Charlie Creek to Garrison Transmission Line Rebuild Project
The Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) is one of four power marking administrations within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). WAPA’s mission is to market and deliver clean, renewable, reliable, cost-based federal hydroelectric power and related services. WAPA is proposing to rebuild 95-miles of the existing Charlie Creek to Garrison (CCR-GA) transmission line in Mercer, Dunn, and McKenzie Counties, North Dakota.
For transmission line rebuild projects greater than 20 miles in length, DOE requires that agencies prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze and disclose the projected consequences of the action on the human and natural environment.
WAPA’S ACTION
WAPA’s Proposed Action is to rebuild the 95-mile long CCR-GA 115 kV transmission line. This action entails:
- Upgrading the line capacity by replacing the existing conductors with larger conductors,
- Replacing the existing wooden structures with new taller wooden structures to accommodate the larger conductor, and
- Installing fiber optic communication capability to one of the overhead ground wires.
WAPA selected the Proposed Action for implementation.
PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
WAPA offered several opportunities for public and regulatory agency involvement.
WAPA notified stakeholders of the Project and solicited information on their concerns through information phone calls and email correspondence. The agencies contacted included USFWS, COE, USFWS, and FEMA. In addition, baseline information on area resources was collected using existing literature and site visits.
Interested parties were notified of the draft EA and comment opportunities via announcements in the following newspapers:
- McKenzie County Farmer
- MHA Times
- Dunn County Herald
- Hazen Star
- Beulah Beacon
Federal, state, and local governments and other interested organizations and stakeholders were notified of the draft EA via official correspondence dated October 28, 2019.
ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTS
CONTACT INFORMATION
Christina Gomer
Western Area Power Administration
UGP NEPA Coordinator
2900 4th Avenue North
Billings, MT 59101-1266
(406) 255-2811
Last modified on November 4th, 2024