This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

56979 

Vol. 75, No. 180 

Friday, September 17, 2010 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Central Electric Power Cooperative, 

Inc.: Notice of Intent To Hold a Public 

Scoping Meeting and Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Hold a Public 

Scoping Meeting and Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS) intends to hold a public scoping 

meeting and prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) to meet its 

responsibilities under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 

Council on Environmental Quality’s 

regulations for implementing NEPA (40 

CFR parts 1500–1508), RUS’s 

Environmental and Policies and 

Procedures (7 CFR part 1794), and the 

U.S. Forest Service (USFS)’s National 

Environmental Policy Act Procedures 

(36 CFR part 220) in connection with 

potential impacts related to a proposal 

by Central Electric Power Cooperative, 

Inc., (Central Electric) of Columbia, 

South Carolina. The proposal consists of 

constructing a 115 kilovolt (kV) 

transmission line through portions of 

Berkeley, Charleston, and/or 

Georgetown Counties, South Carolina, 

to the proposed McClellanville 

substation. Central Electric is requesting 

that RUS provide financial assistance 

for the proposal and may request that 

the USFS issue a special use permit for 

the proposal. RUS is the lead agency 

conducting the EIS, and the USFS will 

be acting as a cooperating agency. 

DATES: RUS and the USFS will conduct 

a public scoping meeting in an openhouse format with a formal 

presentation. The meeting will be held 

on Wednesday, September 29, 2010, 

from 5 to 9 p.m. at St. James-Santee 

Elementary School, 8900 U.S. 17, North 

Charleston, South Carolina 29405. The 

formal presentation will be made at 6 

p.m. and 8 p.m. The presentation will 

provide an overview of the Federal 

actions being considered by RUS and 

the USFS (i.e., consideration of financial 

assistance and permit issuance), an 

overview of NEPA and the EIS-process, 

and the purpose/need and alternatives 

considered in the development of the 

proposal. Comments regarding the 

proposal may be submitted in writing at 

the public scoping meeting or in writing 

by October 29, 2010, to the RUS address 

provided in this Notice. 

ADDRESSES: To send comments or for 

further information, please contact Ms. 

Lauren McGee, Environmental Scientist, 

USDA Rural Utilities Service, 

Engineering and Environmental Staff, 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Stop 

1571, Room 2244–S, Washington, DC 

20250–1571, telephone: (202) 720–1482, 

fax: (202) 690–0649, or e-mail: 

lauren.mcgee@wdc.udsa.gov. 

An updated Alternatives Evaluation 

Study (AES) and Macro-Corridor Study 

(MCS) was prepared for the proposal by 

Central Electric and Mangi 

Environmental Group, Inc. The AES and 

MCS discuss the purpose/need for the 

proposal and the alternatives considered 

in the proposal’s development. The AES 

and MCS (both dated September 2010) 

are available for public review at the 

RUS address provided in this Notice, at 

the following RUS Web site: http:// 

www.usda.gov/rus/water/ees/eis.htm, 

and at the following repositories: 

Berkeley County Library—Moncks 

Corner (Main), 1003 Hwy 52, Moncks 

Corner, South Carolina 29461; 

telephone: (843) 719–4223. 

Charleston County Main Library, 68 

Calhoun Street, Charleston, South 

Carolina 29401; telephone: (843) 805– 

6930. 

Georgetown Library (Headquarters), 405 

Cleland Street, Georgetown, South 

Carolina 29440; telephone: (843) 545– 

3300. 

McClellanville Library, 222 Baker 

Street, McClellanville, South Carolina 

29458; telephone: (843) 887–3699. 

U.S. Forest Service, Wambaw Office, 

McClellanville, South Carolina 29458; 

telephone: (843) 887–3257. 

Sewee Visitor & Environmental 

Education Center, 5821 Highway 17 

North, Awendaw, South Carolina 

29429; telephone: (843) 928–3368. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Central 

Electric proposes to construct a 115–kV 

transmission line to Berkeley Electric 

Cooperative’s proposed McClellanville 

substation. The proposal would provide 

long-term, reliable electric service to the 

McClellanville community and 

surrounding areas. It would also reduce 

the number and length of extended 

outages in this service area and reduce 

the number of momentary interruptions 

or blinks. The transmission line may 

originate from one of the following 

points: Belle Isle (Georgetown County), 

Winyah/Britton Neck (Georgetown 

County), Jamestown (Berkeley County), 

Honey Hill (Berkeley County), and/or 

Charity (Charleston County). With this 

Notice, government agencies, 

organizations, and the public are invited 

to provide input in the development of 

the EIS for the proposal. 

