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, 3486-3487 [2010-1094]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
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
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:17 Jan 20, 2010
Jkt 220001
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
PO 00000
Frm 00045
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
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
E:\FR\FM\21JAN1.SGM
21JAN1
jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 13 / Thursday, January 21, 2010 / Notices
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 https://
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 https://
parkplanning.nps.gov/dewa/.
Comments will be accepted within 30
days after this publication date and/or
VerDate Nov<24>2008
16:17 Jan 20, 2010
Jkt 220001
until at least 15 days after the last public
scoping meeting.
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 https://
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.
ADDRESSES:
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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
PO 00000
Frm 00046
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
3487
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
E:\FR\FM\21JAN1.SGM
21JAN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 13 (Thursday, January 21, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3486-3487]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1094]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 right-of-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
[[Page 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 https://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
https://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
https://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
