This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

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examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

6940

Vol. 62, No. 31

Friday, February 14, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Research Service

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement for

the Development of Wind Energy at

Plum Island Animal Disease Center

AGENCY: Agricultural Research Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement.

SUMMARY: The United States Department

of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural

Research Service (ARS) announces its

intent to prepare an Environmental

Impact Statement (EIS) pursuant to

§ 102(2)(c) of the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of

1969, in accordance with the Council on

Environmental Quality regulations for

implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts

1500–1508), USDA NEPA procedures (7

CFR Part 1b), and ARS NEPA

procedures (7 CFR Part 520). This

Environmental Impact Statement will

evaluate potential impacts of alternate

means of reducing energy consumption,

meeting heating and cooling energy

needs, and supplying electrical power to

USDA facilities at Plum Island Animal

Disease Center (PIADC), located in

Suffolk County, Long Island, New York.

ARS invites other Federal agencies,

states, Indian tribes, local governments,

and the general public to submit written

comments or suggestions concerning the

scope of the issues to be addressed,

alternatives to be analyzed, and the

environmental impacts to be addressed

in the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement. The public is invited to

participate in scoping activities

including one or more scoping meetings

through which comments and

suggestions will be received. Oral and

written comments will be considered

equally in preparation of the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement. Those

not desiring to submit comments or

suggestions at this time, but who would

like to receive a copy of the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement for

review when it is issued, should write

to Mr. Carlos M. Santoyo at the address

below. When the Draft Environmental

Impact Statement is complete, its

availability will be announced in the

Federal Register and in the local news

media. A public hearing will be held,

and comments will be solicited on this

document.

DATES: All comments received or

postmarked by May 2, 1997, will be

considered in scoping and preparation

of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement. ARS will consider comments

received or postmarked after that date to

the extent practicable. ARS will conduct

public scoping meetings in the

potentially affected areas (including

Southold or Orient, New York and Old

Saybrook or New London, Connecticut)

to assist in defining the appropriate

scope of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement and identifying significant

environmental issues to be addressed.

The dates, times, and specific locations

of the scoping meetings/workshops will

be announced in the local media at least

15 days before the meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

further information on this EIS and the

public scoping process, contact Carlos

M. Santoyo at the address and telephone

numbers listed below.

ADDRESSES: Please direct written

comments or suggestions on the scope

of the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement, requests to speak at public

scoping meetings and workshops, or

questions concerning the project to:

Carlos M. Santoyo, USDA, ARS, NAA,

PIADC, P.O. Box 848, Greenport, New

York 11944–0848, (516) 323–2500,

Extension 210, Fax: (516) 323–2507,

Internet address:

windmills@ars.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Plum

Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) is

in the Township of Southold, Suffolk

County, Long Island, New York. PIADC

is located on Plum Island, which is 1.8

miles off the northeast end of Long

Island, New York. Plum Island is owned

by the Federal government and has an

area of 840 acres (1.3 square miles). It

is about 12 miles southwest of New

London, Connecticut. The bodies of

water surrounding Plum Island include

Long Island Sound on the north and

Block Island Sound on the south.

The principal mission of PIADC is to

conduct research on the prevention,

control, and eradication of foreign

animal diseases and to develop and

maintain diagnostic capability for

foreign animal diseases in order to

protect this country’s animal industries

and exports against catastrophic

economic losses caused by foreign

animal disease agents introduced into

the United States. PIADC is shared by

two USDA Agencies. ARS is responsible

for research and Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is

responsible for diagnosis.

This isolated location is necessary

because Pub. L. 496 requires research

laboratories for the study of foot-andmouth disease be located on an island

surrounded by navigable water entirely

under Federal control and not

connected to the mainland by bridge or

tunnel. Travel to Plum Island is by

government-owned marine vessels from

both Old Saybrook, Connecticut, and

Orient Point, New York. Due to its

remote location, PIADC is substantially

self-sufficient, having its own potable

water and wastewater treatment systems

and harbor facilities; under normal

conditions, PIADC relies on Long Island

Lighting Company (LILCO) for its

supply of electric power through

underwater cables, although PIADC’s

standby generators (fueled by No. 2 or

No. 4 fuel oil) are capable of supplying

electrical energy demand as needed.

The 1992 Energy Policy Act (EPACT)

(Pub. L. 102–486) and Executive Order

(E.O.) 12902 of March 8, 1994,

established the energy management

goals and requirements for the Federal

Government. It required each Agency to

develop and implement its energy

management plan dealing with the use

of energy and water. EPACT mandated

a 20 percent reduction in energy

consumption levels by the Year 2000

and E.O. 12902 increased this goal to 30

percent by the Year 2005. In addition to

energy management goals and

requirements for Federal Agencies,

EPACT established energy savings

performance contracting mechanism

[§ 155 of EPACT, amending § 801 to

§ 804 of the National Energy

Conservation Policy Act (42 U.S.C.

8287)], a Federal and private-sector

partnership whereby an energy service

company (ESCO) pays the upfront cost

of purchasing and installing new

energy-efficient or renewable energy
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 31 / Friday, February 14, 1997 / Notices 6941

equipment and the Government repays

the ESCO over the life of the ESPC

contract. ARS is considering the use of

energy savings performance contracting

to assist ARS in meeting its compliance

with EPACT and E.O. 12902 and

securing its own energy supply

capabilities.

PIADC’s existing electrical baseload is

supplied through underwater cables

from the grid by Long Island Lighting

Company (LILCO). Electrical energy use

on Plum Island varies seasonally, with

a winter (February 1994) baseload of 1.1

megawatts (MW) and peak load of 1.4

MW and a summer (July 1993) baseload

of 1.4 MW and peak load of 2.3 MW. In

Fiscal Year 1996, total electrical cost

was approximately $1.2 million based

on a total usage of 9850 MWhr. In

addition to electricity, PIADC annually

consumes 950,000 gallons of heating oil.

The heating oil is used in the

production of steam for heating and

biological decontamination and to fuel

the emergency electrical generators.

To meet the requirements of EPACT

and E.O. 12902 and to better meet the

energy needs of PIADC’s facilities, ARS

has already implemented some energy

efficiency or energy conservation

measures (e.g., replacement of

incandescent lights with energy efficient

lighting, installation of light sensors,

replacement of chillers). Through the

provisions of energy savings

performance contracting, ARS is

investigating additional energy

conservation measures and alternate

means of utilizing renewable energy and

reducing its current dependence on

fossil fuel-based energy resources.

Preliminary Identification of

Alternatives

PIADC proposes to implement energy

conservation measures to reduce its

consumption of energy by 20 percent by

the Year 2000 and by 30 percent by the

Year 2005 (in compliance with EPACT

and E.O. 12902) and to develop its own

electrical and heating and cooling

energy generation capabilities to

substantially meet its operating demand.

Through the provisions of energy

savings performance contracting, PIADC

will examine energy conservation and

supply technologies capable of meeting

these demand scenarios, with particular

emphasis on technologies that reduce its

dependence on fossil fuel-based

resources. Based on a favorable

preliminary analysis of the wind energy

potential on Plum Island conducted by

the New York Power Authority (NYPA)

in 1995, ARS intends to assess the

health and environmental impacts and

other issues associated with the use of

wind energy on Plum Island. Other

energy conservation and supply

technologies, as well as the no action

alternative, will be evaluated in the

environmental impact statement. At this

time, PIADC intends to evaluate:

• Wind energy,

• Solar water heating,

• Thermal storage systems (for

heating and cooling),

• Tidal energy,

• Replacement of emergency

generators,

• Additional lighting retrofits,

• Water conservation measures, and

• No action.

Since it is possible that ARS might

decide to implement a number of these

(or additional) measures, the

environmental impact statement will

assess the health and environmental

impact of each alternative individually

as well as in various combinations. The

no action alternative will assume that

none of the energy conservation and

supply technologies will be

implemented.

Preliminary Identification of Health

and Environmental Issues

ARS has identified the following

issues for analysis for alternative actions

in the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement. Additional issues may be

identified as a result of the scoping

process:

• Impact on air quality.

• Impact on marine water quality and

coastal resources.

• Impact on land use.

• Impact associated with

transportation.

• Impact on plants, animals, and

habitat (e.g., nesting shorebirds and

ospreys, freshwater and tidal wetland

impact).

• Impact on aesthetic and visual

resources (e.g., historic viewsheds)

• Impact on socioeconomic resources

(e.g., impact on growth and character of

local communities, impact on tourism).

• Noise impact (e.g., to area residents,

workers, tourists, and wildlife).

• Impact on archaeological resources.

• Impact on public health.

• Environmental justice impact (i.e.,

disproportionately high and adverse

human health or environmental effects

on minority and low-income

populations).

• Impact on energy consumption and

resource availability.

• Cumulative impacts.

Preliminary Identification of Decision

Criteria

In addition to the goals of EPACT and

E.O. 12902, ARS will identify and

evaluate alternatives using the following

supplemental criteria:

• Health and environmental impact of

the alternative(s).

• Proven and commercially available

energy conservation and generation

technologies.

• Life-cycle cost (or economic

viability) of the alternative(s).

• Compliance with Federal, State,

and local permitting requirements.

• Compliance with PIADC’s security

and biological safety requirements; and

• Pollution prevention.

The Environmental Impact Statement

will focus on the health and

environmental impact of alternative

decisions but will also report on these

supplemental criteria.

ARS invites comments from other

Federal Agencies, States, Indian tribes,

local governments, and the general

public related to the scope of the

environmental impact statement

including energy conservation and

supply technologies and alternatives to

be evaluated, health and environmental

issues to be evaluated, and the decision

criteria ARS intends to use in making its

decision.

John A. Crew,

Area Administrative Officer, North Atlantic

Area.

[FR Doc. 97–3835 Filed 2–13–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–03–M

Forest Service

Calypso Timber Sale, Gifford Pinchot

National Forest, Skamania County,

Washington,

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Cancellation of an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: On September 13, 1990, a

Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an

environmental impact statement (EIS)

for the Calypso Timber Sale on the

Wind River Ranger District of the

Gifford Pinchot National Forest was

published in the Federal Register (55

FR 37727). The NOI was revised on

December 21, 1990 (55 FR 52286). A

draft EIS was released for public

comment July 1991. A Notice of

Availability for the draft EIS was

published in the Federal Register on

July 26, 1991 (56 FR 34203). Forest

Service has decided to cancel the

environmental analysis process. There

will be no final EIS for the Calypso

Timber Sale. The NOI is hereby

rescinded.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions regarding this

cancellation to Julie Knutson, Integrated

Resource Planning Assistant, Wind

River Ranger District, 1262 Hemlock