Draft Environmental Assessment for the J. Phil Campbell, Senior, Natural Resource Conservation Center Land Transfer, 40425-40426 [2013-16209]

Download as PDF 40425 Notices Federal Register Vol. 78, No. 129 Friday, July 5, 2013 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. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Draft Environmental Assessment for the J. Phil Campbell, Senior, Natural Resource Conservation Center Land Transfer AGENCY: Agricultural Research Service, USDA. Notice of the Draft Environmental Assessment for the J. Phil Campbell, Senior, Natural Resource Conservation Center Land Transfer. ACTION: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has prepared a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed transfer of 1,070 acres of land at the J. Phil Campbell, Senior (JPC), Natural Resource Conservation Center (NRCC) from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Watkinsville, Georgia, to the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES). This notice is announcing the opening of a 30-day public comment period. SUMMARY: Comments must be received on or before August 5, 2013. DATES: You may submit comments related to the Proposed JPC–NRCC Land Transfer by any of the following methods: Email: cal.mather@ars.usda.gov, Fax: 309–681– 6683. Mail: USDA–ARS–SHEMB, NCAUR, 1815 North University Avenue, Room 2016, Peoria, Ilinois 61604. Copies of the Draft EA for the JPC– NRCC Land Transfer are available for public inspection during normal business hours at the following locations: • JPC–REC Headquarters, 1420 Experiment Station Road, Watkinsville, Georgia 30677 tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES ADDRESSES: VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:06 Jul 03, 2013 Jkt 229001 • Oconee County Public Library, 1080 Experiment Station Road, Watkinsville, Georgia 30677 • Athens-Clarke County Public Library, 2025 Baxter Street, Athens, Georgia 30606 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cal Mather, Environmental Protection Specialist, USDA–ARS–SHEMB, NCAUR, 1815 North University Street, Room 2016, Peoria, Illinois 61604; 309– 681–6608. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USDA is proposing to transfer 1,070 acres of land and facilities at the JPC–NRCC from USDA–ARS in Watkinsville, Georgia, to the UGA CAES. As a condition of the transfer, UGA would commit to using the property for agricultural and natural resources research for a period of 25 years, supporting the strategic goals of USDA and establishing a Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Program at the Property. UGA would assume responsibility and maintenance of the constructed facilities and land to be conveyed from USDA. The JPC–NRCC has been in operation as a USDA–ARS research station since 1937, with the mission ‘‘to develop and transfer environmentally sustainable and profitable agricultural systems to landowners and managers in order to protect the natural resource base, build accord with non-agricultural sectors, and support healthy rural economies.’’ The facility was closed under Public Law (Pub. L.) 112–55, Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2012. In August 2012, a 5-year revocable permit was issued between USDA and the Board of Regents of UGA that allows the CAES to utilize the Property as a Research and Education Center (REC) and conduct a wide range of research, teaching, extension, and demonstration activities. Since August 2012 it has been operated by the CAES as the JPC–REC under this permit. A Memorandum of Understanding was executed on March 25, 2013, that would allow the formal transfer of the Property from USDA to the Board of Regents of the UGA. Under the terms of the Public Law, the Secretary of Agriculture will decide whether to formally transfer the Property from USDA to the UGA or have USDA retain the possession of the Property. If the decision is made to transfer the Property, it will be done with no monetary cost to the University and a Quit Claim Deed will be prepared PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 by the USDA to convey the title/ property rights to UGA. The Quit Claim Deed would incorporate any use restrictions identified by the NEPA process, as well as the 25-year use restriction for agricultural and natural resources research as required by Section 732 of the Public Law. Two alternatives are analyzed in the