2012. 

Approximately thirty minutes will be 

reserved for public comments. Time 

allotted per speaker will depend on the 

number who wish to speak but is not 

expected to exceed 5 minutes. Anyone 

who is not able to make the meeting or 

has had insufficient time to address the 

committee is invited to send a written 

statement to Kenneth Chuck Wade at 

the address or email listed above. 

Minutes: The minutes of the meeting 

will be available by contacting Mr. 

Wade at the address above or on the 

Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear 

Energy Web site at: http:// 

www.ne.doe.gov/neac/ 

neNeacMeetings.html. 

Issued at Washington, DC on April 27, 

2012. 

LaTanya R. Butler, 

Acting Deputy Committee Management 

Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2012–10724 Filed 5–2–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Environmental Management Advisory 

Board Meeting 

AGENCY: Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of open meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

meeting of the Environmental 

Management Advisory Board (EMAB). 

The Federal Advisory Committee Act 

(Pub. L. 92–463, 86 Stat. 770) requires 

that public notice of this meeting be 

announced in the Federal Register. 

DATES: Thursday, May 31, 2012; 9 a.m.– 

5 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: Hotel on The Falls, 475 

River Parkway, Idaho Falls, Idaho 

83402. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kristen G. Ellis, Designated Federal 

Officer, EMAB (EM–42), U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20585. Phone (202) 

586–5810; fax (202) 586–0293 or email: 

kristen.ellis@em.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Purpose of 

the Board: The purpose of EMAB is to 

provide the Assistant Secretary for 

Environmental Management (EM) with 

advice and recommendations on 

corporate issues confronting the EM 

program. EMAB contributes to the 

effective operation of the program by 

providing individual citizens and 

representatives of interested groups an 

opportunity to present their views on 

issues facing EM and by helping to 

secure consensus recommendations on 

those issues. 

Tentative Agenda Topics 

• EM Update 

• Updates on EMAB Fiscal Year 2012 

Work Plan Assignments 

• Tank Waste Strategy Update 

• Citizens’ Advisory Board Update 

• Subcommittee Updates 

Public Participation: EMAB welcomes 

the attendance of the public at its 

advisory committee meetings and will 

make every effort to accommodate 

persons with physical disabilities or 

special needs. If you require special 

accommodations due to a disability, 

please contact Kristen G. Ellis at least 

seven days in advance of the meeting at 

the phone number or email address 

listed above. Written statements may be 

filed with the Board either before or 

after the meeting. Individuals who wish 

to make oral statements pertaining to 

the agenda should contact Kristen G. 

Ellis at the address or telephone number 

listed above. Requests must be received 

five days prior to the meeting and 

reasonable provision will be made to 

include the presentation in the agenda. 

The Designated Federal Officer is 

empowered to conduct the meeting in a 

fashion that will facilitate the orderly 

conduct of business. Individuals 

wishing to make public comments will 

be provided a maximum of five minutes 

to present their comments. 

Minutes: Minutes will be available by 

writing or calling Kristen G. Ellis at the 

address or phone number listed above. 

Minutes will also be available at the 

following Web site http:// 

www.em.doe.gov/stakepages/ 

emabmeetings.aspx. 

Issued at Washington, DC on April 27, 

2012. 

LaTanya R. Butler, 

Acting Deputy Committee Management 

Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2012–10681 Filed 5–2–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Bonneville Power Administration; 

Montana-to-Washington Transmission 

System Upgrade Project EIS 

AGENCY: Bonneville Power 

Administration (BPA), Department of 

Energy (DOE). 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and notice of floodplain and wetlands 

involvement. 

