Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 41 / Wednesday, March 3, 2010 / Notices 9573 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average .03 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Shippers, importers, 

processors, seller, buyers, and others 

with a financial interest in the lots of 

fresh fruit, vegetables and other 

products. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

50100. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

279806. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 5.58. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 8502 hr. 

Comments are invited on: (1) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (3) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (4) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

the use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Dated: February 25, 2010. 

Rayne Pegg, 

Administrator, Agricultural Marketing 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–4339 Filed 3–2–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc: 

Bemidji-Grand Rapids 230kV 

Transmission Project 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement and 

Notice of Public Hearing. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), has 

prepared a Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) to meet its 

responsibilities under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 7 

CFR 1794 related to possible financial 

assistance to Minnkota Power 

Cooperative, Inc (Minnkota) for the 

construction of a 230 kilovolt (kV) kV 

transmission line between the Wilton 

Substation near Bemidji, Minnesota, 

and the Boswell Substation near Grand 

Rapids, Minnesota in Beltrami, 

Hubbard, Itasca, and Cass counties. To 

minimize duplication of effort pursuant 

to 40 CFR 1506.2, RUS prepared the 

Draft EIS jointly with the Minnesota 

Department of Commerce (Commerce), 

Office of Energy Security (OES) in 

compliance with federal responsibilities 

under NEPA and other federal statutes 

and regulations, and state 

responsibilities under the Minnesota 

Environmental Policy Act and the 

Minnesota Power Plant Siting Act. The 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. 

Forest Service Chippewa National 

Forest and the Leech Lake Band of 

Ojibwe are cooperating agencies for this 

Draft EIS. 

The proposed new transmission line 

is needed to correct local load serving 

inadequacies for the Bemidji area and 

west-central Minnesota. Minnkota is 

also proposing to modify the existing 

Wilton and Boswell substations, 

construct a new 115 kV breaker station 

at Nary Junction and, depending on 

route alternative selected, upgrade an 

existing or construct a new substation 

near Cass Lake, Minnesota. Minnkota is 

requesting financial assistance from 

RUS for the proposed action. 

DATES: Written comments on this Notice 

must be received on or before April 19, 

2010. RUS and OES will jointly conduct 

the following public meetings March 16 

-18, 2010. The first half hour of each 

meeting will be an open house followed 

by a formal public information and 

comment meeting with brief 

presentations on the DEIS by OES and 

RUS staff. Members of the public will 

have an opportunity to ask questions 

and provide comments on the Draft EIS. 

A court reporter will transcribe verbal 

comments from the formal public 

comment portion of the meeting. 

Meetings may conclude prior to the 

listed end time if all attendees have had 

the opportunity to comment and all 

other business has been concluded: 

Tuesday, March 16 from 1p.m.–4p.m. 

and 6p.m.–9 p.m. at the Hampton Inn, 

1019 Paul Bunyan Dr., S. State Hwy 197 

in Bemidji, MN 56601; Wednesday, 

March 17 from 1p.m.–3 p.m. at the 

American Legion Vets Club, 12 First 

Street NE., in Deer River, MN 56636; 

Wednesday, March 17 from 6–9 p.m. at 

the Senior Center, 24 First Street SE, in 

Black Duck, MN 56630; and Thursday, 

March 18 from 6–9 p.m. at the Leech 

Lake Tribal College, 6945 Little Wolf 

Road NW., in Cass Lake, MN 56633. 

Comments regarding the project may be 

submitted (orally or in writing) to Ms. 

Stephanie Strength or Ms. Steinhauer at 

the addresses provided in this Notice or 

online via the Commission’s Web site at: 

http://energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/ 

publicComments.html. 

