Amended Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program, 22510-22511 [E9-11094]
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22510
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 91 / Wednesday, May 13, 2009 / Notices
whether the information will have
practical utility;
(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of methodology
and assumptions used;
(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and
(4) Minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who
are to respond, including the use of
appropriate, automated, electronic,
mechanical or other technology.
All responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for OMB approval. All comments will
also become a matter of public record.
Summary of 2004 Comments
A previous notice requesting
comments on this information
collection request was published in the
Federal Register on June 23, 2004 (69
FR 34990–34991). The 60-day comment
period for the notice closed on August
23, 2004; 6 comments were received.
The scope of the request for information
collection approval has been narrowed
to initially focus on information
collected by the three service center
agencies, the Farm Service Agency
(FSA), the National Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), and Rural
Development (RD). None of the
comments addressed any issues related
to information collection by FSA, NRCS,
or RD.
Signed at Washington, DC on May 7, 2009.
Joe Leonard, Jr.,
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
[FR Doc. E9–11109 Filed 5–12–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–98–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Amended Notice of Intent To Prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Biomass Crop Assistance Program
AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation,
USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit
Corporation (CCC) intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the Biomass Crop Assistance
Program (BCAP). BCAP is a new
program authorized by the Food,
VerDate Nov<24>2008
18:44 May 12, 2009
Jkt 217001
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
(the 2008 Farm Bill). The EIS will assess
the potential environmental impacts of
alternatives for administration and
implementation of BCAP. Through this
notice and public meetings, CCC is
requesting the public to provide
comments and inputs on the
preliminary proposed program
alternatives and environmental
concerns associated with the
implementation of BCAP.
DATES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section for dates of the six
public meetings.
Comments: We will consider
comments that we receive by June 12,
2009. We will consider comments
submitted after that date, to the extent
possible.
ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit
comments and to participate in public
meetings on the proposed alternatives
related to BCAP. If you e-mail, fax, or
mail your comments, include the
volume, date, and page number of this
issue of the Federal Register. You may
submit comments by any of the
following methods:
• Go through the established public
comments Web site located at https://
public.geo-marine.com.
• E-Mail: bcapeis@geo-marine.com.
• Fax: (757) 873–3703.
• Mail: BCAP EIS c/o Geo-Marine,
Inc., 2713 Magruder Boulevard, Suite D,
Hampton, Virginia 23666.
• Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver
comments to the above address.
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
online instructions for submitting
comments.
Comments may be inspected in the
Office of the Director, CEPD, FSA,
USDA, 1400 Independence Ave., SW.,
Room 4709 South Building,
Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except holidays.
See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section for addresses for the six public
meetings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Matthew T. Ponish, FSA National
Environmental Compliance Manager at
(202) 720–6853 or
matthew.ponish@wdc.usda.gov. Persons
with disabilities who require alternative
means for communication (Braille, large
print, audio tape, etc.) should contact
the USDA Target Center at (202) 720–
2600 (voice and TDD).
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
BCAP is
authorized by Title IX of the 2008 Farm
Bill (Pub. L. 110–246). The 2008 Farm
Bill amends Title IX of the Farm
Security and Rural Investment Act of
2002 (Pub. L. 107–171); specifically, for
BCAP, the 2008 Farm Bill adds section
9011 (7 U.S.C. 8111) to Title IX. BCAP
is intended to support the establishment
and production of crops for conversion
to bio-energy in project areas (locations)
and to assist with collection, harvest,
storage, and transportation of eligible
material for use in a biomass conversion
facility.
As a new energy program, BCAP
presents an opportunity to encourage
landowners and operators to produce
biomass for commercial energy
production in ways that both are
economically and environmentally
sound. CCC plans to implement BCAP
by approving the best-qualifying project
proposals from project sponsors
(producers or facilities) and then
entering into contracts with individual
producers in the approved project
locations. BCAP is a CCC program
administered by the Farm Service
Agency (FSA) with the support of other
Federal and local agencies.
Under the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), the EIS process
provides a means for the public to
provide input on program
implementation alternatives and on
environmental concerns. This notice
informs the public of CCC’s intention to
prepare an EIS for BCAP. CCC initially
solicited public input and comments on
the proposed EIS for BCAP from the
notice published in the Federal Register
on October 1, 2008 (72 FR 5704–57047).
When we received comments and
inputs from the public and through
internal agency scoping, CCC developed
the following alternatives for the BCAP
analysis to be considered as part of the
regulatory requirements under NEPA
process:
(1) No Action Alternative—addresses
the potential effects from not
implementing BCAP.
(2) Action Alternative 1—addresses a
targeted implementation of BCAP to
specific areas or regions of the United
States.
(3) Action Alternative 2—addresses a
broad national implementation of
BCAP.
The public meetings will be scoping
meetings and will provide public input
for the development of the alternatives.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
E:\FR\FM\13MYN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 91 / Wednesday, May 13, 2009 / Notices
22511
Date
Time
Location information
May 28, 2009 ..................................
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. local time ..
June 2, 2009 ...................................
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. local time ..
June 4, 2009 ...................................
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. local time ..
June 8, 2009 ...................................
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. local time ..
June 10, 2009 .................................
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. local time ..
June 11, 2009 .................................
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. local time ..
Red Lion Hotel, 2300 Evergreen Park Drive, Olympia, Washington
98501, Ph: 360–252–0972, Fax: 360–753–9651.
Hilton Garden Inn, 9000 Interstate 40 West, Amarillo, Texas 79124,
Ph: 806–355–4400, Fax: 806–355–4411.
Alexander Fulton Hotel & Convention Center, 701 4th Street, Alexandria, Louisiana 71301, Ph 318–442–9000.
Renaissance Savery Hotel, 401 Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa
50309, Ph: 515–365–7232, Fax: 515–244–1228.
Hilton Garden Inn, 101 S. Front Street, Albany, Georgia 31701,
Phone: 229–518–5003, Fax: 229–878–4862.
Hilton Garden Inn Syracuse, 6004 Fair Lakes Road, Syracuse, New
York 13057, Ph: 315–431–4800, Fax: 315–431–4999.
Signed in Washington, DC on May 7, 2009.
Doug Caruso,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit
Corporation.
[FR Doc. E9–11094 Filed 5–12–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–05–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Cibola National Forest, Mount Taylor
Ranger District, NM, La Jara Mesa Mine
Forest Service, USDA.
Notice of Intent to prepare an
environmental impact statement.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
SUMMARY: Laramide Resources (USA)
Inc. has submitted a Plan of Operations
(the Plan) proposing to develop and
conduct underground uranium mining
operations on their mining claims on La
Jara Mesa on the Mount Taylor Ranger
District of the Cibola National Forest. La
Jara Mesa is located approximately 10
miles northeast of the town of Grants in
Cibola County, New Mexico. The mine
portal facilities would be located on
claims controlled by the applicant on
national forest lands at the base of the
La Jara Mesa at an elevation of 7,300 feet
in the NE1⁄4, Section 15, T12N, R9W,
NMPM. The mineralized zones that
would be accessed from the portal are
located in portions of Sections 1, 2, 11,
12, 13, and 14, T12N, R9W, NMPM. The
escape shaft would be located on Forest
Service administered lands on top of La
Jara Mesa in Section 11, T12N, R9W,
NMPM. The Cibola National Forest will
prepare an environmental impact
statement to assess the development of
a uranium exploration and mining
operation on the Mount Taylor Ranger
District.
DATES: Comments concerning the scope
of the analysis must be received by 30
days after the publication of the NOI.
