The Woodward News

Local News

January 27, 2013

Department of Energy plans meetings across area

Woodward News

Woodward, Okla. — The U.S. Department of Energy will make a stop in Woodward next week as it holds a series of public scoping meetings to gather input on the potential environmental impacts of the Plains & Eastern Clean Line Transmission Project.

As part of the Plains & Eastern project, the Houston-based Clean Line Energy is proposing to build high voltage direct current electric transmission lines with the capacity to deliver around 3,500 megawatts from wind farms and other power sources in the Oklahoma Panhandle to connect with the Tennessee Valley Authority in Shelby County, Tenn.  The project will traverse Oklahoma, Arkansas and western Tennessee as it seeks to help supply electricity to load-serving entities in the southeast United States.

Public meetings have been scheduled across the 3-state region to determine how the project might impact areas along the approximately 700-mile long corridor where the transmission line is proposed to be built.

This includes a series of 6 meetings in Oklahoma, with dates and locations listed as follows:

• Monday, Jan. 28 - Pickle Creek Center, Guymon

• Tuesday, Jan. 29 - Beaver County Fairgrounds, Beaver

• Thursday, Jan. 31 - Woodward Conference Center, Woodward

• Monday, Feb. 4 - Muskogee Civic Center, Muskogee

• Tuesday, Feb. 6 - Cushing Youth and Community Center, Cushing

• Thursday, Feb. 8 - Enid Convention Hall, Enid

All meetings will include an open house that lasts from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., with a presentation to be held from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.  Members of the public are invited to provide either verbal or written comment about the project at any of the meetings.

As part of the upcoming scoping meetings, the Department of Energy (DOE) is looking for input as it prepares an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Plains & Eastern project.

The DOE is seeking input on how the project might impact a number of environmental areas including, but not limited to:

• land use, recreation, and visual resources;

• water use and water quality;

• surface water features including rivers, floodplains and wetlands;

• fish, wildlife, and vegetation, including critical habitat;

• socioeconomics;

• environmental justice;

• historic and cultural resources;

• geology, soil, and mineral resources;

• human health, electric and magnetic fields;

• air quality and climate change;

• construction-related impacts, including road clearing, traffic and noise;

• accidents, intentional destructive acts, and hazards, including air space management; and

• waste management.

If you are unable to attend any of the public scoping meetings, written comments will also be accepted electronically or by postal mail.

To make an electronic submission, either complete the comment form available online at http://PlainsandEasternEIS.com or send an e-mail to info@PlainsandEasternEIS.com.

To send comments via U.S. Mail, write to Plains & Eastern EIS, 1099 18th Street, Suite 589, Denver, CO 80202.

Comments must be submitted by March 21, 2013.

Additional information about the EIS process and about the Plains & Eastern project, including project maps, may be found online at http://PlainsandEasternEIS.com.

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