Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) is proposing to interconnect the proposed Whistling Ridge Energy Project and will be constructing a new substation to accommodate this interconnection request located near Underwood, Washington. The State of Washington Energy Facilities Site Evaluation Council (EFSEC) has partnered with BPA to produce a joint environmental impact statement on this proposed project. More complete information on the roles of BPA and EFSEC can be seen at the project website found at www.efw.bpa.gov/environmental_services/Document_Library/Whistling_Ridge/. You may submit comments online at www.bpa.gov/comment; or mail your comments to:

Bonneville Power Administration, Public Affairs Office - DKE-7, P.O. Box 14428, Portland, OR 97293. You may also call us with your comment toll free at (800) 622-4519. Please reference "Whistling Ridge Energy Project" with your comments.

NOTE: This comment period has been extended to 8/27/10.

Public meetings:
Two meetings will be held for the public to ask questions and make comments on the project. 

June 16, 2010 - 6:30 p.m to 9:30 p.m.
Underwood Community Center
951 Schoolhouse Road
Underwood, WA 98648

June 17, 2010 - 6:30 p.m to 9:30 p.m.
Rock Creek Center
Skamania County Fairgrounds
710 SW Rock Creek Drive
Stevenson, WA 98648

The Bonneville Power Administration is inviting all interested parties to comment on the draft wholesale power contract presented to Jefferson County Public Utility District, which is expanding its utility operations to provide retail electric service. Jefferson County would be the first new public electric utility formed under BPA’s new Regional Dialogue contracts, and BPA believes regional review will help assure that BPA ultimately makes the best and most informed decision. 

BPA is seeking public input and comments during the scoping process on the proposed project.   BPA received a request from Iberdrola Renewables, Inc. (Iberdrola) to interconnect the proposed 101 MW Juniper Canyon II Wind Project to the Federal Columbia River Transmission System (FCRTS), which is owned and operated by BPA. Juniper Canyon II Wind Project Interconnection is located in Klickitat County, Washington.

Iberdrola would independently build, own, and operate Juniper Canyon II and its associated facilities, including a transmission line to the proposed BPA interconnection point. The Klickitat County environmental review of Juniper Canyon II is ongoing and expected to be completed in the fall of 2010.

The proposed interconnection point to the FCRTS is immediately adjacent to an existing BPA transmission line corridor in Klickitat County, near the town of Roosevelt. To interconnect Juniper Canyon II, BPA would build a new BPA substation, the Wood Creek Substation, at the proposed point of interconnection. The proposed substation would occupy approximately 3 acres. BPA does not plan to purchase any power from Juniper Canyon II.

Environmental review of the proposal is beginning and will continue into the fall of 2010. BPA will use comments to determine the scope of the environmental review. If BPA determines that the decision to interconnect the wind project is consistent with BPA's Business Plan Environmental Impact Statement (BP EIS), BPA will prepare a record of decision (ROD) tiered to the BP EIS and its associated ROD. The ROD will explain the decision on the interconnection and summarize the anticipated environmental impacts to natural and human resources. It is expected to be available in fall or winter 2010.

Close Aug. 9

Cross Comment:  Draft ROD on DSI Lookback Issues

BPA is now receiving comments from parties who may wish to respond to the specific issues raised in the opening round of comments submitted under the “Draft Record of Decision on DSI Lookback Issues” period which closed July 23.  View comments submitted during this opening round at http://www.bpa.gov/applications/publiccomments/CommentList.aspx?ID=103. 

At the close of this “cross comment” period BPA, anticipates evaluating the record for four to six weeks at which time it will issue a final Record of Decision on Part 1 of the bifurcated process on the DSI Lookback. In the event BPA’s final decision with respect to the remanded contract issue is that, as a matter of law, payments to or from BPA (Lookback Amounts) are precluded, that finding will constitute the Administrator’s final decision and no further proceedings will be necessary.

Release of the Draft Record of Decision (“DROD”), posted under “Service to Direct Service Industries” at website provided below, marked the beginning of the first phase of the bifurcated process and initiated the public comment period needed to enable the Administrator to reach a final determination of issues associated with the Lookback.