PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management (BLM) intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on Rocky Mountain Power’s right-of-way application for the Mona to Oquirrh Transmission Corridor Project. The proposed project would establish a new, double circuit 500/345 kilovolt (kV) transmission line from the Mona Substation near Mona, in Juab County, to the Oquirrh Substation located in West Jordan and the Terminal Substation located in Salt Lake City. As part of long range planning, this project would also include the identification of a corridor for a future double circuit 500/345kV line and the siting of two new future substations. This project may affect the areas around the communities of Mona, Eureka, Cedar Fort, Stockton, Tooele, Grantsville, West Jordan, South Jordan and Salt Lake City.

PROJECT NEED

Northern Utah represents the fastest growing area within the State of Utah and constitutes one of the major growth areas within the region. Demand for electrical power is increasing at an approximate rate of 200 to 250 megawatts (MW) each year due to rapid growth and additional electricity use of existing customers. The development of new transmission lines and substations is required to provide the additional capacity necessary to serve the growing demand. The new transmission lines and substations would provide for improved reliability and operational flexibility in conjunction with future generation resources.

PUBLIC COMMENTS SOUGHT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

The EIS would address the construction, operation and maintenance of 60-120 miles of high-voltage transmission lines, access roads and related facilities, and the construction of two new substations. The analysis area includes Salt Lake City, West Jordan, and South Jordan in Salt Lake County; Grantsville, Stockton, and Tooele in Tooele County; Mona and Eureka in Juab County; and Cedar Fort and Goshen in Utah County.

The potential environmental issues already identified for analysis include impacts on:

• Protected, threatened, endangered, or sensitive species of plants or animals or their critical habitats
• Other biological resources
• Land use, including agricultural operations, recreation, and transportation
• Floodplains and wetlands
• Cultural or historic resources and tribal values
• Human health and safety
• Air, soil, and water resources (including air quality and surface and ground water)
• Visual resources

This list is not all-inclusive. The BLM invites you to suggest specific issues and concerns within these general categories, or to suggest other issues that should be evaluated in the EIS. The scoping process will be used to explore and refine any reasonable alternatives to the proposed route. The impacts of not implementing the proposed project will also be analyzed.

NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT (NEPA)

NEPA is a federal law that serves as the nation's basic charter for environmental protection. NEPA requires that all federal agencies consider the potential environmental impacts of their proposed actions. NEPA promotes better agency decision-making by ensuring that high quality environmental information is available to agency officials and the public before the agency decides whether and how to undertake a major federal action. Through the NEPA process, you have an opportunity to learn about an agency's proposed actions and to provide information and comments to the agency.

To implement NEPA, all federal agencies follow procedures issued by the President's Council on Environmental Quality. For major federal actions that may significantly affect the quality of the human environment, NEPA requires an EIS be prepared. An EIS provides a detailed analysis of the potential environmental impacts of a proposed action and a range of reasonable alternatives. The BLM will prepare an EIS for the Mona to Oquirrh Transmission Corridor Project.

PROJECT TIMELINE

Below is the anticipated timeline for the project:

• Public Scoping: Fall 2007
• Draft EIS: Early Spring 2009
• Final EIS and Record of Decision: Fall 2009
• Right-of-Way Acquisition: Spring 2010
• Construction: 2010-2012

Throughout the course of the project, updates will be sent to individuals who request to be placed on the mailing list. To receive newsletters or to request to be placed on the mailing list, contact Pam Schuller, 801.977.4300 or UT_M20TL_EIS@blm.gov.

Newsletter 1 (October 2007)

PROJECT MAPS AND GRAPHICS
This map shows the project study area and the potential transmission line corridors.

Potential Transmission Line Corridors

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Contact Mike Nelson or Pam Schuller of the BLM Salt Lake Field Office at (801) 977-4300 or email UT_M2OTL_EIS@blm.gov.