Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 103 / Friday, May 26, 2000 / Notices 34141

publish a Notice of Availability of the

draft EIS in the Federal Register. The

comment period on the draft EIS will be

45 days from the date the EPA publishes

the Notice of Availability in the Federal

Register. It is very important that those

interested in the management of this

area participate at that time.

The final EIS is scheduled to be

completed by March, 2001. In the final

EIS, the Forest Service is required to

respond to comments and responses

received during the comment period

that pertain to the environmental

consequences discussed in the draft EIS

and applicable laws, regulations, and

policies considered in making a

decision regarding the proposal.

Reviewer’s Obligations: The Forest

Service believes, at this early stage, it is

important to give reviewers notice of

several court rulings related to public

participation in the environmental

review process. First, reviewers of draft

environmental impact statements must

structure their participation in the

environmental review of the proposal so

that it is meaningful and alerts an

agency to the reviewer’s position and

contentions. Vermont Yankee Nuclear

Power Corp. v. NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553

(1978). Also, environmental objections

that could be raised at the draft

environmental impact statement stage

may be waived or dismissed by the

courts. City of Angoon v. Hodel, 803 F2d

1016, 1022 (9th Cir. 1986) and

Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v. Harris, 490

F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D. Wis. 1980).

Because of these court rulings, it is very

important that those interested in this

proposed action participate by the close

of the 45 day comment period so that

substantive comments and objectives

are made available to the Forest Service

at a time when it can meaningfully

consider and respond to them in the

final EIS.

To be most helpful, comments on the

draft EIS should be as specific as

possible and may address the adequacy

of the statement or the merit of the

alternatives discussed. Reviewers may

wish to refer to the Council on

Environmental Quality regulations for

implementing the procedural provisions

of the National Environmental Policy

Act at 40 CFR fl503.3 in addressing

these points.

Responsible Official: Phyllis A. Green,

Forest Supervisor, Ottawa National

Forest, E6248 U.S. 2, Ironwood, MI

49938, is the Responsible Official. As

the Responsible Official she will decide

if the proposed project will be

implemented. She will document the

decision and reasons for the decision in

the Record of Decision. I have delegated

the responsibility to prepare the EIS to

Leanne Marten, District Ranger,

Ontonagon Ranger District.

Dated: May 17, 2000.

Phyllis A. Green,

Forest Supervisor, Ottawa National Forest.

[FR Doc. 00–13027 Filed 5–25–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Housing Service

Notice of Request for Extension of a

Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service (RHS),

USDA.

ACTION: Proposed collection: comments

request.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Rural Housing

Service’s intention to request an

extension for a currently approved

information collection in support of the

program for Farm Labor Housing Loan

and Grant Policies, Procedures and

Authorizations for Multi-Family

Housing.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by July 25, 2000 to be assured

of consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mary Fox, Senior Loan Specialist,

Multi-Family Housing Processing

Division, RHS, United States

Department of Agriculture, Stop 0781,

1400 Independence Ave., SW,

Washington, DC 20250–0781,

Telephone (202) 720–1624.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Farm Labor Housing Loan and

Grant Policies, Procedures and

Authorizations.

OMB Number: 0575–0045.

Expiration Date of Approval: June 30,

2000.

Type of Request: Extension of a

currently approved information

collection.

Abstract: The Rural Housing Service

(RHS) is authorized under Section 514,

516, and 521 of Title V of the Housing

Act of 1949, as amended, to make initial

and subsequent loans and grants to

provide housing and related facilities

for domestic farm labor. A loan only can

be made to a farmowner, family farm

partnership, family farm corporation, or

an association of farmers whose farming

operations demonstrate a need for farm

labor housing and that is engaged in

agricultural or aquacultural farming

operations and which will own the

housing and operate it on a nonprofit

basis. A loan can also be made to any

limited partnership in which the general

partner is a nonprofit entity. A loan

and/or grant can be made to public,

private nonprofit organizations for

domestic farm labor in areas where need

exists. In some cases, rental assistance

may be provided to eligible tenants.

RHS has the responsibility of assuring

the public that funds for Farm Labor

Housing projects are financed to build,

buy, improve or repair farm labor

housing and related facilities. The

facilities financed are to have decent,

safe and sanitary living conditions and

are managed and operated as mandated

by Congress. 7 CFR part 1944, subpart

D was issued to set forth the policies

and procedures and delegation of

authority for making initial and

subsequent insured loans under Section

514 and grants under Section 516 to

provide housing and related facilities

for domestic farm labor and to assure

that applicable laws and authorities are

carried out as intended.

With the provisions of this regulation,

RHS will be able to provide the

financial assistance and necessary

guidance to applicants in the

development of their project proposals.

It provides the Agency the capacity to

meaningfully evaluate the feasibility of

the proposed projects. RHS will be able

to assure Congress and the general

public that all LH projects will be

operated for purposes that are intended,

and for the benefit of those they are

mandated to serve.

The required information is collected

on a project-by-project basis and is done

so in accordance with the amended

Housing Act of 1949, so that RHS can

provide guidance and be assured of

compliance with terms and conditions

of loan, grant, and or subsidy

agreements.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average 10.93 hours per

response.

Respondents: Farms, Not-for-profit

Institutions, and State, Local or Tribal

Government.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

95.

Estimated Number of Responses per

Respondent: 8.21.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 8,524 hours.

Copies of this information collection

can be obtained from Brenda Frost,

Regulations and Paperwork

Management Branch, Support Services

Division, at (202) 692–0037.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether

the proposed collection of information

is necessary for the proper performance

of the functions of RHS, including

34142 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 103 / Friday, May 26, 2000 / Notices

whether the information will have

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of

RHS’s estimate of the burden of the

proposed collection of information

including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions 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 or other forms of information

technology. Comments may be sent to

Brenda Frost, Regulations and

Paperwork Management Branch, U.S.

Department of Agriculture, Rural

Development, STOP 0743, 1400

Independence Ave., SW, Washington,

DC 20250–0743. 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: May 10, 2000.

Obediah G. Baker, Jr.,

Acting Administrator, Rural Housing Service.

[FR Doc. 00–13237 Filed 5–25–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–XV–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

Jackson County Lake Project

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Draft

Environmental Impact Statement and

Notice of Public Meeting.

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that

the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is

issuing a Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) for the Jackson County

Lake Project. The Draft EIS was

prepared pursuant to the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969

(NEPA) (U.S.C. 4231 et seq.) in

accordance with the Council on

Environmental Quality (CEQ)

regulations for implementing the

procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR

parts 1500–1508) and RUS regulations

(7 CFR part 1940, Subpart G). RUS

invites comments on the Draft EIS.

The purpose of the EIS is to evaluate

the potential environmental impacts of

and alternatives to the Jackson County

Empowerment Zone (EZ) Community,

Incorporated and Jackson County Water

Association’s (JCWA) applications for

financial assistance to provide water

supply for the residents of Jackson

County and parts of surrounding

counties. The project, known as the

Jackson County Lake Project, proposes

to construct a roller-compacted concrete

dam to create a reservoir within Jackson

County, Kentucky, and to construct a

raw water transmission main from the

proposed reservoir to the JCWA

Treatment Plant. A 300-foot buffer zone

surrounding the reservoir horizontally

from the normal pool level has been

proposed to protect the water quality of

the reservoir by restricting development

and certain land uses in this area. Also

included in the proposal is the

construction of a water intake structure

and a pump house to pump water out

of the reservoir. Proposed recreational

development around the reservoir may

include a boat ramp, boat dock, public

beach, hiking trails, picnic areas, and a

primitive campground.

DATES: Written comments on this Draft

EIS will be accepted on or before July

10, 2000. A public meeting will be held

on June 27, 2000. The public meeting

will be held in two sessions, one

beginning at 10 a.m. and one beginning

at 7 p.m.

ADDRESSES: To send comments or for

more information, contact: Mark S.

Plank, USDA, Rural Utilities Service,

Engineering and Environmental Staff,

1400 Independence Avenue, Mail Stop

1571, Washington DC 20250, telephone

(202) 720–1649, fax (202) 720–0820, or

email: mplank@rus.usda.gov. Further

information can also be obtained from:

Thomas G. Fern, State Director, USDA,

Rural Development State Office, 771

Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Lexington,

KY 40503, telephone (606) 224–7300, or

fax (606) 224–7340. The public meeting

will be held in the gymnasium of

Jackson County High School, located on

U.S. 421.

A copy of the Draft EIS can be

obtained or viewed online at http://

www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/deisjc.htm. The files are in a portable

document format (pdf); in order to

review or print the document, users

need to obtain a free copy of Acrobat

Reader. The Acrobat Reader can be

obtained from http://www.adobe.com/

prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html.

Copies of the Draft EIS will be

available for public review during

normal business hours at the following

locations:

Jackson County Public Library,

Courthouse Square, PO Box 160,

McKee, KY 40447, (606) 287–8113

Natural Resources Conservation Service,

U.S. Highway 421 South, McKee, KY

40447, (606) 287–8311

Jackson County Extension Service, 263

U.S. Highway 421 South, PO Box 188,

McKee, KY 40447, (606) 287–7693

Kentucky Highlands Investment

Corporation, 362 Old Whitley Road,

London, KY 40741, (606) 864–5175

Jackson County EZ Community,

Incorporated, McCammon Ridge

Road, PO Box 280, McKee, KY 40447,

(606) 287–8395

USDA Rural Development, 771

Corporate Drive, Suite 200, Lexington,

KY 40503, (606) 224–7300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant

to Subchapter C, Part 1 (Empowerment

Zones, Enterprise Communities and

Rural Development Investment Areas) of

Title XIII of the Omnibus Budget

Reconciliation Act of 1993, Jackson

County, Kentucky is located in an area

designated as an Empowerment Zone/

Enterprise Community (EZ/EC) (see

Federal Register Vol. 60, No. 24,

February 6, 1995). The purpose of the

EZ/EC initiative is to empower rural

communities and their residents to

create opportunities for economic

development as part of a Federal-Statelocal and private sector partnership. The

proposed action is an integral

component of the EZ/EC initiative as

identified in the Kentucky Highland

Empowerment Zone’s Strategic Plan.

The proposed action will improve the

area’s water supply necessary for

promoting economic development in

the area.

The Jackson County EZ Community,

Inc. and the JCWA have applied for

financial assistance for the Jackson

County Lake Project from the following:

RUS; Appalachian Regional

Commission; U.S. Department of

Commerce, Economic Development

Administration; Department of Housing

and Urban Development; Kentucky

Highlands Empowerment Zone; and

Kentucky Tobacco Settlement money. In

accordance with 40 CFR 1501.5, Lead

Agencies, the RUS is the lead Agency

for the EIS and the U.S. Forest Service

is the Cooperating Agency.

A number of alternatives were

evaluated in the EIS and were

determined to be unreasonable or

inefficient due to environmental or

economic reasons or due to an

insufficient yield to meet the projected

water needs of Jackson County. These

alternatives included eleven reservoir

sites throughout Jackson County,

groundwater development, the

expansion of existing surface water

storage facilities within Jackson County,

water conservation, and importing water

from existing surface water resources in

surrounding counties to the JCWA

Treatment Plan.

Three alternative sites for the dam

and reservoir were determined to be

reasonable for further consideration,