Department of Agriculture April 4, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the Department of the Interior, intends to renew the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee (IAC). This renewal is in response to the continued need for the IAC to provide intergovernmental advice on coordinating the implementation of the Record of Decision of April 13, 1994, for Management of Habitat for Late-Successional and Old-Growth Forest Related Species Within the Range of the Northern Spotted Owl. The IAC also provides advice and recommendations to promote integration and coordination of forest management activities between Federal and non- Federal entities.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969; the Council on Environmental Quality Guidelines (40 CFR part 1500); and the Natural Resources Conservation Service Guidelines (7 CFR part 650); the Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, gives notice that an environmental impact statement is not being prepared for the Raccoon Island Shore Protection/Marsh Creation Project (TE-48), Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana.

The Tehama County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Red Bluff, California. Agenda items to be covered include: Introductions, Approval of Minutes, Public Comment, Project Proposal Voting, Report on Reno Trip, General Discussion, County Update, Next Agenda.

Notice is hereby given that the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency delivering the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities Programs, pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and RUS Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 CFR Part 1794) proposes to hold two scoping meetings and prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) for its Federal action related to a project proposed by Great River Energy (GRE) of Elk River, Minnesota. The project consists of constructing a natural gas-fired simple cycle, combustion turbine power generation facility in Cambridge Township in Isanti County, Minnesota. An alternative location for the plant is also being proposed for consideration and comment. The alternative site location is at GRE's Elk River headquarters in Sherburne County, Minnesota. Total electrical output from the facility is expected to range from 150 megawatts (MW) to 190 MW depending upon operating conditions. Construction of the project at the proposed Cambridge site would necessitate upgrading approximately 47 miles of existing 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines to the latest design standards. Construction at the alternative Elk River site would necessitate upgrading approximately 27 miles of existing 69-kV. Meeting Information: RUS will conduct two scoping meetings in open House forum as follows: Tuesday, April 19, 2005, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Cambridge Township Hall, Isanti County Fairgrounds, 3101 Hwy 95 NE., Cambridge, MN 55008, Telephone: 763-689-3768. Wednesday, April 20, 2005, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Elk River Parks & Recreation, 1104 Lions Park Drive NW., Elk River, MN 55330, Telephone: 763-635-1150.

The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency delivering the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Utilities Programs, is amending its regulations to revise the definition for ``eligible rural community'' as it relates to the rural access broadband loans and loan guarantees program.

This rule provides regulations for the Tobacco Transition Payment Program (TTPP), as required by Title VI of the American Jobs Creation Act of 2004 (the 2004 Act), ending the tobacco marketing quota and price support loan programs. The TTPP will provide payments over a ten-year period to quota holders and producers of quota tobacco to help them make the transition from the federally-regulated program. This rule also removes from the Code of Federal Regulations obsolete tobacco program provisions at 7 CFR parts 723 and 1464.

This notice presents the Record of Decision (ROD) regarding the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) implementation of revisions to the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program to allow NRCS to more effectively and efficiently meet EWP statutory requirements and improve the effectiveness of agency responses to sudden watershed impairments caused by natural disasters. NRCS prepared a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (FPEIS) for EWP Program changes and published the FPEIS on the NRCS Web site. A Notice of Availability (NOA) of the EWP FPEIS was published in the Federal Register on December 30, 2004 and all agencies and persons on the FPEIS distribution list were notified individually as well. Printed and CD- ROM versions of the FPEIS were made available and delivered to all those who requested. This Decision Notice summarizes the environmental, social, and economic impacts of the EWP Program alternatives identified in the FPEIS that were considered in making this decision, and explains why NRCS selected the Preferred AlternativeEWP Program Improvement and Expansion (Alternative 4) for improving the EWP Program. The public may access the NRCS responses to substantive comments on the FPEIS at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/ewp/.