[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
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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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