[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 235 (Wednesday, December 8, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76394-76395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-30898]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.: Notice of Intent To
Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Extend Scoping Comment
Period
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
and Extend Scoping Comment Period.
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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) intends to 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's (USFS) National Environmental
Policy Act Procedures (36 CFR part 220) in connection with
[[Page 76395]]
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.
DATES: RUS has extended the public comment period to January 14, 2011.
RUS will accept verbal and written comments regarding the proposal.
Contact information for submitting comments is provided in the
ADDRESSES section of this notice.
ADDRESSES: Send all written comments to the attention of 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. Comments may also be
sent via fax: (202) 690-0649, or by e-mail: [email protected].
RUS will also accept verbal comments at the following telephone number:
(855) 806-8863.
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. The transmission line may originate from one of the
following points: Belle Isle (Georgetown County), Britton Neck
(Georgetown County), Jamestown (Berkeley County), Honey Hill (Berkeley
County), Charity (Charleston County), or Commonwealth (Charleston
County). This notice invites government agencies, organizations, and
the public to provide input in the development of the EIS for the
proposal.
An updated Alternatives Evaluation Study (AES) and Macro-Corridor
Study (MCS) were prepared for the proposal. The AES and MCS discuss the
purpose and need for the proposal as well as the alternatives
considered in the proposal's development. A public scoping meeting was
held on September 29, 2010, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at St. James-Santee
Elementary School, 8900 Highway 17 North, McClellanville, SC 29458.
RUS, Central Electric, and Mangi Environmental Group gave a
presentation at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., which provided an overview of: (1)
The Federal action being considered by RUS; (2) an overview of NEPA and
the EIS process; and, (3) the purpose, need and alternatives considered
in the development of the proposal. The AES and MCS (both dated
September 2010), in addition to materials from the public meeting, are
available for public review at the following RUS Web site: http://www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/eis.htm. Due to an error in the mailing list
for this proposal, RUS has extended the comment period to January 14,
2011.
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. Tribes or agencies may request to be a
cooperating agency by contacting the RUS contact provided in this
notice.
RUS will use input provided during scoping 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. The USFS may issue a separate ROD for
the proposal, which may be subject to an appeals period as prescribed
in USFS departmental regulations.
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.
Dated: December 2, 2010.
Richard Fristik,
Acting Director, Engineering and Environmental Staff, USDA, Rural
Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-30898 Filed 12-7-10; 8:45 am]
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