Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 117 / Friday, June 19, 2009 / Notices 29205 

1 Interventions may also be filed electronically via 

the Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous 

discussion on filing comments electronically. 

Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 

385.214).1 Only intervenors have the 

right to seek rehearing of the 

Commission’s decision. 

Affected landowners and parties with 

environmental concerns may be granted 

intervenor status upon showing good 

cause by stating that they have a clear 

and direct interest in this proceeding 

which would not be adequately 

represented by any other parties. You do 

not need intervenor status to have your 

comments considered. 

Additional information about the 

project is available from the 

Commission’s Office of External Affairs, 

at 1–866–208–FERC or on the FERC 

Internet Web site (http://www.ferc.gov) 

using the eLibrary link. Click on the 

eLibrary link, click on ‘‘General Search’’ 

and enter the docket number excluding 

the last three digits in the Docket 

Number field. Be sure you have selected 

an appropriate date range. For 

assistance, please contact FERC Online 

Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov 

or toll free at 1–866–208–3676, or for 

TTY, contact (202) 502–8659. The 

eLibrary link also provides access to the 

texts of formal documents issued by the 

Commission, such as orders, notices, 

and rulemakings. 

In addition, the Commission now 

offers a free service called eSubscription 

which allows you to keep track of all 

formal issuances and submittals in 

specific dockets. This can reduce the 

amount of time you spend researching 

proceedings by automatically providing 

you with notification of these filings, 

document summaries and direct links to 

the documents. Go to http:// 

www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E9–14452 Filed 6–18–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Bonneville Power Administration 

Central Ferry–Lower Monumental 

Transmission Line Project 

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 

the construction, operation, and 

maintenance of a proposed 500-kilovolt 

(kV) transmission line in Garfield, 

Columbia, and Walla Walla counties, 

Washington. The proposed line would 

extend west from a new BPA 500-kV 

Central Ferry Substation (separately 

proposed to be built in northwestern 

Garfield County, Washington to 

interconnect proposed wind projects in 

that area), to BPA’s existing 500-kV 

Lower Monumental Substation in Walla 

Walla County, Washington. BPA is 

considering two routing alternatives for 

the proposed Central Ferry–Lower 

Monumental transmission line; portions 

of both routes would parallel existing 

BPA lines in the area. One routing 

alternative for the transmission line is 

about 38 miles long, and the other is 

about 40 miles long. The proposed 

transmission line is needed to increase 

transmission capacity to respond to 

requests for transmission service in this 

area. 

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, as well as 

comments on the proposed routes for 

the transmission line and suggestions 

about other route options that may meet 

the technical requirements of the 

transmission system. 

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 to the address below no later than 

August 3, 2009. Comments may also be 

made at the EIS scoping meeting to be 

held on July 13, 2009, from 4 p.m. to 7 

p.m. at the addresses 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) 230–3285. 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 http:// 

www.bpa.gov/comment. BPA will post 

all comment letters in their entirety on 

BPA’s Web site at http://www.bpa.gov/ 

comment. 

On Monday, July 13, 2009, an openhouse style scoping meeting will be 

held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Starbuck 

School Gymnasium in Starbuck, 

Washington. At this informal meeting, 

we 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: Tish 

Eaton, Environmental Coordinator, 

Bonneville Power Administration— 

KEC–4, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, Oregon 

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

282–3713; direct telephone 503–230– 

3469; or e-mail tkeaton@bpa.gov. You 

may also contact Theresa Berry, Project 

Manager, Bonneville Power 

Administration—TEP–3, P.O. Box 3621, 

Portland, Oregon 97208–3621; toll-free 

telephone 1–800–282–3713; direct 

telephone 360–619–6313; or e-mail 

tmberry@bpa.gov. Additional 

information can be found at BPA’s Web 

site: http://www.efw.bpa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2008, 

BPA conducted a Network Open Season 

(NOS) process to help manage its list of 

requests 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 Lower Snake area 

in southeast Washington to load centers 

west of the Cascades and to major 

transmission lines serving the regions 

growing energy needs. Wind generation 

facilities built and proposed in this area 

will increase the amount of power being 

produced in southeast Washington. 

Further studies revealed that building a 

new 500-kV line from a point along 

BPA’s existing Little Goose-Lower 

Granite lines to BPA’s Lower 

Monumental Substation would allow 

BPA to accommodate the requests for 

transmission service from proposed 

wind generation facilities 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 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES

29206 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 117 / Friday, June 19, 2009 / Notices 

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 Central Ferry–Lower 

Monumental Transmission Line Project 

would respond to these requests for 

transmission service. BPA, therefore, 

will prepare an EIS under NEPA to 

assist the agency as it decides whether 

to build the proposed project, and if a 

decision is made to build a line, which 

alternative transmission line route 

should be constructed. 

BPA will be the lead agency for 

preparation of the EIS. In furtherance of 

existing cooperative agreements 

between BPA and the State of 

Washington, the Washington Energy 

Facility Site Evaluation Council 

(Washington EFSEC) also will 

participate in preparation of the EIS. 

Among other things, this state agency 

will assist BPA in evaluating alternative 

transmission line routes and identifying 

state interests that should be addressed 

in the EIS. In addition, cooperating 

agencies for the EIS may be identified as 

the proposed project proceeds through 

the NEPA process. 

Alternatives Proposed for 

Consideration. For the proposed 500-kV 

transmission line, BPA will consider 

and evaluate two routing alternatives in 

the EIS. One routing alternative for the 

transmission line is about 38 miles long, 

and the other is about 40 miles long. 

Both alternatives would require new 

transmission line right-of-way to allow 

adequate system reliability spacing of 

the proposed line from existing 500-kV 

transmission lines in the area. BPA 

proposes to construct the new line using 

lattice steel towers for both routing 

alternatives. 

Both routing alternatives would 

originate at a new 500-kV substation, 

referred to as the Central Ferry 

Substation, that BPA is separately 

proposing to build in northwestern 

Garfield County, Washington, at a point 

along BPA’s existing Little Goose-Lower 

Granite lines approximately two miles 

southeast of the Snake River near the 

Port of Central Ferry, Washington. The 

Central Ferry Substation is being 

independently proposed to respond to 

requests received by BPA for 

interconnection of proposed wind 

projects in the area to BPA’s existing 

transmission system. 

Both routing alternatives also would 

terminate at the existing BPA 500-kV 

Lower Monumental Substation, which 

is located at Lower Monumental Dam on 

the Snake River in Walla Walla County, 

Washington. Both routing alternatives 

would avoid crossing existing BPA 500- 

kV lines and the Snake River by 

remaining to the south of these features. 

The following describes the general 

locations of the two routing alternatives: 

• North Alternative: This routing 

alternative is approximately 40 miles in 

length. From the new Central Ferry 

Substation, this route would proceed 

southwesterly and westerly for about 12 

miles. This portion of the route would 

run parallel to and about 1200 feet to 

one half-mile south of BPA’s existing 

Little Goose—Lower Granite lines. At 

this point, the route would angle away 

from the existing Little Goose—Lower 

Granite lines and proceed in a 

southwesterly direction for about 6 

miles before crossing the Tucannon 

River directly north of the Town of 

Starbuck. From the Tucannon River 

crossing, the route would continue 

southwest and west for about 3 miles 

before angling northwest for about 5 

miles to a point approximately 1500 feet 

south of BPA’s two existing Lower 

Monumental—Little Goose lines. From 

this point, the route would proceed west 

for about 14 miles to BPA’s existing 

Lower Monumental Substation, with 

much of this portion of the route 

running parallel to and approximately 

1500 feet south of these existing lines. 

• South Alternative: This routing 

alternative is approximately 38 miles in 

length. From the new Central Ferry 

Substation, this route would proceed 

southwesterly for about 3 miles, with 

this portion of the route running parallel 

to and approximately 1200 feet south of 

BPA’s existing Little Goose—Lower 

Granite lines. At this point, instead of 

following these existing lines as they 

angle to the west, the route would 

continue southwesterly and then 

westerly for about 15 miles before 

crossing the Tucannon River directly 

north of the Town of Starbuck. From the 

Tucannon River crossing, the route 

would continue westerly for about 20 

miles to BPA’s existing Lower 

Monumental Substation. 

BPA is also considering the No Action 

Alternative, that is, not building the 

proposed transmission line. Other 

alternatives may be identified through 

the scoping 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 

field issues, 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 potential routing 

alternatives to be considered and 

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 summer 2010. 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 spring-summer 2011. 

BPA’s decision will be documented in 

a Record of Decision that will follow the 

Final EIS. 

Issued in Portland, Oregon, on June 9, 

2009. 

Stephen J. Wright, 

Administrator and Chief Executive Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–14448 Filed 6–18–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. RM08–11–000] 

North American Electric Reliability 

Corporation; Notice of Filing 

June 12, 2009. 

Take notice that on May 29, 2009, the 

North American Electric Reliability 

Corporation (NERC) submitted 

modifications to Violation Severity 

Levels (VSLs) for three revised Facilities 

Design, Connections, and Maintenance 

(FAC) Reliability Standards: FAC–010– 

2—System Operating Limits 

Methodology for the Planning Horizon; 

FAC–011–2—System Operating Limits 

Methodology for the Operations 

Horizon; and FAC–014–2—Establish 

and Communicate System Operating 

Limits in compliance with Order No. 

722 issued on March 20, 2009, 126 

FERC ¶ 61,255 (2009). 

Any person desiring to intervene or to 

protest this filing must file in 

accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of 

the Commission’s Rules of Practice and 

Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214). 

Protests will be considered by the 

Commission in determining the 

appropriate action to be taken, but will 

not serve to make protestants parties to 

mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES