[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 36 (Thursday, February 22, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7841-7842]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-03597]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement; Henry County, Virginia

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway 
Administration.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway 
Administration (FHWA), in coordination with the Virginia Department of 
Transportation (VDOT), is issuing this notice of intent to advise the 
public, agencies, and stakeholders that an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) will be prepared to study the effects of a highway 
project under consideration along the Route 220 corridor in Henry 
County, Virginia.

DATES: To ensure that a full range of issues related to the study are 
addressed and all potential issues are identified, comments and 
suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments and 
suggestions concerning the range of issues to be evaluated in the EIS 
should be submitted to FHWA at the address below within 30 days of the 
issuance of this notice to ensure timely consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Mack Frost, Planning and 
Environment Specialist, Federal Highway Administration, 400 North 8th 
Street, Suite 750, Richmond, VA 23219-4825; email: [email protected]; 
(804)-775-3352.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The environmental review of transportation 
improvement alternatives for the Route 220 corridor will be conducted 
in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), 23 
U.S.C. 139, Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations 
implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508), FHWA regulations implementing 
NEPA (23 CFR 771.101-771.139) and all applicable Federal, State, and 
local governmental laws and regulations.
    1. Description of the Proposed Action: The EIS will evaluate the 
environmental effects from reasonable project alternatives and 
determine the potential for significant impacts to social, economic, 
natural or physical environmental resources associated with these 
alternatives.
    2. Description of Study Area: A study area large enough to 
incorporate detailed studies for a full range of reasonable 
alternatives to be considered for the project will be evaluated. The 
study area is anticipated to generally encompass a portion of Henry 
County southeast of the City of Martinsville, roughly following 
Greensboro Road (U.S. Route 220) from the North Carolina state line 
until turning northeast along William F. Stone Highway (U.S. Route 58 
Bypass) until A.L. Philpott Highway (U.S. Route 58). The specific 
geographic limits of the study area will be informed during scoping and 
defined through the course of the study.
    3. Scoping and Public Review Process: VDOT, in coordination with 
FHWA, will solicit public and agency comments through this notice as 
well as public scoping meetings on the proposed action. The locations, 
dates, and times for each meeting will be publicized through the VDOT 
website (http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/salem/default.asp) and in 
newspapers with local and regional circulation, including the Roanoke 
Times and the Martinsville Bulletin. Scoping materials will be 
available at the meetings and oral and written comments will be 
solicited. Comments may also be sent to the address above.
    Notification of the draft EIS for public and agency review will be 
made in the Federal Register and using other methods to be jointly 
determined by FHWA and VDOT. Those methods will identify where 
interested parties can go to review a copy of the draft EIS.
    For the draft EIS, public hearings will be held and a minimum 45-
day comment period will be provided. The hearings will be conducted by 
VDOT and announced a minimum of 15 days in advance of the meetings. 
VDOT will provide information for the public hearings, including the 
locations, dates, and times for each meeting through a variety of means 
including the VDOT website (http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/salem/default.asp) and by newspaper advertisement.
    4. Additional Review and Consultation: The EIS will comply with 
other Federal and State requirements including, but not limited to: 
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act of 1972, the State water quality 
certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act of 1972; 
protection of endangered and threatened species under Section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act; consideration of cultural resources under 
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act; protection of 
water quality under the Virginia/National Pollutant Discharge 
Elimination System; and consideration

[[Page 7842]]

of minority and low income populations under Executive Order 12898; 23 
U.S.C. 315; 49 CFR 1.48; 33 CFR part 325.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing 
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on 
Federal programs and activities apply to this program.)

    Issued on: February 13, 2018.
Mack Frost Jr.,
Environmental Specialist, Federal Highway Administration, Richmond, 
Virginia.
[FR Doc. 2018-03597 Filed 2-21-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-22-P