[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 202 (Friday, October 18, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 83833-83835]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23821]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

[Docket #: RUS-23-ELECTRIC-0017]


Central Electric Power Cooperative, Inc.; Notice of Availability 
of a Final Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability of a final environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) 
has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Central 
Electric Power Cooperative's (the Applicant/Central Electric) proposed 
McClellanville 115-kilovolt (kV) Transmission Project (Project) in 
South Carolina, to meet RUS's responsibilities under National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and their implementing regulations 
related to providing financial assistance to Central Electric for its 
share in constructing the proposed transmission line and associated 
infrastructure. The U.S. Forest Service, Francis Marion National 
Forest, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are cooperating agencies 
in the preparation of the EIS. The Final EIS analyzes the environmental 
impacts of constructing, operating, and maintaining a new 23.3-mile, 
115-kV transmission line along the Jamestown corridor (Proposed 
Action), and two other alternatives, that includes the Jamestown 
Alternative (a variation of the Proposed Action) and the Charity 
Alternative. It also addresses comments received during the comment 
period for the Supplemental Draft EIS, which was prepared in 2019. As 
part of its broad environmental review process, RUS must consider the 
effect of the Project on historic properties in accordance with the 
National Historic Preservation Act (section 106) and its implementing 
regulation, ``Protection of Historic Properties''. This Notice of 
Availability also serves as a notice of proposed wetland and floodplain 
actions.

DATES: Written comments on this Final EIS will be accepted for 45 days 
following publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's 
environmental impact statement notice of receipt in the Federal 
Register. Notices of Availability of the Final EIS will also be 
published in local newspapers. After a 45-day comment period on the 
Final EIS, RUS may prepare a Record of Decision. The environmental 
compliance and permitting process is expected to conclude in 2025.

ADDRESSES: The Final EIS and other Project-related information are 
available at the following RUS website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/resources/environmental-studies/impact-statement/mcclellanville-115kv-transmission-line-berkeley-charleston-and-georgetown-counties-sc. 
Comments can be submitted by email at: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#137e70707f767f7f727d657a7f7f76767a6053666077723d747c65"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1578767679707979747b637c797970707c6655606671743b727a63">[email protected]</span></a> or by 
mail to: WSP USA, Subject: McClellanville Transmission Line Project, 
1308 Patton Ave., Asheville, NC 28806, during the comment period.
    All comments submitted during the comment period will become part 
of the public record. Comments submitted after the comment period will 
not be considered by the agency. Before including your address, 
telephone number, email address, or other personal identifying 
information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire 
comment--including your personal identifying information--may be made 
publicly available at any time. All comments will be reviewed and 
included in the Record of Decision.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To download electronic copies of the 
Final EIS or previous NEPA analyses and documents, go to: https://www.rd.usda.gov/resources/environmental-studies/impact-statement/mcclellanville-115kv-transmission-line-berkeley-charleston-and-georgetown-counties-sc.
    For information specific to this notice contact Suzanne Kopich, 
Environmental Protection Specialist, Rural Utilities Service, Rural 
Development, telephone 202-961-8514. Electronic comments may be 
submitted at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7f121c1c131a13131e11091613131a1a160c3f0a0c1b1e51181009"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2c414f4f404940404d425a4540404949455f6c595f484d024b435a">[email protected]</span></a> during the open comment period.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: RUS is serving as the lead federal agency 
for the preparation of this EIS. The United States Forest Service 
(USFS) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Charleston District, 
are cooperating agencies. Because the proposed transmission line would 
cross the Francis Marion National Forest (FMNF), USFS has 
responsibility to decide whether to issue a Special Use Permit (SUP) to 
Central Electric for authorization of the Project on National Forest 
System lands. USACE has primary responsibility to issue permits for 
work in, over, or otherwise affecting navigable waters of the United 
States and to authorize the discharge of dredged or fill material into 
jurisdictional wetlands.
    The purpose of the proposed Project is to address system capacity, 
system reliability, human safety, and power quality issues resulting 
from the current use of the aging distribution line supplying 
electricity to Berkeley Electric, supplying the McClellanville area. 
Central Electric is a not-for-profit electric generation and 
transmission cooperative made up of twenty (20) retail electric 
cooperatives in South Carolina that provide wholesale power to its 
member-owners, including Berkeley Electric Incorporated. Organized in 
1948, Central Electric designs and builds transmission lines that 
connect the state's bulk transmission system (the coordinated and 
integrated Central Electric/South Carolina Public Service Authority 
[Santee Cooper] system) and the member-cooperative system substations. 
The 20 electric cooperatives own Central Electric and are self-
regulated for rates and follow state and federal construction 
standards. South Carolina Code of State Regulations, chapter 103-304, 
Public Service Commission, Territory and Certificates, states in part, 
that no electrical utility supplying electric service to the public 
shall hereafter begin the construction or operation of any electric 
facilities, or of any extension thereof, without first obtaining from 
the commission a certificate that public convenience and necessity 
requires or will require such construction or operation. The regulation 
further states that the regulation shall not be construed to require 
any such electrical utility to secure a certificate for any extension 
within a municipality or district within which it has heretofore 
lawfully commenced operations, or for an extension within or to 
territory already served by it, necessary in the ordinary course of its 
business, or for an extension into territory contiguous to that already 
occupied by it and not receiving similar service from another 
electrical utility. This proposed project