Scoping was previously conducted for 

the proposal during December 2005— 

January 2006. At that time, a Notice of 

Intent (NOI) to prepare an 

Environmental Assessment and hold a 

public scoping meeting was published 

in the Federal Register on November 29, 

2005 (Vol. 70, No. 228, 71462). A public 

scoping meeting was held on December 

14, 2005, at the McClellanville 

Government Services Building. The 

public was notified of the meeting via 

letter to landowners and interested 

parties; public service announcements 

on radio stations in Charleston and 

Georgetown, South Carolina; and 

announcements published in the 

Georgetown Times and Charleston Post 

& Courier. Approximately 150–200 

people attended the public meeting. A 

scoping report, which summarizes 

comments received from agencies and 

the public, is available for public review 

at the RUS Web site listed in this 

Notice. Based on comments received 

from agencies and the public, RUS 

decided that an EIS should be prepared 

for the proposal. In addition, RUS 

determined that a new macro-corridor 

alternative should be considered 

(Winyah/Britton Neck via private 

forestlands). Development of this new 

alternative and the refinement of the 

other macro-corridor alternatives were 

based on information acquired from 

agencies and the public during the 

December 2005–January 2006 scoping 

period. RUS is holding a second scoping 

meeting to inform agencies and the 

public of these changes to the scope of 

the proposal and to gather more input 

for use in the development of the EIS. 


wwoods2 on DSK1DXX6B1PROD with NOTICES_PART 1
56980 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 180 / Friday, September 17, 2010 / Notices 

Among the alternatives that RUS will 

address in the EIS is the ‘‘No Action’’ 

alternative, under which the proposal 

would not be undertaken. In the EIS, the 

effects of the proposal will be compared 

to the existing conditions in the 

proposal area. Alternative transmission 

line corridors will be refined as part of 

the EIS scoping process and will be 

addressed in the EIS. Public health and 

safety, environmental impacts, and 

engineering aspects of the proposal will 

be considered in the EIS. 

RUS is the lead Federal agency, as 

defined at 40 CFR 1501.5, for 

preparation of the EIS. The USFS is a 

cooperating agency. With this Notice, 

federally recognized Native American 

Tribes and Federal agencies with 

jurisdiction or special expertise are 

invited to be cooperating agencies. Such 

tribes or agencies 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 process, as specified 

at 40 CFR 1501.6(b). 

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 National Historic 

Preservation Act (Section 106) and its 

implementing regulation, ‘‘Protection of 

Historic Properties’’ (36 CFR part 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 Section 

106 review. Accordingly, comments 

submitted in response to scoping will 

inform RUS decision-making in Section 

106 review. Any party wishing to 

participate more directly with RUS as a 

‘‘consulting party’’ in Section 106 review 

may submit a written request to the RUS 

contact provided in this Notice. 

RUS will use input provided by 

government agencies, private 

organizations, and the public in the 

preparation of the draft EIS. The draft 

EIS will be available for review and 

comment for 45 days. A final EIS that 

considers all comments received will 

subsequently be prepared. The final EIS 

will be available for review for 30 days. 

Following the 30-day review period, 

RUS will prepare a Record of Decision 

(ROD). Notices announcing the 

availability of the draft EIS, the final 

EIS, and the ROD will be published in 

the Federal Register and in 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 RUS’s 

Environmental Policies and Procedures, 

7 CFR part 1794, as amended. 

Mark S. Plank, 

Director, Engineering and Environmental 

Staff, USDA, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–22964 Filed 9–16–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Research Service 

Notice of Intent To Grant Exclusive 

License 

AGENCY: Agricultural Research Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Agricultural Research Service, intends 

to grant to PlantHaven, Inc. of Santa 

Barbara, California, an exclusive license 

to the variety of hibiscus described in 

U.S. Plant Patent Application Serial No. 

12/454,676, ‘‘Sahara Sunset,’’ filed on 

May 21, 2009. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before October 18, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to: USDA, 

ARS, Office of Technology Transfer, 

5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Rm. 4–1174, 

Beltsville, Maryland 20705–5131. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: June 

Blalock of the Office of Technology 

Transfer at the Beltsville address given 

above; telephone: 301–504–5989. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Federal Government’s rights in this 

plant variety are assigned to the United 

States of America, as represented by the 

Secretary of Agriculture. It is in the 

public interest to so license this variety 

as PlantHaven, Inc. of Santa Barbara, 

California has submitted a complete and 

sufficient application for a license. The 

prospective exclusive license will be 

royalty-bearing and will comply with 

the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 

209 and 37 CFR 404.7. The prospective 

exclusive license may be granted unless, 

within thirty (30) days from the date of 

this published Notice, the Agricultural 

Research Service receives written 

evidence and argument which 

establishes that the grant of the license 

would not be consistent with the 

requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 

CFR 404.7. 

Richard J. Brenner, 

Assistant Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2010–23187 Filed 9–16–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Sierra County Resource Advisory 

Committee 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Sierra County Resource 

Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in 

Downieville, California. The committee 

is meeting as authorized under the 

Secure Rural Schools and Community 

Self-Determination Act (Pub. L. 110– 

343) and in compliance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act. The purpose 

of the meeting is to discuss projects 

submitted for funding and the 

expenditure of Title II funds benefiting 

National Forest System lands in Sierra 

County. 

DATES: The meeting will be held 

Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 10 a.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Downieville Community Hall, 327 

Main St, Downieville, CA. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ann 

Westling, Committee Coordinator, 

USDA, Tahoe National Forest, 631 

Coyote St, Nevada City, CA, 95959, 

(530) 478–6205, e-mail: 

awestling@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 

Standard Time, Monday through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Agenda 

items to be covered include: (1) 

Welcome and Introductions; (2) Review 

of RAC Operating Guidelines; (3) 

Discussion of Proposed Projects; (4) 

Vote on Proposed Projects; and (5) 

Comments from the Public. The meeting 

is open to the public and the public will 

have an opportunity to comment at the 

meeting. 

Dated: September 7, 2010. 

Judie L. Tartaglia, 

Deputy Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 2010–22875 Filed 9–16–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 


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