3486 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 13 / Thursday, January 21, 2010 / Notices 

We would continue wildlife and 

habitat management activities as under 

Alternative A, while establishing and 

expanding rare and sensitive plant 

community surveys and management of 

seepage slopes. As under Alternative B, 

we would conduct a baseline 

population survey of Pine Barrens tree 

frogs. We would monitor populations of 

concern to discern population trends 

and effects of habitat management, 

coordinate with SCDNR to conduct 

surveys and assess effects of habitat 

management, and participate in 

amphibian and reptile conservation 

initiatives. 

We would survey and manage for 

birds of conservation concern, assessing 

effects of habitat management. We 

would restore longleaf pine/wiregrass 

and native grasslands, establish native 

warm season grass demonstration areas, 

and eradicate non-native plants. We 

would also establish a native seed 

nursery/orchard for native warm season 

grasses and native groundcover and 

engage in native plant botanical 

research. We would manage dove fields 

and plant annual cool season crops. We 

would also work with cooperative 

farmers to establish native warm season 

grasses as a seed source or for biofuel 

production. 

Most visitor services activities would 

be improved. We would enhance 

interpretation with additional wayside 

exhibits and an updated, interactive 

Web site. Hunting and fishing 

opportunities would be increased. 

Wildlife observation and photography 

opportunities would be improved by 

providing additional trails with better 

interpretation, an observation tower, 

and a photo blind. A portable viewing 

blind would be established in active 

RCW clusters along the wildlife drive 

during the nesting season. The 

environmental education program 

would be enhanced by developing a 

comprehensive program to be operated 

by volunteers and funded by grants. We 

would enhance appropriate recreational 

uses (e.g., biking and picnicking) to 

encourage families to use the refuge and 

pursue outdoor recreational activities. 

Communication about key issues would 

be enhanced by hosting an annual 

public lands and private landowner 

demonstration day to showcase 

restoration and management practices. 

We would target land acquisitions that 

would maximize ecosystem 

management objectives, provide 

opportunities for public use and 

environmental education, and identify 

and evaluate important gaps and 

corridors to ensure landscape-level 

conservation and connectivity. We 

would search for opportunities to enter 

into cooperative wildlife management 

agreements with private landowners. 

We would increase protection of refuge 

visitors and the protection of 

archaeological and natural resources on 

the refuge. We would add visitor 

services facilities to provide more 

recreation and education programs and 

opportunities. We would add 

equipment to the fleet for producing and 

harvesting native warm season grass 

seed. In addition to increasing staff, we 

would utilize a cadre of career seasonal, 

temporary, and student employees. 

Next Step 

After the comment period ends, we 

will analyze the comments and address 

them. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, e-mail 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. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Authority: This notice is published under 

the authority of the National Wildlife Refuge 

System Improvement Act of 1997, Public 

Law 105–57. 

Dated: January 15, 2010. 

Jeffrey M. Fleming, 

Acting Regional Director. 

[FR Doc. 2010–1049 Filed 1–20–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

National Park Service 

Susquehanna to Roseland 500kV 

Transmission Line, Environmental 

Impact Statement, Delaware Water Gap 

National Recreation Area, Middle 

Delaware National Scenic and 

Recreational River, and Appalachian 

National Scenic Trail, Pennsylvania 

and New Jersey 

AGENCY: National Park Service, 

Department of the Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for a construction and right-of-way 

permit requested from Delaware Water 

Gap National Recreation Area, Middle 

Delaware National Scenic and 

Recreational River, and Appalachian 

National Scenic Trail, in connection 

with the Susquehanna to Roseland 

500kV Transmission Line. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 

U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), the National Park 

Service (NPS) is preparing an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and conducting public scoping meetings 

for a construction and right-of-way 

permit requested from Delaware Water 

Gap National Recreation Area, Middle 

Delaware National Scenic and 

Recreational River, and Appalachian 

National Scenic Trail, in connection 

with the proposed Susquehanna 

(Berwick, Pennsylvania) to Roseland, 

New Jersey 500 kilovolt (kV) 

Transmission Line. The line is being 

proposed by Pennsylvania Power and 

Light Electric Utilities (PPL) and Public 

Service Electric and Gas Company 

(PSE&G), and would cross the Delaware 

Water Gap National Recreation Area 

(DEWA), Middle Delaware National 

Scenic and Recreational River, and 

Appalachian National Scenic Trail (AT), 

in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. This 

NPS EIS will examine a range of feasible 

alternatives and evaluate potential 

impacts on the natural resource and 

cultural resource values, and the human 

environment in the areas of these NPS 

units. 

PPL and PSE&G, applicants for an 

NPS permit, have proposed expansion 

of an existing electric transmission line 

right-of-way that crosses the three NPS 

units. The Applicants currently have a 

230 kV transmission line running 

through their existing right-of-way. 

They are proposing to replace the 

existing line with a double circuit 500 

kV transmission line with one circuit 

being operated at 500 kV and the second 

circuit being energized at 230 kV. The 

two circuits would be separate but 

carried on the same structures. The 

existing single 230 kV power line and 

towers currently on the right-of-way 

would be removed and replaced with 

larger towers. This would necessitate 

widening the cleared area, and the 

granting of additional rights to expand 

the width of the transmission line rightof-way beyond the Applicant’s current 

holdings. The Applicants are also 

proposing to build new roads and 

rehabilitate and widen existing roads in 

DEWA for accessing the transmission 

line corridor. The Applicant’s stated 

purpose for the project is to strengthen 

the grid at the direction of the Regional 

Transmission Operator, PJM 

Interconnection (PJM). PJM oversees the 

overall movement of wholesale 

electricity between many electric 

utilities throughout a 13 state region. 

