[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 14, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1892-1893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00409]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
Energy Answers Arecibo Puerto Rico Renewable Energy Project:
Notice of Extension of Public Comment Period, Notice of Public Scoping
Meeting and Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of a 30-day extension to the public comment period,
notice of public scoping meeting and intent to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On November 28, 2014, Rural Utilities Service (RUS) published
a Notice of Intent (NOI) announcing its intent to cancel a Supplemental
Final Environmental Impact Statement (SFEIS) and prepare a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in association with a financial
assistance request for a proposal submitted to the Agency by Energy
Answers Arecibo, LLC (Energy Answers). RUS is extending the comment
period by an additional 30 days from the date of this notice. RUS
intends to conduct public scoping, conduct a public scoping meeting,
and prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to meet its
responsibilities under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA),
the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations for implementing
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and RUS's Environmental and Policies and
Procedures (7 CFR part 1794) in connection with potential impacts
related to the Energy Answers proposal. The proposal consists of
constructing a waste-to-energy generation and resource recovery
facility in the Cambalache Ward of Arecibo, Puerto Rico. RUS is
providing notice of the intention to conduct public scoping and prepare
an EIS related to the proposal submitted by Energy Answers.
RUS is considering funding this application, thereby making the
proposal an undertaking subject to review under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), 16 U.S.C. 470(f), and its
implementing regulation, ``Protection of Historic Properties'' (36 CFR
part 800). Any party wishing to participate directly with RUS as a
``consulting party'' in Section 106 review may submit a written request
to the RUS contact provided below. Pursuant to 36 CFR 800.3(f)(3), RUS
will consider, and provide a timely response to, any and all requests
for consulting party status.
DATES: Written requests to participate as a ``consulting party'' and/or
comments concerning the public scoping or about this Notice of Intent
must be received on or before February 13, 2015. A notice of
availability of a Draft EIS will be published in the Federal Register
and local newspapers announcing its review period. A public scoping
meeting will be held on January 28, 2015 from 3:00-7:00 p.m. at the
Colegio de Ingenieros y Agrimensores de Puerto Rico, Cap[iacute]tulo de
Arecibo, Ave. Manuel T. Guill[aacute]n 1, Arecibo. The public scoping
meeting will be conducted in an open house format with a court reporter
available for transcription of verbal comments.
ADDRESSES: Project-related information will be available at RUS's Web
site located at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWP-AreciboPuertoRico.html
and at the Tribunal General de Justicia, Centro Judicial de Arecibo and
at the Casa Alcald[iacute]a del Municipio de Arecibo.
To request ``consulting party'' status, submit comments or for
further information, please contact: Ms. Stephanie Strength,
Environmental Protection Specialist, USDA/RUS, 1400 Independence Ave.
SW., Room 2244-S, Stop 1571, Washington, DC 20250-1571, Telephone:
(970) 403-3559, fax: (202) 690-0649, or email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On November 28, 2014, Rural Utilities
Service (RUS) published a Notice of Intent (NOI) announcing its intent
to cancel a Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement (SFEIS)
and prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in
association with a financial assistance request for a proposal
submitted to the Agency by Energy Answers Arecibo, LLC (Energy
Answers). RUS is extending the comment period by an additional 30 days
from the date of this notice. RUS intends to conduct public scoping,
conduct a public scoping meeting, and prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) and is soliciting public comments on the scope of an
EIS that it intends to prepare for Energy Answers' proposal. In
accordance with 7 CFR 1794.74 and 40 CFR 1502.21, RUS intends to
incorporate by reference the environmental impact analyses and
documentation prepared by the Puerto Rico Industrial Development
Company (PRIDCO). PRIDCO served as a lead agency in preparation of an
EIS prepared under the Puerto Rico Environmental Public Policy Act,
Article 4(B)(3), (Law No. 416, September 22, 2004). RUS has copies of
this EIS and all associated appendices posted on this Web site: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/UWP-AreciboPuertoRico.html. RUS also intends to
incorporate by reference all of the environmental impact and air
quality analyses and responses to public comments prepared by the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) as part of its Clean Air Act,
Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) permit. USEPA issued a
final effective PSD permit on April 10, 2014, and information related
to the PSD permit can be found on USEPA's Web site--see: http://www.epa.gov/region02/air/permit/energyanswers/.
