[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 204 (Friday, October 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65493-65494]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-27339]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 204 / Friday, October 21, 2011 / 
Notices  

[[Page 65493]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation


Draft Environmental Assessment; Giant Miscanthus in REPREVE 
Renewables, LLC Project Areas Under the Biomass Crop Assistance Program

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, 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 REPREVE Renewables, LLC (project 
sponsor) proposed project areas in Georgia, North Carolina and South 
Carolina as part of the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). This 
notice provides a means for the public to voice any concerns they may 
have about the proposed BCAP project areas.

DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by November 21, 2011. 
Comments submitted after this date will be considered to the extent 
possible.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this 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: SE Giant Miscanthus EA Comments.
     Mail: SE 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. A copy of this notice is 
available through the FSA home page at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/.
    You may request copies of the draft EA for Giant Miscanthus by 
writing to: SE Giant Miscanthus EA Draft Request, Integrated 
Environmental Solutions, LLC, 2150 S Central Expy, Ste 110, McKinney, 
TX 75070.
    The draft EA can be viewed online at http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=ecrc&topic=nep-cd.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Ponish, National Environmental 
Compliance Manager, USDA/FSA/CEPD/Stop 0513, 1400 Independence Ave., 
SW., Washington, DC 20250-0513, phone: (202) 720-6853, e-mail: 
[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: The United States Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) implements the Biomass Crop 
Assistance Program (BCAP). BCAP is authorized by Title IX of the Food, 
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill, Pub. L. 110-
246). BCAP is administered by the Deputy Administrator for Farm 
Programs of the Farm Service Agency (FSA) on behalf of the CCC with the 
support of other Federal and local agencies and is intended to assist 
agricultural and forest land owners and operators with the 
establishment and production of eligible crops including woody biomass 
in selected project areas for conversion to bioenergy, and the 
collection, harvest, storage, and transportation of eligible material 
to designated biomass conversion facilities for use as heat, power, 
biobased products, or advanced biofuels.
    REPREVE Renewables, LLC has submitted a proposal to FSA to 
establish BCAP project areas in Georgia, North Carolina and South 
Carolina as part of BCAP. 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 EA announced in this notice is being prepared in accordance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, Pub. L. 91-190, 42 
U.S.C. 4321-4347); implementing regulations adopted by the Council on 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) (40 CFR 1500-1508); and FSA implementing 
regulations for NEPA compliance (7 CFR 799). According to CEQ guidance, 
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 EIS or a finding of no significant 
impact (FONSI).'' Since this document falls under the guidance of the 
BCAP Final PEIS, which was a broad national-level program document, CEQ 
guidance allows for ``tiering.'' CEQ guidance defines tiering as, ``the 
coverage of general matters in broader EIS 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.''
    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 NEPA 
analysis prior to approval of the project area proposal. The initial 
environmental evaluation of a project area proposal is developed 
through the completion of Forms BCAP 19, BCAP-20, BCAP-21, and BCAP-22 
and 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

[[Page 65494]]

    (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.

    Signed on October 18, 2011.
Carolyn B. Cooksie,
Acting Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 2011-27339 Filed 10-20-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P