[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 75 (Tuesday, April 21, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18213-18214]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9096]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Bonneville Power Administration


Whistling Ridge Energy Project

AGENCY: Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), Department of Energy 
(DOE).

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and floodplain and wetland involvement.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces BPA's intention to prepare a joint 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)/State Environmental Policy Act 
(SEPA) EIS with the Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council 
(EFSEC) for a proposed 75 megawatt (MW) wind energy generation project 
to be located on 1,152 acres in Skamania County, Washington. This 
project, referred to as the Whistling Ridge Energy Project, has been 
proposed by Whistling Ridge Energy LLC (WRE or ``applicant''). The 
joint EIS will address Washington EFSEC's proposed action of granting 
necessary permits and approvals for siting WRE's proposed project, as 
well as BPA's proposed action of allowing the electrical 
interconnection of WRE's proposed project to the Federal Columbia River 
Transmission System (FCRTS). BPA will act as the federal lead agency 
under NEPA and the Washington EFSEC will act as the state lead agency 
under SEPA.
    In accordance with DOE regulations for compliance with floodplain 
and wetland environmental review requirements, BPA will prepare a 
floodplain and wetland assessment as necessary to avoid or minimize 
potential harm to or within any affected floodplains and wetlands. The 
assessment will be included in the EIS being prepared for the proposed 
project in accordance with the NEPA.

DATES: Written comments are due to the address below no later than May 
18, 2009. Comments may also be made at an EIS scoping meeting to be 
held on May 6, 2009, at the address below.

ADDRESSES: Send letters with comments and suggestions on the proposed 
scope of the Whistling Ridge Energy Project Draft EIS (DOE/EIS-0419), 
and requests to be placed on the project mailing list, to Bonneville 
Power Administration, Public Affairs Office--DKC-7, P.O. Box 14428, 
Portland, OR 97293-4428. You may also call BPA's toll-free comment line 
at 1-800-622-4519, and record your comments, naming this project. 
Comments can be submitted online at: www.bpa.gov/comment.
    On May 6, 2009, in Stevenson, Washington, a public meeting/scoping 
meeting will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Rock Creek 
Center, 710 SW. Rock Creek Drive, Stevenson, Washington 98648. At this 
informal meeting, information, including maps, will be provided about 
the project, and members of the project team will be available to 
answer questions and accept oral and written comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Andrew M. Montano, Bonneville Power 
Administration, KEC-4, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, Oregon 97208-3621; 
toll-free telephone number 1-800-282-3713; fax number 503-230-5699; e-
mail address <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fe9f939391908a9f9091be9c8e9fd0999188"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="02636f6f6d6c76636c6d426072632c656d74">[email protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: WRE has proposed the 75-MW Whistling Ridge 
Energy Project on commercial forestland in an unincorporated area of 
Skamania County, Washington. The proposed wind energy generation 
facility, to be built and operated by WRE, would be located 
approximately 7 miles northwest of the City of White Salmon. The 
Project site is outside the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area, and 
encompasses roughly 1,152 acres in Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, and 18 of 
Township 3 North, Range 10 East, and in Section 13 of Township 3 North, 
Range 9 East, Willamette Meridian.
    The Project would consist of up to approximately 50, 1.2- to 2.5-MW 
wind turbines, as well as infrastructure such as newly-constructed and 
improved roads, transformers, underground collector lines, a 
substation, and an operations and maintenance (O&M) facility. Each 
turbine would be up to 426 feet tall (measured from the ground to the 
turbine blade tip), and would be mounted on a concrete pad. Spaced from 
350 to 800 feet apart, the turbines would be grouped in strings of 3 to 
21 turbines and connected by an underground electrical collector 
system. The turbines would operate at wind speeds ranging from 9 to 56 
miles per hour (mph).
    The electrical output of each string of turbines would be connected 
to the Project substation by underground collector cables. The Project 
substation would be built directly adjacent to an existing BPA 
transmission line interconnecting to the FCRTS.
    WRE proposes that construction of the Project would begin in 2010. 
Access to the Project site would likely require improving some existing 
private logging roads and constructing several miles of new gravel 
roads on private land. During construction, about 330 workers would be 
employed. During its year-round operation, there would be eight to nine 
permanent full-time and/or part-time employees on the Operations and 
Maintenance staff. The Project is expected to function for at least 30 
years.
    Washington EFSEC has siting jurisdiction over WRE's proposed 
project. EFSEC has determined that it will prepare an EIS to analyze 
the potential environmental impacts of the proposed project. This EIS 
will inform EFSEC's decision whether or not to grant the necessary 
permits and approvals for siting WRE's proposed project.
    BPA's Proposed Action: BPA has received a request from SDS Lumber 
Company (SDS) (parent company to WRE) to interconnect the proposed 
Project to the FCRTS. This request is referenced as Request No. G0108 
in BPA's Generator Interconnection Queue. In order to allow this 
interconnection, BPA would need to grant the applicant's request for 
generation interconnection. Granting this request would involve 
offering contract terms to the applicant for this interconnection. 
Thus, BPA's proposed action is to offer contract terms for the proposed 
interconnection.
    Alternatives Proposed for Consideration: The alternatives under 
consideration by BPA include the proposed action and a no-action 
alternative. For BPA, the proposed action alternative is to offer 
contract terms for the interconnection of the Project to BPA's 
transmission system.

[[Page 18214]]

The no-action alternative is for BPA to deny WRE's request that BPA 
offer contract terms for this interconnection. The scoping process may 
help identify other alternatives suitable for consideration in the EIS.
    Process to Date: WRE has filed an application for a site 
certificate to construct the Project. Surveys for sensitive plant and 
wildlife species and cultural resources were initiated in the spring of 
2001 and have been ongoing. Scoping will help identify what additional 
studies will be needed for the Project and the interconnection.
    Public Participation and Identification of Environmental Issues: 
The potential issues of concern identified for most wind projects 
include visual issues, noise levels, impacts to cultural resources, 
socio-economic ramifications, effects on rare plant and animal species, 
and impacts to wildlife, including migratory birds and bats. The joint 
EIS will assess these potential impacts for the proposed Project, as 
well as potential environmental impacts from the proposed 
interconnection. Other issues, identified during scoping, will also be 
addressed in the EIS.
    When completed, a Draft EIS will be circulated for review and 
comment, and BPA and EFSEC will hold at least one combined public 
comment meeting for the Draft EIS. BPA and EFSEC will consider and 
respond in the Final EIS to comments received on the Draft EIS. BPA's 
subsequent decision will be documented in a Record of Decision.

    Issued in Portland, Oregon, on April 13, 2009.
Stephen J. Wright,
Administrator and Chief Executive Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-9096 Filed 4-20-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P


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