Kangley - Echo Lake Transmission Line Project Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Technical Report · Fri Jan 10 00:00:00 EST 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/823257· OSTI ID:823257

Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is proposing to build a new transmission line to accommodate increasing demand for electricity and address reliability concerns in the Puget Sound area. The Proposed Action would construct a new line that would connect to an existing transmission line near the community of Kangley, and then connect with BPA's existing Echo Lake Substation. The major purpose of this proposal is to improve system reliability in the King County area. An outage on an existing line during times of heavy use, such as during a winter cold snap, could cause voltage instability and a loss of power in the King County area. System planners have projected total system load using normal growth in demand and determined that system instability could develop as early as the winter of 2002-03. Besides meeting this need for system reliability, this project would enhance the United States' delivery of power to Canada as required under the Columbia River Treaty of 1961. BPA described and analyzed transmission route alternatives in a draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) released in June 2001. The DEIS identified a preferred alternative that would parallel an existing BPA transmission line through the Cedar River Municipal Watershed. BPA received over 700 comments from landowners, agencies, tribes and special interest groups on the DEIS. Many of the comments suggested BPA re-evaluate the range of alternatives considered and prepare a supplemental draft environmental impact statement (SDEIS). After reviewing the comments and refining the cost estimates associated with BPA's preferred alternative, BPA decided to prepare this SDEIS to re-evaluate alternatives not analyzed in detail in the DEIS. The added transmission alternatives, all located outside of the Cedar River Watershed, were initially considered but dropped from detailed analysis. They are identified as Alternatives A, B, C, and D. Alternatives A and C are located to the west of the Cedar River Watershed boundary. Alternatives B and D cross the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests. Under all transmission alternatives, Echo Lake Substation would be expanded about three acres to the east and new equipment to accommodate the new line would be installed. BPA is also considering a Non-Transmission Alternative and the No Action Alternative.

• Research Organization: U.S. Department of Energy, Bonneville Power Administration (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of NEPA Policy and Assistance (EH-42) (US)
• OSTI ID: 823257
• Report Number(s): DOE/EIS-0317-S1; TRN: US200426%%71
• Resource Relation: Other Information: PBD: 10 Jan 2003
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

24 POWER TRANSMISSION AND DISTRIBUTION
29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
BONNEVILLE POWER ADMINISTRATION
COLUMBIA RIVER
ELECTRICITY
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENTS
FORESTS
INSTABILITY
INTEREST GROUPS
POWER TRANSMISSION LINES
PUGET SOUND
REFINING
RELIABILITY
RIVERS
WATERSHEDS
EIS
KING COUNTY
WA
TRANSMISSION LINE
BPA