Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 18 / Wednesday, January 28, 2015 / Notices 4535 

[FR Doc. 2015–01474 Filed 1–27–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–C 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Basin Electric Power Cooperative: 

Notice of Availability of an 

Environmental Assessment 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of an 

Environmental Assessment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is 

issuing an Environmental Assessment 

(EA) in connection with potential 

impacts related to the proposed Big 

Bend to Witten Transmission Line 

Project by the Basin Electric Power 

Cooperative (Basin Electric). Basin 


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In 
4536 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 18 / Wednesday, January 28, 2015 / Notices 

Electric is requesting RUS financial 

assistance for the proposed action. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice 

must be received on or before February 

27, 2015. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

obtain copies of the EA, or for further 

information, contact Richard Fristik, 

Senior Environmental Protection 

Specialist, USDA, Rural Utilities 

Service, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW., Stop 1571, Washington, DC 20250– 

1571, Telephone: (202) 720–5093, 

Email: richard.fristik@wdc.usda.gov. 

You may also contact Kevin L. Solie, 

Basin Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., 

1717 East Interstate Avenue, Bismarck, 

ND 58503–0564, Telephone: (701) 557– 

5495, Email: ksolie@bepc.com. 

The public may view a copy of the EA 

online at the following Agency Web site: 

• http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/

ea.htm. 

The public may also view a copy of 

the EA at the following locations: 

• Rural Utilities Service, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW., Room 2240, 

Washington, DC 20250. 

• Basin Electric Power Cooperative, 

1717 East Interstate Avenue, Bismarck, 

ND 58503–0564. 

Send questions and comments to 

Richard Fristik, Senior Environmental 

Protection Specialist, USDA, Rural 

Utilities Service at the address 

provided. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

proposed Big Bend to Witten 

Transmission Line Project (proposed 

action) consists of an approximately 70- 

mile long 230-kV single-circuit 

transmission line, a new Western Area 

Power Administration (Western) 

switchyard called Lower Brule 

Switchyard, an addition to the existing 

Witten Substation, and approximately 

two miles of 230-kV double-circuit 

transmission line between Big Bend 

Dam and the new Lower Brule 

Switchyard. Construction at the Lower 

Brule Switchyard and Witten Substation 

will include communications facilities, 

a microwave relay tower, and an 

associated building. Western and the 

Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are 

cooperating agencies in preparation of 

the EA. The agencies and the Lower 

Brule Sioux Tribe have closely 

cooperated with each other to prepare 

the EA and address issues related to a 

portion of the proposed transmission 

line that crosses Indian trust lands. 

The network transmission system in 

South Dakota is not able to 

accommodate the next several years of 

projected load growth. The proposed 

action will strengthen the transmission 

network, improve transmission system 

reliability, and help meet future demand 

for electricity and economic 

development in the region. In addition 

to increasing the load serving ability for 

both Rosebud and West Central Electric 

Cooperatives, the Project would provide 

additional access to the regional high 

voltage transmission system. 

The proposed Big Bend to Witten line 

would enhance system reliability by 

providing an additional connection to 

the ‘‘grid’’ roughly midpoint along this 

east-west line. If a storm damaged a 

portion of the Fort Randall to Martin 

115-kV line, the Big Bend to Witten line 

could provide power to the undamaged 

segments of the line. The proposed line 

would also provide a tap point for West 

Central near Reliance, which would 

enhance the reliability and stability of 

the West Central system. The tap point 

near Reliance would provide an 

additional power line to the Lower 

Brule Sioux Indian Reservation, which 

currently has only one older line, and 

would provide reliability and stability 

to power on the Reservation. In 

addition, future wind-generation 

facilities may be able to interconnect to 

the proposed line to convey power to 

West Central’s markets. Lastly, the 

Project lends itself to additional buildout that supports Western’s long-range 

plan for a 230-kV system in southern 

South Dakota, and would provide 

increased load serving capacity such 

that the delivery needs of the projected 

network load could be met in a reliable 

manner. 

Basin Electric is seeking financing 

from RUS for its ownership of the 

proposed project. Before making a 

decision to provide financing, RUS is 

required to conduct an environmental 

review under NEPA in accordance with 

RUS’s Environmental Policies and 

Procedures (7 CFR part 1794). AECOM, 

an environmental consultant, prepared 

an EA for RUS that describes the project 

and assesses the proposed project’s 

environmental impacts. RUS conducted 

an independent evaluation of the EA 

and believed it accurately assessed the 

impact of the proposed project. No 

significant impacts are expected as a 

result of the construction of the project. 

Any final action by RUS related to the 

proposed action will be subject to, and 

contingent upon, compliance with all 

relevant Federal, State, and local 

environmental laws and regulations and 

completion of the environmental review 

requirements as prescribed in RUS’s 

Environmental Policies and Procedures 

at 7 CFR part 1794. 

Dated: January 21, 2015. 

Richard Fristik, 

Acting Director, Engineering and 

Environmental Staff, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2015–01541 Filed 1–27–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit to the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) for clearance the 

following proposal for collection of 

information under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

Chapter 35). 

Agency: Bureau of Economic Analysis 

(BEA), Commerce. 

Title: Quarterly Survey of Foreign 

Direct Investment in the United States— 

Transactions of U.S. Affiliate with 

Foreign Parent. 

OMB Control Number: 0608–0009. 

Form Number: BE–605. 

Type of Request: Regular submission. 

Number of Responses: 16,000 

annually. 

Average Hours Per Response: One 

hour is the average, but may vary 

considerably among respondents 

because of differences in company size 

and complexity. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 16,000. 

Needs and Uses: The Quarterly 

Survey of Foreign Direct Investment in 

the United States—Transactions of U.S. 

Affiliate with Foreign Parent (BE–605) is 

a sample survey that collects data on 

transactions and positions between 

foreign-owned U.S. business enterprises 

and their ‘‘affiliated foreign groups’’ 

(i.e., their foreign parents and foreign 

affiliates of their foreign parents). The 

sample data are used to derive universe 

estimates in nonbenchmark years from 

similar data reported in the BE–12, 

Benchmark Survey of Foreign Direct 

Investment in the United States, which 

is conducted every five years. The data 

are used in the preparation of the U.S. 

international transactions, national 

income and product, and input-output 

accounts and the net international 

investment position of the United 

States. The data are needed to measure 

the size and economic significance of 

foreign direct investment in the United 

States, measure changes in such 

investment, and assess its impact on the 

U.S. economy. 

Affected Public: Businesses or other 

for-profit organizations. 

Frequency: Quarterly. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

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