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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 1 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Purpose and Need PAGE 1-1 CHAPTER 1 PURPOSE AND NEED 1.1 INTRODUCTION In October 2008, Pacific Power (Applicant) filed separate right-of-way (ROW) applications, Standard Form 299 Application for Transportation and Utility Systems and Facilities on Federal Lands (SF-299), with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Department of the Army (Army) Joint Base Lewis-McChord Yakima Training Center (JBLM YTC) to request grants of ROW across federal lands for a transmission line project from Pacific Power’s Pomona Heights Substation to the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) Vantage Substation. Upon reviewing the scope of the proposed Project and the ROW applications, the BLM and JBLM YTC determined that the proposed Project constituted a major federal action and would require the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The EIS discloses potential Project- related impacts pursuant to the requirements of NEPA as amended (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] §§ 4321, et seq.) and subsequent regulations issued by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) implementing NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 1500 through 1508). The EIS was prepared in conformance with the BLM NEPA Handbook (BLM Handbook H-1790-1) and the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Manual on NEPA (516 DM 1-7), which provides instructions for compliance with the CEQ regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA. Pacific Power proposes to construct, operate and maintain a new 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission line from Pacific Power’s Pomona Heights substation located just east of Selah, Washington in Yakima County to the BPA Vantage Substation located just east of the Wanapum Dam in Grant County, Washington. Figure 1-1 shows the location of the proposed Vantage to Pomona Heights 230 kV Transmission Line Project (Project) within the State of Washington and Figure 1-2 shows the Project area and the location of the Pomona Heights and Vantage Substations. This Chapter provides the context for the Final EIS (FEIS) by describing: the EIS process; the proposed Project; background information; lead and Cooperating Agencies; the Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA); decisions to be made; and a summary of issues and concerns described and analyzed in the subsequent EIS chapters. 1.1.1 EIS Process The Draft EIS (DEIS) for the Project, published in January 2013, analyzed eight Action Alternatives, with Alternative D being selected as the Agency Preferred Alternative. Public meetings were held in Selah and Desert Aire in February 2013 to provide the public an opportunity to give their input on the DEIS and the Agency Preferred Alternative. During the public comment period, the BLM received letters and e-mails containing more than 250 comments. As a result of the comments received at the meetings and submitted in writing during the DEIS comment period, the BLM, Pacific Power and the JBLM YTC met and identified a new route that is located largely on JBLM YTC land. This new route is similar to a northern route also located largely on JBLM YTC land that was eliminated from consideration because of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) line separation requirements in place at the time the alternative was being considered. Previously, the separation distance required the placement of the line in areas that would create conflicts with JBLM YTC’s aerial operations and training. Around the time of publication of the DEIS, these separation requirements were revised by the electrical regulating authorities, WECC and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and now would allow a much closer distance between existing lines and the proposed Project which would minimize impacts to JBLM YTC training operations thus allowing the New Northern Route (NNR) Alternative to be reconsidered. The WECC regional criterion