[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 224 (Monday, November 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72001-72002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-29943]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-NER-HPPC-1011-8639; 2030-A056-409]


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Susquehanna to 
Roseland 500-kilovolt Transmission Line

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service announces the availability of the 
draft environmental impact statement for the Susquehanna to Roseland 
500-kilovolt transmission line, which will affect the Appalachian 
National Scenic Trail, Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and 
Middle Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River.

DATES: The National Park Service will accept comments on the draft 
environmental impact statement from the public for a period of 60 days 
following publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's Notice 
of Availability in the Federal Register. You may check the Web site of 
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area at http://www.nps.gov/dewa 
for dates, times, and places of public meetings to be conducted by the 
National Park Service, or you can call (570) 828-2253.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any one of several methods. You 
may mail comments to Superintendent John Donahue, Delaware Water Gap 
National Recreation Area, HQ River Rd off Route 209, Bushkill, PA 
18324-9999 or to Superintendent Pamela Underhill, Appalachian Trail 
Park Office, P.O. Box 50, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425. The preferred method 
of comment is via the internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov. You may 
also fax your comments to (570) 426-2402. The document will be 
available for public review and comment online at http://parkplanning.nps.gov, and can be viewed at the following locations:
    Eastern Monroe Public Library, 1002 North Ninth Street, 
Stroudsburg, PA 18360.
    Easton Area Public Library, 515 Church Street, Easton, PA 18042.
    Kemp Library East Stroudsburg University, Normal Street, East 
Stroudsburg, PA 18301.
    Pike County Public Library, 201 Broad Street, Milford, PA 18337.
    Pike County Public Library, Dingman Township Branch, 100 Bond 
Court, Dingmans Ferry, PA 18328.
    Sussex County Library, 125 Morris Turnpike, Newton, NJ 07860.
    Warren County Library, 199 Hardwick Street, Belvidere, NJ 07823.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, 
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and the Middle Delaware 
National Scenic and Recreational River are famed for the recreational, 
scenic, natural, and cultural resources they contain. Each year, 
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area receives more than 5.2 
million recreational visitors, and the Delaware River is one of the 
primary recreational attractions in the park. More than 27 miles of the 
Appalachian National Scenic Trail occur within the boundaries of 
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area; the Appalachian National 
Scenic Trail attracts more than 4 million visitors each year.
    The existing transmission line right-of-way predates the 
establishment of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in 1937, 
Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in 1965, and the Middle 
Delaware National Scenic and Recreational River in 1978. The 
applicants, the Pennsylvania Power and Light Electric Utilities 
Corporation and the Public Service Electric and Gas Company, have 
expressed a need to construct a 500-kilovolt power line connecting the 
Susquehanna and Roseland substations. The purpose of the draft 
environmental impact statement (EIS) is to respond to the applicants' 
need in light of the purposes and resources of the affected units of 
the national park system, as expressed in statutes, regulations, and 
policies.
    The National Park Service has developed the draft EIS under section 
102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91-
190, as amended) and consistent with National Park Service laws, 
regulations, and policies, and the purpose of these three parks. The 
draft EIS describes and analyzes six alternatives (1, 2, 2b, 3, 4, and 
5) to guide the decision to grant or deny the construction and right-
of-way permits requested by the applicants. The applicants have 
proposed construction of a 500-kilovolt transmission line from the 
Susquehanna Substation (Berwick, Pennsylvania) to

[[Page 72002]]

the Roseland Substation (Roseland, New Jersey). The construction and 
right-of-way permits would allow the construction through Delaware 
Water Gap National Recreation Area, Middle Delaware National Scenic and 
Recreational River, and Appalachian National Scenic Trail in 
Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The alternatives follow existing rights-
of-way to reduce the impacts from construction and operation of the 
transmission line. Included in the suite of alternatives is the no-
action alternative (alternative 1), which is the National Park 
Service's environmentally preferred alternative.
    The draft EIS evaluates potential environmental consequences of 
implementing the alternatives. Impact topics include the natural, 
cultural, and socioeconomic environments.
    This notice also announces that public meetings will be held to 
solicit comments on the draft EIS during the public review period. The 
dates, times, and locations will be announced on Delaware Water Gap 
National Recreation Area's Web site http://www.nps.gov/dewa, in local 
papers, and can be obtained by calling (570) 828-2253.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Dated: November 4, 2011.
Mike Caldwell,
Deputy Regional Director, Chief of Staff, Northeast Region, National 
Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-29943 Filed 11-18-11; 8:45 am]
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