Public scoping open houses will be held
during the scoping period in Grants and
Gallup New Mexico. The schedule for
the open houses is as follows:
VerDate Nov<24>2008
18:44 May 12, 2009
Jkt 217001
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 in Grants,
New Mexico, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at
the Cibola County Convention Center
and Thursday, May 21, 2009 in Gallup,
New Mexico from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the
Gallup Community Service Center.
Times and locations of these meetings
will be announced by public notice and
will be available on the Cibola National
Forest Web site. The draft
environmental impact statement is
expected before the end of 2009 and the
final environmental impact statement
and Record of Decision (ROD) is
expected in spring/summer, 2010.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
Rodney Byers, Minerals Program
Manager, Cibola National Forest, 2113
Osuna Road, NE., Albuquerque, NM
87113.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
further information, mail
correspondence to Rodney Byers,
Minerals Program Manager, Cibola
National Forest, 2113 Osuna Road, NE.,
Albuquerque, NM 87113.
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:
Purpose and Need for Action
Laramide Resources (USA), Inc. has
submitted a Plan of Operations for
development of a uranium mine at the
La Jara Mesa property. The purpose of
the EIS is to evaluate the environmental
impacts of the proposed Plan of
Operations and determine whether to
approve the Plan as proposed or to
require additional mitigation measures
to protect the environment (in
accordance with Forest Service
regulations for locatable minerals).
The need for action is to allow
Laramide Resources (USA), Inc. to
exercise their rights under U.S. mining
laws. Laramide Resources (USA), Inc.
has a right to develop and remove the
mineral resources as set forth by the
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
General Mining Law of 1872 as
amended. These laws provide that the
public has a statutory right to conduct
prospecting, exploration, development
and production activities (1872 Mining
Law and 1897 Organic Act), provided
they are reasonably incident (1955
Multiple Use Mining Act and case law)
to mining and comply with other
Federal laws.
The Forest Service has the
responsibility to protect surface
resources. Mining regulations state that
‘‘operations shall be conducted so as,
where feasible, to minimize adverse
environmental effects on National
Forest System surface resources (36 CFR
228.8)’’ provided such regulation does
not endanger or materially interfere
with prospecting, mining, or processing
operations or reasonably incidental uses
(1955 Multiple Use Mining Act and case
law).
Laramide Resources (USA), Inc.’s
need is to provide uranium ore for
processing to meet national and
international market demands for
uranium on the open market. Such
demand is created by a current need for
uranium for nuclear power plant fuel to
generate electricity or for commercial
and other uses. The Forest Service has
concluded that the underlying need for
this mining activity is to provide
uranium for U.S. and world markets.
Proposed Action
The proposed action is an
underground uranium mine consisting
of a 15–16 acre footprint on the surface
which will be comprised of waste rock,
temporary ore storage, a new water line
and electrical transmission line
following the existing private and Forest
roads to the site. The mine will include
two audit portals and, after active
mining is initiated, a vertical escape
shaft to the top of the mesa to provide
air circulation and an escape route in
the event of an accident. The shaft
opening and supporting power and
equipment will lie inside a fenced area
of approximately 0.1 acre. Additional
E:\FR\FM\13MYN1.SGM
13MYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 91 (Wednesday, May 13, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22510-22511]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11094]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Amended Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program
AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Biomass Crop Assistance
Program (BCAP). BCAP is a new program authorized by the Food,
Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill). The EIS will
assess the potential environmental impacts of alternatives for
administration and implementation of BCAP. Through this notice and
public meetings, CCC is requesting the public to provide comments and
inputs on the preliminary proposed program alternatives and
environmental concerns associated with the implementation of BCAP.
DATES: See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for dates of the six
public meetings.
Comments: We will consider comments that we receive by June 12,
2009. We will consider comments submitted after that date, to the
extent possible.
ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments and to participate in
public meetings on the proposed alternatives related to BCAP. If you e-
mail, fax, or mail your comments, include the volume, date, and page
number of this issue of the Federal Register. You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
Go through the established public comments Web site
located at marine.com">https://public.geo-marine.com.
E-Mail: marine.com">bcapeis@geo-marine.com.
Fax: (757) 873-3703.
Mail: BCAP EIS c/o Geo-Marine, Inc., 2713 Magruder
Boulevard, Suite D, Hampton, Virginia 23666.
Hand Delivery or Courier: Deliver comments to the above
address.
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
Comments may be inspected in the Office of the Director, CEPD, FSA,
USDA, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Room 4709 South Building,
Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except holidays.
See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for addresses for the six
public meetings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew T. Ponish, FSA National
Environmental Compliance Manager at (202) 720-6853 or
matthew.ponish@wdc.usda.gov. Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication (Braille, large print, audio tape,
etc.) should contact the USDA Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice
and TDD).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: BCAP is authorized by Title IX of the 2008
Farm Bill (Pub. L. 110-246). The 2008 Farm Bill amends Title IX of the
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-171);
specifically, for BCAP, the 2008 Farm Bill adds section 9011 (7 U.S.C.
8111) to Title IX. BCAP is intended to support the establishment and
production of crops for conversion to bio-energy in project areas
(locations) and to assist with collection, harvest, storage, and
transportation of eligible material for use in a biomass conversion
facility.
As a new energy program, BCAP presents an opportunity to encourage
landowners and operators to produce biomass for commercial energy
production in ways that both are economically and environmentally
sound. CCC plans to implement BCAP by approving the best-qualifying
project proposals from project sponsors (producers or facilities) and
then entering into contracts with individual producers in the approved
project locations. BCAP is a CCC program administered by the Farm
Service Agency (FSA) with the support of other Federal and local
agencies.
Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the EIS process
provides a means for the public to provide input on program
implementation alternatives and on environmental concerns. This notice
informs the public of CCC's intention to prepare an EIS for BCAP. CCC
initially solicited public input and comments on the proposed EIS for
BCAP from the notice published in the Federal Register on October 1,
2008 (72 FR 5704-57047).
When we received comments and inputs from the public and through
internal agency scoping, CCC developed the following alternatives for
the BCAP analysis to be considered as part of the regulatory
requirements under NEPA process:
(1) No Action Alternative--addresses the potential effects from not
implementing BCAP.
(2) Action Alternative 1--addresses a targeted implementation of
BCAP to specific areas or regions of the United States.
(3) Action Alternative 2--addresses a broad national implementation
of BCAP.
The public meetings will be scoping meetings and will provide
public input for the development of the alternatives.
[[Page 22511]]
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date Time Location information
------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 28, 2009.................. 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 Red Lion Hotel, 2300
p.m. local time. Evergreen Park
Drive, Olympia,
Washington 98501,
Ph: 360-252-0972,
Fax: 360-753-9651.
June 2, 2009.................. 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 Hilton Garden Inn,
p.m. local time. 9000 Interstate 40
West, Amarillo,
Texas 79124, Ph: 806-
355-4400, Fax: 806-
355-4411.
June 4, 2009.................. 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 Alexander Fulton
p.m. local time. Hotel & Convention
Center, 701 4th
Street, Alexandria,
Louisiana 71301, Ph
318-442-9000.
June 8, 2009.................. 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 Renaissance Savery
p.m. local time. Hotel, 401 Locust
Street, Des Moines,
Iowa 50309, Ph: 515-
365-7232, Fax: 515-
244-1228.
June 10, 2009................. 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 Hilton Garden Inn,
p.m. local time. 101 S. Front Street,
Albany, Georgia
31701, Phone: 229-
518-5003, Fax: 229-
878-4862.
June 11, 2009................. 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 Hilton Garden Inn
p.m. local time. Syracuse, 6004 Fair
Lakes Road,
Syracuse, New York
13057, Ph: 315-431-
4800, Fax: 315-431-
4999.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Signed in Washington, DC on May 7, 2009.
Doug Caruso,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. E9-11094 Filed 5-12-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P
