31878 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 98 / Friday, May 19, 2000 / Notices

Thrifty Food Plan (TFP) and Allotments

As provided for in Section 3(o) of the

Act, the TFP is a plan for the

consumption of foods of different types

(food groups) that a household might

use to provide nutritious meals and

snacks for household members. The

plan reflects a diet required to feed a

family of four persons consisting of a

man and woman aged 20 to 50, a child

6 to 8 and a child 9 to 11. The cost of

the TFP is adjusted monthly to reflect

changes in the costs of the food groups.

The TFP is also the basis for

establishing food stamp allotments.

‘‘Allotment’’ is defined in Section 3(a)

of the Act as ‘‘the total value of coupons

a household is authorized to receive

during each month.’’ Food stamp

allotments are adjusted periodically to

reflect the changes in food cost levels

indicated in the changing amounts of

the TFP. Prior to the amendment of

Section 3(o) of the Act by Section 804

of Public Law 104–193, the Personal

Responsibility and Work Opportunity

Reconciliation Act of 1996, allotment

amounts were established on each

October 1 at 103% of the cost of the TFP

in the previous June. Amended Section

3(o)(4) of the Act now provides that the

TFP will be adjusted each October 1 to

reflect the exact cost, or 100%, of the

TFP for the previous June, rounding the

results to the nearest lower dollar

increment for each household size,

except that on October 1,1996, the TFP

was not to have been reduced below the

amounts in effect on September 30,

1996.

To obtain the maximum food stamp

allotment for each household size for

the period October 1, 1999, to

September 30, 2000, June 1999 TFP

costs for the above described fourperson household were divided by four,

multiplied by the appropriate

household size and economy of scale

factor, in accordance with Section

3(o)(1) of the Act, and the final result

was rounded down to the nearest dollar.

The maximum benefit, or allotment, is

paid to households with no net income.

For a household with income, the

household’s allotment is determined by

reducing the maximum allotment for the

household’s size by 30 percent of the

individual household’s net income in

accordance with Section 8(a) of the Act,

7 U.S.C. 2017(a). The following table

shows the current allotments for the 48

States and the District of Columbia.

MAXIMUM FOOD STAMP ALLOTMENTS

[October 1999—September 2000]

Household size 48 States

and DC

1 .................................................. 127

2 .................................................. 234

3 .................................................. 335

4 .................................................. 426

5 .................................................. 506

6 .................................................. 607

7 .................................................. 671

8 .................................................. 767

Add on ........................................ 96

Dated: February 16, 2000.

Samuel Chambers, Jr.,

Administrator, Food and Nutrition Service.

[FR Doc. 00–12655 Filed 5–18–00; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

Berkeley Electric Cooperative, Inc;

Notice of Availability of an

Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of aailability of an

Environmental Assessment.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is

issuing an Environmental Assessment

(EA) with respect to the potential

environmental impacts related to the

construction of a 115/24.9 kV electric

distribution substation by Berkeley

Electric Cooperative. RUS may provide

financing assistance for the project.

FOR FUTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob

Quigel, RUS, Engineering and

Environmental Staff, Stop 1571, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW,

Washington, DC 20250–1571, telephone:

(202) 720–0468. Bob’s e-mail address is

bquigel@rus.usda.gov. Information is

also available from Tom Meyers, Vice

President of Engineering, at Berkeley

Electric Cooperative, P.O. Box 1234,

Monks Corner, South Carolina, 29461–

1234, telephone (843) 761–8200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

project consists of the construction of a

115/24.9 kV electric distribution

substation located in Dorchester County,

South Carolina, on the southern side of

Ridge Road approximately 1000 feet east

of the intersection of Parkers Ferry Road

and Ridge Road. The fenced area for the

substation will be approximately 7.5

acres. The fence surrounding the

substation will be 7 feet high and

topped with 3 strands of barbed wire. A

short gravel road will be constructed

from Ridge Road to the substation site.

Approximately 500 feet of overhead 115

kV transmission line will connect the

substation to an existing transmission

line south of Parkers Ferry Road. Three

underground distribution feeder lines

will connect the substation to Berkeley

Electric Cooperative’s electric

distribution system.

Berkeley Electric Cooperative

submitted to RUS an environmental

report which describes the project

further and considers its potential

environmental impacts. RUS has

conducted an independent evaluation of

the environmental report and believes

that it accurately assesses the impacts of

the proposed project. No adverse

impacts are expected with the

construction of the project. RUS has

accepted the document as its

Environmental Assessment and is

making it available for public review.

The EA can be reviewed at Berkeley

Electric Cooperative’s Headquarters

Office at 414 North Highway 52,

Moncks Corner, South Carolina 29461

and their Johns Island District Office

located at 3351 Maybank Highway,

Johns Island, South Carolina 29455.

Questions and comments should be

sent to RUS at the address provided.

RUS should receive comments on the

EA in writing within 30 days of the

publication date of this notice to ensure

that the comments are taken into

consideration prior to RUS making its

environmental determination.

Any final action by RUS related to the

proposed project will be subject to, and

contingent upon, compliance with all

relevant Federal environmental laws

and regulations and completion of

environmental review procedures as

prescribed by the Council on

Environmental Quality Regulations and

RUS Environmental Policies and

Procedures.

Dated: May 15, 2000.

Glendon D. Deal,

Acting Director, Engineering and

Environmental Staff.

[FR Doc. 00–12653 Filed 5–18–00; 8:45 am]

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