[[Page 83834]]

is considered an extension of service within an area Central Electric 
currently serves. Additionally, certificates of Environmental 
Compatibility and Public Convenience and Necessity are issued by the 
commission for transmission projects that are 125 kV or more. Central 
Electric's proposed transmission line is 115 kV, and therefore, no 
certificate is required from the commission for construction of the 
proposed transmission line.
    The Board of Trustees, made up of members from each of the 20 
electric cooperatives, identified the need to address system capacity, 
system reliability, and power quality issues resulting from the current 
use of the aging distribution line supplying electricity to Berkeley 
Electric. Currently, around 1,000 residents in the McClellanville area 
rely on an existing 40-mile-long distribution circuit that suffers from 
poor reliability and power quality, and limitations from:
    (1) a Winter Weather Operating Agreement that forces Berkeley 
Electric to switch operations to comply with system amperage limits, 
while putting residents at an elevated risk for outages and interrupted 
service; and
    (2) an outdated distribution network rather than higher efficiency, 
more reliable transmission line service.
    Berkeley Electric and Dominion (two of the 20 electric 
cooperatives) entered into a Winter Weather Operating Agreement in 2017 
to provide reliable electric service to Berkeley Electric customers in 
the McClellanville area during periods of peak demand and to prevent 
system overload. The Winter Weather Operating Agreement indicated that 
Berkeley Electric load had grown to the point that in order to protect 
overload of Dominion facilities, Dominion must switch their feed from 
Berkeley Electric, forcing Berkeley Electric to source an alternate 
resource in real time to maintain service. When temperatures are 
forecast to fall below 23 degrees Fahrenheit north of the Mount 
Pleasant and McClellanville areas, or if electrical demand is expected 
to exceed 175 amps per phase, Berkeley Electric will be dispatched to 
switch load off the metering point and over to the Berkeley Electric 
Commonwealth substation. It is during these critical periods that the 
Berkeley Electric customers in the McClellanville area are most 
vulnerable and at the greatest risk of failure to receive service. 
Although the Winter Weather Operating Agreement was developed to secure 
the greatest amount of reliable electrical service during periods of 
the greatest demand, it subjects the Berkeley Electric customers in the 
McClellanville area to the greatest risk for outages and interrupted 
services during critical periods.
    These factors result in substandard electric service in the 
McClellanville area that cannot accommodate existing load demand or 
future load growth. To improve the inadequate service to this area, 
Central Electric has been pursuing a new transmission service point in 
McClellanville since 1999.
    A Draft EIS for the Project was prepared in 2014 and made available 
for public review and comment. The 2014 Draft EIS evaluated six (6) 
potential transmission corridors to the proposed McClellanville 
substation, all of which originated from the Belle Isle Substation in 
Georgetown, SC, and followed roughly along U.S. Highway 17 and crossed 
the Santee River near the highway bridge. In 2017, an independent 
engineering study was completed to assess the merit of the proposed 
alternatives based on need, impact, and cost, which supplemented 
previous corridor-siting studies that included an Alternatives 
Evaluation Study and a Macro-Corridor Study. These and other project 
documents can be found on the RUS project website at https://www.rd.usda.gov/resources/environmental-studies/impact-statement/mcclellanville-115kv-transmission-line-berkeley-charleston-and-georgetown-counties-sc.
    Independent studies of system reliability indicate that a new, 115-
kV transmission line and associated substation is the best solution to 
serve the long-term needs of the McClellanville area. RUS has performed 
a two-stage alternatives development and screening process for the 
proposed Project. Stage 1 considered alternative technologies; Stage 2 
considered alternative locations for the Project.
    RUS, in coordination with the Applicant, analyzed a range of 
technological alternatives to determine if they would be appropriate to 
meet the Project purpose and need. The analyzed alternatives included:
    (1) installing onsite generation at the proposed McClellanville 
Substation and energy storage;
    (2) rebuilding the existing distribution line system;
    (3) promoting and improving energy efficiency and conservation, and 
distributed renewables generation; and
    (4) providing battery storage in McClellanville.
    The evaluated alternatives were discussed within the documents 
listed below, which are located at https://www.rd.usda.gov/resources/environmental-studies/impact-statement/mcclellanville-115kv-transmission-line-berkeley-charleston-and-georgetown-counties-sc. These 
evaluated alternatives were not considered as reasonable alternatives 
for meeting the purpose and need for the Project and were not carried 
forward for detailed analysis.
    <bullet> Revised Macro-Corridor Study Report, 2010;
    <bullet> McClellanville Power Supply Alternatives Evaluation Study, 
2005;
    <bullet> Independent Engineering Study, 2017;
    <bullet> McClellanville Battery Energy Storage Study, 2020; and
    <bullet> Supplemental Analysis on Private Lands, 2024
    RUS prepared a Supplemental Draft EIS in 2019, largely based on 
public comments opposed to the transmission line crossing the Santee 
River, and to comply with updates to RUS' environmental policies and 
procedures. The Supplemental Draft EIS (SDEIS) evaluated two (2) new 
alternative corridors (Jamestown and Charity) and two of the originally 
proposed Belle Isle corridors (Options B and C); it also evaluated the 
No Action alternative. Public comments received during the public 
review and comment period on the SDEIS strongly opposed the Belle Isle 
corridors due to the presence of sensitive ecological and cultural 
resources, therefore the two Belle Isle corridors are presented early 
in the Final EIS but are eliminated as alternatives further considered 
in the analysis. The Jamestown corridor (Proposed Action), Jamestown 
alternative and Charity alternative have been carried through in the 
Final EIS and the Jamestown corridor was identified as the preferred 
corridor because of its combination of overall length, the amount that 
parallels existing Right of Ways (ROW) and the ability to minimize 
effects on residences, sensitive habitats, conservation lands, and 
cultural and historic resources. Approximately fifty-eight percent of 
the 23.3-mile Jamestown corridor would cross National Forest System 
lands on the FMNF and the 31 mile Charity corridor would cross roughly 
seventy-two percent of those lands. A preliminary 75-foot ROW within 
the 600-foot corridor was identified and analyzed for this EIS. The 75-
foot ROW is the maximum ROW width for Project construction and 
operations and maintenance (O&M). However, the final ROW width could be 
less in places where it overlaps existing road and utility ROWs. The 
final ROW would be located based on site-specific engineering, and 
environmental and cultural resource surveys.

[[Page 83835]]

    RUS has carefully studied public health and safety, environmental 
impacts, and engineering aspects of the proposed project. RUS used 
input provided by government agencies, private organizations, and the 
public in the preparation of the Final EIS. RUS has considered all 
comments received on the Draft EIS and revised the Final EIS 
accordingly. Following the 45-day comment period for the Final EIS, RUS 
may prepare a Record of Decision (ROD). A Notice announcing the 
availability of the ROD will be published in the Federal Register and 
in local newspapers. Additionally, letters and emails will be sent to 
stakeholders.
    The Final EIS serves as a detailed written record of the 
environmental analysis completed for the proposed Project and is 
intended to provide Agency officials with sufficient information to 
make a decision regarding the significance of the environmental impacts 
of its potential federal action. The proposed Project is subject to the 
jurisdiction of the USFS, and the FMNF Forest Supervisor will use the 
Final EIS to make decisions related to requirements for issuing a SUP 
to Central Electric. Publication of this Final EIS is not a decision on 
the Applicant's loan application and therefore not an approval of the 
expenditure of federal funds. Based on the analysis disclosed in this 
Final EIS, the RUS decision-maker will determine whether to provide 
financing assistance for the Project and, if issued, any Project-
specific conditions established as part of the loan.
    This Notice of Availability also serves as a notice of proposed 
wetland and floodplain actions. The proposed Project would involve 
unavoidable impacts to wetlands and floodplains. The proposed Project 
was planned to avoid and minimize impacts to wetlands and waterways to 
the extent practicable during the site selection and design phase of 
the Project. Appropriate sediment and erosion controls and best 
management practices would be implemented at all wetland/upland and 
streambank boundaries. Impacts to wetlands would be permitted in 
accordance with USACE and state requirements. The timing of 
construction would integrate time of year restrictions and protections 
for sensitive resources and follow permit conditions (e.g., time-of-
year restrictions for T&E species).
    In accordance with section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act and its implementing regulation, ``Protection of 
Historic Properties'' (36 CFR part 800) and as part of its broad 
environmental review process, RUS must take into account the effect of 
the proposed project on historic properties. In coordinating section 
106 compliance, the RUS is preparing a project specific Programmatic 
Agreement (PA) to govern the remaining section 106 process. The 
cultural resource analysis is a resource that the public may be 
interested in commenting on during this comment period. The draft PA is 
an appendix to the Final EIS. Any final action by RUS related to the 
proposed project 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 the RUS Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR part 
1970).

Andrew Berke,
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2024-23821 Filed 10-17-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P


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