PJM’s 2007 load forecast model 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 13 / Thursday, January 21, 2010 / Notices 3487 

identified 23 projected reliability 

criteria violations, starting in 2012 and 

beyond, that the proposed project is 

designed to alleviate. 

The Federal action under 

consideration in this EIS is the 

Applicant’s proposal that the National 

Park Service grant the permits it has 

requested. The National Park Service’s 

purpose in taking action is to respond 

to the Applicant’s expressed need to 

expand its current right-of-way to 

construct new and taller power lines 

and add an additional 500kV power 

line, in light of the purposes and 

resources of the affected units of the 

National Park System, as expressed in 

statutes, regulations, and policies. 

Federal action is needed because the 

applicant has submitted the required 

applications and construction plan to 

replace and expand the existing line in 

accordance with 36 CFR Part 14 and 

applicable NPS Management Policies. 

The NPS therefore has a duty to 

consider whether, and with what 

conditions, if any, to issue the requested 

permits. 

The NPS will analyze the proposed 

action and no action alternatives, as 

well as other possible alternatives 

including granting of the permits as 

requested, granting of the permits with 

stipulations, or denying the permits, 

and alternatives to the proposed line 

both within and outside the park. The 

NPS expects to identify additional 

alternatives, issues concerning the 

alternatives, and alternative mitigation 

strategies during the public scoping 

process. 

This notice initiates the public 

participation and scoping process for 

the EIS. The public is invited to 

comment on the purpose, need, 

objectives, preliminary alternatives, or 

any other issues associated with the 

proposal. Information that details the 

purpose, need, and issues identified to 

date is available from the NPS Planning, 

Environment and Public Comment 

(PEPC) website at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/dewa/. 

Dates and Meeting Notices: The 

public scoping period will commence 

on the date this notice is published in 

the Federal Register and last for at least 

30 days. The NPS will hold public 

meetings near the parks and 

surrounding region to provide the 

public an opportunity to review the 

proposal and project information. All 

public meetings will be announced 

through local media, mailings, and the 

NPS PEPC Web site at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/dewa/. 

Comments will be accepted within 30 

days after this publication date and/or 

until at least 15 days after the last public 

scoping meeting. 

ADDRESSES: Comments on issues, 

potential impacts, or suggestions for 

additional alternatives can be submitted 

using any one of the following methods. 

You may submit comments through the 

NPS PEPC Web site at http:// 

parkplanning.nps.gov/dewa/, which is 

the preferred method. You may mail 

your comments to the National Park 

Service, Attention: DEWA PPL EIS 

Planning Team, Denver Service 

Center—Planning, P.O. Box 25287, 

Denver, CO 80225. Comments may also 

be submitted at any of the three public 

meetings to be announced. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kara 

Deutsch, NEPA Compliance Specialist, 

Delaware Water Gap National 

Recreation Area, HQ River Rd. off Route 

209, Bushkill, PA 18324–9999, 

telephone 570–426–2491. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Before 

including your address, phone number, 

e-mail address or other personal 

identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware your 

entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold identifying information 

from public review, we cannot 

guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

The NPS will not consider anonymous 

comments. All submissions from 

organizations and businesses, and from 

individuals identifying themselves as 

representatives or officials of 

organizations or businesses, will be 

available for public inspection in their 

entirety. 

Michael T. Reynolds, 

Acting Regional Director, Northeast Region, 

National Park Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–1094 Filed 1–20–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4312–J6–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

[LLNV912000 L16400000.PH0000 

LXSS006F0000 261A; MO#4500011786; 10– 

08807; TAS: 14X1109] 

Notice of Public Meeting: Recreation 

Subcommittee of the Sierra FrontNorthwestern Great Basin, 

Northeastern Great Basin, and MojaveSouthern Great Basin Resource 

Advisory Councils, Nevada 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior and Forest Service, Agriculture. 

ACTION: Notice of recreation advisory 

subcommittee meeting. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement 

Act of 2004 (FLREA) (Pub. L. 108–447), 

the Recreation Subcommittee of the 

Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) 

Nevada Resource Advisory Committees 

(RACs) will hold a meeting to discuss 

fee proposals at the Red Rock Canyon 

National Conservation Area (NCA) 

Scenic Loop managed by the Bureau of 

Land Management. 

Date and Time: The Recreation 

Subcommittee will meet on Wednesday, 

February 17, 2010, at 12:30 p.m. A time 

for general public comment, where the 

public may submit oral or written 

comments to the Recreation 

Subcommittee, will be provided during 

the meeting. 

ADDRESSES: Red Rock Canyon NCA 

Visitor Center, Highway 159, Las Vegas, 

Nevada. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Barbara Keleher, Outdoor Recreation 

Planner, telephone (775) 861–6628, email: barbara_keleher@blm.gov, or mail: 

BLM Nevada State Office, 1340 

Financial Blvd., Reno, NV 89502. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FLREA 

directs the secretaries of Interior and 

Agriculture to establish Recreation 

Resource Advisory Committees to 

provide advice and recommendations 

on recreation fees and fee areas in each 

state or region for Federal recreational 

lands and waters managed by the BLM 

or Forest Service. Nevada’s recreation 

subcommittee includes members of the 

three existing BLM RACs and has 

responsibilities pertaining to both BLM 

and Forest Service managed Federal 

lands and waters according to a national 

interagency agreement between the 

Forest Service and the BLM. This 

subcommittee will recommend new 


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