SUMMARY: BPA intends to prepare an EIS 

in accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) on 

several proposed upgrades to its existing 

transmission system. The proposed 

upgrades would consist of a 

combination of reinforcements of five 

existing BPA substations, placement of 

new conductor on sections of an 

existing BPA transmission line, and the 

addition of a new series compensation 

substation along an existing BPA 

transmission line corridor. The 

substation reinforcements would occur 

at Garrison and Hot Springs substations 

in Montana, Dworshak and Hatwai 

substations in Idaho, and Bell 

Substation in Washington. The line 

reconductoring would occur on four 

sections, totaling 12 miles, of the 

Dworshak-Taft No. 1 500-kilovolt (kV) 

line in Montana and Idaho. The series 

compensation substation would be 

added along the Garrison-Taft 500-kV 

line corridor in Montana. 

The proposed upgrades are needed to 

respond to requests for long-term firm 

transmission service that BPA has 

received for the West of Garrison and 

West of Hatwai transmission paths. 

These upgrades would increase the firm 

east-to-west transfer capability from 

BPA’s Garrison Substation in Western 

Montana to load centers west of the 

Cascades and to market hubs serving the 

entire Northwest power market. 

With this Notice of Intent, BPA is 

initiating the public scoping process for 

the EIS. BPA is requesting comments 

about potential environmental impacts 

that it should consider as it prepares the 

EIS for the proposed project. 

In accordance with DOE regulations 

for compliance with floodplain and 

wetlands environmental review 

requirements, BPA will prepare a 

floodplain and wetlands assessment to 

avoid or minimize potential harm to or 

within any affected floodplains and 

wetlands. The assessment will be 

included in the EIS. 

DATES: Written scoping comments are 

due no later than June 18, 2012, and can 

be submitted at the addresses below. 

Verbal and written comments may also 


wreier-aviles on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
26276 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 86 / Thursday, May 3, 2012 / Notices 

be made at the EIS scoping meetings 

that will be held at the locations listed 

below. 

ADDRESSES: Send letters with comments 

and suggestions on the proposed scope 

of the Draft EIS, and requests to be 

placed on the project mailing list, to 

Bonneville Power Administration, 

Public Affairs Office—DKE–7, P.O. Box 

14428, Portland, OR 97293–4428, or by 

fax to (503) 230–4019. You also may call 

BPA’s toll free comment line at (800) 

622–4519 and leave a message (please 

include the name of this project); or 

submit comments online at 

www.bpa.gov/comment. BPA will also 

post all comment letters received in 

their entirety on BPA’s Web site at 

www.bpa.gov/comment. 

On May 22, 2012, a scoping meeting 

will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

at the Lewiston Community Center, 

1424 Main Street, Lewiston, Idaho 

83501. On May 23, 2012, a scoping 

meeting will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 

7:00 p.m. at the Linwood Elementary 

School, 906 West Weile Avenue, 

Spokane, Washington 99208. On June 

12, 2012, a scoping meeting will be held 

from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the 

Missoula Fire Department (Station 4), 

3011 Latimor Street, Missoula, Montana 

59808. And lastly, on June 13, 2012, a 

scoping meeting will be held from 5:00 

p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the St. Regis School, 

6 Tiger Street, St. Regis, Montana 59866. 

At these informal open-house style 

meetings, BPA will provide maps and 

other information about the project and 

have members of the project team 

available to answer questions and 

accept oral and written comments. You 

may stop by anytime during the open 

house. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Andrew M. Montan ̃ o, Environmental 

Protection Specialist, Bonneville Power 

Administration—KEC–4, P.O. Box 3621, 

Portland, Oregon 97208–3621; toll-free 

telephone 1–800–282–3713; direct 

telephone 503–230–4145; or email 

ammontano@bpa.gov. You may also 

contact Amit Sinha, Project Manager, 

Bonneville Power Administration— 

TEP–3, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, Oregon 

97208–3621; toll-free telephone 1–800– 

282–3713; direct telephone 360–619– 

6178; or email axsinha@bpa.gov. 

Additional information can be found at 

BPA’s project Web site at www.bpa.gov/ 

go/M2W. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2010, 

BPA conducted a Network Open Season 

(NOS) process to help manage its list of 

reque‘‘’’sts for long-term transmission 

service. During the NOS process, 

utilities and power generators 

(including wind generators and power 

marketers) requested the use of BPA’s 

transmission system to transmit their 

power. To determine if BPA could offer 

the service requested, BPA studied the 

transmission system and identified 

where existing capacity was available 

and where the system needed upgrades. 

