Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 122 / Friday, June 26, 2009 / Notices 30559 

1 DOE’s NEPA regulations state at 10 CFR 

1021.343(c) that the Secretary of Energy must 

provide written approval of any variance under that 

section. However, this authority has been delegated 

to the General Counsel pursuant to Department of 

Energy Delegation Order No. 00–015.00A to the 

General Counsel. 

1As noted in Western’s Notice of Intent to 

prepare a Big Stone II EIS, Western became the lead 

agency for preparation of the EIS because the 

construction of Big Stone II would incorporate a 

major new generation resource into Western’s 

Continued 

DOE’s existing NEPA regulations 

provide for certain variances ‘‘soundly 

based on the interests of national 

security or the public health, safety, or 

welfare.’’ (10 CFR 1021.343(c)) Any 

such variance must have the advance 

written approval of the General 

Counsel,1 and DOE must publish a 

notice in the Federal Register specifying 

the variance granted and the reasons. 

Variance 

Pursuant to 10 CFR 1021.343(c), I 

have determined that granting a 

variance from the requirements of 10 

CFR 1021.216(c) through (h) with 

respect to the Department’s funding 

opportunity for the Electric Drive 

Vehicle Battery and Component 

Manufacturing Initiative (DE–FOA– 

0000026) is soundly based on the 

interests of public welfare. Expediting 

the award of funding to promising 

proposals will accelerate development 

and production of electric drive 

vehicles. In addition, it will facilitate 

the nation’s economic recovery by 

creating and retaining jobs and by 

transforming the nation’s industrial 

infrastructure. 

I have concluded that the 

Department’s process for making these 

funding awards will provide the 

selecting official with sufficient 

information regarding potential 

environmental impacts in the Merit 

Review Report, which will summarize 

the strengths and weaknesses of the 

proposals according to the merit review 

criteria, including but not limited to 

environmental impacts. This report also 

will provide certain other information 

called for in 10 CFR 1021.216(g). 

This variance does not affect the 

requirements imposed by 10 CFR 

1021.216(i). If projects selected for 

funding require preparation of an 

environmental assessment or 

environmental impact statement, these 

NEPA reviews will be completed before 

DOE takes any action that would have 

an adverse environmental impact or 

limit the choice of reasonable 

alternatives. In addition, consistent with 

the openness provisions of 10 CFR 

1021.216(h), any such environmental 

assessment or environmental impact 

statement will describe the 

environmental factors noted in the Merit 

Review Report that are relevant to the 

proposal being analyzed. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on June 22, 

2009. 

Scott Blake Harris, 

General Counsel. 

[FR Doc. E9–15126 Filed 6–25–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Western Area Power Administration 

Construction, Operation, and 

Maintenance of the Proposed 

Transmission Agency of Northern 

California Transmission Project, 

California 

AGENCY: Western Area Power 

Administration, DOE. 

ACTION: Extension of scoping period. 

SUMMARY: On February 23, 2009, 

Western Area Power Administration 

(Western), an agency of the Department 

of Energy (DOE), announced the Notice 

of Intent to prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement/Environmental 

Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for the 

construction, operation, and 

maintenance of the proposed 

Transmission Agency of Northern 

California (TANC) Transmission Project. 

In that notice, Western described the 

schedule for scoping meetings and 

advised the public that comments on 

the scope of the EIS/EIR were due by 

April 30, 2009. On May 8, 2009, 

Western published a notice in the 

Federal Register extending the 

comment period to May 31, 2009. By 

this notice, Western extends the due 

date for comments on the scope of the 

EIS/EIR to July 30, 2009. 

DATES: The date to provide comments 

on the scope of the EIS/EIR is extended 

to July 30, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the 

scope of the EIS/EIR should be 

addressed to Mr. David Young, National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

Document Manager, Western Area 

Power Administration, Sierra Nevada 

Region, 114 Parkshore Drive, Folsom, 

CA 95630 or e-mail TTPEIS@wapa.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information, please contact Mr. 

David Young, NEPA Document 

Manager, Western Area Power 

Administration, Sierra Nevada Region, 

114 Parkshore Drive, Folsom, CA 95630, 

telephone (916) 353–4777, fax (916) 

353–4772, or e-mail TTPEIS@wapa.gov. 

Additional information on the proposed 

Project can also be found and comments 

submitted at http://www.wapa.gov/ 

transmission/ttp.htm. For general 

information on DOE’s NEPA review 

procedures or status of a NEPA review, 

contact Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, 

Director of NEPA Policy and 

Compliance, GC–20, U.S. Department of 

Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, 

SW., Washington, DC 20585, telephone 

(202) 586–4600 or (800) 472–2756. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

February 23, 2009, Western announced 

the Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for 

the construction, operation, and 

maintenance of the proposed TANC 

Transmission Project (74 FR 8086). In 

that notice, Western described the 

schedule for scoping meetings for the 

EIS/EIR, and advised the public that 

comments regarding the scope of the 

EIS/EIR were due by April 30, 2009. 

Western held all public scoping 

meetings as scheduled. On May 8, 2009, 

Western published a notice in the 

Federal Register extending the 

comment period to May 31, 2009 (74 FR 

21674). Western has received requests 

for more time to comment. By this 

notice, Western further extends the due 

date for comments on the scope of the 

EIS/EIR to July 30, 2009. 

Dated: June 17, 2009. 

Harrison G. Pease, 

Chief Financial Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–15048 Filed 6–25–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Western Area Power Administration 

Big Stone II Power Plant and 

Transmission Project Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/ 

EIS–0377) 

AGENCY: Western Area Power 

Administration, DOE. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability. 

SUMMARY: The Western Area Power 

Administration (Western) announces 

the availability of the Big Stone II Power 

Plant and Transmission Project (Project) 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS). This Final EIS analyzes the 

environmental impacts of constructing 

and operating the proposed Project. 

Western is considering whether to grant 

a request to interconnect the proposed 

Project with Western’s transmission 

system at Morris and Granite Falls 

substations in Minnesota, an action 

which requires Western to complete 

modifications to these substations to 

support the interconnection.1 The U.S.