[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 13, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22510-22511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11094]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation


Amended Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Biomass Crop Assistance 
Program (BCAP). BCAP is a new program authorized by the Food, 
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). The EIS will 
assess the potential environmental impacts of alternatives for 
administration and implementation of BCAP. Through this notice and 
public meetings, CCC is requesting the public to provide comments and 
inputs on the preliminary proposed program alternatives and 
environmental concerns associated with the implementation of BCAP.

DATES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for dates of the six 
public meetings.
    Comments: We will consider comments that we receive by June 12, 
2009. We will consider comments submitted after that date, to the 
extent possible.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments and to participate in 
public meetings on the proposed alternatives related to BCAP. If you e-
mail, fax, or mail your comments, include the volume, date, and page 
number of this issue of the Federal Register. You may submit comments 
by any of the following methods:
     Go through the established public comments Web site 
located at marine.com">http://public.geo-marine.com.
     E-Mail: marine.com">bcapeis@geo-marine.com.
     Fax: (757) 873-3703.
     Mail: BCAP EIS c/o Geo-Marine, Inc., 2713 Magruder 
Boulevard, Suite D, Hampton, Virginia 23666.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver comments to the above 
address.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    Comments may be inspected in the Office of the Director, CEPD, FSA, 
USDA, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Room 4709 South Building, 
Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except holidays.
    See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for addresses for the six 
public meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew T. Ponish, FSA National 
Environmental Compliance Manager at (202) 720-6853 or 
[email protected]. Persons with disabilities who require 
alternative means for communication (Braille, large print, audio tape, 
etc.) should contact the USDA Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice 
and TDD).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BCAP is authorized by Title IX of the 2008 
Farm Bill (Pub. L. 110-246). The 2008 Farm Bill amends Title IX of the 
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-171); 
specifically, for BCAP, the 2008 Farm Bill adds section 9011 (7 U.S.C. 
8111) to Title IX. BCAP is intended to support the establishment and 
production of crops for conversion to bio-energy in project areas 
(locations) and to assist with collection, harvest, storage, and 
transportation of eligible material for use in a biomass conversion 
facility.
    As a new energy program, BCAP presents an opportunity to encourage 
landowners and operators to produce biomass for commercial energy 
production in ways that both are economically and environmentally 
sound. CCC plans to implement BCAP by approving the best-qualifying 
project proposals from project sponsors (producers or facilities) and 
then entering into contracts with individual producers in the approved 
project locations. BCAP is a CCC program administered by the Farm 
Service Agency (FSA) with the support of other Federal and local 
agencies.
    Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the EIS process 
provides a means for the public to provide input on program 
implementation alternatives and on environmental concerns. This notice 
informs the public of CCC's intention to prepare an EIS for BCAP. CCC 
initially solicited public input and comments on the proposed EIS for 
BCAP from the notice published in the Federal Register on October 1, 
2008 (72 FR 5704-57047).
    When we received comments and inputs from the public and through 
internal agency scoping, CCC developed the following alternatives for 
the BCAP analysis to be considered as part of the regulatory 
requirements under NEPA process:
    (1) No Action Alternative--addresses the potential effects from not 
implementing BCAP.
    (2) Action Alternative 1--addresses a targeted implementation of 
BCAP to specific areas or regions of the United States.
    (3) Action Alternative 2--addresses a broad national implementation 
of BCAP.
    The public meetings will be scoping meetings and will provide 
public input for the development of the alternatives.

[[Page 22511]]



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             Date                      Time         Location information
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May 28, 2009..................  6:30 p.m. to 8:30  Red Lion Hotel, 2300
                                 p.m. local time.   Evergreen Park
                                                    Drive, Olympia,
                                                    Washington 98501,
                                                    Ph: 360-252-0972,
                                                    Fax: 360-753-9651.
June 2, 2009..................  6:30 p.m. to 8:30  Hilton Garden Inn,
                                 p.m. local time.   9000 Interstate 40
                                                    West, Amarillo,
                                                    Texas 79124, Ph: 806-
                                                    355-4400, Fax: 806-
                                                    355-4411.
June 4, 2009..................  6:30 p.m. to 8:30  Alexander Fulton
                                 p.m. local time.   Hotel & Convention
                                                    Center, 701 4th
                                                    Street, Alexandria,
                                                    Louisiana 71301, Ph
                                                    318-442-9000.
June 8, 2009..................  6:30 p.m. to 8:30  Renaissance Savery
                                 p.m. local time.   Hotel, 401 Locust
                                                    Street, Des Moines,
                                                    Iowa 50309, Ph: 515-
                                                    365-7232, Fax: 515-
                                                    244-1228.
June 10, 2009.................  6:30 p.m. to 8:30  Hilton Garden Inn,
                                 p.m. local time.   101 S. Front Street,
                                                    Albany, Georgia
                                                    31701, Phone: 229-
                                                    518-5003, Fax: 229-
                                                    878-4862.
June 11, 2009.................  6:30 p.m. to 8:30  Hilton Garden Inn
                                 p.m. local time.   Syracuse, 6004 Fair
                                                    Lakes Road,
                                                    Syracuse, New York
                                                    13057, Ph: 315-431-
                                                    4800, Fax: 315-431-
                                                    4999.
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    Signed in Washington, DC on May 7, 2009.
Doug Caruso,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. E9-11094 Filed 5-12-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P