Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 88 / Friday, May 7, 2010 / Notices 25195 

to provide for public notice and 

comment would unduly delay the 

provision of benefits associated with 

these broadband initiatives and be 

contrary to the public interest. 

For the same reasons, the Agency 

finds good cause under 5 U.S.C. 

553(d)(3) to waive the 30-day delay in 

effectiveness for this action. Because 

notice and opportunity for comment are 

not required pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 

553(d)(3) or any other law, the 

analytical requirements of the 

Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980, as 

amended (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) are 

inapplicable. Therefore, a regulatory 

flexibility analysis is not required and 

has not been prepared. 

R. Paperwork Reduction Act 

Copies of all forms, regulations, and 

instructions referenced in this RFP may 

be obtained from RUS by e-mailing 

BroadbandUSA@usda.gov. Data 

furnished by the Applicants will be 

used to determine eligibility for program 

benefits. Furnishing the data is 

voluntary; however, the failure to 

provide data could result in program 

benefits being withheld or denied. 

The Information Collection and 

Recordkeeping requirements contained 

in the RFP have been approved by 

emergency clearance under OMB 

Control Number 0572–0145. In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 

chapter 35), RUS invites comments on 

this information collection for which 

the Agency intends to request approval 

from the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB). 

Comments on this notice must be 

received by July 6, 2010. Comments are 

invited on (a) whether the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate 

of burden including the validity of the 

methodology and assumption used; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments may be sent to Michele 

Brooks, Director, Program Development 

and Regulatory Analysis, Rural Utilities 

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

1400 Independence Ave., SW., Stop 

1522, Room 5162 South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Title: Broadband Initiatives 

Program—Rural Libraries, Technical 

Assistance, and Satellite Grants. 

Type of Request: New collection. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 22 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Businesses and other 

for-profits. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

134. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 2.8. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 8,427 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Michele Brooks, 

Program Development and Regulatory 

Analysis, at (202) 690–1078. 

All responses to this information 

collection and recordkeeping notice will 

be summarized and included in the 

request for OMB approval. All 

comments will also become a matter of 

public record. 

S. Recovery Act 

Additional information about the 

Recovery Act is available at http:// 

www.Recovery.gov. 

T. Authorized Signatories 

Only authorized grant officers can 

bind the Government to the expenditure 

of funds. 

Dated: May 3, 2010. 

Jonathan Adelstein, 

Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–10765 Filed 5–6–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Kake to Petersburg Transmission Line 

Intertie Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Agriculture, Forest Service, will prepare 

an Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIS) on a proposal to construct and 

operate a new electric transmission line 

intertie that would extend west across 

the Tongass National Forest from the 

Petersburg area to the community of 

Kake. The proposed action is to build a 

new transmission line that would 

transmit power at either 69 or 138 

kilovolt (kV) and consist of single wood 

pole structures with horizontal post 

insulators, with average span lengths 

between pole structures of 350 to 400 

feet. Two primary alternative routes are 

currently under consideration. These 

routes generally follow two routes 

previously identified as Transportation 

and Utility System (TUS) corridors in 

the Tongass National Forest Land and 

Resource Management Plan (Forest 

Plan). Both alternative routes follow 

existing logging roads for the majority of 

their lengths. In addition, one of the 

routes follows the proposed route 

identified by the Alaska Department of 

Transportation & Public Facilities 

(DOTPF) for the permanent road 

between Kake and Petersburg. Both 

routes would use existing roads for 

construction and long-term maintenance 

access where possible. New road 

segments would be built in locations 

where access is not currently available. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis must be received by June 

7, 2010. Public information and scoping 

meetings will be held in Petersburg on 

May 12, 2010 and in Kake on May 13, 

2010. The Draft EIS is projected to be 

filed with the Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) in December 2010 and 

will begin a 45-day public comment 

period. The Final EIS and Record of 

Decision are scheduled to be published 

in Summer/Fall 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may comment on the 

project in the following ways: Send 

written comments to the Petersburg 

Ranger District, Tongass National 

Forest, Attn: Kake-Petersburg Intertie 

Project, P.O. Box 1328, Petersburg, AK 

99833, or hand deliver them to the 

Petersburg Ranger District, 12 N Nordic 

Drive, Petersburg, Alaska. The FAX 

number is (907) 772–5995. Send e-mail 

comments to: comments-alaska-tongasspetersburg@fs.fed.us with ‘‘KakePetersburg Intertie Project’’ in the 

subject line. Include your name, address 

and organization name if you are 

commenting as a representative. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Questions about the proposal and EIS 

should be directed to Chris Savage, 

District Ranger, Petersburg Ranger 

District, Tongass National Forest, P.O. 

Box 1328, Petersburg, AK 99833, 

telephone (907) 772–3871. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: An Intertie transmission 

line from Kake to Petersburg has been 

discussed for many years and has been 

the subject of a number of studies dating 

back to the 1970s, with more than 10 

alternative routes discussed over the 

years. Recent studies include the 

Southeast Alaska Intertie Study 

prepared in 2003 and a follow-on study 

of the Kake-Petersburg Intertie 

completed in 2005 and updated in 2009. 

These recent studies identified two 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
25196 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 88 / Friday, May 7, 2010 / Notices 

primary route alternatives, a southern 

route that crosses the Wrangell Narrows 

near the Tonka log transfer facility and 

proceeds west across Duncan Canal (the 

‘‘Center-South’’ route), and a northern 

route generally located on the north end 

of Kupreanof Island (the ‘‘Northern’’ 

route). These alternatives generally 

correspond with two TUS corridors 

identified in the 2008 Forest Plan. 

Purpose and Need for Action: The 

community of Kake on Kupreanof Island 

is presently served by an isolated 

electric system operated by the Inside 

Passage Electric Cooperative (IPEC). 

This system currently depends upon 

high-cost diesel generation, and the 

resulting high cost of electricity in Kake 

is a major burden on the economic and 

social well-being of the community and 

a significant disincentive to economic 

development. The proposed KakePetersburg Intertie would connect this 

isolated electric system to the 

interconnected electric systems of 

Petersburg, Wrangell and Ketchikan. 

Petersburg, Wrangell, and Ketchikan are 

currently interconnected to and obtain 

most of their power supplies from the 

Tyee Lake and Swan Lake hydroelectric 

projects owned by the Southeast Alaska 

Power Agency (SEAPA) (formerly the 

Four Dam Pool Power Agency). The 

Kake-Petersburg Intertie would be used 

to transmit surplus hydroelectric power 

from SEAPA to the IPEC electric system 

in Kake, thereby offsetting the existing 

diesel generation while lowering and 

stabilizing the cost of electricity in 

Kake. 

Proposed Action: The proposed 

transmission line would extend west 

from the Petersburg area to the 

community of Kake and be 

approximately 46.8 miles or 56.5 miles 

in length. The line would be built to 

transmit power at either 69 or 138 kV 

and consist of single wood pole 

structures with horizontal post 

insulators, with average span lengths 

between pole structures of 350 to 400 

feet. This design would be able to take 

advantage of existing roads for 

construction and maintenance and has 

been used successfully for other 

transmission applications elsewhere in 

Alaska. 

The two primary routes identified in 

the 2005 feasibility study and evaluated 

further in the 2009 update—the CenterSouth and Northern routes—are 

currently under consideration. Both 

proposed routes follow existing logging 

roads for the majority of their lengths. 

In addition, the Northern route follows 

the proposed route identified by the 

Alaska DOTPF for the permanent road 

between Kake and Petersburg. Both 

routes would use existing roads for 

construction and long-term maintenance 

access where possible. New road 

segments would be built in locations 

where access is not currently available. 

The two alternative routes may be 

summarized as follows: 

Center-South Route—(46.8 miles total 

length, two marine crossings). This 

route would connect to the existing 

Tyee transmission line approximately 8 

miles south of Petersburg and require a 

tap or a small switch yard. From this 

connection, the route crosses Wrangell 

Narrows, proceeds west across the 

Lindenberg Peninsula (10.6 miles), 

crosses Duncan Canal, and continues 

northwest to Kake (33.7 miles), where it 

would terminate at a new substation 

located approximately 4.8 miles south 

of the existing Kake substation. A new 

distribution line (12.45 kV) would 

extend from the new substation to Kake. 

The majority of this route (43.6 miles) 

would cross National Forest System 

(NFS) lands. The route would also cross 

lands owned and managed by the town 

of Petersburg, Sealaska, Kake Tribal 

Corporation, and the city of Kake. 

Northern Route—(56.5 miles total 

length, one marine crossing). This route 

would originate at the existing SEAPA 

substation near Petersburg, cross 

Wrangell Narrows from Mitkof Island to 

Kupreanof Island, and follow the 

proposed route of the Alaska DOTPF 

road north along Frederick Sound (18.5 

miles), and then west (37.9 miles) to 

Kake, where, like the Center-South 

route, it would terminate at a new 

substation with a new distribution line 

extending to Kake. The majority of this 

route (47.1 miles) would cross NFS 

lands. The route would also cross lands 

owned and managed by Alaska 

Department of Natural Resources, 

Sealaska, Kake Tribal Corporation, and 

the cities of Kake, Kupreanof, and 

Petersburg. 

Two alternative route options from 

the SEAPA substation to the proposed 

Alaska DOTPF road corridor are 

currently being considered: 

Option 1: Under this option the line 

would start at the SEAPA substation, 

and staying south of Petersburg, follow 

an existing gravel road for 3.5 miles 

east-northeast to Frederick Sound. At 

Frederick Sound, a submarine cable 

termination facility would connect the 

overhead line to a 3.1 mile long 

underwater cable, which would come 

ashore near Prolewy Point on Kupreanof 

Island, where it would connect to an 

overhead line that would then follow 

the proposed road corridor. 

Option 2: Under this option the line 

would proceed from the SEAPA 

substation north along Mitkof Highway 

to near the narrowest point of the 

Wrangell Narrows. At that point, the 

line would turn west and cross Wrangell 

Narrows via a horizontal directional 

bore or buried cable that would extend 

approximately 1,400 feet. West of the 

Narrows the line would return to 

overhead construction, turn and go 

north approximately 1.7 miles where it 

would cross Petersburg Creek (a 

distance of approximately 800 feet) 

either via directional bore or overhead 

construction. The route would then 

continue overhead approximately 2.5 

miles northeast to the proposed DOTPF 

road corridor. 

Subsistence hearings, as provided for 

in Title VIII, Section 810 of the Alaska 

National Interest Lands Conservation 

Act (ANILCA), will be conducted, if 

necessary, during the comment period 

on the Draft EIS. 

Public Participation: This notice of 

intent initiates the scoping process 

which guides the development of the 

EIS. Public participation will be 

especially important at several points 

during the analysis. The Forest Service 

will be seeking information, comments, 

and assistance from Tribal Governments 

and corporations, Federal, State, and 

local agencies, individuals and 

organizations that may be interested in, 

or affected by, the proposed activities. 

The public scoping period for this 

project extends from May 7, 2010 to 

June 7, 2010. Interested parties are 

encouraged to provide written input on 

the proposed project and submit their 

comments via email, regular mail, or fax 

to the addresses identified above under 

Addresses. 

Public scoping meetings will be held 

from 5 to 7 pm in Petersburg on May 12, 

2010 and in Kake on May 13, 2010. Both 

meetings will follow an open house 

format. Interested parties may drop in 

until 7 p.m. to obtain information about 

the project, speak with project team 

members, and provide scoping 

comments to the team. 

Tentative Issues: Tentative issues 

identified for analysis in the EIS to date 

include the proposed crossings of 

Wrangell Narrows and Duncan Canal, as 

well as anadromous and resident fishbearing streams, potential impacts to 

wildlife species listed under the 

Endangered Species Act, and potential 

impacts to Inventoried Roadless Areas. 

Early Notice of Importance of Public 

Participation in Subsequent 

Environmental Review: A Draft EIS will 

be prepared for comment. The comment 

period on the Draft EIS will be 45 days 

from the date the EPA publishes the 

notice of availability in the Federal 

Register. It is important that reviewers 

provide their comments at such times 

and in such a way that they are useful 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 88 / Friday, May 7, 2010 / Notices 25197 

to the Agency’s preparation of the EIS. 

Therefore, comments should be 

provided prior to the close of the 

comment period and should clearly 

articulate the reviewer’s concerns and 

contentions. The submission of timely 

and specific comments can affect a 

reviewer’s ability to participate in 

subsequent administrative review or 

judicial review. 

Comments received in response to 

this solicitation, including names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be part of the public record for this 

proposed action and will be available 

for public inspection. (Authority: 40 

CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; Forest Service 

Handbook 1909.15, Section 21). 

Comments submitted anonymously will 

be accepted and considered; however, 

those who submit anonymous 

comments will not have standing to 

appeal the subsequent decision under 

36 CFR parts 215 or 217. Additionally, 

pursuant to 7 CFR 1.27(d), any person 

may request that the agency withhold a 

submission from the public record by 

showing how the Freedom of 

Information Act (FOIA) permits such 

confidentiality. Requesters should be 

aware that, under FOIA, confidentiality 

may be granted in only very limited 

circumstances, such as to protect trade 

secrets. The Forest Service will inform 

the requester of the agency’s decision 

regarding the request for confidentiality, 

and where the request is denied, the 

agency will return the submission and 

notify the requester that the comments 

may be resubmitted with or without 

name and address within 7 days. 

To assist the Forest Service in 

identifying and considering issues and 

concerns of the proposed action, 

comments during scoping and 

comments on the Draft EIS should be as 

specific as possible. It is also helpful if 

comments refer to 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 document. Reviewers may wish to 

refer to the Council on Environmental 

Quality Regulations for implementing 

the procedural provisions of the 

National Environmental Policy Act at 40 

CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points. 

Responsible Official: Forrest Cole, 

Forest Supervisor, Tongass National 

Forest, Federal Building, Ketchikan, 

Alaska 99901. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made: The 

Forest Supervisor is the Responsible 

Official for this action and will decide 

whether or not to permit the 

construction of the proposed electric 

transmission line across NFS lands, 

along with the alternative route that will 

be followed, as well as mitigation 

measures and/or monitoring, as 

appropriate. The decision will be based 

on the information that is disclosed in 

the EIS. The responsible official will 

consider comments, responses, the 

disclosure of environmental 

consequences, and applicable laws, 

regulations, and policies in making the 

decision and will state that rationale in 

the Record of Decision. 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7 and 1508.22; 

Forest Service Handbook 1909.15, Section 

21) 

Dated: April 29, 2010. 

Forrest Cole, 

Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 2010–10702 Filed 5–6–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Shasta Trinity National Forest, South 

Fork Management Unit, California Salt 

Timber Harvest and Fuels Hazard 

Reduction Project 

AGENCY: USDA Forest Service. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a 

supplemental environmental impact 

statement. 

SUMMARY: This notice revises the 

previous notice of intent, published on 

March 26, 2008, Vol. 73, No. 59, pages 

15966 through 15968, to prepare an 

environmental impact statement for the 

Salt Timber Harvest and Fuels 

Reduction Project (Salt Project). A 

supplemental environmental impact 

statement will be prepared for the Salt 

Project to supplement wildlife 

management indicator assemblage 

analysis. This notice and supplement 

pertains only to the wildlife 

management indicator assemblage 

analysis for the Salt Project. 

DATES: The draft supplemental 

environmental impact statement is 

expected July 2010, there will be a 

public comment period on the draft and 

then the final supplemental 

environmental impact statement is 

expected May 2011. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Bobbie DiMonte Miller, Shasta-Trinity 

National Forest, 3644 Avtech Parkway, 

Redding, CA 96002; telephone (530) 

226–2425, e-mail 

bdimontemiller@fs.fed.us. Individuals 

who use telecommunication devices for 

the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 

Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 

800–877–8339 between 8 a.m. and 8 

p.m., Eastern Time, Monday through 

Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Forest 

Service is proposing to prepare a 

supplement to the final environmental 

impact statement for the Salt Project in 

accordance with FSH 1909.15, Chapter 

10, Section 18.1 and Section 18.2. 

J. Sharon Heywood, Shasta-Trinity 

National Forest Supervisor, signed a 

Record of Decision on October 20, 2009, 

based on the Salt Project Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). 

On December 21, 2009, Denise Boggs 

filed a notice of appeal on behalf of 

Conservation Congress, Citizens for 

Better Forestry, Environmental 

Protection Information Center and 

Kiamath Forest Alliance. On February 5, 

2010, Appeal Reviewing Officer (ARO) 

Tern Marceron, Forest Supervisor at 

Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, 

recommended that the Forest 

Supervisor’s decision be affirmed on all 

issues with the exception of wildlife 

management indicator assemblage 

analysis. The ARO determined that the 

Salt Project FEIS did not document the 

effects of project alternatives on key 

habitat components consistent with the 

Shasta-Trinity National Forest Land and 

Resource Management Plan. The Appeal 

Deciding Officer agreed with the ARO’s 

analysis. This notice pertains only to the 

supplement of management indicator 

assemblage effects information and 

analyses. 

Purpose and Need for Action 

Because the supplement will only 

address the additional wildlife 

management indicator assemblage 

information and analyses, the purpose 

and need for action remains the same as 

described in the October 2009 Salt 

Project FEIS, Chapter 1, pages 3 through 

16. 

Proposed Action 

The proposed action is the same as 

described in Chapter 1 of the October 

2009 Salt Project FEIS (Chapter 1, pages 

16 & 17). That document is available on 

the Shasta-Trinity National Forest Web 

site at www.fs.usda.gov/stnf. Under 

Highlights click on Ongoing NEPA 

projects. 

Responsible Official 

J. Sharon Heywood, Shasta-Trinity 

National Forest Supervisor, 3644 Avtech 

Parkway, Redding, CA 96002. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The Responsible Official will review 

the supplemental information and 

determine what, if any, modifications 

should be made to the October 20, 2009, 

decision. A new decision will be issued. 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES