[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 68 (Friday, April 8, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 19741]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8421]



[[Page 19741]]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation


Draft Environmental Assessment; Giant Miscanthus in Arkansas, 
Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation and Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of a draft 
environmental assessment (EA) for the proposed establishment and 
production of giant miscanthus (Miscanthus X giganteus) as a dedicated 
energy crop to be grown in the Aloterra Energy and MFA Oil Biomass 
Company (project sponsors) proposed project areas in Arkansas, 
Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania as part of the Biomass Crop Assistance 
Program (BCAP). This notice provides a means for the public to submit 
comments to voice concerns about the proposed BCAP project areas.

DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by May 7, 2011. The 
Farm Service Agency (FSA) will consider comments received after that 
date to the extent possible.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on the draft EA. In your 
comment, include the volume, date, and page number of this issue of the 
Federal Register. You may submit comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     E-Mail: [email protected].
     Fax: 972-562-7673 ATTN: Giant Miscanthus EA Comments.
     Mail: Giant Miscanthus EA Comments, Integrated 
Environmental Solutions, LLC, 2150 S Central Expy Ste 110, McKinney, TX 
75070.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver comments to the above 
address.
    Comments may be inspected in the Office of the Director, CEPD, FSA, 
USDA, Room 4709 South Building, Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.
    You may request copies of the draft EA for Giant Miscanthus by 
writing to: Giant Miscanthus EA Copies, Integrated Environmental 
Solutions, LLC, 2150 S Central Expy, Ste 110, McKinney, TX 75070, or by 
e-mail to: [email protected], with the subject: ``Request for 
copy draft Giant Miscanthus EA.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Ponish, (202) 720-6853.
    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: The Aloterra Energy and MFA Oil Biomass 
Company submitted a proposal to FSA to establish BCAP project areas in 
Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The proposal is to 
establish and produce giant miscanthus as a dedicated energy crop. The 
draft EA analyzes the environmental impacts of growing giant miscanthus 
in those areas. FSA will review comments submitted on the draft EA in 
response to this notice and use the additional input in developing the 
final EA and decision document about whether to approve the project or 
not. This notice announces the availability of the draft EA and the 
opening of the comment period; it does not discuss the contents of the 
draft EA.
    The draft EA for the proposed BCAP project areas supporting the 
establishment and production of Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus X 
giganteus) in Arkansas, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania sponsored by 
Aloterra Energy LLC and MFA Oil Biomass LLC is now available to review 
for the environmental impact.
    The draft EA was prepared in accordance with the provisions of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347); the 
regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) (40 CFR parts 
1500-1508); and FSA regulations for compliance with NEPA (7 CFR 799). 
As specified in the CEQ regulation, an EA is `` * * * a concise 
document for which a Federal agency is responsible that serves to (1) 
briefly provide sufficient evidence and analysis for determining 
whether to prepare an environmental impact statement [EIS] or (2) a 
finding of no significant impact'' (40 CFR 1508.9). Additionally, since 
this document falls under the guidance of the BCAP final programmatic 
EIS (PEIS), which was a broad national-level program document, CEQ 
guidance allows for ``tiering.'' The CEQ regulation states that tiering 
``refers to the coverage of general matters in broader environmental 
impact statements with subsequent narrower statements or environmental 
analyses incorporating by reference the general discussions and 
concentrating solely on the issues specific to the statement 
subsequently prepared'' (40 CFR 1508.28).
    Section 9001 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 
(Pub. L. 110-246, commonly referred to as the 2008 Farm Bill) 
authorizes BCAP. BCAP is administered by the FSA Deputy Administrator 
for Farm Programs, on behalf of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), 
with the support of other Federal and local agencies. BCAP is intended 
to assist agricultural and forest land owners and operators with the 
establishment and production of eligible crops in selected project 
areas for conversion to bioenergy, and the collection, harvest, 
storage, and transportation of eligible material for use in a biomass 
conversion facility.
    On October 27, 2010, CCC published the Record of Decision (ROD) for 
the BCAP final PEIS (75 FR 65995-66007) and BCAP final rule (76 FR 
66202-66243) in the Federal Register. As part of the mitigation 
measures detailed in the ROD, each project proposal is subject to a 
NEPA analysis prior to approval of the project area proposal. The 
initial environmental evaluation of a project area proposal is based on 
information contained in specific forms: BCAP-19, BCAP-20, BCAP-21, and 
BCAP-22, with supporting information. After this initial evaluation FSA 
can conclude either that:
    (1) No additional environmental analyses are applicable due to no 
potential for the proposed BCAP activity to significantly impact the 
environment, or
    (2) Additional environmental analyses in the form of an EA or EIS 
are necessary, depending upon the potential level of significance.
    Due to inconclusive results in the initial environmental 
evaluation, FSA is required to do an EA to make a determination whether 
there could be significant environmental impacts.
    The draft EA can be reviewed online at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=ecrc&topic=nep-cd.

    Signed in Washington, DC on April 5, 2011.
Carolyn B. Cooksie,
Acting Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation, and 
Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 2011-8421 Filed 4-7-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P