RUS is in receipt of all past public involvement activities, public
comments, and responses to public comments from both PRIDCO and USEPA
actions. While RUS understands the concerns expressed in the past by
the public, the Agency strongly encourages all interested parties to
submit scoping comments to the RUS contact listed in the ADDRESSES
section of this Notice.
Energy Answers proposes to construct a waste-to-energy generation
and resource recovery facility in the Cambalache Ward of Arecibo,
Puerto
[[Page 1893]]
Rico. The proposed facility would process approximately 2,100 tons of
municipal waste per day and generate a gross capacity of approximately
77 megawatts (MW). The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority will
purchase the power generated from the facility. The preferred location
of the facility is the former site of the Global Fibers Paper Mill and
would encompass approximately 79.6 acres of the 90-acre parcel. The
proposal would include the following facility components: A municipal
solid waste receiving and processing building; processed refuse fuel
storage building; boiler and steam turbine; emission control system;
ash processing and storage building; and other associated
infrastructure and buildings. Two other connected actions include
installation of an approximately 2.0-mile raw water line and
construction of a 115 kilovolt (kV) transmission line approximately 0.8
miles in length. The connected actions will be addressed in the EIS.
Among the alternatives that RUS will address in the EIS is the No
Action alternative, under which the proposal would not be undertaken.
In the EIS, the effects of the proposal will be compared to the
existing conditions in the proposal area. Public health and safety,
environmental impacts, and engineering aspects of the proposal will be
considered in the EIS.
RUS is the lead Federal agency, as defined at 40 CFR 1501.5, for
preparation of the EIS. With this Notice, Federal and State agencies
and federally recognized Native American Tribes with jurisdiction or
special expertise are invited to be cooperating agencies. Such agencies
or tribes may make a request to RUS to be a cooperating agency by
contacting the RUS contact provided in this Notice. Designated
cooperating agencies have certain responsibilities to support the NEPA
and scoping process, as specified at 40 CFR 1501.6(b).
As part of its broad environmental review process, RUS must take
into account the effect of the proposal on historic properties in
accordance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act
(Section 106) and its implementing regulation, ``Protection of Historic
Properties'' (36 CFR part 800). Pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3), RUS is
using its procedures for public involvement under NEPA to meet its
responsibilities to solicit and consider the views of the public during
Section 106 review. Accordingly, comments submitted in response to this
Notice will inform RUS decision-making during Section 106 review.
As applicable, the EIS will document changes in the affected
environment and environmental consequences that may have occurred since
the PRIDCO-prepared Final EIS was published in 2010 and USEPA's PSD
permit action. The PRIDCO-prepared Final EIS is available in both
Spanish and English for review at the addresses provided in this
Notice. USEPA PSD permit actions are available for review at the
address provided in this notice. RUS's EIS will incorporate this
documentation by reference and focus on those topics that have changed
since PRIDCO's Final EIS was published. RUS's Draft EIS will be
available for review and comment for 45 days. Following the 45-day
review period, RUS will prepare a Final EIS. After a 30-day review
period, RUS will publish a Record of Decision (ROD). Notices announcing
the availability of the Draft EIS, Final EIS and the ROD will be
published in the Federal Register and in local newspapers.
Any final action by RUS related to the proposal will be subject to,
and contingent upon, compliance with all relevant executive orders and
federal, state, and local environmental laws and regulations in
addition to the completion of the environmental review requirements as
prescribed in RUS's Environmental Policies and Procedures, 7 CFR part
1794, as amended.
Dated: January 7, 2015.
Richard Fristik,
Acting Director, Engineering and Environmental Staff, USDA, Rural
Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-00409 Filed 1-13-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P