The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Utah Fillmore Field Office, in partnership with the BLM Utah Cedar City Field Office; the BLM Nevada Bristlecone and Caliente Field Offices; the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA Forest Service) Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Ely Ranger District; and other federal, state, and local cooperating agencies, released the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Cross-Tie 500-kV Transmission Project (Project). TransCanyon, LLC, submitted an application to the BLM and USDA Forest Service for a right-of-way and a special use permit for the construction, operation, maintenance, and decommissioning of the Project. TransCanyon’s Proposed Action would include a 218-mile, single-circuit, 1,500-megawatt, 500-kV, high-voltage alternating current overhead transmission line that would be located on BLM and U.S. Department of Agriculture National Forest System Land, state land, and private land in Juab and Millard Counties in Utah, and White Pine County in Nevada. The BLM has analyzed six alternatives in detail, including the Proposed Action, four action alternatives, and the No Action Alternative. The action alternatives include transmission routes that would cross Beaver County in Utah and Lincoln and Nye Counties in Nevada as well as those named above in the Proposed Action description. Publication of a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register initiates a 45-day availability period of the Final Environmental Impact Statement. The legal notice published in the Elko Daily Free Press (Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest newspaper of record for the Humboldt portion of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest) initiates the Forest Service pre-decisional objection review process. The decision that the USDA Forest Service will make is subject to a pre-decisional administrative review process, also known as an objection process (36 CFR 218, Subparts A and B). The objection process provides an opportunity for members of the public who have participated in the planning process for the action to have any unresolved concerns reviewed by the USDA Forest Service prior to a final decision by the Responsible Official. The Responsible Official for the Forest Service project decision is Jon Stansfield, Humboldt-Toiyabe Forest Supervisor. The Final Environmental Impact Statement supporting documentation, and draft RODs may be examined online at the BLM’s ePlanning website at EplanningUi (blm.gov) or at the following office locations: BLM Bristlecone Field Office and Ely District Office, 702 North Industrial Way, Ely, Nevada 89301; BLM Caliente Field Office, 1400 Front Street, Caliente, Nevada, 89008; BLM Cedar City Field Office and Color Country District Office, 176 East D.L. Sargent Drive, Cedar City, Utah 84721; BLM Fillmore Field Office, 95 East 500 North, Fillmore, Utah 84631; BLM West Desert District Office, 491 North John Glenn Road, Salt Lake City, Utah 84116; Forest Service Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Ely Ranger District, 825 Avenue E, Ely, Nevada, 89301; and Forest Service Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 1200 Franklin Way, Sparks, Nevada, 89431. Eligibility to File Objections Objections will be accepted only from individuals and entities who have submitted timely, specific written comments regarding a proposed project or activity per 36 CFR 218.5. Individual members of organizations must have submitted their own comments to meet the requirements of eligibility as an individual. Objections received on behalf of an organization are considered as those of the organization only. If an objection is submitted on behalf of a number of individuals or organizations, each individual or organization listed must meet the eligibility requirement of having previously submitted comments on the project. Objections will become part of the public record. Issues raised in objections must be based on previously submitted specific written comments regarding the proposed project during scoping or other designated opportunity for public comment unless based on new information arising after designated opportunities for comment. Contents of an Objection Minimum content requirements of an objection as identified in 36 CFR 218.8(d) must include: (1) Objector’s name and address with a telephone number if available; with signature or other verification of authorship supplied upon request. (2) Identification of the lead objector when multiple names are listed, along with verification upon request. (3) Name of project, name and title of the responsible official, national forest/ranger district where project is located. (4) Sufficient narrative description of those aspects of the proposed project objected to, specific issues related to the project, how environmental law, regulation, or policy would be violated, and suggested remedies which would resolve the objection. (5) A statement demonstrating the connection between prior specific written comments on this project and the content of the objection unless the objection issue arose after the designated opportunities for comment. Incorporation of documents by reference in the objection is permitted only as provided for at 36 CFR 218.8(b). Filing an Objection Objections must be postmarked (if sent via postal mail), faxed, or submitted electronically via the project webpage at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/htnf/?project=61978 within 45 days following publication of this legal notice in the Elko Daily Free Press. Mailed objections should be sent to Mary Farnsworth, Objection Reviewing Officer, Cross-Tie Project, USFS Intermountain Regional Office, Room 4403, 324 25th Street, Ogden, UT 84401. Hand delivery of written objections can be made during normal working hours to this address. Objections may be faxed to 801-625-5365. Electronic objections must be submitted in a format such as Portable Document Format (pdf), plain text (.txt), or Word (.doc or .docx) and electronic file names must be less than 85 characters long (including spaces). A timely submission will be determined as outlined in 36 CFR 218.6(a) for project objections. It is the responsibility of objectors to ensure their objection is received in a timely manner (36 CFR 218.9). The publication date in the Elko Daily Free Press, newspaper of record, is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an objection to this project and/or plan amendment. Those wishing to object should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any other source. For more information, questions related to the project or accessing the digital materials on the ePlanning website, please contact the BLM Project Manager, Amber Koski, at 435-743-3125 or blm_ut_fm_cross-tie_project@blm.gov and Marnie Bonesteel, Forest Service Project Manager at 775-352-1240. Please visit the BLM’s ePlanning website at EplanningUi (blm.gov). Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services.
Marnie Bonesteel
