Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 10 / Friday, January 14, 2022 / Notices 2411 

https://www.ocio.usda.gov/document/ 

ad-3027, from any USDA office, by 

calling (866) 632–9992, or by writing a 

letter addressed to USDA. The letter 

must contain the complainant’s name, 

address, telephone number, and a 

written description of the alleged 

discriminatory action in sufficient detail 

to inform the Assistant Secretary for 

Civil Rights (ASCR) about the nature 

and date of an alleged civil rights 

violation. The completed AD–3027 form 

or letter must be submitted to USDA by: 

(1) Mail: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410; or 

(2) Fax: (833) 256–1665 or (202) 690– 

7442; or 

(3) Email: program.intake@usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Karama Neal, 

Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–00653 Filed 1–13–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Speedway Solar Project: Notice of 

Intent To Prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement and Hold Public 

Scoping Meeting on February 2, 2022 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement and 

hold public scoping meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS) announces its intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and to hold a virtual public scoping 

meeting in connection with possible 

impacts related to a project proposed by 

Speedway Solar LLC (Speedway Solar). 

The primary scope of the EIS is to 

evaluate the environmental impacts of 

and alternatives to Speedway Solar’s 

application for financial assistance to 

develop the Speedway Solar Project 

(Project), a 199-megawatt (MW) solar 

array using photovoltaic (PV) modules 

on private, primarily agricultural lands 

in Shelby County, Indiana. RUS is 

considering funding this application, 

thereby making the proposed Project an 

undertaking subject to review under the 

National Historic Preservation Act 

(NHPA). RUS has determined that a 

loan for the Project would be a federal 

action and is, therefore, subject to 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) review. 

DATES: One virtual public scoping 

meeting webinar will be held on 

February 2, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. EST– 

8:00 p.m. EST via Zoom. The public 

scoping meeting will be conducted in a 

virtual format with RUS and Speedway 

Solar representatives. Attendees will be 

able to submit comments during the 

virtual public meeting orally or via the 

chat function. The public scoping 

meeting will be recorded and kept as 

part of the Project record. Equal weight 

will be given to oral and written (chat) 

comments. More information about the 

virtual public scoping meeting can be 

found at: https://www.rd.usda.gov/ 

resources/environmental-studies/ 

impact-statements. 

Written requests to participate as a 

‘‘consulting party’’ or to provide 

comments for consideration during the 

scoping process for the proposed Project 

must be received on or before February 

14, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: To request ‘‘consulting 

party’’ status, submit comments, or for 

further information, please contact: 

SpeedwaySolarEIS@usda.gov. Although 

electronic submittal is strongly 

encouraged, written comments may also 

be submitted by regular mail to United 

States Department of Agriculture, 

Attention: Peter Steinour, Mail Stop 

1570, Rural Utilities Service, WEP/EES, 

1400 Independence Ave. SW, 

Washington, DC 20250. 

Project-related information will be 

available at RUS’s and Speedway Solar’s 

websites located at: https://

www.rd.usda.gov/resources/ 

environmental-studies/impactstatements, and https://speedwaysolar.

com/. This includes the Alternative 

Evaluation and Site Selection Studies 

prepared for the project. Project 

information will also be available at the 

Shelby County Public Library 

Morristown Branch at 127 E Main St., 

Morristown, IN. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The RUS 

is the lead federal agency, as defined at 

40 CFR 1508.1(o), for preparation of the 

EIS. With this notice, federal and state 

agencies and federally-recognized 

Tribes with jurisdiction or special 

expertise are invited to be cooperating 

agencies. Such agencies or tribes may 

make a request to RUS to be a 

cooperating agency by contacting the 

RUS contact provided in this notice. 

Designated cooperating agencies have 

certain responsibilities to support the 

NEPA and scoping process, as specified 

at 40 CFR 1501.8. 

In addition, RUS invites any affected 

federal, state, and local agencies, Tribes, 

and other interested persons to 

comment on the scope, alternatives, and 

significant issues to be analyzed in 

depth in the EIS. 

