Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 68 / Friday, April 8, 2022 / Notices 20811 

the Alaska Region’s management and 

enforcement of authorized point-topoint commercial transportation to and 

from the Visitor Center. The 60-day 

comment period for this directive began 

June 24, 2021, and closed August 28, 

2021. Five comments were received, 

which can be viewed at https://

cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/ReadingRoom

?project=ORMS-2314. The final 

directive was issued January 13, 2022, 

and can be viewed at https://

www.fs.fed.us/im/directives/field/r10/ 

fsm/2700/R10%202720.docx. 

3. FSM 2700, Special Uses 

Management, Chapter 40, Vegetation 

Management Pilot Projects, and FSH 

2709.11, Special Uses Handbook, 

Chapter 50, Standard Forms and 

Supplemental Clauses. The Forest 

Service has issued this final directive, 

which implements section 8630 of the 

Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 

(Farm Bill). The Farm Bill created a 

voluntary pilot project program for 

removal of vegetation other than hazard 

trees near powerline rights-of-way on 

National Forest System (NFS) lands. 

The final directive establishes Agency 

procedures to enhance the reliability of 

the electric grid and reduce the threat of 

wildfire due to vegetation-related 

conditions adjacent to powerline facility 

rights-of-way. Approved vegetation 

management pilot projects will allow 

electric utilities to conduct voluntary 

vegetation management, other than 

removal of hazard trees, up to 150 feet 

from either side of a powerline facility 

right-of-way and for a total width of up 

to 200 feet. The 30-day comment period 

for this directive began December 10, 

2020, and closed January 11, 2021. Four 

comments were received, which can be 

viewed at https://cara.ecosystemmanagement.org/Public/ReadingRoom

?project=ORMS-2717. The final 

directive was issued February 10, 2022, 

and can be viewed at https://

www.fs.fed.us/im/directives/fsm/2700/ 

wo_2740-Amend%202022-1.docx. 

4. FSH 2709.11, Special Uses 

Handbook, Chapter 80, Operating Plans 

and Agreements for Powerline 

Facilities. The Forest Service has issued 

this final directive, which implements 

section 512 of the Federal Land Policy 

and Management Act (FLPMA), as 

added by the Consolidated 

Appropriations Act of 2018. The final 

directive will help reduce threats of 

wildfire and enhance electric system 

reliability by establishing Agency 

procedures for development, review, 

and approval of proposed operating 

plans and agreements for vegetation 

management, inspection, and operation 

and maintenance of powerline facilities 

on NFS lands. The 30-day comment 

period for this directive began December 

10, 2020, and closed January 11, 2021. 

Fourteen comments were received, 

which can be viewed at https://

cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public/ 

ReadingRoom?project=ORMS-2718. The 

final directive was issued February 10, 

2022, and can be viewed at https://

www.fs.fed.us/im/directives/fsh/ 

2709.11/wo_2709.11_80- 

Amend%202022-1.docx. 

Dated: April 4, 2022. 

Amelia I. Steed, 

Acting Deputy Director, Directives and 

Regulations, Strategic Planning, Budget, & 

Accountability. 

[FR Doc. 2022–07523 Filed 4–7–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3411–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service 

[Docket No. NRCS–2022–0001] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Etowah River Watershed, Dawson 

County, Georgia 

AGENCY: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare 

an Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS). 

SUMMARY: The Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) Georgia 

State Office announces its intent to 

prepare an EIS for the Etowah River 

Watershed Project in the proximity of 

Dawsonville, Georgia. The EIS process 

will examine flood prevention and 

agricultural water management 

measures and evaluate additional (new) 

alternative solutions identified during 

scoping. NRCS is requesting comments 

to identify significant issues, potential 

alternatives, information, and analyses 

relevant to the Proposed Action from all 

interested individuals, Federal and State 

agencies, and Tribes. 

DATES: We will consider comments that 

we receive by May 9, 2022. Comments 

received later will be considered to the 

extent possible. 

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit 

comments in response to this notice. 

You may submit your comments 

through one of the methods below: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and search 

for docket ID NRCS–2022–0001. Follow 

the online instructions for submitting 

comments; or 

• Mail or Hand Delivery: Gregg 

Hudock, P.E., Principal, Practice Leader 

and Group Leader, Golder Associates, 

Inc., 5170 Peachtree Road, Building 100, 

Suite 300, Atlanta, GA, USA, 30341. 

Please specify the docket ID NRCS– 

2022–0001. 

All comments received will be posted 

without change and made publicly 

available on www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Diane A. Guthrie, P.E.; telephone: (706)– 

546–2310; email: diane.guthrie@

usda.gov. In addition, for questions 

related to submitting comments contact 

Golder Associates, Inc.: Gregg Hudock, 

P.E. at (770)–496–1893, Fax (770) 934– 

9476, Gregg_Hudock@golder.com. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means for communication 

should contact the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) Target Center at 

(202) 720–2600 (voice). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose and Need 

NRCS is evaluating alternatives that 

will prevent or reduce flooding and 

increase and maintain safe and reliable 

supplies of water for the local 

community while increasing water 

conservation and improving water 

delivery efficiency in the Etowah River 

Watershed. The primary purpose 

underlying watershed planning and the 

proposed action is to: 

(a) Provide flood protection to reduce 

floodwater damages for crops and 

pasture, fences, farmsteads, machinery, 

buildings, livestock, county and 

township roads and bridges, and urban 

areas in Dawsonville; and 

(b) Provide a rural water supply to 

meet current and future water demands 

by increasing and maintaining safe and 

reliable supplies of water for the local 

rural community, increasing water 

conservation, and improving water 

delivery efficiency in the Etowah River 

Watershed for Dawson County, Georgia. 

This proposed action is authorized 

under the Watershed Prevention and 

Flood Protection Act of 1954. The action 

is needed to provide flood damage 

protection due to the existing aging 

Etowah River Watershed Dam No. 13 

and to provide agricultural and rural 

water management ensuring a safe and 

reliable water supply that meets current 

and future water demands. The current 

watershed structure has reached the end 

of its original 50-year design life and 

needs to be brought into compliance 

with modern dam safety criteria. The 

existing Etowah River Watershed Dam 

No. 13 is not in compliance with the 

Georgia Rules for Dam Safety and the 

NRCS TR–60 design criteria. Through 

hydraulic modeling, it was determined 

the auxiliary spillway is likely to breach 


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20812 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 68 / Friday, April 8, 2022 / Notices 

during storms categorized as 500-year 

storm or Probable Maximum 

Precipitation (PMP) storm events. Model 

analysis has also determined that the 

dam will be overtopped and will likely 

breach during storms that are as low as 

1⁄2 PMP storm events. 

Preliminary Proposed Action and 

Alternatives 

NRCS initiated the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA) process with the preparation of 

an Environmental Assessment (EA) for 

the same action, engaged in several 

public scoping meetings, conducted 

scoping processes with Federal, State, 

and local agencies to identify any 

significant issues which may be related 

to the proposed action, and completed 

a Draft EA. NRCS analyzed multiple 

conceptual alternatives during the 

environmental evaluation and scoping 

process. As a result of this early 

analysis, several alternatives were 

eliminated from further consideration. 

A determination was made that an EIS 

was necessary due to the volume of 

water retained by the proposed 

reservoir. One action alternative was 

carried forward in the EIS, the proposal 

to construct a new dam in place of the 

existing watershed structure. 

This EIS will be prepared as required 

by section 102(2)(C) of NEPA; the 

Council on Environmental Quality 

regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508); 

and NRCS regulations that implement 

NEPA in 7 CFR part 650, CFR 622, and 

National Environmental Compliance 

Handbook (NECH 610). Evaluation of 

potential environmental impacts 

associated with federal projects and 

actions is required. 

NRCS is considering providing 

technical assistance and financial 

support for the implementation of the 

proposed action. Technical and 

financial assistance for the proposed 

project would be funded through the 

NRCS Watershed Protection and Flood 

Prevention Program. 

1. Alternative 1—Proposed Action: 

Construction of a new watershed dam. 

The NRCS Etowah River Watershed 

Dam No. 13 Structure will be replaced 

with a new multipurpose structure to 

provide flood control and agricultural 

water management. The new dam will 

be an earthen embankment with a 

height of approximately 110 ft. The 

reservoir area at normal pool will be 132 

acres with a total storage volume of 

6,338 acre-feet (at the top of dam). The 

flood-pool volume is 704 acre-feet, and 

the surcharge volume is 1,702 acre-feet. 

The structure will provide up to 14.3 

million gallons per day (MGD, peak 

monthly demand) of raw water supply 

for the Etowah Water & Sewer Authority 

(EWSA). 

The structure will be a pump storage 

reservoir from the Etowah River. Water 

will be withdrawn from the Etowah 

River (in compliance with the EWSA 

withdrawal permits) at the Hightower 

Water Plant and pumped to the 

reservoir via a 30-inch raw water 

pipeline. The pipeline traverses 

approximately 2.7 miles along the 

floodplain of the Etowah River and 

Russell Creek to the reservoir. Raw 

water will be released from the reservoir 

to the Hightower Water Plant using the 

same raw water pipeline during periods 

of low flow in the Etowah River when 

the EWSA cannot meet their water 

needs solely from the Etowah River. 

2. Alternative 2—No action. Taking 

no action would consist of measures 

carried out if no federal action or 

funding were provided. The Dam No.13 

Structure would not be replaced with a 

new multipurpose structure to provide 

flood control and agricultural water 

management. The existing structure 

would continue to operate in its current 

condition, dam safety concerns would 

not be addressed, a rural water supply 

to meet current and future water 

demands would not be available for the 

local rural community, and flood 

damage protection would not be 

provided. Ongoing maintenance 

activities would be required to keep the 

current structure operable, providing 

limited flood protection. 

Summary of Expected Impacts 

The decision to prepare the 

Watershed Plan EIS was based upon the 

volume of water retained by the 

proposed reservoir. Early agency 

scoping of this federally assisted action 

indicated that proposed alternatives 

may have significant local, regional, or 

national impacts on the environment 

due to the retained volume of water. 

The watershed planning under the EIS 

will evaluate the effectiveness of 

proposed adjustments and the biophysical and socio-economic impacts to 

the Etowah River Watershed Dam No. 

13. 

Potential impacts include wetland 

and flood plain alteration; mitigation for 

the loss of 5.52 acres of wetlands and 

24,550 linear feet of streams will 

include the purchase of 42.6 wetland 

credits and 122,318 stream credits from 

approved compensatory mitigation 

banks servicing the project site. The 

purchase of mitigation bank credits is an 

appropriate method to offset temporal 

and functional losses associated with 

project implementation; these actions 

provide valuable contributions to the 

protection of water quality, as well as 

provide protection for valuable fish and 

wildlife habitat in perpetuity. 

In addition, conservation measures 

will be implemented to avoid and 

minimize environmental impacts by 

implementing best management 

practices and requiring a 150-foot buffer 

around the reservoir and on each side of 

9,500 feet of Russell Creek above the 

reservoir. Monitoring of the project 

during and after construction, including 

sequencing construction activities to 

protect spawning periods for listed 

fishes and implementing operational 

procedures, will ensure survival of local 

warm water species of fish. 

Anticipated Permits and Authorizations 

The following permits and other 

authorizations are anticipated to be 

required: 

• CWA Section 404 permit. 

Implementation of the proposed federal 

action would require a Clean Water Act 

(CWA) Section 404 permit from the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers. Permitting 

with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

regarding potential wetland impacts is 

ongoing and will be finalized prior to 

final design and construction. 

• CWA Section 401 permit. The 

project would also require water quality 

certification under Section 401 of the 

CWA and permitting under Section 402 

of the CWA (National Pollutant 

Discharge Elimination System Permit). 

• Dam safety and floodplain permit. 

Local dam safety and floodplain permits 

will be required for construction and 

operation of the dam. 

• Surface Water Withdrawal permit. 

Permit No. 042–1415–02 received. 

• Stream Buffer Variance. Variance 

will be obtained from the Georgia 

Environmental Protection Division for 

reservoir clearing work. 

• Georgia Department of 

Transportation Right of Way 

Encroachment Permit. Project will 

require a raw water pipeline to be 

installed under State Highway 53 by 

jacking and boring construction 

methods. 

• NHPA Section 106 consultation. 

Consultation with the Georgia Historic 

Preservation Division, Tribal Nations, 

and interested parties will be conducted 

as required by the National Historic 

Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended) 

(16 U.S.C. 470f). 

• Endangered Species Act, Section 7 

Consultation. Compliance documented 

via consultation with US Fish and 

Wildlife Service and Georgia Wildlife 

Resources Division. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 68 / Friday, April 8, 2022 / Notices 20813 

Schedule of the Decision-Making 

Process 

A draft EIS will be prepared and 

circulated for review and comment by 

agencies and the public as required by 

40 CFR 1503.1, 1502.20, 1506.11, 

1502.17, and 7 CFR 650.13. The draft 

EIS will be complete and available for 

public review within 14 months of 

publication of this NOI. Once the draft 

EIS is completed, a Notice of 

Availability (NOA) will be published in 

the Federal Register and a public 

review period of 45 days will be 

provided. Comments on the Draft EIS 

will be addressed in the Final EIS. A 

NOA will be published in the Federal 

Register concerning the availability of 

the Final EIS and a Draft Record of 

Decision (ROD). A 30-day review period 

from the day the NOA is published in 

the Federal Register will be provided. 

Afterwards, the final ROD will be signed 

by the decision maker and responsible 

federal official for the project, the NRCS 

Georgia State Conservationist, Mr. 

Terrance O. Rudolph. 

Public Scoping Process 

Three public scoping meetings were 

held during which NRCS presented the 

project and provided the opportunity for 

the public to ask questions and have 

input to the scope of the draft EA. The 

public scoping meetings were held on 

April 11, 2019, May 9, 2019, and June 

27, 2019, at the Etowah Water and 

Sewer Authority in Dawsonville, GA. 

All interested parties and groups were 

invited. In addition, the public meetings 

were advertised in the local newspaper 

and notices posted on the EWSA 

website. Project team members were 

available for individual questions and 

discussions. Comments received, 

including the names and addresses of 

those who commented, will be part of 

the public record. In addition, Federal, 

State, and local governments provided 

input during the preparation of the Draft 

EA. Once the Draft EIS is published in 

the Federal Register, an additional 

scoping meeting will be held within 4 

weeks of publication; meeting details 

will be published in the local paper, the 

website for the EWSA, and the NRCS– 

GA website. 

Request for Identification of Potential 

Alternatives, Information, and 

Analyses 

NRCS invites agencies and 

individuals who have special expertise, 

legal jurisdiction, or interest in the 

Etowah River Watershed to provide 

comments concerning the scope of the 

analysis and identification of relevant 

information and studies. All interested 

parties are invited to provide input 

related to the identification of potential 

alternatives, information, and analyses 

relevant to the Proposed Action in 

writing or during the public scoping 

meeting. 

Authorities 

This document is published pursuant 

to the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) regulations regarding 

publication of a notice of intent to issue 

an environmental impact statement (40 

CFR 1501.9(d)). This EIS will be 

prepared to evaluate potential 

environmental impacts as required by 

section 102(2)(C) of the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(NEPA); the Council on Environmental 

Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500– 

1508); and NRCS regulations that 

implement NEPA in 7 CFR part 650. 

Watershed planning is authorized under 

the Watershed Protection and Flood 

Prevention Act of 1954, as amended, 

(Pub. L. 83–566) and the Flood Control 

Act of 1944 (Pub. L. 78–534). Also, the 

number and title of the Federal 

assistance program in the Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance to which 

this NOI applies is 10.904-Watershed 

Protection and Flood Prevention. 

USDA Non-Discrimination Policy 

In accordance with Federal civil 

rights law and USDA civil rights 

regulations and policies, USDA, its 

Agencies, offices, and employees, and 

institutions participating in or 

administering USDA programs are 

prohibited from discriminating based on 

race, color, national origin, religion, sex, 

gender identity (including gender 

expression), sexual orientation, 

disability, age, marital status, family or 

parental status, income derived from a 

public assistance program, political 

beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior 

civil rights activity, in any program or 

activity conducted or funded by USDA 

(not all bases apply to all programs). 

Remedies and complaint filing 

deadlines vary by program or incident. 

Persons with disabilities who require 

alternative means of communication for 

program information (for example, 

braille, large print, audiotape, American 

Sign Language, etc.) should contact the 

responsible Agency or USDA TARGET 

Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and 

TTY) or (844) 433–2774 (toll-free 

nationwide). Additionally, program 

information may be made available in 

languages other than English. 

To file a program discrimination 

complaint, complete the USDA Program 

Discrimination Complaint Form, AD– 

3027, found online at https://

www.usda.gov/oascr/how-to-file-aprogram-discrimination-complaint and 

at any USDA office or write a letter 

addressed to USDA and provide in the 

letter all the information requested in 

the form. To request a copy of the 

complaint form, call (866) 632–9992. 

Submit your completed form or letter to 

USDA by mail to: U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, Washington, 

DC 20250–9410 or email: OAC@

usda.gov. 

USDA is an equal opportunity 

provider, employer, and lender. 

Terrance O. Rudolph, 

Georgia State Conservationist, Natural 

Resources Conservation Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–07573 Filed 4–7–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Notice of Public Meeting of the Illinois 

Advisory Committee; Correction 

AGENCY: Commission on Civil Rights. 

ACTION: Notice; correction. 

SUMMARY: The Commission on Civil 

Rights published a notice in the Federal 

Register on Tuesday, March 29, 2022, 

concerning a meeting of the Illinois 

Advisory Committee. The document 

contained the incorrect meeting time. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Liliana Schiller, lschiller@usccr.gov, 

202–376–7756. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Correction 

In the Federal Register on Tuesday, 

March 29, 2022, in FR Document 

Number 2022–06530, on page 17981, 

second column, correct the meeting 

time in the SUMMARY to 1:00 p.m. CT. 

Dated: Tuesday, April 4, 2022. 

David Mussatt, 

Supervisory Chief, Regional Programs Unit. 

[FR Doc. 2022–07473 Filed 4–7–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6335–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Foreign-Trade Zones Board 

[B–11–2022] 

Foreign-Trade Zone (FTZ) 61—San 

Juan, Puerto Rico Notification of 

Proposed Production Activity, AIAC 

International Pharma, LLC 

(Pharmaceutical Products), Arecibo, 

Puerto Rico 

The Department of Economic 

Development and Commerce, grantee of 


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