NEWS FROM WESTERN AREA POWER ADMINISTRATION
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 24, 2009
CONTACT: Randy Wilkerson, 720-962-7056, wilkerson@wapa.gov
PUBLIC COMMENT SOUGHT FOR PROPOSED WIND PROJECT NEAR FLAGSTAFF
LAKEWOOD, Colo. —Western Area Power Administration will host open-house public scoping meetings August 10 and 11 to share information about the proposed Grapevine Canyon Wind Project. The informal meetings will provide the public and interested parties with the opportunity to learn about the environmental impact statement process, meet one-on-one with project team members, ask questions, and make comments.
Foresight Flying M, LLC, the project proponent, proposes to construct a wind energy generation project up to 500 megawatts. The project would be located on privately owned ranch lands and trust lands administered by the Arizona State Land Department. The project location is approximately 22 miles southeast of Flagstaff and about 18 miles south of the I-40 Twin Arrows interchange. To support delivery of the power generated by the project, the proponent proposes to build a new transmission tie-line to interconnect with Western’s existing Glen Canyon-Pinnacle Peak Transmission Line. The transmission tie-line would cross lands administered by Coconino National Forest. The project area would be accessed by the existing F.S. 126 road, south of the Twin Arrows I-40 exit.
Meeting informationMonday, August 10, 2009, 6-8 p.m., Mormon Lake, AZ. - Mormon Lake Fire Station, 43 Mormon Lake Road
Tuesday, August 11, 2009, 6-8 p.m., Flagstaff, AZ. - NACET Conference Room, 2225 N. Gemini Drive
The proposed project would interconnect with Western’s power transmission system. As an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy, Western has the responsibility under the National Environmental Policy Act to prepare an environmental impact statement. Western will be the lead Federal agency for preparing the environmental impact statement, and the U.S. Forest Service has agreed to be a cooperating agency.
Public comments will help Western define issues and alternatives for evaluation of the environmental impacts of the proposed project. Comments can be provided in person at the public meetings, or by mail, e-mail or phone via the contact information below. To ensure consideration as we develop the EIS, Western should receive your comments by August 28, 2009. Additional project information and directions to the public meetings are available at the project website.
Contact information
Mary Barger
Western Area Power Administration
Project website: www.wapa.gov/transmission/grapevine.htm
E-mail: GrapevineWindEIS@wapa.gov
Project phone: 602-605-2524
Project fax: 602-605-2630
Mail: P.O. Box 6457, Phoenix, AZ 85005
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Western Area Power Administration annually markets and transmits more than 10,000 megawatts of clean, renewable power from hydroelectric powerplants owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 15 western and central states. It is part of the Department of Energy.
Serving the West with Federal hydropower
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