The studies found that there was not 

enough available transmission capacity 

to accommodate all requests for longterm service from the west side of its 

Garrison Substation in Western 

Montana to load centers west of the 

Cascades. Wind generation facilities 

built and proposed in the region have 

greatly increased the amount of power 

being produced in Montana seeking 

load and markets in the Northwest. 

Further studies revealed that reinforcing 

the BPA Network at strategic locations 

on the Garrison-Taft, Taft-Dworshak and 

Taft-Bell, Hatwai-Lower Granite, and 

Grand Coulee-Bell sections would allow 

BPA to accommodate the requests for 

transmission service in this area. 

BPA must respond to these requests 

for transmission service under its Open 

Access Transmission Tariff. This tariff, 

which is generally consistent with the 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission’s pro forma open access 

tariff, has procedures that provide 

access to BPA’s transmission system for 

all eligible customers, consistent with 

all BPA requirements (including the 

availability or development of sufficient 

transmission capacity) and subject to an 

environmental review under NEPA. The 

proposed Montana-to-Washington 

Transmission System Upgrade Project, 

formerly known as the Colstrip Upgrade 

Project or ‘‘CUP West,’’ would respond 

to these requests for transmission 

service. 

BPA will prepare an EIS under NEPA 

to assist the agency as it decides 

whether to perform these proposed 

transmission system upgrades. The EIS 

will study two alternatives: The 

proposed system upgrades and a No 

Action Alternative in which BPA would 

not upgrade its system and not be able 

to provide the requested transmission 

service. BPA will be the lead agency for 

preparation of the EIS. Cooperating 

agencies for the EIS may be identified as 

the proposed project proceeds through 

the NEPA process. 

Public Participation and 

Identification of Environmental Issues. 

The potential environmental issues 

identified for most transmission line 

projects include land use, 

socioeconomics, cultural resources, 

visual resources, electric and magnetic 

fields, sensitive plants and animals, soil 

erosion, wetlands, floodplains, and fish 

and water resources. BPA has 

established a 45-day scoping period 

during which tribes, affected 

landowners, concerned citizens, special 

interest groups, local and federal 

governments, and any other interested 

parties are invited to comment on the 

scope of the proposed EIS, including the 

environmental impacts to be evaluated. 

Scoping will help BPA ensure that a full 

range of issues related to this proposal 

is addressed in the EIS, and also will 

identify significant or potentially 

significant impacts that may result from 

the proposed project. When completed, 

the Draft EIS will be circulated for 

review and comment, and BPA will 

hold public meetings to hear comments. 

The Draft EIS is expected to be 

published in the fall of 2013. BPA will 

consider and respond to comments 

received on the Draft EIS in the Final 

EIS. The Final EIS is expected to be 

published in fall of 2014. BPA’s 

decision will be documented in a 

Record of Decision that will follow the 

Final EIS. 

Issued in Portland, Oregon, on April 23, 

2012. 

Stephen J. Wright, 

Administrator and Chief Executive Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2012–10673 Filed 5–2–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Energy Efficiency and Renewable 

Energy 

Biomass Research and Development 

Technical Advisory Committee 

AGENCY: Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, Department of 

Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of open meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces an 

open meeting of the Biomass Research 

and Development Technical Advisory 

Committee. The Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463, 86 Stat. 

770) requires that public notice of this 

meeting be announced in the Federal 

Register. 

DATES: Tuesday, May 22, 2012; 8:30 

a.m.–1:30 p.m. and Wednesday, May 23, 

2012; 8:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: Pacific Northwest National 

Laboratory, Biological Sciences Facility 

& Computational Sciences Facility, 3300 

Stevens Drive, Richland, Washington 

99354. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Elliott Levine, Designated Federal 

Officer, Office of Energy Efficiency and 

Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of 

Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue 


wreier-aviles on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES