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

72621 

Vol. 79, No. 235 

Monday, December 8, 2014 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service 

[Docket No. NRCS–2014–0014] 

Notice of Intent for the East Locust 

Creek Watershed Revised Plan, 

Sullivan County, Missouri 

AGENCY: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare a 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969 (NEPA); as amended (42 

U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), 

U.S. Department of Agriculture, as lead 

federal agency, will prepare a 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement (SEIS) for the East Locust 

Creek Watershed Revised Plan 

(ELCWRP), Sullivan County, Missouri, 

involving the proposed construction of 

a multi-purpose reservoir. The purpose 

of this supplement is to address changes 

which have occurred since the NRCS 

prepared the East Locust Creek 

Watershed Revised Plan and 

Environmental Impact Statement in 

2006. The SEIS will update the original 

EIS with more recent relevant 

environmental information and expand 

the alternatives analysis beyond those 

previously considered. The SEIS will 

evaluate reasonable and practicable 

alternatives and their expected 

environmental impacts. 

ADDRESSES: To be included on the 

mailing list for review of the SEIS, all 

requests should be submitted to Mr. 

Harold Deckerd, USDA-Natural 

Resources Conservation Service, 

Parkade Center, Suite 250, 601 Business 

Loop 70 West, Columbia, Missouri 

65203–2585. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Harold Deckerd, NRCS Missouri State 

Office, by email: harold.deckerd@

mo.usda.gov, by regular mail (see 

ADDRESSES), or by telephone: 573–876– 

0912. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The NRCS 

in cooperation with the North Central 

Missouri Regional Water Commission 

(NCMRWC) and the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (Corps) will prepare a SEIS 

for the East Locust Creek Watershed 

Revised Plan in Sullivan County, 

Missouri authorized pursuant to the 

Watershed Protection and Flood 

Prevention Act, Public Law 83–566, (16 

U.S.C. 1001–1008). The NRCS has 

determined that additional analysis is 

required and that the purposes of the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

would be furthered through the 

preparation of the SEIS. The Corps will 

be a cooperating agency in the 

preparation of the SEIS. The SEIS will 

consider all reasonable and practicable 

alternatives to meet the purpose and 

need for the federal action. The SEIS 

will assess the potential social, 

economic, and environmental impacts 

of the project, and will address federal, 

state, and local regulatory requirements 

along with pertinent environmental and 

socio-economic issues. The SEIS will 

analyze the direct, indirect, and 

cumulative effects of the proposed 

action. The Federal SEIS process begins 

with the publication of this Notice of 

Intent. 

1. Background: The 79,490-acre East 

Locust Creek Watershed is located in 

north-central Missouri approximately 30 

miles west of Kirksville in Sullivan 

County with small portions of the 

watershed in neighboring Putnam and 

Linn Counties. East Locust Creek is a 

tributary to Locust Creek which drains 

to the Grand River and the Missouri 

River. 

The Sullivan and Putnam County 

Commissions and the Sullivan and 

Putnam County Soil and Water 

Conservation Districts initially applied 

for federal watershed planning 

assistance in the East Locust Creek 

Watershed in 1974. Missouri governor 

Christopher Bond approved their 

application that same year. The U.S. 

Soil Conservation Service (later 

renamed and hereafter referred to as 

NRCS) collected pre-authorization 

planning data and analyzed the East 

Locust Creek Watershed as part of the 

larger Northern Missouri River 

Tributaries Study. East Locust Creek 

Watershed planning was authorized in 

March 1984 and NRCS began planning 

activities under the authority of the 

Watershed Protection and Flood 

Prevention Act of 1954, Public Law 83– 

566, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1001–1008). 

NRCS completed the East Locust Creek 

Watershed Plan-Environmental 

Assessment in 1986. The plan 

recommended one large and 120 small 

dams to reduce soil erosion and flood 

damages. A Finding of No Significant 

Impact (FONSI) was published in the 

Federal Register on July 17, 1986. Local 

sponsors signed the Watershed 

Agreement in November 1986 and 

assistance for installation was 

authorized in August 1987. 

The Missouri Drought Plan (Missouri 

Dept. of Natural Resources, 2002) places 

Sullivan County and surrounding 

counties in a region classified as having 

‘‘severe surface and groundwater supply 

drought vulnerability.’’ Underlying 

bedrock geology severely limits 

groundwater quality and availability. 

Recognizing the regional need for a 

dependable water supply, the Locust 

Creek Watershed Board in November 

2000 requested NRCS study a potential 

supplement to the 1986 East Locust 

Creek Watershed Plan-Environmental 

Assessment to include a public water 

supply reservoir. The NCMRWC was 

formed in 2001 with assistance from the 

Missouri Department of Natural 

Resources ‘‘to provide an abundant 

source of low-cost, pure, quality water 

for the residents of North Central 

Missouri.’’ The NCMRWC immediately 

became a local sponsor of the planning 

effort. NRCS began planning activities 

following authorization in July 2003. 

NRCS issued a Notice of Intent to 

prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement in September of 2004. NRCS 

completed the East Locust Creek 

Watershed Revised Plan and 

Environmental Impact Statement 

(ELCWRP) in March 2006 and 

announced a Record of Decision to 

proceed with installation in September 

2006. The ELCWRP found the present 

water supply systems for the 

neighboring ten-county region are 

inadequate and experience pressures 

from drought conditions. In addition, 

the ELCWRP documented annual flood 

damages to crop and pasture land, 

fences, roads and bridges. The ELCWRP 

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72622 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 235 / Monday, December 8, 2014 / Notices 

also identified the need for additional 

water-based recreational opportunities 

in the surrounding area. The project has 

not been installed because sufficient 

funding has not been available. 

Installation of the proposed action will 

result in temporary and permanent 

impacts to jurisdictional waters of the 

United States requiring a Clean Water 

Act (CWA) Section 404 permit. The 

Corps has not issued a Section 404 

permit for this project. Potential impacts 

of all reasonable and practicable 

alternatives will be updated and 

analyzed in the SEIS in compliance 

with Section 404(b)(1) of the CWA. 

2. Proposed Action: The proposed 

federal action as presented in the 2006 

EIS includes one approximately 2,235- 

acre multiple-purpose reservoir on East 

Locust Creek, a water intake structure, 

a raw water line, fish and wildlife 

habitat enhancement and water-based 

recreational facilities. The purpose of 

the proposed federal action is to: 

Provide approximately 7.0 million 

gallons per day of raw water supply to 

meet the projected 50-year usage 

demand for the ten counties served by 

the NCMRWC; provide approximately 

72,000 annual water-based recreational 

user-days and provide an approximate 

22% reduction in annual flood damages 

in the 16.3 miles of East Locust Creek 

floodplain between the reservoir and the 

confluence with Locust Creek. 

3. Alternatives: The SEIS will evaluate 

environmental impacts of the following 

alternatives and any other action 

alternatives identified that may be 

reasonable and practicable: (1) Creation 

of a multi-purpose reservoir; (2) a range 

of reasonable alternatives to meet the 

overall project purposes and needs; and 

(3) the no-action alternative. The SEIS 

will identify the National Economic 

Development (NED) alternative, which 

is the alternative with the greatest net 

economic benefit consistent with 

protecting the Nation’s environment and 

document the estimated direct, indirect 

and cumulative impacts of the proposed 

action and alternatives on the 

environment. 

4. Scoping: In developing the 2006 

ELCWRP, numerous scoping meetings 

were held to gather public input and 

keep the community informed on the 

status of project planning activities. 

Several community surveys and 

interviews were conducted to gather 

information, and periodic news articles 

were published to update local citizens. 

Problems identified through the scoping 

process include: 

• Inadequate rural water supply in 

the 10-county Green Hills Region 

• Annual flood damages to crops, 

pastures, fences and infrastructure 

• Unmet demand for water-based 

recreational facilities. 

NEPA procedures do not require 

additional public scoping meetings for 

the development of a SEIS and none are 

planned at this time. Comments 

received from Federal, State or local 

agencies, Native American Tribes, nongovernmental organizations, and 

interested citizens will be used to assist 

in the development of the Draft and 

Final SEIS (See ADDRESSES above to 

submit comments). 

5. Public Involvement: The NRCS 

invites full public participation to 

promote open communication and 

better decision-making. All persons and 

organizations with an interest in the 

ELCWRP are urged to comment. Public 

comments are welcomed and 

opportunities for public participation 

include submitting comments to the 

NRCS: (1) During the development of 

the Draft SEIS, (2) during the review and 

comment period upon publishing the 

Draft SEIS; and (3) for 30 days after 

publication of the Final SEIS. 

Distribution of the comments received 

will be included in the Administrative 

Record without change and may include 

any personal information provided 

unless the commenter indicates that the 

comment includes information claimed 

to be confidential business information. 

6. Other Environmental Review and 

Coordination Requirements: The Corps 

will be a cooperating agency in the 

preparation of the SEIS. The NRCS as 

the lead federal agency will continue to 

coordinate with other agencies and 

entities throughout the NEPA process 

including: The NCMRWC, Missouri 

Department of Natural Resources 

(Section 401, Historic Preservation and 

Dam Safety), Missouri Department of 

Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service and USEPA. The Draft SEIS will 

address project compliance with 

applicable laws and regulations, 

including NEPA, CWA, Endangered 

Species Act, and the National Historic 

Preservation Act. 

7. Permits or Licenses Required: The 

proposed federal action would require a 

CWA Section 404 permit from the 

Corps. The project would also require 

certification by the State of Missouri, 

Department of Natural Resources, under 

Section 401 of the CWA, that the project 

would not violate state water quality 

standards. A land disturbance permit 

issued by the Missouri Department of 

Natural Resources under Section 402 of 

the CWA (National Pollutant Discharge 

Elimination System Permit) would be 

required. Construction and Safety 

Permits issued by the Missouri Dam and 

Reservoir Safety Program would also be 

required. 

8. Availability of Draft SEIS: The draft 

SEIS is estimated to be complete and 

available for public review in 2016. 

(This activity is listed in the Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance under NO. 

10.904, Watershed Protection and Flood 

Prevention, and is subject to the provisions 

of Executive Order 12372, which requires 

intergovernmental consultation with State 

and local officials.) 

Dated: November 25, 2014. 

J.R. Flores, 

State Conservationist, Natural Resources 

Conservation Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–28673 Filed 12–5–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Housing Service 

Notice of Request for Extension of a 

Currently Approved Information 

Collection 

AGENCIES: Rural Housing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Proposed collection; comments 

requested. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the Rural Housing 

Service (RHS), intention to request an 

extension for a currently approved 

information collection in support of 

compliance with Civil Rights laws. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by February 6, 2015 to be 

assured of consideration. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Angilla Denton, Equal Opportunity 

Specialist, Rural Development, Civil 

Rights Staff, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, STOP 0703, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250–0703, Telephone (202) 692– 

4109 (voice). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: 7 CFR 1901–E, Civil Rights 

Compliance Requirements. 

OMB Number: 0575–0018. 

Expiration Date of Approval: February 

28, 2015. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

Currently Approved Information 

Collection. 

Abstract: The information collection 

under OMB Number 0575–0018 enables 

the RHS, Rural Business-Cooperative 

Service (RBS), and Rural Utilities 

Service (RHS), to effectively monitor a 

recipient’s compliance with the civil 

rights laws, and to determine whether or 

not service and benefits are being 

provided to beneficiaries on an equal 

opportunity basis. 

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