[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 180 (Friday, September 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56979-56980]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-22964]
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Notices
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings,
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 180 / Friday, September 17, 2010 /
Notices
[[Page 56979]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.: Notice of Intent To
Hold a Public Scoping Meeting and Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Hold a Public Scoping Meeting and Prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) intends to hold a public
scoping meeting and prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to
meet its responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA), the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations for
implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), RUS's Environmental and
Policies and Procedures (7 CFR part 1794), and the U.S. Forest Service
(USFS)'s National Environmental Policy Act Procedures (36 CFR part 220)
in connection with potential impacts related to a proposal by Central
Electric Power Cooperative, Inc., (Central Electric) of Columbia, South
Carolina. The proposal consists of constructing a 115 kilovolt (kV)
transmission line through portions of Berkeley, Charleston, and/or
Georgetown Counties, South Carolina, to the proposed McClellanville
substation. Central Electric is requesting that RUS provide financial
assistance for the proposal and may request that the USFS issue a
special use permit for the proposal. RUS is the lead agency conducting
the EIS, and the USFS will be acting as a cooperating agency.
DATES: RUS and the USFS will conduct a public scoping meeting in an
open-house format with a formal presentation. The meeting will be held
on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, from 5 to 9 p.m. at St. James-Santee
Elementary School, 8900 U.S. 17, North Charleston, South Carolina
29405. The formal presentation will be made at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The
presentation will provide an overview of the Federal actions being
considered by RUS and the USFS (i.e., consideration of financial
assistance and permit issuance), an overview of NEPA and the EIS-
process, and the purpose/need and alternatives considered in the
development of the proposal. Comments regarding the proposal may be
submitted in writing at the public scoping meeting or in writing by
October 29, 2010, to the RUS address provided in this Notice.
ADDRESSES: To send comments or for further information, please contact
Ms. Lauren McGee, Environmental Scientist, USDA Rural Utilities
Service, Engineering and Environmental Staff, 1400 Independence Avenue,
SW., Stop 1571, Room 2244-S, Washington, DC 20250-1571, telephone:
(202) 720-1482, fax: (202) 690-0649, or e-mail:
[email protected].
An updated Alternatives Evaluation Study (AES) and Macro-Corridor
Study (MCS) was prepared for the proposal by Central Electric and Mangi
Environmental Group, Inc. The AES and MCS discuss the purpose/need for
the proposal and the alternatives considered in the proposal's
development. The AES and MCS (both dated September 2010) are available
for public review at the RUS address provided in this Notice, at the
following RUS Web site: http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/eis.htm, and
at the following repositories:
Berkeley County Library--Moncks Corner (Main), 1003 Hwy 52, Moncks
Corner, South Carolina 29461; telephone: (843) 719-4223.
Charleston County Main Library, 68 Calhoun Street, Charleston, South
Carolina 29401; telephone: (843) 805-6930.
Georgetown Library (Headquarters), 405 Cleland Street, Georgetown,
South Carolina 29440; telephone: (843) 545-3300.
McClellanville Library, 222 Baker Street, McClellanville, South
Carolina 29458; telephone: (843) 887-3699.
U.S. Forest Service, Wambaw Office, McClellanville, South Carolina
29458; telephone: (843) 887-3257.
Sewee Visitor & Environmental Education Center, 5821 Highway 17 North,
Awendaw, South Carolina 29429; telephone: (843) 928-3368.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Central Electric proposes to construct a
115-kV transmission line to Berkeley Electric Cooperative's proposed
McClellanville substation. The proposal would provide long-term,
reliable electric service to the McClellanville community and
surrounding areas. It would also reduce the number and length of
extended outages in this service area and reduce the number of
momentary interruptions or blinks. The transmission line may originate
from one of the following points: Belle Isle (Georgetown County),
Winyah/Britton Neck (Georgetown County), Jamestown (Berkeley County),
Honey Hill (Berkeley County), and/or Charity (Charleston County). With
this Notice, government agencies, organizations, and the public are
invited to provide input in the development of the EIS for the
proposal.
Scoping was previously conducted for the proposal during December
2005--January 2006. At that time, a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare
an Environmental Assessment and hold a public scoping meeting was
published in the Federal Register on November 29, 2005 (Vol. 70, No.
228, 71462). A public scoping meeting was held on December 14, 2005, at
the McClellanville Government Services Building. The public was
notified of the meeting via letter to landowners and interested
parties; public service announcements on radio stations in Charleston
and Georgetown, South Carolina; and announcements published in the
Georgetown Times and Charleston Post & Courier. Approximately 150-200
people attended the public meeting. A scoping report, which summarizes
comments received from agencies and the public, is available for public
review at the RUS Web site listed in this Notice. Based on comments
received from agencies and the public, RUS decided that an EIS should
be prepared for the proposal. In addition, RUS determined that a new
macro-corridor alternative should be considered (Winyah/Britton Neck
via private forestlands). Development of this new alternative and the
refinement of the other macro-corridor alternatives were based on
information acquired from agencies and the public during the December
2005-January 2006 scoping period. RUS is holding a second scoping
meeting to inform agencies and the public of these changes to the scope
of the proposal and to gather more input for use in the development of
the EIS.
[[Page 56980]]
Among the alternatives that RUS will address in the EIS is the ``No
Action'' alternative, under which the proposal would not be undertaken.
In the EIS, the effects of the proposal will be compared to the
existing conditions in the proposal area. Alternative transmission line
corridors will be refined as part of the EIS scoping process and will
be addressed in the EIS. Public health and safety, environmental
impacts, and engineering aspects of the proposal will be considered in
the EIS.
RUS is the lead Federal agency, as defined at 40 CFR 1501.5, for
preparation of the EIS. The USFS is a cooperating agency. With this
Notice, federally recognized Native American Tribes and Federal
agencies with jurisdiction or special expertise are invited to be
cooperating agencies. Such tribes or agencies may make a request to RUS
to be a cooperating agency by contacting the RUS contact provided in
this Notice. Designated cooperating agencies have certain
responsibilities to support the NEPA process, as specified at 40 CFR
1501.6(b).
As part of its broad environmental review process, RUS must take
into account the effect of the proposal on historic properties in
accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(Section 106) and its implementing regulation, ``Protection of Historic
Properties'' (36 CFR part 800). Pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), RUS is
using its procedures for public involvement under NEPA to meet its
responsibilities to solicit and consider the views of the public during
Section 106 review. Accordingly, comments submitted in response to
scoping will inform RUS decision-making in Section 106 review. Any
party wishing to participate more directly with RUS as a ``consulting
party'' in Section 106 review may submit a written request to the RUS
contact provided in this Notice.
RUS will use input provided by government agencies, private
organizations, and the public in the preparation of the draft EIS. The
draft EIS will be available for review and comment for 45 days. A final
EIS that considers all comments received will subsequently be prepared.
The final EIS will be available for review for 30 days. Following the
30-day review period, RUS will prepare a Record of Decision (ROD).
Notices announcing the availability of the draft EIS, the final EIS,
and the ROD will be published in the Federal Register and in local
newspapers.
Any final action by RUS related to the proposal will be subject to,
and contingent upon, compliance with all relevant executive orders and
Federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations in
addition to the completion of the environmental review requirements as
prescribed in RUS's Environmental Policies and Procedures, 7 CFR part
1794, as amended.
Mark S. Plank,
Director, Engineering and Environmental Staff, USDA, Rural Utilities
Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-22964 Filed 9-16-10; 8:45 am]
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