[Federal Register: October 4, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 193)]
[Notices]
[Page 59172-59173]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04oc00-28]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Oglethorpe Power Corporation; Notice of Intent
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Hold a Public Meeting and Prepare an
Environmental Assessment.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS),
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C.
4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations
for Implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and RUS Environmental
Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794) proposes to prepare an
Environmental Assessment related to possible financing assistance to
Oglethorpe Power Corporation to construct a 520 megawatt, combined
cycle combustion turbine project in Heard County, Georgia.
DATES: RUS will conduct a public scoping meeting in an open house
format on Thursday, October 19, 2000, from 4:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting will be held at the Heard County Parks
and Recreation Department, Riverside Park Gymnasium, 101 Glover Road,
Franklin, Georgia. All interested parties are invited to attend the
meeting.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Quigel, Engineering and
Environmental Staff, Rural Utilities Service, at (202) 720-0468. Bob's
E-mail address is bquigel@rus.usda.gov. You can also contact Greg Jones
of Oglethorpe Power Corporation at 1-800-241-5374, extension 7890.
Greg's email address is greg.jones@opc.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Oglethorpe Power Corporation proposes to
construct the natural gas fired electric generation plant at the Hal B.
Wansley Plant site in northeast Heard County approximately six miles
southeast of Roopville, Georgia. The existing Wansley Plant is a 1,730
megawatt, coal fired, electric generation facility owned by Oglethorpe
Power Corporation, Georgia Power Company, the Municipal Electricity
Authority of Georgia, and the City of Dalton. The proposed plant is one
of four blocks of additional electric generation facilities planned for
construction at the site. Each block of additional generation is
proposed to consist of two combustion turbines and one heat recovery
steam generator. The total build-out of the four blocks would total
approximately 2,280 megawatts. No new electric transmission lines will
need to be constructed to connect this plant to the existing electric
transmission grid. No new natural gas pipeline will be constructed to
exclusively serve this plant. Georgia Power Company is proposing to
construct a natural gas pipeline that is planned to provide an adequate
gas supply to the total build-out at the Wansley Plant site.
The proposed project will be composed of two, nominal 167 megawatt
Siemens V84.3A2 connected to a heat recovery steam generator which will
power a Siemens steam turbine. Which This will increase the total plant
output by 187 megawatts for a total of 520 megawatts. It is the goal of
Oglethorpe Power Corporation to have the plant in operation by the
spring of 2003.
Alternatives considered by RUS and Oglethorpe Power Corporation to
constructing the proposed generation facility proposed include: (a) No
action, (b) purchased power, (c) load management, (d) renewable energy,
(e) hydroelectric generation, (f) pumped storage hydroelectric
generation, and (g) distributed generation.
An alternative evaluation and site selection study for the project
was prepared by Oglethorpe Power Corporation. The alternative
evaluation and site selection study are available for public review at
RUS in Room 2242, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, and at
the headquarters of Oglethorpe Power Corporation located at 2100 East
Exchange Place, Tucker, Georgia. This document will also be available
at the West Georgia Regional Library at 710 Rome Street, Carrollton,
Georgia, phone (770) 836-6711,; the Heard County Public Library at 564
Main Street, Franklin, Georgia, phone (706) 675-6501; and the Newnan-
Coweta Public Library at 25 Hospital Road, Newnan, Georgia, phone (770)
253-3625.
Government agencies, private organizations, and the public are
invited to participate in the planning and analysis of the proposed
project. Representatives of RUS and Oglethorpe Power Corporation will
be available at the scoping meeting to discuss RUS' environmental
review process, describe the project and alternatives under
consideration, discuss the scope of environmental issues to be
considered, answer questions, and accept oral and written comments.
Written comments will be accepted for at least 30 days after the public
scoping meeting.
From information provided in the alternative evaluation and site
selection
[[Page 59173]]
study, input that may be provided by government agencies, private
organizations, and the public, Oglethorpe Power Corporation will
prepare an environmental analysis to be submitted to RUS for review.
RUS will use the environmental analysis to determine the significance
of the impacts of the project and may adopt it as its environmental
assessment of the project. RUS' environmental assessment of the project
would be available for review and comment for 30 days.
Should RUS determine, based on the environmental assessment of the
project, that the impacts of the construction and operation of the
plant would not have a significant environmental impact, it will
prepare a finding of no significant impact. Public notification of a
finding of no significant impact would be published in the Federal
Register and in newspapers with a circulation in the project area.
Any final action by RUS related to the proposed project will be
subject to, and contingent upon, compliance with environmental review
requirements as prescribed by CEQ and RUS environmental policies and
procedures.
Dated: September 28, 2000.
Glendon Deal,
Acting Director, Engineering and Environmental Staff.
[FR Doc. 00-25452 Filed 10-3-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P
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