Draft EA, the No Action Alternative and the Proposed Action. The draft EA addresses potential impacts of these alternatives on the natural and human environment. • Alternative 1—No Action. The USDA would retain possession of the 1,070 acres of land and facilities at the JPC–REC (former JPC–NRCC). USDA would no longer operate and/or maintain the property and current research at the JPC–REC would cease. • Alternative 2—Proposed Action. The USDA would formerly transfer 1,070 acres of land at the JPC–REC to the Board of Regents of UGA. As a condition of the transfer, UGA would commit to using the Property for agricultural and natural resources research for a period of 25 years, supporting the strategic goals of USDA and establishing a Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Program at the Property. UGA would assume responsibility and maintenance of the constructed facilities and land to be conveyed from USDA. In addition, one alternative was considered in the Draft EA but eliminated from detailed study. In this alternative, USDA would retain possession of the land and it would be transferred to the General Services Administration for disposal. Since it cannot reasonably be determined who would ultimately take possession of the property and how it would be utilized, it was not analyzed in detail in the EA. The USDA will use and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to satisfy the public involvement process for Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470(f) as provided for in 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3)). Following the public comment period, comments will be used to prepare the Final EA. The USDA will respond to each substantive comment by making appropriate revisions to the document or by explaining why a comment did not warrant a change. A Notice of Availability of the Final EA will be published in the Federal Register. All comments, including any personal E:\FR\FM\05JYN1.SGM 05JYN1 40426 Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 129 / Friday, July 5, 2013 / Notices identifying information included in the comment will become a matter of public record. 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. Dated: June 25, 2013. Edward B. Knipling, Administrator, Agricultural Research Service. [FR Doc. 2013–16209 Filed 7–3–13; 8:45 am] www.facadatabase.gov. Persons interested in the work of this advisory committee are advised to go to the Commission’s Web site, www.usccr.gov, or to contact the Midwestern Regional Office at the above email or street address. The meeting will be conducted pursuant to the provisions of the rules and regulations of the Commission and FACA. Dated in Chicago, IL: June 26, 2013. David Mussatt, Acting Chief, Regional Programs Coordination Unit. BILLING CODE 3410–03–P COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS [FR Doc. 2013–16131 Filed 7–3–13; 8:45 am] tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Agenda and Notice of Public Meeting of the Michigan Advisory Committee BILLING CODE P Notice is hereby given, pursuant to the provisions of the rules and regulations of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Commission), and the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), that a planning meeting of the Michigan Advisory Committee to the Commission will convene by conference call at 11:00 a.m. EST and adjourn at 1:00 p.m. EST on July 24, 2013. The purpose of the meeting is to allow Committee members the opportunity to advise the Commission on various civil rights issues in Michigan. The meeting will include an orientation to new members followed by presentations and discussion of various civil rights issues. This meeting is available to the public through the following toll-free call-in number: 888–438–5524, conference ID: 7822139. Any interested member of the public may call this number and listen to the meeting. Callers can expect to incur charges for calls they initiate over wireless lines, and the Commission will not refund any incurred charges. Callers will incur no charge for calls they initiate over land-line connections to the toll-free telephone number. Persons with hearing impairments may also follow the proceedings by first calling the Federal Relay Service at 1–800–977– 8339 and providing the Service with the conference call number and conference ID number. Members of the public are entitled to submit written comments. The comments must be received in the regional office by August 7, 2013. The address is US Commission on Civil Rights, Midwestern Regional Office, 55 W. Monroe St., Suite 410, Chicago, IL 60603. Comments may be emailed to callen@usccr.gov. Records generated by this meeting may be inspected and reproduced at the Midwestern Regional Office, as they become available, both before and after the meeting, and they will be uploaded onto the database at COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS VerDate Mar<15>2010 17:06 Jul 03, 2013 Jkt 229001 Sunshine Act Notice United States Commission on Civil Rights. ACTION: Notice of Business Meeting. AGENCY: Friday, July 12, 2013; 9:30 a.m. EST PLACE: 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Suite 1150, Washington, DC 20425. DATE AND TIME: MEETING AGENDA I. Approval of Agenda II. Program Planning • Approval of Final Draft of 2013 Statutory Enforcement Report • Discussion re: Proposed Findings and Recommendations for the 2013 Statutory Enforcement Report • Status Update on the Sex Trafficking: A Gender-Based Violation of Civil Rights Report • Status Update on the Federal Civil Rights Engagement with Arab and Muslim American Communities Post 9/11 Report III. Management and Operations • Staff Director’s report • Chief of Regional Programs’ report IV. Approval of State Advisory Committee Appointment Slates • Kentucky • Maine • New Hampshire • New York V. Adjourn Meeting CONTACT PERSON FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Lenore Ostrowsky, Acting Chief, Public Affairs Unit (202) 376– 8591. Hearing-impaired persons who will attend the meeting and require the services of a sign language interpreter should contact Pamela Dunston at (202) 376–8105 or at signlanguage@usccr.gov at least seven business days before the scheduled date of the meeting. PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Dated: July 1, 2013. TinaLouise Martin, Director of Management/Human Resources. [FR Doc. 2013–16196 Filed 7–2–13; 11:15 am] BILLING CODE 6335–01–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Foreign-Trade Zones Board [B–71–2013] Foreign-Trade Zone 182—Fort Wayne, Indiana; Application for Reorganization (Expansion of Service Area); Under Alternative Site Framework An application has been submitted to the Foreign-Trade Zones (FTZ) Board by the City of Fort Wayne, grantee of Foreign-Trade Zone 182, requesting authority to reorganize the zone to expand its service area under the alternative site framework (ASF) adopted by the FTZ Board (15 CFR 400.2(c)). The ASF is an option for grantees for the establishment or reorganization of zones and can permit significantly greater flexibility in the designation of new subzones or ‘‘usagedriven’’ FTZ sites for operators/users located within a grantee’s ‘‘service area’’ in the context of the FTZ Board’s standard 2,000-acre activation limit for a zone. The application was submitted pursuant to the Foreign-Trade Zones Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 81a-81u), and the regulations of the FTZ Board (15 CFR part 400). It was formally docketed on June 28, 2013. FTZ 182 was approved by the Board on December 23, 1991 (Board Order 549, 57 FR 1450, 1/14/1992) and reorganized under the ASF on June 22, 2011 (Board Order 1770, 78 FR 39070, 7/5/2011). The zone project currently has a service area that includes Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Huntington, Noble, Wabash, Wells and Whitley Counties, Indiana. The applicant is now requesting authority to expand the service area of the zone to include Blackford, Jay, LaGrange, Randolph and Steuben Counties as described in the application. If approved, the grantee would be able to serve sites throughout the expanded service area based on companies’ needs for FTZ designation. The proposed expanded service area is adjacent to the Fort Wayne, Indiana Customs and Border Protection Port of Entry In accordance with the FTZ Board’s regulations, Elizabeth Whiteman of the FTZ Staff is designated examiner to evaluate and analyze the facts and information presented in the application and case record and to report findings and recommendations to the FTZ Board. E:\FR\FM\05JYN1.SGM 05JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 129 (Friday, July 5, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40425-40426]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-16209]


========================================================================
Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

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.

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 129 / Friday, July 5, 2013 / 
Notices

[[Page 40425]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Draft Environmental Assessment for the J. Phil Campbell, Senior, 
Natural Resource Conservation Center Land Transfer

AGENCY: Agricultural Research Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of the Draft Environmental Assessment for the J. Phil 
Campbell, Senior, Natural Resource Conservation Center Land Transfer.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management 
Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the United States Department of 
Agriculture (USDA) has prepared a Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) 
for the proposed transfer of 1,070 acres of land at the J. Phil 
Campbell, Senior (JPC), Natural Resource Conservation Center (NRCC) 
from the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) in Watkinsville, 
Georgia, to the University of Georgia (UGA) College of Agricultural and 
Environmental Sciences (CAES). This notice is announcing the opening of 
a 30-day public comment period.

DATES: Comments must be received on or before August 5, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Proposed JPC-NRCC 
Land Transfer by any of the following methods: Email: 
cal.mather@ars.usda.gov, Fax: 309-681-6683. Mail: USDA-ARS-SHEMB, 
NCAUR, 1815 North University Avenue, Room 2016, Peoria, Ilinois 61604. 
Copies of the Draft EA for the JPC-NRCC Land Transfer are available for 
public inspection during normal business hours at the following 
locations:
     JPC-REC Headquarters, 1420 Experiment Station Road, 
Watkinsville, Georgia 30677
     Oconee County Public Library, 1080 Experiment Station 
Road, Watkinsville, Georgia 30677
     Athens-Clarke County Public Library, 2025 Baxter Street, 
Athens, Georgia 30606

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cal Mather, Environmental Protection 
Specialist, USDA-ARS-SHEMB, NCAUR, 1815 North University Street, Room 
2016, Peoria, Illinois 61604; 309-681-6608.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The USDA is proposing to transfer 1,070 
acres of land and facilities at the JPC-NRCC from USDA-ARS in 
Watkinsville, Georgia, to the UGA CAES. As a condition of the transfer, 
UGA would commit to using the property for agricultural and natural 
resources research for a period of 25 years, supporting the strategic 
goals of USDA and establishing a Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Program 
at the Property. UGA would assume responsibility and maintenance of the 
constructed facilities and land to be conveyed from USDA. The JPC-NRCC 
has been in operation as a USDA-ARS research station since 1937, with 
the mission ``to develop and transfer environmentally sustainable and 
profitable agricultural systems to landowners and managers in order to 
protect the natural resource base, build accord with non-agricultural 
sectors, and support healthy rural economies.'' The facility was closed 
under Public Law (Pub. L.) 112-55, Consolidated and Further Continuing 
Appropriations Act, 2012. In August 2012, a 5-year revocable permit was 
issued between USDA and the Board of Regents of UGA that allows the 
CAES to utilize the Property as a Research and Education Center (REC) 
and conduct a wide range of research, teaching, extension, and 
demonstration activities. Since August 2012 it has been operated by the 
CAES as the JPC-REC under this permit. A Memorandum of Understanding 
was executed on March 25, 2013, that would allow the formal transfer of 
the Property from USDA to the Board of Regents of the UGA. Under the 
terms of the Public Law, the Secretary of Agriculture will decide 
whether to formally transfer the Property from USDA to the UGA or have 
USDA retain the possession of the Property. If the decision is made to 
transfer the Property, it will be done with no monetary cost to the 
University and a Quit Claim Deed will be prepared by the USDA to convey 
the title/property rights to UGA. The Quit Claim Deed would incorporate 
any use restrictions identified by the NEPA process, as well as the 25-
year use restriction for agricultural and natural resources research as 
required by Section 732 of the Public Law. Two alternatives are 
analyzed in the Draft EA, the No Action Alternative and the Proposed 
Action. The draft EA addresses potential impacts of these alternatives 
on the natural and human environment.
     Alternative 1--No Action. The USDA would retain possession 
of the 1,070 acres of land and facilities at the JPC-REC (former JPC-
NRCC). USDA would no longer operate and/or maintain the property and 
current research at the JPC-REC would cease.
     Alternative 2--Proposed Action. The USDA would formerly 
transfer 1,070 acres of land at the JPC-REC to the Board of Regents of 
UGA. As a condition of the transfer, UGA would commit to using the 
Property for agricultural and natural resources research for a period 
of 25 years, supporting the strategic goals of USDA and establishing a 
Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Program at the Property. UGA would 
assume responsibility and maintenance of the constructed facilities and 
land to be conveyed from USDA.

In addition, one alternative was considered in the Draft EA but 
eliminated from detailed study. In this alternative, USDA would retain 
possession of the land and it would be transferred to the General 
Services Administration for disposal. Since it cannot reasonably be 
determined who would ultimately take possession of the property and how 
it would be utilized, it was not analyzed in detail in the EA. The USDA 
will use and coordinate the NEPA commenting process to satisfy the 
public involvement process for Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470(f) as provided for in 36 CFR 
800.2(d)(3)). Following the public comment period, comments will be 
used to prepare the Final EA. The USDA will respond to each substantive 
comment by making appropriate revisions to the document or by 
explaining why a comment did not warrant a change. A Notice of 
Availability of the Final EA will be published in the Federal Register. 
All comments, including any personal

[[Page 40426]]

identifying information included in the comment will become a matter of 
public record. 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.

    Dated: June 25, 2013.
Edward B. Knipling,
Administrator, Agricultural Research Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-16209 Filed 7-3-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-03-P
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