Public participation is an integral 

component of the environmental review 

process for federal actions. Public 

participation will be especially 

important during the scoping phase of 

the proposed Project. The RUS will be 

seeking information, comments, and 

assistance from federal, State, and local 

agencies, Tribes, and other individuals 

who may be interested in or affected by 

the proposed Project. This input will be 

used in preparing the Draft EIS. 

Comments submitted during the scoping 

process should be in writing. The 

comments should describe as clearly 

and completely as possible any issues, 

concerns, or input commenters may 

have so that they can be addressed 

appropriately in the EIS. 

The RUS is considering funding this 

application, thereby making the 

proposed Project an undertaking subject 

to review under Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act 

(NHPA), 16 U.S.C. 470(f), and its 

implementing regulation, ‘‘Protection of 

Historic Properties’’ (36 CFR part 800). 

Any party wishing to participate 

directly with RUS as a ‘‘consulting 

party’’ in Section 106 review may 

submit a written request to the RUS 

contact provided below. Pursuant to 36 

CFR 800.3(f)(3), RUS will consider, and 

provide a timely response to, any and 

all requests for consulting party status. 

The Project will consist of a 199- 

megawatt (MW) solar array using 

photovoltaic (PV) modules on private 

lands in Shelby County, Indiana. The 

Project consists of a 199–MW solar array 

that will utilize PV modules. The 

Project consists of two major 

components: PV solar arrays (the main 

Project footprint) and transmission 

interconnection facilities (a collector 

substation). The Project will be located 

entirely on privately owned farmland in 

a rural area in Shelby County, Indiana. 

The Application Area encompasses 

approximately 1,800 acres. Within the 

Application Area, construction will 

occur on an approximately 1,100-acre 

project area. 

Speedway Solar entered into a power 

purchase agreement with Wabash Valley 

Power Alliance (WVPA) for the solar 

and energy storage project. WVPA’s 

objective is to provide safe, adequate, 

and reliable power to its members at the 

lowest reasonable cost. The Project will 

allow the Applicant to provide the 

additional generation capacity needed 

by WVPA to achieve these goals and to 

serve electrical needs within the service 

territories of their member cooperatives. 

Among the alternatives that RUS will 

address in the EIS is the No Action 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
2412 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 10 / Friday, January 14, 2022 / Notices 

alternative, under which the proposal 

will not be undertaken or if RUS did not 

fund the proposed Project, other sites 

evaluated by Speedway Solar, and any 

reasonable alternatives defined as a 

result of the scoping process. In the EIS, 

the effects of the proposal will be 

compared to the existing conditions in 

the affected area of the proposal. Public 

health and safety, environmental 

impacts (such as impacts to vegetation, 

soils/prime farmland, wildlife/ 

endangered species, cultural resources, 

and land use), socio-economic, and 

engineering aspects of the proposal will 

also be considered in the EIS. 

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 NHPA (Section 106) 

and its implementing regulation, 

‘‘Protection of Historic Properties’’ (36 

CFR 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 

NHPA Section 106 review. Accordingly, 

comments submitted in response to this 

Notice will inform RUS decisionmaking during NHPA Section 106 

review. 

In addition to compliance with 

Section 106, the Project will require 

evaluation under Section 404 of the 

Clean Water Act and will obtain 

required state, county, and local 

permits. The Project has received 

approval from the Shelby County Board 

of Zoning Appeals. 

From information provided in the 

studies mentioned above, and using 

input provided by government agencies, 

tribes, and the public, RUS will prepare 

a Draft EIS. The Draft EIS will be filed 

with the U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (USEPA) and will be available 

for public comment by Spring 2022. At 

that time, RUS and USEPA will publish 

a notice of the availability of the Draft 

EIS and notice of receipt, respectively, 

in the Federal Register. In addition, 

Speedway Solar will publish notices in 

local newspapers and any online local 

news sources. The comment period will 

be 45 days from the date the EPA 

publishes its Federal Register notice 

announcing receipt of the Draft EIS. 

