Notice2025-20267
Amended Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed North Plains Connector Project, Colstrip, MT to Center/St. Anthony, ND
Primary source
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Published
November 19, 2025
Issuing agencies
Energy Department
Abstract
On October 25, 2024, the Grid Deployment Office (GDO), Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed North Plains Connector Project, Colstrip, Montana to Center/St. Anthony, North Dakota. The previous NOI indicated that DOE did not have decision making authority related to the North Plains Connector Project (NPC). This amended NOI (ANOI) clarifies that DOE does have a decision-making role with respect to the North Plains Connector Interregional Innovation (NPCII) conditional award pursuant to DOE's Grid Resilience and Innovations Partnership (GRIP) Grant Program.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 221 (Wednesday, November 19, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 19, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52047-52048]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-20267]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Amended Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed North Plains Connector Project, Colstrip, MT
to Center/St. Anthony, ND
AGENCY: Grid Deployment Office, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Amended notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: On October 25, 2024, the Grid Deployment Office (GDO),
Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed North Plains
Connector Project, Colstrip, Montana to Center/St. Anthony, North
Dakota. The previous NOI indicated that DOE did not have decision
making authority related to the North Plains Connector Project (NPC).
This amended NOI (ANOI) clarifies that DOE does have a decision-making
role with respect to the North Plains Connector Interregional
Innovation (NPCII) conditional award pursuant to DOE's Grid Resilience
and Innovations Partnership (GRIP) Grant Program.
ADDRESSES: Please direct any questions about this amended NOI to Kira
Treich, NEPA Document Manager, by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4d23223f39253d212c24233e2e222323282e39223f0d253c63292228632a223b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="0f61607d7b677f636e66617c6c6061616a6c7b607d4f677e216b606a21686079">[email protected]</span></a>.
<bullet> Mail: Kira Treich, NPC NEPA Document Manager, U.S.
Department of Energy, Grid Deployment Office, 1000 Independence Avenue
SW, Suite 4H-065, Washington, DC 20585.
Further information regarding the NPC EIS, including the original
NOI, may be found at <a href="http://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0568-north-plains-connector-multiple-locations">www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0568-north-plains-connector-multiple-locations</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kira Treich, GDO NEPA Document
Manager, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#600e0f121408100c01090e13030f0e0e0503140f122008114e040f054e070f16"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8ee0e1fcfae6fee2efe7e0fdede1e0e0ebedfae1fccee6ffa0eae1eba0e9e1f8">[email protected]</span></a>, (202) 586-2006.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: On October 25, 2024, the Grid Deployment Office (GDO),
Department of Energy (DOE) issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Proposed North Plains
Connector Project, Colstrip, Montana to Center/St. Anthony, North
Dakota. (89 FR 85182, October 25, 2024).
Separately, as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
(Pub. L. 117-58 (2021)), DOE is administering the $10.5 billion GRIP
Program to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the
power system against growing threats of extreme weather. This funding
award program will accelerate the deployment of transformative projects
that will help to ensure the reliability of the power sector's
infrastructure, so all American communities have access to affordable,
reliable electricity.
In August 2024, DOE announced a conditional GRIP award of up to
$700 million, subject to completion of required environmental reviews
and other applicable conditions, to Montana Department of Commerce
(MTDOC) for
[[Page 52048]]
the NPCII Project. Of this estimated $700 million, if awarded, MTDOC
would disburse an estimated $605 million to the Project Proponent to
support planning, procurement, permitting, construction, and
commissioning of the Proposed Project.
Proposed Action: In addition to its role as a Co-Lead Agency for
the EIS, DOE is now proposing to finalize the components of the NPCII
GRIP award relevant to NPC's Proposed Project. If finalized, DOE would
provide approximately $605 million in Federal funding to MTDOC, who
would then disburse those funds to the Project Proponent for the
Proposed Project pursuant to the GRIP Program. The funding would be
disbursed in a phased approach subject to certain conditions met in the
preceding phase. Those funding phases would support planning,
procurement, construction, and commissioning of the Proposed Project.
In addition to clarifying DOE's role as a decisionmaker, this ANOI also
provides information on the proposed upgrades at the Colstrip
Substation and how those changes relate to the Proposed Project and
updates the No Action Alternative to account for DOE's funding
decision.
The scope of the EIS analysis described in the original NOI is not
altered by DOE's pending decision regarding GRIP funding of the
Proposed Project, nor does it alter, in any way, the scope of decisions
put before ARS, BLM, or USFS. Therefore, DOE is not reopening the
scoping period for this EIS.
Project Details: The Proposed Project details remain substantially
the same as presented in the original NOI, with additional details to
further describe the necessary upgrades to the Colstrip Substation. In
addition to the modifications described in the original NOI, the EIS
will analyze the potential installation of two new 500 kV bays within
and adjacent to the existing Colstrip Substation, and the potential
upgrade of the Colstrip Switchyard 500 kV bus to a 5,000-Amp rating.
The existing footprint of the Colstrip Substation would be expanded by
approximately 4 acres to the northwest and approximately 9 acres to the
south and east to accommodate the interconnection.
Purpose and Need: DOE amends its purpose and need to include its
obligation to administer the GRIP Program in a manner consistent with
the Congressional intent of supporting projects that use innovative
approaches to transmission, storage, and distribution infrastructure to
enhance grid resilience and reliability, including interregional
transmission projects, investments that accelerate interconnection of
energy generation, and utilization of distribution grid assets to
provide backup power and reduce transmission requirements.
Alternatives: This ANOI modifies the No Action Alternative to
consider DOE's funding decision. The Project Proponent may decide to
proceed with developing the Proposed Project even without DOE funding,
however, under the No Action Alternative, the analysis assumes DOE
would not grant funds, the necessary permits and authorizations would
not be granted by other relevant permitting entities, and the Proposed
Project would not be constructed.
Responsible Official and Nature of Decision to Be Made: The
original NOI identified each Federal agency's deciding Official and the
scope of the relevant Federal decisions to be made. In this ANOI, DOE
is adding its responsibility to decide whether to finalize the NPCII
GRIP award components necessary to support the Proposed Project, or
whether to terminate those components of the conditional GRIP award.
The GDO Director is the Official responsible for making the decision.
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of Energy was signed on October 24,
2025, by Tina Francone, Director of the Grid Deployment Office. That
document with the original signature and date is maintained by DOE. For
administrative purposes only, and in compliance with requirements of
the Office of the Federal Register, the undersigned DOE Federal
Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to sign and submit the
document in electronic format for publication, as an official document
of the Department of Energy. This administrative process in no way
alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the
Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC, on November 17, 2025.
Jennifer Hartzell,
Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2025-20267 Filed 11-18-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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