PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) has been asked by SDS Lumber Company to interconnect its proposed Whistling Ridge Energy Project in Skamania County, Washington, to the Federal Columbia River Transmission System (FCRTS).
In June 2002, SDS Lumber Company submitted a generation interconnection request for 70-MW on the North Bonneville-Midway 230-kV transmission line approximately five miles West of BPA's Underwood Substation. Subsequently, SDS Lumber Company created a new limited liability company called Whistling Ridge Energy LLC, which submitted an application with WA EFSEC for site certification for the wind project. Whistling Ridge Energy LLC would finance, develop, own and operate the proposed wind project. The proposed wind facility would consist of up to approximately 50, 1.2- to 2.5-MW wind turbines up to 426 feet tall, as well as infrastructure such as newly-constructed and improved roads, transformers, underground collector lines, a substation, and an operations and maintenance (O&M) facility.
To inform its decision on whether to allow the proposed interconnection, BPA has prepared a joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with the State of Washington Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC). Whistling Ridge Energy LLC would independently build, own and operate the wind project and their associated facilities.
This joint SEPA/NEPA EIS has allowed the coordination of EFSEC actions with federal actions in fulfillment of EFSEC's SEPA rules at Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 463-47-150. This joint EIS also complies with NEPA implementing regulations specifying that federal agencies shall cooperate with state and local agencies to the fullest extent possible, including by preparing joint state-federal EISs, to avoid duplication between NEPA and comparable state requirements (See 40 CFR § 1506.2).
While EFSEC and BPA are the entities that have prepared the Draft EIS, these agencies have worked collaboratively with Whistling Ridge Energy LLC to obtain necessary information about the project and its potential impacts for the EIS. Initially, EFSEC had intended to allow Whistling Ridge Energy LLC to prepare the EIS, as allowed by SEPA; however, after public concern was raised, EFSEC and BPA decided that the lead agencies would be directly responsible for preparing the EIS. Accordingly, we have used environmental information provided by Whistling Ridge Energy LLC and its consultants in the EIS as appropriate. All such information has been independently evaluated and reviewed for accuracy by the lead agencies, as well as by an independent, third party consultant retained by EFSEC.
CURRENT STATUS:
The Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been issued for the proposed Whistling Ridge Energy Project. EFSEC and BPA have worked together to ensure that this FEIS meets the requirements of both SEPA and NEPA. The FEIS describes the proposed Project and the environmental effects expected from both the proposed wind facility as well as BPA's proposed interconnection and substation facilities.
The FEIS is a 5 volume document that describes the proposed Project and why it is needed, identifies the preferred alternative, discusses the environmental impacts the Project would create, and lists the mitigation measures that would lessen or eliminate those impacts. It also describes the Project revisions and addresses comments received on the Draft EIS. This FEIS contains the same information as the SEPA FEIS issued by EFSEC on August 12, 2011. The FEIS document can be viewed below. Please note that the changes between the Draft and Final EIS are shown in red underline in Volume 1 of the EIS.
EFSEC must decide on a recommendation to the Governor of Washington to approve or deny the issuance of the requested site certificate to Whistling Ridge Energy LLC, and BPA must decide whether to allow the requested interconnection to its transmission system. EFSEC made its recommendation to the Governor in January 2012, and BPA plans to issue a Record of Decision (ROD) concerning the proposed interconnection by April 2012. If the State of Washington decides to approve the site certificate for the Project and BPA decides to grant the requested interconnection, Project construction activities could begin after all the necessary approvals have been granted. If approved, construction activities are expected to occur for a 12-15 month duration period.
If you are interested in receiving a paper copy of the FEIS or a compact disc with an electronic copy of the document, please call our toll-free document request line at 1-800-622-4520. Please leave a message with the project name "Whistling Ridge Energy Project," and your complete mailing address.
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CONTACT:
Andrew M. Montaņo, Environmental Project Manager, Bonneville Power Administration - KEC-4, P.O. Box 3621, Portland, Oregon, 97208-3621; direct telephone number 503-230-4145; toll-free telephone number 1-800-282-3713; fax number 503-230-5699; or e-mail ammontano@bpa.gov.
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DOCUMENTS:
EPA's Comments on the Final EIS (306Kb pdf) (10/03/11)
Final EIS Public Letter (29Kb pdf) (08/23/11)
Final EIS (42.5MB pdf) (August 2011)
Draft EIS Public Letter (29Kb pdf) (05/25/10)
Draft EIS Comment Form (9Kb pdf) (05/25/10)
Draft EIS (05/21/10)
Updated Project Vicinity Map (707Kb pdf) (05/05/10)
Letter to the Public (32Kb pdf) (04/17/09)
Comment Form (13Kb pdf) (04/17/09)
Project Vicinity Map (1.6MB pdf) (04/17/09)
