Subject: Modification and Construction of Transmission Lines [Federal Register: October 1, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 190)] [Notices] [Page 61619-61621] >From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr01oc02-70] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Western Area Power Administration Modification and Construction of Transmission Lines for the U.S. 93 Hoover Dam Bypass Project (DOE/EIS-0352) AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE. ACTION: Record of Decision. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for construction of a new segment of U.S. Highway 93 for the purpose of improving congestion and hazardous vehicle/pedestrian conflicts where the highway crosses the Colorado River over Hoover Dam. As a cooperating agency for the EIS, Western Area Power Administration (Western) proposed modifications to its transmission system and facilities to accommodate the construction of the new highway and bridge spanning the Colorado River. With this Record of Decision (ROD), Western is adopting the FHWA EIS and announcing its decision to modify its transmission system to accommodate the new highway segment. Western's decision for its action considered the environmental ramifications of the U.S. 93 Hoover Dam Bypass Project (Project). Western will ensure that its responsibilities under the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) are met before the modifications are implemented. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Holt, Environment Manager, Desert Southwest Customer Service Region, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 6457, Phoenix, AZ 85005, telephone (602) 352- 2592, e-mail holt@wapa.gov. Copies of the EIS and the FHWA ROD are available from Dave Zanetell, Project Manager, Federal Highway Administration, 555 Zang Street, HFL-16, Lakewood, CO 80228, telephone (303) 716-2157. For information about the Department of Energy (DOE) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, contact Ms. Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, NEPA Policy and Compliance, EH-42, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, telephone (202) 586-4600 or (800) 472-2756. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FHWA was the lead agency for the Project EIS (FHWA-AZNV-EIS-98-03-01; Final dated January 2001). Western was designated a cooperating agency for the Project EIS by the FHWA on November 27, 1998. After an independent review of the Final FHWA EIS, Western concluded that its comments and suggestions have been satisfied and with this notice, is adopting the FHWA EIS for its participation in the Project. Western's EIS number is DOE/EIS-0352. The FHWA released its ROD on the Project in March 2001 and selected the Sugarloaf Mountain route as its preferred alternative. The Sugarloaf Mountain Alternative consists of construction of a new bridge and highway access across the Colorado River in the vicinity of Hoover Dam. The new bridge and highway will eliminate truck traffic and other through-traffic over Hoover Dam. The Project is located in Clark County, Nevada, and Mohave County, Arizona, and lies entirely on Federal lands, including the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (administered by the [[Page 61620]] National Park Service) and the Hoover Dam Reservation Area (administered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation). The Sugarloaf Mountain Alternative crosses the Colorado River about 1,500 feet downstream from Hoover Dam and requires construction of approximately 2.2 miles of highway approach in Nevada, a 1,700-foot-long bridge, and a 1.1-mile highway approach in Arizona. The EIS addresses the effects of the Project, including modification of Western's transmission system. Western has decided to modify the current transmission system configuration including substation terminal work, and remove the Arizona and Nevada (A&N) Switchyard to accommodate the new highway segment and bridge. Modifications to Western's transmission system will occur in two phases. The modifications for the first phase include: (a) Rebuilding approximately 2.6 (total) miles of the Hoover-Mead No. 6 (single circuit) and No. 7 (double circuit) 230-kilovolt (kV) Transmission Lines (removing electrical equipment, conductors, overhead ground wires; replacing lattice steel structures with steel poles; and installing conductors, overhead ground wire, insulators, and miscellaneous transmission line hardware); (b) Removing conductors and overhead ground wires and insulator assemblies for approximately 1.2 (total) miles of the existing Arizona-Nevada Circuits 11 and 12 230-kV Transmission Lines between the Hoover Dam to the A&N Switchyard; (c) Constructing approximately 0.3 miles of single circuit 230-kV transmission line connecting Southern California Edison Circuit No. 10 to the A&N Switchyard and to the Hoover Dam Power Plant; and (d) Modifying transmission line connections at the Hoover Dam Power Plant yard and A&N Switchyard to accommodate the new configurations. Terminal work will include replacing surge arresters and associated steel supports. Other first phase modifications may be required based on final design. Phase one would be complete by spring 2003. Modifications for the second phase include the removal of the A&N Switchyard and the upgrade of the Hoover-Mead transmission line. The impacts of the removal of the A&N Switchyard were evaluated as part of the EIS. The removal of the A&N Switchyard will dictate upgrades to existing transmission lines that connect at the switchyard and run to the Mead substation (Hoover-Mead Transmission Line Upgrade). The need for this transmission line upgrade was part of the transmission reconfiguration options evaluated in the Final EIS, but since the final configuration was dependent upon the FHWA's decision, this upgrade was not fully evaluated in the EIS. Phase two is scheduled for completion in spring 2004. The FHWA determined that the Sugarloaf Mountain Alternative is the environmentally preferable alternative and evaluated the social, economic, and environmental impacts to the affected area in the EIS. Where the impact from Western's action was addressed as a subset of the overall Project impacts, the EIS serves as Western's environmental review. For the Hoover-Mead Transmission Line Upgrade, where the impacts from Western's action were not addressed pending final Project design, Western will prepare a separate Environmental Assessment (EA). Western will complete the EA, including cultural and endangered species consultations, prior to its implementation. The EIS impact analysis concluded that, with mitigation measures, most impacts from the Project would not be significant. There would be significant unavoidable visual impacts to several historic properties and Traditional Cultural Properties (TCPs), including the Hoover Dam National Historic Landmark and the Gold Strike Canyon and Sugarloaf Mountain TCPs. Other historic sites or features would be affected or potentially affected by the Project, including some elements of the transmission system not owned by Western (the Nevada State Switchyard, the Metropolitan Water District Switchyard, and the Southern California Edison Switchyard), as well as the transmission towers and lines in Arizona and Nevada and the A&N Switchyard that would be affected by Western's action. The FHWA has consulted with the State Historic Preservation Office, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and Native American tribes. A Programmatic Agreement (PA) and treatment plan was developed for avoidance, minimization, and mitigation of adverse effects to historical and cultural properties. Western is a signatory to the PA. The FHWA is required to complete historic documentation of facilities affected by the Project as described in the PA. Western will ensure that its responsibilities under the NHPA are met before its action is implemented. There will be no air, noise, land use, or socioeconomic impacts stemming from phase one of Western's action. For the Project as a whole, there will be no long-term impacts to air quality. Noise levels would be elevated during construction due to construction traffic and blasting. Some recreational activities would be restricted during construction for safety purposes, but there are no long-term impacts to the general uses of the area. Since the Project area is located in a currently unpopulated area, no minority or low-income groups live in the area; therefore, no disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects on minority and low-income groups is anticipated. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service issued a Biological Opinion for the Project, which determined that the Project is not likely to adversely affect the bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus), southwestern willow flycatcher (Empodonax traillii extimus), bonytail chub (Gila elegans), or Devil's Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis), which are federally listed endangered species. The Sugarloaf Mountain Alternative may affect the desert tortoise, a Federally-listed threatened species. The Biological Opinion provides mitigation to avoid harm to the desert tortoise. Western will ensure that its responsibilities under the ESA are met before the transmission line modifications are implemented. Other species of concern affected by the Project include the desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canidensis nelsoni), banded Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum cinctum), Yuma puma (mountain lion) (Felis concolor growni), and bicolored penstemon (Penstemon bicolor ssp. roseus). Western is adopting the mitigation measures in the Final EIS and the terms and conditions identified in the FHWA Biological Opinion for reducing impacts to these species. While the Colorado River itself is in an area subject to flooding, the Project area is considered to be in an area of minimal or moderate risk of flooding. There are no wetlands in the Project area. Construction impacts to water quality will primarily be from runoff from new cut and fill slopes and construction roads. Western construction activities may impact water quality; therefore, it is adopting mitigation measures specified in the EIS to minimize these impacts. The A&N Switchyard will be removed as part of Western's phase two action. The site may contain soil contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Prior to any construction activities, contaminated soil will be identified, removed, and properly disposed of in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, and other applicable or relevant and appropriate requirements. [[Page 61621]] Description of Alternatives Construction of the FHWA preferred alternative will require removal and modification of Western's transmission system. Western evaluated seven preliminary electrical transmission reconfiguration options as part of the EIS. All options require removal of existing spans and towers and construction of new spans. Three of the options would require removal of the existing A&N Switchyard and replacing a single- phase circuit with a double-phase circuit to the Mead Substation (phase two). Additionally, the Sugarloaf Mountain Alternative requires a realignment of two of the Hoover-Mead transmission lines to accommodate the new highway alignment. Western determined the best engineering approach for the phase one and two modifications discussed above based on an evaluation of the electrical conditions on the transmission lines and switchyards and current transmission line construction and electrical standards. The No Action Alternative was evaluated in the EIS and found to not meet the Project purpose and need. Mitigation Measures The Final EIS identified mitigation measures needed to reduce the impacts of the Project. The specific measures are discussed in the FHWA ROD on pages 22 to 35 and in Chapter 3 of the EIS. Western is adopting those measures that are applicable to its action and will issue a Mitigation Action Plan (MAP) prior to any construction activities that will address the adopted and standard mitigation measures. Some of the measures include restricting vehicular traffic to existing access roads or public roads, recontouring and reseeding disturbed areas, environmental awareness training for all construction and supervisory personnel, and mitigation of radio and television interference generated by transmission lines. Long-term operations of the transmission line will follow Western's standard operating procedures and will not be affected by this action. The mitigation that applies to the construction of the new lines and the upgrading of the existing lines includes the following provisions: 1. Protection of the desert tortoise and banded Gila monster through compliance with the FHWA Biological Opinion. 2. Protection of Cultural and Historical resources as signators to the Programmatic Agreement. 3. Adoption of mitigation measures as specified in the FWHA EIS. 4. Monitor actions for compliance with Western's standard mitigation measures. This ROD has been prepared in accordance with Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) and DOE Procedures for Implementing NEPA (10 CFR part 1021). Upon approval, the MAP will be made available. Dated: September 20, 2002. Michael S. Hacskaylo, Administrator. [FR Doc. 02-24862 Filed 9-30-02; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450-01-P