[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 23, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56758-56759]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23065]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.: Extension of Comment 
Period for an Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice: Extension of Comment Period for an Environmental Impact 
Statement.

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SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), a Rural Development agency 
of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), has issued a Supplemental 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Supplemental Draft EIS) for 
Central Electric Power Cooperative's (Central Electric) proposed 
McClellanville Area 115-kV Transmission Project (Project) in South 
Carolina. In this document, RUS analyzes the environmental impacts 
associated with an anticipated decision request to approve or deny 
funding for Central Electric's proposed Project. The Supplement Draft 
EIS was prepared to address substantial changes to the proposed action 
and assesses new circumstances and information relevant to potential 
environmental impacts originally evaluated in the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (Draft EIS). RUS published a Notice of Intent and 
Availability on August 30, 2019, that provided a 60-day comment period, 
ending on the date announced in the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency's (USEPA) EIS receipt notice on October 22, 2019. RUS is 
extending the public comment period for the Draft EIS by an additional 
30 days to November 21, 2019.

DATES: With this notice, RUS extends the public comment period to 
November 21, 2019. Comments submitted to RUS regarding the Supplemental 
Draft EIS prior to this announcement do not need to be resubmitted as a 
result of this extension to the comment period. The date(s) and time 
for a public meeting will be announced in local newspapers and 
published on the agency's website at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/publications/environmental-studies/impact-statements/mccllellanville-115kv-transmission-line.

ADDRESSES: The Supplemental Draft EIS and associated documents are 
available at the weblink provided in this Notice (https://www.rd.usda.gov/publications/environmental-studies/impact-statements/mccllellanville-115kv-transmission-line). RUS will consider all 
substantive written comments on the Supplemental Draft EIS received or 
postmarked within the 90-day timeframe or until November 21, 2019. 
Agencies, interested parties, and the public are invited to submit 
comments on the Supplemental Draft EIS at any time during the public 
comment period by either of the following methods:
     Email: Please send your comments to [email protected].
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send your comment 
addressed to Ms. Lauren Rayburn, Environmental Scientist, Rural 
Utilities Service, 160 Zillicoa Street, Suite 2, Asheville, North 
Carolina 28801.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the proposed 
Project and the EIS process, please contact Ms. Lauren Rayburn, 
Environmental Scientist, Rural Utilities Service, 160 Zillicoa Street, 
Suite 2, Asheville, North Carolina 28801 or email to: 
[email protected]. Parties wishing to be placed on the Project 
mailing list for future information and to receive copies of the 
Supplemental Draft EIS and the Final EIS when available should also 
contact Ms. Rayburn.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: RUS is authorized to make loans and loan 
guarantees that finance the construction of electric distribution, 
transmission, and generation facilities, including system improvements 
and replacements required to furnish and improve electric service in 
rural areas, as well as demand side management, energy conservation 
programs, and on-grid and off-grid renewable energy systems. Central 
Electric is an electric transmission cooperative that provides 
transmission service from the bulk transmission system to South 
Carolina's 20 retail electric cooperatives. Berkeley Electric, a member 
distribution electric cooperative of Central Electric, was formed in 
1940 to bring electric service to rural areas of coastal South 
Carolina. Berkeley Electric owns and operates more than 5,000 miles of 
distribution line serving more than 80,000 accounts in Berkeley, 
Charleston, and Dorchester counties.
    Project Description: Central Electric has identified the need for 
additional electric transmission capacity in the McClellanville area of 
coastal South Carolina to meet reliability and energy load requirements 
of its member owner, Berkeley Electric Cooperative. Investigations and 
analyses conducted for the overall power delivery systems found that 
without improvements, the flow of power along existing lines may result 
in local line overloads and power outages. To resolve these issues, 
Central Electric is proposing to construct, own and operate a new 115-
kV transmission line and associated supporting infrastructure to 
energize the new McClellanville Substation, located near the 
McClellanville service area. Berkeley Electric owner-customers that 
would benefit from the proposed Project include those located in the 
areas near Rutledge Road, South Santee Road, Wedge Plantation, 
Germantown, Toby Road, Dupree Road, Lincoln High School, Randall Road, 
Tibwin Road, St. James-Santee School, Shellmore, Buck Hall, Town of 
Awendaw, Doar Road, and areas adjacent to U.S. Highway 17 in northern 
Charleston County.
    The Supplemental Draft EIS considers three alternatives, 
encompassing three potential corridor locations with one corridor 
including two different alignments. The corridors range in length from 
16 to 31 miles and encompasses parts of Berkeley, Georgetown and 
Charleston counties in South Carolina. The corridor locations propose 
to cross both public and private lands, including the Francis Marion 
National Forest, Santee Coastal Reserve, and other private and public 
lands used for conservation management purposes; all corridors are 
located entirely within the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor. 
The Supplemental Draft EIS analyzes the extent of Central's Electric's 
proposal with regard to the following: Water resources, biological 
resources, soils and geology, air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, 
cultural resources, recreation and land use, visual resources, 
socioeconomics,

[[Page 56759]]

environmental justice, transportation, health and safety, and noise.
    Central Electric plans to request financial assistance for the 
proposed Project from RUS. Completing the EIS is one of RUS's 
requirements in processing a future application from Central Electric, 
along with other technical and financial considerations. In accordance 
with 40 CFR 1501.5(b) of the Council on Environmental Quality's (CEQ) 
Regulation for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (CEQ Regulations), RUS will serve as the lead 
agency in the preparation of the EIS. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
and the U.S. Forest Service are participating as cooperating agencies. 
RUS has prepared a Supplemental Draft EIS to analyze the impacts of the 
respective federal actions and the proposed Project in accordance with 
the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as amended, CEQ 
Regulations, RUS Environmental Policies and Procedures, and the U.S. 
Forest Service's National Environmental Policy Act procedures.
    Because the proposed Project may involve action in floodplains or 
wetlands, this Notice also serves as a notice of proposed floodplain or 
wetland action. The Supplemental Draft EIS will include an assessment 
of effects to floodplains/wetlands and, if required, a statement of 
findings will be issued with the Final SEIS.
    RUS has determined that its action regarding the proposed Project 
would be an undertaking subject to review under Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act (Section 106), and its implementing 
regulations, ``Protection of Historic Properties.'' As part of its 
broad environmental review process, RUS must consider the effect of the 
proposed Project on historic properties in accordance with Section 106. 
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 this Notice will inform 
RUS decision-making in its Section 106 review process. 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.
    Agency Responsibilities: RUS is serving as the lead agency, as 
defined at 40 CFR 1501.5, for preparation of the Supplemental Draft 
EIS. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Forest Service are 
participating as cooperating agencies and may issue separate Records of 
Decision relevant to the Project under separate authorities. For the 
U.S. Forest Service, a draft Record of Decision would be subject to the 
Agency's administrative review process at 36 CFR part 218, subparts A 
and B. The U.S. Forest Service may need to issue a special use permit 
to authorize occupancy of National Forest System lands for this 
proposal. Per 40 CFR 1506.3, the U.S. Forest Service intends to review 
and adopt the Final EIS, if found sufficient, in support of issuance of 
a special use permit.
    Public Participation: The EIS process has included past scoping 
meetings and comment periods; consultation and involvement with 
appropriate Federal, State, local, and tribal governments; and a public 
meeting and comment period on the Draft EIS issued in 2014. Comments 
may be submitted as provided in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. 
The process will be followed by the publication of a Final EIS as well 
as publication of a Record of Decision in the Federal Register.

Christopher A. Mclean,
Assistant Administrator--Electric Program, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-23065 Filed 10-22-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-15-P