70846 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 229 / Friday, November 28, 2014 / Notices 

H. Selected agricultural air quality 

research presentations 

I. Public Input (Individual presentations 

limited to 5 minutes) 

Please note that the timing of events 

in the agenda is subject to change to 

accommodate changing schedules of 

expected speakers and or extended 

discussions. 

Procedural 

This meeting is open to the public. On 

December 5 the public will have an 

opportunity to provide up to 5 minutes 

of input to the AAQTF. 

Information on Services for Individuals 

With Disabilities 

For information on facilities or 

services for individuals with disabilities 

or to request special assistance at the 

meeting, please contact Greg Johnson 

(contact information listed above). 

USDA prohibits discrimination in its 

programs and activities on the basis of 

race, color, national origin, gender, 

religion, age, sexual orientation, or 

disability. Additionally, discrimination 

on the basis of political beliefs and 

marital or family status is also 

prohibited by statutes enforced by 

USDA. (Not all prohibited bases apply 

to all programs.) Persons with 

disabilities who require alternate means 

for communication of program 

information (Braille, large print, audio 

tape, etc.) should contact the USDA’s 

Target Center at (202) 720–2000 (voice 

and TDD). 

Signed this 21st day of November 2014, in 

Washington, DC. 

Jason A. Weller, 

Chief, Natural Resources Conservation 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28067 Filed 11–26–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Energy Answers Arecibo Puerto Rico 

Renewable Energy Project: Notice of 

Cancellation of a Supplemental Final 

Environmental Impact Statement and 

Notice of Public Scoping and Intent To 

Prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of cancellation of a 

Supplemental Final Environmental 

Impact Statement and notice of public 

scoping and intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement. 

SUMMARY: On April 12, 2013, Rural 

Utilities Service (RUS) published a 

Notice of Intent (NOI) announcing its 

intent to prepare a Supplemental Final 

Environmental Impact Statement 

(SFEIS) in association with a financial 

assistance request for a proposal 

submitted to the Agency by Energy 

Answers Arecibo, LLC (Energy 

Answers). RUS is cancelling its NOI for 

the SFEIS. RUS intends to conduct 

public scoping 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), and 

RUS’s Environmental and Policies and 

Procedures (7 CFR part 1794) in 

connection with potential impacts 

related to the Energy Answers proposal. 

The proposal consists of constructing a 

waste-to-energy generation and resource 

recovery facility in the Cambalache 

Ward of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. RUS is 

providing notice of the intention to 

conduct public scoping and prepare an 

EIS related to the proposal submitted by 

Energy Answers. 

RUS is considering funding this 

application, thereby making the 

proposal an undertaking subject to 

review under Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act 

(NHPA), 16 U.S.C. 470(f), and its 

implementing regulation, ‘‘Protection of 

Historic Properties’’ (36 CFR part 800). 

Any party wishing to participate 

directly with RUS as a ‘‘consulting 

party’’ in Section 106 review may 

submit a written request to the RUS 

contact provided below. Pursuant to 36 

CFR 800.3(f)(3), RUS will consider, and 

provide a timely response to, any and 

all requests for consulting party status. 

RUS will publish a Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) in the Federal 

Register and in local newspapers to 

announce its review period. 

DATES: Written requests to participate as 

a ‘‘consulting party’’ and/or comments 

concerning the public scoping or about 

this Notice of Intent must be received on 

or before December 29, 2014. A notice 

of availability of a Draft EIS will be 

published in the Federal Register and 

local newspapers announcing its review 

period. 

ADDRESSES: Project-related information 

will be available at RUS’s Web site 

located at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/ 

UWP-AreciboPuertoRico.html. To 

request ‘‘consulting party’’ status, 

submit comments or for further 

information, please contact: Ms. 

Stephanie Strength, Environmental 

Protection Specialist, USDA/RUS, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Room 2244–S, 

Stop 1571, Washington, DC 20250– 

1571, Telephone: (970) 403–3559, fax: 

(202) 690–0649, or email: 

stephanie.strength@wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 

12, 2013, RUS published a Notice of 

Intent (NOI) to prepare a Supplemental 

Final Impact Statement (SFEIS) in the 

Federal Register. RUS is canceling the 

SFEIS published on April 12, 2013, and 

is soliciting public comments on the 

scope of an EIS that it intends to prepare 

for Energy Answers’ proposal. In 

accordance with 7 CFR 1794.74 and 40 

CFR 1502.21, RUS intends to 

incorporate by reference the 

environmental impact analyses and 

documentation prepared by the Puerto 

Rico Industrial Development Company 

(PRIDCO). PRIDCO served as a lead 

agency in preparation of an EIS 

prepared under the Puerto Rico 

Environmental Public Policy Act, 

Article 4(B)(3), (Law No. 416, September 

22, 2004). RUS has copies of this EIS 

and all associated appendices posted on 

this Web site: http://

www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWPAreciboPuertoRico.html. RUS also 

intends to incorporate by reference all of 

the environmental impact and air 

quality analyses and responses to public 

comments prepared by the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency 

(USEPA) as part of its Clean Air Act, 

Prevention of Significant Deterioration 

(PSD) permit. USEPA issued a final PSD 

permit on June 11, 2013, and 

information related to the PSD permit 

can be found on USEPA’s Web site— 

see: http://www.epa.gov/region02/air/

permit/energyanswers/. 