To assist the involved federal agencies 

in identifying and considering issues 

and concerns on the proposal, 

comments on the Draft EIS should be as 

specific as possible. It is also helpful if 

the comments refer to the specific pages 

or chapters of the Draft EIS. Comments 

may also address the adequacy of the 

Draft EIS or the merits of the 

alternatives formulated and discussed in 

the statement. Reviewers may wish to 

refer to the CEQ’s regulations at 40 CFR 

1503.3 in addressing these points. After 

the comment period ends on the Draft 

EIS, the comments will be analyzed, 

considered, and responded to by the 

agencies involved in preparing the Final 

EIS. 

The public will again have the 

opportunity to review and comment on 

the Final EIS. Upon completion of a 30- 

day public comment period, the RUS 

will document its decision regarding the 

proposed Project and reasons for the 

decision in a Record of Decision. A 

public notice announcing the 

availability of the Record of Decision 

will be published in the Federal 

Register and local newspapers. 

Any final action by RUS related to the 

proposal will be subject to, and 

contingent upon, compliance with all 

relevant executive orders and federal, 

state, and local environmental laws and 

regulations in addition to the 

completion of the environmental review 

requirements as prescribed in 7 CFR 

1970, Environmental Policies and 

Procedures. 

Christopher A. McLean, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

[FR Doc. 2022–00688 Filed 1–13–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Notice of Public Meetings of the 

Virginia Advisory Committee to the 

U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 

AGENCY: U.S. Commission on Civil 

Rights. 

ACTION: Announcement of meeting. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given, 

pursuant to the provisions of the rules 

and regulations of the U.S. Commission 

on Civil Rights (Commission) and the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, that 

the Virginia Advisory Committee 

(Committee) will hold a web meeting 

via WebEx on Friday, February 11, 

2022, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time. The 

purpose of the meeting is to continue 

reviewing testimony and discussing 

potential speakers for the next briefing 

on police accountability in the state. 

DATES: The meeting will be held on: 

Friday, February 11, 2022, at 2:00 p.m. 

Eastern Time. 

Online Registration: https://bit.ly/ 

3zyzYdG. 

Join by Phone: 800–360–9505 USA 

Toll Free; Access code: 2762 877 8065. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Melissa Wojnaroski, DFO, at 

mwojnaroski@usccr.gov or (202) 618– 

4158. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Members 

of the public may listen to this 

discussion through the above call-in 

number. An open comment period will 

be provided to allow members of the 

public to make a statement as time 

allows. Callers can expect to incur 

regular charges for calls they initiate 

over wireless lines, according to their 

wireless plan. The Commission will not 

refund any incurred charges. Callers 

will incur no charge for calls they 

initiate over land-line connections to 

the toll-free telephone number. 

Individual who is deaf, deafblind, and 

hard of hearing may also follow the 

proceedings by first calling the Federal 

Relay Service at 1–800–877–8339 and 

providing the Service with the 

conference call number and conference 

ID number. 

Members of the public are entitled to 

submit written comments; the 

comments must be received in the 

regional office within 30 days following 

the meeting. Written comments may be 

emailed to Melissa Wojnaroski at 

mwojnaroski@usccr.gov. 

Records generated from this meeting 

may be inspected and reproduced at the 

Regional Programs Unit Office, as they 

become available, both before and after 

the meeting. Records of the meeting will 

be available via www.facadatabase.gov 

under the Commission on Civil Rights, 

Virginia Advisory Committee link. 

Persons interested in the work of this 

Committee are directed to the 

Commission’s website, http://

www.usccr.gov, or may contact the 

Regional Programs Unit at the above 

email or street address. 

Agenda 

I. Welcome & Roll Call 

II. SAC Discussion: Civil Rights and 

Police Accountability in Virginia 

III. Public Comments 

IV. Adjournment 

Dated: January 11, 2022. 

David Mussatt, 

Supervisory Chief, Regional Programs Unit. 

[FR Doc. 2022–00665 Filed 1–13–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1