Summary
The Department of Energy (DOE) is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed Federal action of granting a Presidential Permit to construct a new electric transmission line across the U.S.-Canada border in New York. DOE has determined that issuance of a Presidential Permit for the proposed project would constitute a major Federal action that may have a significant effect upon the environment within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Pursuant to NEPA, in considering an application for a Presidential Permit the DOE must take into account environmental impacts of the proposed facility as well as make a determination as to whether the proposed project is consistent with the public interest. For this reason, DOE is preparing an EIS entitled Champlain Hudson Power Express Transmission Line Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0447) to address potential environmental impacts from the proposed action and reasonable alternatives. The EIS is being prepared in compliance with NEPA and applicable regulations, including DOE NEPA implementing regulations at 10 CFR Part 1021.Supplementary Information
Champlain Hudson applied on January 27, 2010, to DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) for a Presidential Permit to construct, operate, maintain, and connect a 1,000-megawatt (MW) high-voltage direct current (HVDC) Voltage Source Converter (VSC) controllable transmission system from the Canadian Province of Quebec to the New York City. The applicant’s proposed VSC controllable transmission system consists of one 1,000-MW HVDC bipole. A bipole consists of two connected submarine or underground cables, one of which is positively charged, and the other negatively charged. In total, two cables would be laid between Quebec and a converter station in Yonkers which would change the electrical power from direct current to alternative current. Submarine or underground alternating current (AC) cables will transmit electricity from the converter station to a substation connected to the electrical grid.From the U.S.-Canada border, the submarine transmission cables would be routed through Lake Champlain for approximately 111 miles entirely within the jurisdictional waters of New York State. At the southern end of Lake Champlain, the cables would exit the water just north of Lock C12 of the Champlain Canal in the town of Whitehall, NY and would be buried within an existing railroad right-of-way owned by Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) for approximately 65.7 miles (105.7 km) through the municipalities of Comstock, Fort Ann, Kingsbury, Fort Edward, Moreau, Northumberland, Wilton, Greenfield, Saratoga Springs, Milton, Ballston, Clifton Park, Glenville, and Schenectady, NY. In the town of Rotterdam, NY, the buried route would transfer to the CSX Railroad (CSX) right-of-way and proceed south for approximately 23.7 miles (38.1 km) through the municipalities of Guilderland, New Scotland, Voorheesville, and Bethlehem. The proposed Project route would exit the railroad right-of-way and enter the Hudson River at the town of Coeymans, New York.
Upon entering the Hudson River, the two cables would be buried in the river bottom for 118 miles (189.9 km) until they reach the City of Yonkers, NY, where they would terminate at a proposed HVDC converter station near Wells Avenue in Yonkers, New York. From the Yonkers HVDC Converter Station, the double-circuit 345 kV alternating current (AC) cables would enter the Hudson River and travel south through the Hudson River, Harlem River and East River for a distance of approximately 14.3 miles (23 km). The AC cables would terminate in a spare bay at the planned electric substation being constructed by the New York Power Authority on Consolidated Edison Power Park property near the site of the former Charles Poletti Power Plant in Astoria, Queens, New York.
The Project's precise final route is subject to a number of factors, including resource issues, permitting, land acquisition, and stakeholder agreement. The approximately 333 mile (536 km) portion of the Project within the United States will be owned and operated by the Applicant.
Agency Purpose and Need, Proposed Action, and Alternatives
DOE has the responsibility for implementing Executive Order (E.O.) 10485 (September 9, 1953), as amended by E.O. 12038 (February 7, 1978), which requires the issuance of a Presidential Permit for the construction, operation, maintenance, and connection of electric transmission facilities at the United States international border. DOE may issue the permit if it determines the project to be consistent with the public interest and after obtaining favorable recommendations from the U.S. Departments of State and Defense. In determining if a proposed project is consistent with the public interest, DOE considers:- Potential environmental impacts in accordance with NEPA and Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and DOE implementing regulations at 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 1500-1508 and 10 CFR Part 1021, respectively;
- The proposed project's impact on electric reliability, that is whether the proposed project would adversely affect the operation of the U.S. electric power supply system under normal and contingency conditions; and
- Any other factors that DOE may consider relevant to the public interest. DOE will consider this EIS in determining whether to grant a Presidential permit to CHPEI. DOE's action responds to CHPEI's request for a Presidential permit.
Identification of Environmental Issues
After due consideration of the nature and extent of the proposed project, including evaluation of the “Information Regarding Potential Environmental Impacts” section of the Presidential Permit application, DOE has determined that the appropriate level of NEPA review for this project is an EIS. On June 18, 2010, DOE published in the Federal Register its Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and to Conduct Public Scoping Meetings; Notice of Floodplains and Wetlands Involvement; Champlain Hudson Power Express, Inc. (75 FR 34720). The Notice of Intent (NOI) explained that DOE would be assessing potential environmental impacts and issues associated with the proposed project and reasonable alternatives. The NOI was sent to interested parties including Federal, state and local officials; agency representatives; stakeholder organizations; local libraries, newspapers, radio and TV stations; and private individuals in the vicinity of the proposed transmission line. Issuance of the NOI commenced a 45-day public scoping period that ended on August 2, 2010.EIS Preparation and Schedule
In preparing the Draft EIS, DOE is considering comments received during the scoping period. Any additional written comments received by DOE after that date will be considered to the extent practicable.The expected date of issuance for the Draft EIS will be determined after the Public Scoping Report has been completed. DOE will provide a public comment period of at least 45 days from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft EIS and will hold several public hearings during the public comment period.
DOE will include all comments received on the Draft EIS, and responses to those comments, in the Final EIS. DOE will issue a Record of Decision no sooner than 30 days from EPA's NOA of the Final EIS.
Persons who submitted comments during the public scoping period will receive a copy of the Draft EIS. Other persons who would like to receive a copy of the document for review when it is issued should notify Dr. Jerry Pell or make a request through the DOE project Web site at http://www.chpexpressEIS.org.
