Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 38 / Friday, February 27, 2009 / Notices 8921 

area and request their input on 

alternatives and issues to be evaluated. 

Notices will also be mailed to local 

news media. All interested parties are 

invited to comment at this time, and 

anyone interested in this study should 

request inclusion in the study mailing 

list. A public scoping meeting will be 

held March 24, 2009 from 6–9 p.m. in 

Cameron, Louisiana, March 25, 2009 

from 6–9 p.m. in Lake Charles, 

Louisiana and March 26, 2009 from 6– 

9 p.m. in Abbeville, LA. The exact 

location and address for the meetings 

will be announced through local media 

channels. Additional meetings could be 

held, depending upon public interest 

and if it is determined that further 

public coordination is warranted. 

5. Significant Issues. Tentatively, the 

important resources and issues that 

would be evaluated in the EIS include 

but are not limited to tidal wetlands 

(marshes and swamps), aquatic 

resources, commercial and recreational 

fisheries, wildlife resources, essential 

fish habitat, water quality, air quality, 

threatened and endangered species and 

critical habitat, recreation resources, 

and cultural resources. Socioeconomic 

items to be evaluated in the EIS include 

navigation; flood protection; business 

and industrial activity; oil and gas 

pipelines; employment; land use; 

property values; public/community 

facilities and services; tax revenues; 

population, community and regional 

growth; transportation; housing; 

community cohesion; environmental 

justice, aesthetics and noise. 

6. Environmental Consultation and 

Review. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (USFWS) will assist in 

documenting existing conditions and 

assessing effects of project alternatives 

through the Fish and Wildlife 

Coordination Act consultation 

procedures. The USFWS will provide a 

Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act 

report. Consultation will be 

accomplished with the USFWS and the 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) concerning threatened and 

endangered species and their critical 

habitat. The NMFS will be consulted 

regarding the effects of this proposed 

action on Essential Fish Habitat. The 

draft EIS or a notice of its availability 

will be distributed to all interested 

agencies, organizations, and 

individuals. 

7. Estimated Date of Availability. The 

earliest that the DEIS is expected to be 

available is March of 2010. 

Dated: February 18, 2009. 

Alvin B. Lee, 

Colonel, U.S. Army, District Engineer. 

[FR Doc. E9–4202 Filed 2–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare an Integrated 

Feasibility Report and Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Southwest Florida Feasibility 

Study/Watershed Plan, Lee, Collier, 

Charlotte, Hendry, Glades, and Monroe 

Counties, FL 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DOD. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (Corps), Jacksonville District, 

intends to prepare an integrated 

Feasibility Report/Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement (FR/DEIS) for the 

Southwest Florida Feasibility Study/ 

Watershed Plan. The study is a 

cooperative effort between the Corps 

and the South Florida Water 

Management District (SFWMD), which 

is also a cooperating agency for this 

DEIS. The goal of the Southwest Florida 

Feasibility Study is to produce a 

regional restoration plan that addresses 

water resources issues within all 

watersheds in southwest Florida. It is 

intended that this plan will meet many 

of the ecological and hydrological 

restoration needs of southwest Florida. 

The problems which will be addressed 

in this study include loss of natural 

ecosystems and landscape connectivity/ 

degradation of wildlife habitat, altered, 

unnatural freshwater flows to wetlands 

and estuaries (altered surface water 

hydrology), and water quality 

degradation in surface waters. 

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, Planning Division, 

Environmental Branch, P.O. Box 4970, 

Jacksonville, FL 32232–0019. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Angela Dunn, by telephone at 904–232– 

2108, or e-mail at 

angela.e.dunn@usace.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

a. Authorization: The Southwest 

Florida Feasibility Study (SWFFS), 

along with the Central and South 

Florida Project Comprehensive Review 

study (Restudy), is authorized by 

Section 309(l) of the Water Resources 

Development Act of 1992 (Pub. L. 102– 

580) and is also authorized by two 

resolutions of the Committee on 

Transportation and Infrastructure, 

United States House of Representatives, 

dated September 24, 1992. The Restudy 

proposed several new feasibility studies, 

which included the SWFFS, to allow a 

more thorough investigation into 

subjects that were considered related to 

but beyond the scope of the Restudy. 

b. Study Area: The study area covers 

approximately 4,300 square miles. It 

encompasses all of Lee County and 

portions of Collier, Charlotte, Hendry, 

Glades, and Monroe Counties. 

c. Project Scope: The scope includes 

conducting a watershed assessment of 

the study area and developing a 

watershed plan for stakeholder 

utilization, additional landscape 

connectivity for endangered species, 

and maintenance of natural hydrology. 

The assessment will investigate the 

southwest Florida region and its 

hydrology and natural landscape in 

greater detail than was developed in the 

Restudy. The evaluation of the 

alternatives and selection of a 

recommended plan will be documented 

in the FR/EIS. The alternative plans will 

be reviewed under provisions of 

appropriate laws and regulations, 

including the Endangered Species Act, 

Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, 

Clean Water Act, and Farmland 

Protection Policy Act. 

d. Preliminary Alternatives: The 

alternatives analyzed in this feasibility 

investigation are a combination of 

structural and non-structural measures 

addressing the following objectives: The 

health of aquatic and upland 

ecosystems; the quantity, quality, 

timing, and distribution of water flows; 

agricultural, environmental, and urban 

water supply; the sustainability of 

economic and natural resources; flood 

protection; fish and wildlife; biological 

diversity; and natural habitat in 

southwest Florida. Alternatives were 

developed to address these objectives. 

These alternatives include a plan of no 

action and various combinations of 

structural and non-structural measures 

within the watersheds of the study area. 

e. Issues: The EIS will analyze the 

following project objectives: Establish 

total freshwater inflows to coastal 

estuaries within project area to within 

10% of the pre-development natural 

system flow quantity conditions; 

decrease loss of habitat connectivity for 

large mammals throughout the project 

area by 20%; reduce average annual 

total nitrogen loads to project area. In 

addition, the EIS will analyze: Impacts 

to aquatic and wetland habitats; water 

flows; hazardous and toxic waste; water 

quality; flood protection; the impacts of 

land acquisition on the tax base; 

aesthetics and recreation; fish and 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES2
8922 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 38 / Friday, February 27, 2009 / Notices 

wildlife resources, including protected 

species; cultural resources; and other 

impacts identified through scoping, 

public involvement and interagency 

coordination. 

f. Scoping: An initial scoping letter 

was sent to stakeholders in the 

southwest Florida region in April, 2006, 

as notification of the initiation of a 

Feasibility Study to address the water 

resource problems in southwest Florida. 

An additional scoping letter will be 

used to invite comments on alternatives 

and issues from Federal, State, and local 

agencies, affected Indian tribes, and 

other interested private organizations 

and individuals. 

g. DEIS Preparation: The integrated 

Feasibility Report, including a DEIS, is 

currently estimated for publication in 

late 2009. 

Dated: February 18, 2009. 

Eric P. Summa, 

Chief, Environmental Branch. 

[FR Doc. E9–4199 Filed 2–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Proposed Agency Information 

Collection 

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice and Request for OMB 

Review and Comment. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy 

(DOE) has submitted to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

clearance a proposal for collection of 

information under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The 

proposed collection will enable DOE to 

have current knowledge of Federal 

employees and contractors conducting 

foreign travel to a non U.S. territory on 

the behalf of DOE. Information gathered 

will include dates of travel, destination, 

purpose, and after-hour contact 

information in case of emergency. 

DATES: Comments regarding this 

collection must be received on or before 

30 days after date of publication in the 

Federal Register. If you anticipate that 

you will be submitting comments, but 

find it difficult to do so within the 

period of time allowed by this notice, 

please advise the DOE Desk Officer at 

OMB of your intention to make a 

submission as soon as possible. The 

Desk Officer may be telephoned at 202– 

395–4650. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be sent to the DOE Desk Officer, Office 

of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget, New 

Executive Office Building, Room 10102, 

735 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 

20503. 

And to Julie Squires by fax at (202) 

586–0406 or by e-mail at 

julie.squires@hq.doe.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of the information collection 

instrument and instructions should be 

directed to Julie Squires at 

julie.squires@hq.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

information collection request contains: 

(1) OMB No. {‘‘New’’}; (2) Information 

Collection Request Title: Records, and 

secures approval of all foreign travel 

conducted by DOE federal employees 

and contractors. The system allows DOE 

to have full accountability of all travel 

and in cases of emergency DOE is able 

to quickly retrieve information as to 

who is traveling, where the individual 

is traveling, and the dates of travel. 

Information gathered is listed under 

three categories: (1) Traveler 

Information which requests traveler’s 

name, passport information, site, 

position, and contact information, (2) 

General Trip Information which consists 

of estimated travel costs, and (3) Trip 

Itinerary Information which consists of 

destination, dates of travel, and 

purpose, (5) Type of Respondents: DOE 

Federal employees and contractors 

traveling on behalf of DOE (6) Estimated 

Annual Number of Respondents: 8,313; 

(7) Estimated Annual Number of Burden 

Hours: 4228; (8) Estimated Annual Cost 

Burden: None. 

Authority: DOE Order 551.1C (Jun. 24, 

2008), regarding ‘‘Official Foreign Travel.’’ 

Issued in Washington, DC on February 20, 

2009. 

Julie Squires, 

Acting Director, Office of Management, Office 

of International Travel and Exchange Visitor 

Programs. 

[FR Doc. E9–4217 Filed 2–26–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

[OE Docket No. EA–350] 

Application To Export Electric Energy; 

Saracen Power LLC 

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery 

and Energy Reliability, DOE. 

ACTION: Notice of Application. 

SUMMARY: Saracen Power LLC (Saracen 

Power) has applied for authority to 

transmit electric energy from the United 

States to Canada pursuant to section 

202(e) of the Federal Power Act. 

DATES: Comments, protests, or requests 

to intervene must be submitted on or 

before March 30, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests, or 

requests to intervene should be 

addressed as follows: Office of 

Electricity Delivery and Energy 

Reliability, Mail Code: OE–20, U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585–0350 (FAX 202– 

586–5860). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Ellen Russell (Program Office) 202–586– 

9624 or Michael Skinker (Program 

Attorney) 202–586–2793. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exports of 

electricity from the United States to a 

foreign country are regulated by the 

Department of Energy (DOE) pursuant to 

sections 301(b) and 402(f) of the 

Department of Energy Organization Act 

(42 U.S.C. 7151(b), 7172(f)) and require 

authorization under section 202(e) of 

the FPA (16 U.S.C. 824a(e)). 

On February 15, 2009, DOE received 

an application from Saracen Power for 

authority to transmit electric energy 

from the United States to Canada as a 

power marketer. Saracen Power is a 

Texas limited partnership with its 

principal place of business in Houston, 

TX. Saracen has requested an electricity 

export authorization with a 5-year term. 

Saracen Power does not own any 

electric transmission facilities nor does 

it hold a franchised service area. The 

electric energy which Saracen Power 

proposes to export to Canada would be 

surplus energy purchased from electric 

utilities, Federal power marketing 

agencies, and other entities within the 

United States. 

Saracen Power proposes to export 

electric energy to Canada and to arrange 

for the delivery of those exports over the 

international transmission facilities 

presently owned by Bangor HydroElectric Company, Basin Electric Power 

Cooperative, Bonneville Power 

Administration, Eastern Maine Electric 

Cooperative, International Transmission 

Co., Joint Owners of the Highgate 

Project, Long Sault, Inc., Maine Electric 

Power Company, Maine Public Service 

Company, Minnesota Power, Inc., 

Minnkota Power Cooperative, Inc., New 

York Power Authority, Niagara Mohawk 

Power Corp., Northern States Power 

Company, Sea Breeze Olympic 

Converter, Vermont Electric Power 

Company, and Vermont Electric 

Transmission Company. 

The construction, operation, 

maintenance, and connection of each of 

the international transmission facilities 

to be utilized by Saracen Power was 

previously authorized by a Presidential 


rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES2