Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 243 / Monday, December 20, 2004 / Notices 75901

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service 

Information Collection Activity; 

Comment Request

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the 

Rural Utilities Service’s (RUS) invites 

comments on this information 

collection for which RUS intends to 

request approval from the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB).

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by February 18, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Richard Annan, Acting Director, 

Program Development & Regulatory 

Analysis, Rural Utilities Service, USDA, 

1400 Independence Ave., SW., STOP 

1522, Room 5168 South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Telephone: (202) 720–0784. FAX: (202) 

720–4120.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

regulation (5 CFR 1320) implanting 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13) requires 

that interested members of the public 

and affected agencies have an 

opportunity to comment on information 

collection and recordkeeping activities 

(see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). This notice 

identifies an information collection that 

RUS is submitting to OMB for 

extension. 

Comments are invited on (a) whether 

the collection of information is 

necessary for the proper performance of 

the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumption used; (c) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (d) 

ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on those who 

are to respond, including through the 

use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques on 

other forms of information technology. 

Comments may be sent to: Dawn 

Wolfgang, Program Development and 

Regulatory Analysis, Rural Utilities 

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

1400 Independence Ave., SW., Room 

5166-South, STOP 1522, Washington, 

DC 20250–1522. FAX: (202) 720–4120. 

E-mail: dawn.wolfgang@usda.gov.

Title: Electric Loan Application and 

Related Reporting Burdens. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0032. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

previously approved information 

collection, with change. 

Abstract: The Rural Electrification Act 

of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.), as 

amended (RE Act) authorizes and 

empowers the Administrator of RUS to 

make and guarantee loans to furnish and 

improve electric service in rural areas. 

These loans are amortized over a period 

of up to 35 years and secured by the 

borrower’s electric assets. In the interest 

of protecting loan security, monitoring 

compliance with debt convenants, and 

ensuring that RUS loan funds are used 

for purposes authorized by law, RUS 

requires that borrowers prepare and 

submit for RUS evaluation, certain 

studies and reports. Some of these 

studies and reports are required only 

once for each loan application; others 

must be submitted periodically until the 

loan is completely repaid. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 14 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Businesses or other for 

profits; not-for-profit institutions. 

Estimated Number of Respondents:

680. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 6. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 65,673. 

Copies of this information collection, 

and related form and instructions, can 

be obtained from Dawn Wolfgang, 

Program Development and Regulatory 

Analysis, at (202) 720–0812. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

also become a matter of public record.

Dated: December 14, 2004. 

Hilda Gay Legg, 

Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.

[FR Doc. 04–27759 Filed 12–17–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service 

North Carolina Electric Membership 

Corporation; Notice of Availability of 

an Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of an 

environmental assessment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an 

agency delivering the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture’s Rural Development 

Utilities Programs, is issuing an 

environmental assessment with respect 

to the environmental impacts related to 

the construction of a 336 megawatt 

(MW) simple-cycle electric generation 

facility in Anson County, North 

Carolina, and a 280 MW simple-cycle 

electric generation facility and a 7.8-

mile 230 kV transmission line in 

Richmond County, North Carolina. RUS 

may provide financing assistance to 

North Carolina Electric Membership 

Corporation for the project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lawrence Wolfe, Rural Utilities Service, 

Engineering and Environmental Staff, 

Stop 1571, 1400 Independence Avenue, 

SW., Washington, DC 20250–1571, 

telephone: (202) 720–9053. Mr. Wolfe’s 

e-mail address is larry.wolfe@usda.gov.

Information is also available from June 

Small of North Carolina Electric 

Membership Corporation. Ms. Small 

may be contacted by telephone at (919) 

872–0800. Ms. Small’s e-mail address is 

june.small@ncemcs.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: North 

Carolina Electric Membership 

Corporation’s proposed electric 

generation project will involve the 

construction and operation of a 336 MW 

simple-cycle electric generation facility 

at a site located approximately 4 miles 

east of Lilesville, just to the north of 

State Route 1745 (Blewett Falls Road) 

and south of McCoy Creek in Anson 

County, North Carolina. The site is 178 

acres. Approximately 20 acres of the site 

will be needed for the generation 

facility. The facility will be made up of 

6 Pratt and Whitney FT–8 combustion 

turbine units. (Each unit is comprised of 

2 turbines.) This facility will require 12 

exhaust stacks approximately 60 feet 

tall. This project will also involve the 

construction of a 280 MW electric 

generation facility at a site 

approximately 2.54 miles southwest of 

Hamlet west of Airport Road and south 

of Marks Creek in Richmond County, 

North Carolina. The site is 258 acres of 

which approximately 15 to 20 acres will 

be needed for the generation facility. 

The facility will be made up of 5 Pratt 

and Whitney FT–8 combustion turbine 

units. This facility will require 10 

exhaust stacks approximately 60 feet 

tall. This facility will require the 

construction of 7.8 miles of 230 kV 

transmission line between the 

Rockingham Substation and the 

Richmond Substation. The transmission 

line will be constructed and operated by 

Progress Energy. North Carolina Electric 

Membership Corporation will incur the 

cost of the project and finance its cost 

through an RUS guarantee. Specific