Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 2014 / Notices 72677 

1The Final EIS can be found on the RUS Web site 

at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWP-AVSNeset.html. 

Process: 

Any proposed change to the Base 

component will require a public 

process. 

The Drought Adder may be adjusted 

annually using the above formulas for 

any costs attributed to drought of less 

than or equal to the equivalent of 2 

mills/kWh to the Power Repayment 

Study (PRS) composite rate. Any 

planned incremental upward 

adjustment to the Drought Adder greater 

than the equivalent of 2 mills/kWh to 

the PRS composite rate will require a 

public process. The Drought Adder may 

be adjusted downward pursuant to the 

formulas without a public process. 

A revised Drought Adder charge may 

go into effect January 1 of each year 

based on the formula above. Western 

will notify customers annually in 

October of the revised monthly charges. 

Any change to the Drought Adder 

component will be identified in a 

revision to charges under this rate 

schedule. 

BILLING CAPACITY: 

The billing capacity will be the 

greater of (1) the highest 30-minute 

integrated capacity measured during the 

month up to, but not in excess of, the 

delivery obligation under the power 

sales contract, or (2) the contract rate of 

delivery. 

Adjustments: 

Billing for Unauthorized Overruns: 

For each billing period in which there 

is a contract violation involving an 

unauthorized overrun of the contractual 

obligation for peaking capacity and/or 

energy, such overrun shall be billed at 

10 times the formula rate. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28677 Filed 12–5–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Western Area Power Administration 

Antelope Valley Station to Neset 

Transmission Project Record of 

Decision (DOE/EIS–0478) 

AGENCY: Western Area Power 

Administration, DOE. 

ACTION: Record of Decision. 

SUMMARY: Western Area Power 

Administration (Western), an agency 

within the U.S. Department of Energy 

(DOE), received a request from Basin 

Electric Power Cooperative (Basin 

Electric) to interconnect its proposed 

Antelope Valley Station (AVS) to Neset 

Transmission Project (Project) to 

Western’s Williston Substation and 

Williston to Charlie Creek 230-kilovolt 

(kV) transmission line. The Project 

would be located in northwest North 

Dakota including parts of Mercer, Dunn, 

McKenzie, Williams, and Mountrail 

counties. On May 30, 2014, the Notice 

of Availability (NOA) of the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for the Project was published in the 

Federal Register (79 FR 31085). The 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

Rural Utilities Service (RUS) was the 

lead Federal agency for the EIS. Western 

was a cooperating agency in preparation 

of the EIS. After considering the 

environmental impacts, Western has 

decided to allow Basin Electric’s request 

for interconnection. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, please contact Mr. 

Rod O’Sullivan, Corporate Services 

Office, Western Area Power 

Administration, A7400, P.O. Box 

281213, Lakewood, CO 80228–8213, 

telephone (720) 962–7260 or email: 

OSullivan@wapa.gov. For general 

information on DOE’s National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA) review process, please contact 

Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of 

NEPA Policy and Compliance, GC–54, 

U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, 

DC 20585, telephone (202) 586–4600 or 

(800) 472–2756. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western is 

a Federal agency under the DOE that 

markets and transmits wholesale 

electrical power through an integrated 

17,000-circuit mile, high-voltage 

transmission system across 15 western 

states. Basin Electric’s request for 

interconnection was processed in 

accordance with Western’s General 

Requirements for Interconnection, 

which sets forth the procedures and 

requirements for certain types of 

interconnection to Western’s 

transmission system that are not 

provided for in Western’s Open Access 

Transmission Tariff (e.g., system-tosystem interconnections not associated 

with transmission or generator 

interconnection service). 

Interested parties were notified of the 

proposed Project and the public scoping 

comment opportunity through a Notice 

of Intent published in the Federal 

Register on November 2, 2011 (76 FR 

67670). The RUS published an NOA of 

the Draft EIS in the Federal Register on 

December 7, 2012 (77 FR 73029). On 

December 20, 2013, the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

published an NOA of the Supplemental 

Draft EIS for the Project in the Federal 

Register (78 FR 77121). On May 30, 

2014, RUS published an NOA of the 

Final EIS for the Project in the Federal 

Register (79 FR 31085).1 The RUS 

published its NOA for its Record of 

Decision (ROD) on September 22, 2014, 

in the Federal Register (79 FR 56557). 

With the issuance of its ROD, RUS 

selected Alternative C as the 

transmission line route. 

The RUS was the lead Federal agency 

for the EIS. Western and the USDA, 

Forest Service (USFS) participated as 

cooperating agencies on the EIS. After 

an independent review of the Final EIS, 

Western has concluded that its needs 


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72678 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 2014 / Notices 

2On November 16, 2011, DOE’s Acting General 

Counsel delegated to Western’s Administrator all 

the authorities of the General Counsel respecting 

environmental impact statements. 

are satisfied and has adopted the Final 

EIS. 

Proposed Federal Action 

Western’s proposed Federal action is 

to allow Basin Electric’s Project to 

interconnect to Western’s Williston 

Substation and Williston to Charlie 

Creek 230-kV transmission line. 

Basin Electric Proposed Project 

Basin Electric is proposing to 

construct, own and operate a new 345- 

kV transmission line and associated 

supporting infrastructure. The Project 

will consist of approximately 278 miles 

of transmission line, including 265 

miles of new 345-kV transmission line 

and 13 miles of new 230-kV 

transmission line, five new substations 

and equipment additions, but no 

expansion to four existing substations. 

The proposed Project would connect to 

the Integrated System, the high-voltage 

transmission grid in the upper Great 

Plains managed by Western, at several 

locations, including Western’s Williston 

Substation and a point along its 

Williston to Charlie Creek 230-kV 

transmission line. This Project is 

referred to as Alternative C in the Final 

EIS. Alternative C combines Alternative 

A, McKenzie County portions of 

Alternative B from the Draft EIS, and 

three new substations (Red, White, and 

Blue substations). 

The new 345-kV transmission line 

would start at the AVS Electric 

Generation Station located near Beulah, 

North Dakota, and extend west where it 

would connect with Basin Electric’s 

existing Charlie Creek 345-kV 

Substation located near Grassy Butte. 

The line would then extend north where 

it would connect with Basin Electric’s 

proposed Judson Substation near 

Williston and terminate at Basin 

Electric’s newly proposed Tande 

Substation. Additional 230-kV 

transmission lines would be constructed 

between the new Judson 345-kV 

Substation and Western’s existing 

Williston Substation, between a new 

345/230/115-kV substation referred to as 

the Blue Substation and Western’s 

existing 230-kV transmission line, and 

also between the Tande 345-kV 

Substation and Basin Electric’s existing 

Neset 230-kV Substation located near 

Tioga, North Dakota. Additionally, the 

White Substation would be constructed 

along with the Red Substation to the 

Blue Substation transmission line 

segment to interconnect with the local 

115-kV system for load-serving 

purposes. 

Description of Alternatives 

Three transmission line alternatives, 

two transmission line variations in the 

Little Missouri National Grasslands 

(LMNG), and the No Action alternative 

were evaluated. Alternative C is 

described above; Alternative D is similar 

to Alternative C with the primary 

difference being the construction of a 

double-circuit 345-kV line north of 

Killdeer for 63 miles to the Blue 

Substation. Alternative E is similar to 

Alternative D with the primary 

difference being the construction of two 

parallel 345-kV transmission lines north 

of Killdeer rather than a double-circuit 

line. The variations across the LMNG 

include double-circuiting the 345-kV 

line with Western’s existing 230-kV 

transmission Line. RUS has identified 

Alternative C as its preferred alternative 

because it best meets the purpose and 

need and minimizes or mitigates 

potential impacts. 

Mitigation Measures 

For the transmission facility 

component of the proposed Project, 

Basin Electric has committed to best 

management practices and mitigation 

measures as outlined in Appendix A of 

the Final EIS. Western will abide by the 

Biological Assessment as it pertains to 

the interconnection at Western’s 

existing Williston Substation and 

Williston to Charlie Creek 230-kV 

transmission line. 

In compliance with the National 

Historic Preservation Act, RUS/

Western/USFS has executed a 

Programmatic Agreement with the 

North Dakota State Historic Preservation 

Office along with Basin Electric (as an 

invited signatory). Western has 

reviewed the October 17, 2014, letter to 

RUS from the Advisory Council on 

Historic Preservation (ACHP) 

concerning the Killdeer Mountain 

Battlefield (KMB) core and study areas; 

and has also reviewed the October 24, 

2014, response letter from RUS to the 

Advisory Council, including the ACHP’s 

ability to participate in consultation 

meetings, and that the more limited area 

was determined to be National Register 

of Historic Places (NRHP) eligible. Of 

significance to the ROD is that neither 

interconnection to the Williston 

Substation nor to the Williston to 

Charlie Creek 230-kV transmission line 

are in or close to the limited NRHP core 

area, nor the even larger KMB study 

area, and will have no effect on any of 

these areas. 

Western requires its construction 

contractors to implement standard 

environmental protection provisions. 

These provisions are provided in 

Western’s Construction Standard 13 and 

will be applied to the proposed 

interconnection. 

The best management practices and 

mitigation measures in the Final EIS 

reflect all practicable means to avoid or 

minimize environmental harm from the 

proposed Project and Western’s 

proposed action. 

Decision 

Western’s decision is to allow Basin 

Electric’s request for interconnection to 

Western’s Williston Substation and its 

Williston to Charlie Creek 230-kV 

transmission line.2 Western’s decision 

to grant this interconnection request 

satisfies the agency’s statutory mission 

and Basin Electric’s objectives while 

minimizing harm to the environment. 

Full implementation of this decision is 

contingent upon Basin Electric 

obtaining all other applicable permits 

and approvals as well as executing an 

interconnection agreement in 

accordance with Western’s General 

Requirements for Interconnection. 

This decision is based on the 

information contained in the Antelope 

Valley Station to Neset Transmission 

Project Final EIS. This ROD was 

prepared pursuant to the requirements 

of the Council on Environmental 

Quality Regulations for Implementing 

NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508) and 

DOE’s Procedures for Implementing 

NEPA (10 CFR part 1021). 

Dated: November 21, 2014. 

Mark A. Gabriel, 

Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28721 Filed 12–5–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY 

COMMISSION 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

Submission for OMB Review 

AGENCY: Equal Employment 

Opportunity Commission. 

ACTION: Final Notice of Submission for 

OMB Review—Extension Without 

Change: Employer Information Report 

(EEO–1). 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), the 

Equal Employment Opportunity 

Commission (EEOC or Commission) 

hereby gives notice that it has submitted 

to the Office of Management and Budget 

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