The draft EIS is a thorough review and analysis of the proposed project, including the need for the project, the alternatives considered, its cost and short- and long-term potential impacts of building the facility.
The facility would consist of the turbines, access roads to the turbines, an underground 34.5 kilovolt system to collect the power produced at each turbine, a new substation to connect to the existing electric transmission system and an operations and maintenance building that would house a supervisory control and data acquisition system to monitor turbine operation.
Comments on the draft EIS will be accepted for 45 days after the document is issued, and are due by Friday, September 4, 2009. Comments received on the draft EIS will be considered when the final EIS is prepared. Hearings to take testimony from the public regarding the proposed project and the final EIS are expected to be held late October or early November 2009. The exact dates and times have yet to be determined.
The PSC has the authority to approve, deny or modify proposed an electric construction project, such as this one. To ensure a full and complete record, the PSC follows a process outlined by state law for every case. Part of this process is to perform a thorough environmental review and to gather input from the public.
