EIS-0389: Final Environmental Impact Statement

Trinity Public Utilities District Direct Interconnection Project

The Western Area Power Administration (Western), part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), prepared an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the construction and operation of proposed power transmission facilities in Trinity County, California. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) participated in the preparation of the EIS, which addresses the proposed removal of about 5.3 mi of 12-kilovolt (kV) distribution line and the construction and operation of about 16 mi of new 60-kV transmission line, a tap structure and associated equipment, and a new switchyard. The EIS addresses the environmental impacts of the proposed project. Western’s EIS process complied with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; see volume 42 of United States Code [42 U.S.C.] §§ 4321–4347, as amended), Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (title 40, parts 1500–1508 of the Code of Federal Regulations [40 CFR parts 1500–1508]), and DOE NEPA implementing procedures (10 CFR part 1021). Western’s preferred alternative is the proposed action as described in the EIS; other than the no action alternative, no other viable reasonable alternatives were identified.