ADDRESSES: To send comments or to 

obtain copies of the Draft EIS, or for 

further information, contact: Stephanie 

Strength, Environmental Protection 

Specialist, USDA, Rural Utilities 

Service, 1400 Independence Avenue, 

SW., Room 2244, Stop 1571, 

Washington, DC 20250–1571, e-mail 

stephanie.strength@wdc.usda.gov., or 

Suzanne Steinhauer, Project Manager, 

Minnesota Office of Energy Security, 85 

7th Place East, Suite 500, St. Paul, 

Minnesota, 55101–2198, FAX: (651) 

297–7891, e-mail Suzanne.steinhauer

@state.mn.us. A copy of the Draft EIS 

may be viewed online at the following 

Web sites: http://www.usda.gov/rus/ 

water/ees/eis.htm, http:// 

energyfacilities.puc.state.mn.us/

Docket.html?Id=19344, and at the: 

Bemidji Public Library, 509 America 

Ave., NW., Bemidji, MN 56601; Cass 

Lake Community Library, 223 Cedar 

Ave. NW., Cass Lake, MN 56633; Grand 

Rapids Area Library, 140 NE 2nd Street, 

Grand Rapids, MN 55744; Blackduck 

Community Library, 72 First St., SE., 

Blackduck, MN 56630; Margaret Welch 

Memorial Library, 5051 State 84, 

Longville, MN 56655; Walker Public 

Library, 207 4th St., Walker, MN 56484; 

Bovey Public Library—Village Hall, 402 

2nd Street, Bovey, MN 55709–0130; and 

Coleraine Public Library, Independent 

Building, 203 Cole Avenue, Coleraine, 

MN 55722–0225. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Minnkota 

Power Cooperative, Inc (Minnkota), in 

conjunction with Otter Tail Power 

Company and Minnesota Power, 

proposes to construct and operate a 230 

kV transmission line between the 

Wilton substation west of Bemidji and 

the Boswell Substation west of Grand 

Rapids, Minnesota. The proposal is 

designed to correct a local load serving 

inadequacy for the Bemidji area and 

west central Minnesota. Three route 

alternatives are under consideration for 

the transmission line. The proposed 

routes for the transmission line 

primarily follow existing rights-of-way 

and cross sections of Beltrami, Hubbard, 

Cass, and Itasca counties. Depending 

upon the route selected, the Project may 

also include modifications to the 

existing Cass Lake Substation, 

construction of a new substation in the 

Cass Lake area, and construction of a 

new 115 kV breaker station near Nary, 

Minnesota. 

The proposed transmission line 

would be approximately 68 to 116 miles 

in length with a 125-foot right-of-way. 

The construction of the proposal is 

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9574 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 41 / Wednesday, March 3, 2010 / Notices 

tentatively scheduled to begin in the fall 

of 2010 with an estimated duration of 

construction of 1 year. 

RUS is the lead agency for the federal 

environmental review with Division of 

Resource Management of the Leech Lake 

Reservation, the Chippewa National 

Forest, and U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers participating as cooperating 

agencies. In addition to federal review, 

the project is subject to Power Plant 

Siting Act (Minn. Stat. 216E). 

Accordingly OES and RUS have 

collaborated to create a joint draft EIS 

for this project. A Notice of Intent to 

Prepare an EIS and Hold a Scoping 

Meeting was published in the Federal 

Register at 73FR41312, on July 18, 2008, 

and local newspapers. Scoping meetings 

for the EIS were held in the project area 

in August, 2008, and public comments 

were accepted from July 22, 2008, 

through September 30, 2008. The OES 

issued an EIS scoping decision on 

March 31, 2009, and modified it on 

February 5, 2010. RUS issued a Scoping 

Decision/Report in December, 2009. 

As part of its broad environmental 

review process, RUS must take into 

account the effect of the proposal on 

historic properties in accordance with 

Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act and its implementing 

regulation, ‘‘Protection of Historic 

Properties’’ (36 CFR Part 800). 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 scoping will inform RUS’ 

decision making in Section 106 review. 

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. 

Alternatives to the proposed project 

considered by RUS, OES, and Minnkota 

included (a) no action, (b) generation 

alternatives, (c) load management, (d) 

alternative transmission line 

configurations, and (e) alternative 

transmission routes. A Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

that describes the proposal in detail and 

discusses its anticipated environmental 

impacts has been prepared and is 

available for public review at the 

addresses provided in this Notice. 

Questions and comments should be 

sent to RUS or OES at the mailing or email addresses provided in this Notice. 

RUS should receive comments on the 

Draft EIS in writing by April 19, 2010 

to ensure that they are considered in the 

Final EIS. Once available, the final EIS 

will be noticed in the Federal Register 

and local newspapers. The Federal 

Agencies will then issue a Record of 

Decision following a 30-day public 

comment period on the Final EIS. 

Any final action by RUS related to the 

proposal will be subject to, and 

contingent upon, compliance with all 

relevant Federal, state and local 

environmental laws and regulations, 

and completion of the environmental 

review requirements as prescribed in 

RUS’ Environmental Policies and 

Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794). 

Dated: February 25, 2010. 

Nivin Elgohary, 

Acting Assistant Administrator, Electric 

Program, USDA/Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–4342 Filed 3–2–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Tehama County Resource Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Tehama County Resource 

Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in 

Red Bluff, California. Agenda items to 

be covered include: (1) Introductions, 

(2) Approval of Minutes, (3) Public 

Comment, (4) Chairman’s Perspective, 

(5) Elect Vice Chairmen, (6) Next 

Agenda. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on 

March 25, 2010 from 9 a.m. and end at 

approximately 12 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Lincoln Street School, Pine Room, 

1135 Lincoln Street, Red Bluff, CA. 

Individuals wishing to speak or propose 

agenda items must send their names and 

proposals to Randy Jero, Committee 

Coordinator, 825 N. Humboldt Ave., 

Willows, CA 95988. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Randy Jero, Committee Coordinator, 

USDA, Mendocino National Forest, 

Grindstone Ranger District, 825 N. 

Humboldt Ave, Willows, CA 95988. 

(530) 934–1269; e-mail rjero@fs.fed.us. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

meeting is open to the public. 

Committee discussion is limited to 

Forest Service staff and Committee 

members. However, persons who wish 

to bring matters to the attention of the 

Committee may file written statements 

with the Committee staff before or after 

the meeting. Public input sessions will 

be provided and individuals who made 

written requests by March 22, 2010 will 

have the opportunity to address the 

committee at those sessions. 

Eduardo Olmedo, 

Designated Federal Official. 

[FR Doc. 2010–4320 Filed 3–2–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

International Trade Administration 

Caribbean Trade Mission 

AGENCY: International Trade 

Administration, Department of 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice. 

Mission Description 

The Commerce Department’s 

International Trade Administration 

(ITA) and the U.S. Commercial Service 

(USCS) post in Santo Domingo— 

Dominican Republic, will organize a 

matchmaking trade mission in June 

2010. 

The matchmaking trade mission will 

include representatives from a variety of 

U.S. manufacturing companies and 

service providers. These mission 

participants will be introduced to 

international agents, distributors and 

end-users whose capabilities are 

targeted to each U.S. participants’ needs 

in that particular market. Mission 

participants will also meet with key 

local industry contacts that can advise 

on local market conditions and 

opportunities. In addition to the abovementioned services, the U.S. 

Commercial Service industry specialist 

will be on hand to discuss market trends 

and opportunities in the Dominican 

Republic and Jamaica. 

Commercial Setting 

The Caribbean is more than just a 

vacation destination; it is also a steadily 

growing market full of business 

opportunities for U.S. companies. The 

Caribbean Region is a natural 

commercial partner of the United States, 

tied closely together by geography, 

history, and culture. The region as a 

whole represents a market of about 41 

million people who collectively 

imported over $20.3 billion of U.S. 

goods in 2008! As a result, the 

Caribbean Region is the 3rd largest 

export market for U.S. manufactured 

goods in Latin America behind only 

Mexico and Brazil. The United States 

enjoys a cooperative trading 

relationship with the region. 

Agreements such as The Caribbean 

Basin Initiative (CBI)—launched in 1983 

and renewed in 2000 through legislation 

mstockstill on DSKH9S0YB1PROD with NOTICES