RUS is in receipt of all past public 

involvement activities, public 

comments, and responses to public 

comments from both PRIDCO and 

USEPA actions. While RUS understands 

the concerns expressed in the past by 

the public, the Agency strongly 

encourages all interested parties to 

submit scoping comments to the RUS 

contact listed the ADDRESSES section of 

this Notice. 

Energy Answers proposes to construct 

a waste-to-energy generation and 

resource recovery facility in the 

Cambalache Ward of Arecibo, Puerto 

Rico. The proposed facility would 

process approximately 2,100 tons of 

municipal waste per day and generate a 

net capacity of 77 megawatts (MW). The 

Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority 

will purchase the power generated from 

the facility. The preferred location of the 

facility is the former site of the Global 

Fibers Paper Mill and would encompass 

approximately 79.6 acres of the 90-acre 

parcel. The proposal would include the 

following facility components: a 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 229 / Friday, November 28, 2014 / Notices 70847 

municipal solid waste receiving and 

processing building; processed refuse 

fuel storage building; boiler and steam 

turbine; emission control system; ash 

processing and storage building; and 

other associated infrastructure and 

buildings. Two other connected actions, 

which would be constructed by other 

utilities, include installation of an 

approximately 2.0-mile raw water line 

and construction of a 38 kilovolt (kV) 

transmission line approximately 0.8 

miles in length. The connected actions 

will be addressed in the EIS. 

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. 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. With this Notice, 

Federal and State agencies and federally 

recognized Native American Tribes with 

jurisdiction or special expertise are 

invited to be cooperating agencies. Such 

agencies or tribes 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 and scoping 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 this Notice 

will inform RUS decision-making 

during Section 106 review. 

As applicable, the EIS will document 

changes in the affected environment and 

environmental consequences that may 

have occurred since the PRIDCOprepared Final EIS was published in 

2010 and USEPA’s PSD permit action. 

The PRIDCO-prepared Final EIS is 

available in both Spanish and English 

for review at the addresses provided in 

this Notice. USEPA PSD permit actions 

are available for review at the address 

provided in this notice. RUS’s EIS will 

incorporate this documentation by 

reference and focus on those topics that 

have changed since PRIDCO’s Final EIS 

was published. RUS’s Draft EIS will be 

available for review and comment for 45 

days. Following the 45-day review 

period, RUS will prepare a Final EIS. 

After a 30-day review period, RUS will 

publish a Record of Decision (ROD). 

Notices announcing the availability of 

the Draft EIS, 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. 

Dated: November 19, 2014. 

Mark S. Plank, 

Director, Engineering and Environmental 

Staff, USDA, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28101 Filed 11–26–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Environmental Review of 

Telecommunications Program Projects 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Request for public comment. 

SUMMARY: The Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS), an agency of the United States 

Department of Agriculture, hereinafter 

referred to as ‘‘agency,’’ seeks public 

and Federal agency comments regarding 

the preparation of a Programmatic 

Environmental Assessment for the 

development of a more efficient and 

effective environmental review process 

for the RUS Telecommunications 

Program—an environmental review 

process that is commensurate with the 

potential environmental impacts of both 

wired and wireless projects financed by 

the agency. RUS is seeking comment 

from interested stakeholders to 

contribute to the development of agency 

procedures for implementing the 

environmental review procedures of the 

Telecommunications Infrastructure 

Loan Program, Farm Bill Broadband 

Loan Program, Community Connect 

Grant Program, and Distance Learning 

and Telemedicine Program. The 

proposed review process will support 

the agency’s mission of facilitating the 

development of affordable, reliable 

utility infrastructure to improve the 

quality of life and promote economic 

development in rural America. 

DATES: Interested parties must submit 

written comments on or before January 

27, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments, 

identified by docket number RUS–14– 

Telecom–0008, by any of the following 

methods: 

Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://

www.regulations.gov. Follow 

instructions for submitting comments. 

Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery/

Hand Delivery: Michele Brooks, 

Director, Program Development and 

Regulatory Analysis, USDA Rural 

Development, 1400 Independence 

Avenue SW., STOP 1522, Room 5159, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

RUS will post all comments received 

without change, including any personal 

information that is included with the 

comment, on http://

www.regulations.gov. Comments will be 

available for inspection online at 

http://www.regulations.gov and at the 

address listed above between 8:00 a.m. 

and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 

except holidays. A copy of this 

publication is also available through the 

Rural Development homepage at http:// 

www.rurdev.usda.gov/RDU_

FederalRegisterPubs.html. Additional 

information about the Agency and its 

programs is available on the Internet at 

http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/home.html. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Emily Orler, USDA, Rural Utilities 

Service, 1400 Independence Avenue 

SW., Stop 1571, Room 2244–S, 

Washington, DC 20250–1570, 

Telephone (202) 720–1414 or email to: 

Emily.Orler@wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The RUS Telecommunications 

Program provides a variety of loans and 

grants to build and expand broadband 

networks in rural America. Loans to 

build broadband networks and deliver 

service to households and businesses in 

rural communities provide a necessary 

source of capital for rural 

telecommunications companies, 

broadband, wireless companies, and 

fiber-to-the-home providers. Grant 

funding is awarded based on a number 

of factors relating to the benefits to be 

derived from the proposed broadband 

network project, as specified in 

applicable program regulations. 

Eligible applicants for RUS loans and 

grants include for-profit and non-profit 

entities, tribes, municipalities, and 

cooperatives. The agency particularly 

encourages investment in tribal and 

economically disadvantaged areas. 

Through low-cost funding for 

broadband infrastructure, rural residents 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES