Badger State Solar, LLC: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and Hold a Virtual Public Scoping Meeting on October 26, 2021

Citation86 FR 54918
Record Number2021-21579
Published date05 October 2021
SectionNotices
CourtRural Utilities Service
54918
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 190 / Tuesday, October 5, 2021 / Notices
statutes enforced by USDA (not all bases
apply to all programs).
Dated: September 30, 2021.
Cikena Reid,
USDA Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2021–21683 Filed 10–4–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Notice of Proposed New Fee Site
AGENCY
: Forest Service, Agriculture
(USDA).
ACTION
: Notice of proposed new fee site.
SUMMARY
: The San Juan National Forest
(Forest) proposes to charge new fees at
the Chimney Rock National Monument.
These sites are currently in use by the
public, but the Forest Service is not
currently charging a fee for their use.
Funds from fees would be used for the
continued operation and maintenance of
these recreation sites. Fees are assessed
based on the level of amenities and
services provided, cost of operation and
maintenance, market assessment, and
public comment. Significant capital
improvements made in the past few
years, coupled with increased visitation,
support a fee. A review of visitor use
data and fee collection information for
existing fee campgrounds and group
campgrounds on the Forest demonstrate
public need and demand for the variety
of recreation opportunities these
facilities provide.
DATES
: If approved, the new fee would
be implemented no earlier than six
months following the publication of this
notice in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES
: Pagosa Ranger District,
Chimney Rock Fee Change Proposal,
P.O. Box 310, Pagosa Springs, CO
81147, or by emailing Paul Blackman at
paul.blackman@usda.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
: Paul
Blackman, District Recreation Staff,
970–264–1505 or paul.blackman@
usda.gov. Information about proposed
fee changes can also be found on the
San Juan National Forest’s website:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/sanjuan.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
: The
Federal Recreation Lands Enhancement
Act (Title VII, Pub. L. 108–447) directed
the Secretary of Agriculture to publish
a six-month advance notice in the
Federal Register whenever new
recreation fee areas are established. Fees
are based on the level of amenities and
services provided, the cost of operations
and maintenance, and the market
assessment of similar types of
opportunities within the geographic
area.
The current fee is $12–$16 per adult
and $6–$8 per child which is charged
by the Chimney Rock Interpretive
Association. The proposal will establish
a new Forest Service fee of $20 per
vehicle for five days and $10 per
motorcycle for five days. Revenue from
these fees will help the Forest Service
and its partner, Chimney Rock
Interpretive Association, to provide
services and amenities so visitors can
continue to access and enjoy a unique
and high-quality monument experience.
Revenue would be directed primarily
towards infrastructure maintenance and
repairs, as well as Forest Service
activities such as managing parking,
maintaining trails, providing education,
protecting cultural resources, and
providing other visitor services.
Once public involvement is complete,
these new fees will be reviewed and
approved by the Rocky Mountain
Regional Office prior to a final decision
and implementation.
Dated: September 29, 2021.
Sandra Watts,
Acting Associate Deputy Chief, National
Forest System.
[FR Doc. 2021–21570 Filed 10–4–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
[Docket Number: RUS–21–Electric–0020]
Badger State Solar, LLC: Notice of
Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement and Hold a Virtual
Public Scoping Meeting on October 26,
2021
AGENCY
: Rural Utilities Service,
Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION
: Notice of intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement and
hold a virtual public scoping meeting.
SUMMARY
: The Rural Utilities Service
(RUS) announces its intent to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
and hold a virtual public scoping
meeting in connection with possible
impacts related to the Badger State
Solar, LLC’s Alternating Current solar
project (Project). The Project consists of
a 149-megawatt photovoltaic
Alternating Current solar energy
generating facility located on
approximately 1,750 acres in the
Townships of Jefferson and Oakland, in
Jefferson County, Wisconsin. RUS is
considering funding this application,
thereby making the proposed Project an
undertaking subject to review under the
National Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA). RUS has determined that a
loan for the Project would be a federal
action and is, therefore, subject to
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) review.
DATES
: The public scoping meeting
webinar will be held on October 26,
2021 at 7 p.m. EST via Zoom. Those
wishing to attend the webinar are
invited to register online at the virtual
scoping meeting room website https://
badgerstatesolar.consultation.ai. An
email will be sent to registrants with
information for how to access the
webinar. Attendees will be able to
provide spoken comments during the
webinar. The virtual scoping meeting
room is an interactive website which
will be available throughout the public
scoping period. Attendees will be able
to submit written comments through the
virtual scoping meeting room website.
Written comments may also be
submitted to BadgerStateSolarEIS@
usda.gov.
Written requests to participate as a
‘‘consulting party’’ or to provide
comments for consideration during the
scoping process for the proposed Project
must be received on or before November
4, 2021.
ADDRESSES
: To request ‘‘consulting
party’’ status, submit comments, or for
further information, please contact:
BadgerStateSolarEIS@usda.gov.
Project-related information will be
available at RUS’s and Badger State
Solar’s websites located at: https://
www.rd.usda.gov/resources/
environmental-studies/impact-
statements, https://badgerstatesolar.
consultation.ai, and https://
www.badgerstatesolar.com. This
includes the Alternative Evaluation and
Site Selection Studies prepared for the
project. Project information will also be
available at the Jefferson Public Library
in Jefferson, WI; the Cambridge
Community Library in Cambridge, WI
and the Lake Mills Library in Lake
Mills, WI.
Due to the COVID 19 pandemic,
electronic communication is preferred
because delivery of hard copies by mail
may not be delivered in a timely
manner.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
: RUS is the
lead federal agency, as defined at 40
CFR 1508.1(o), for preparation of the
EIS. With this notice, federal and state
agencies and federally recognized 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
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54919
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 190 / Tuesday, October 5, 2021 / Notices
agencies have certain responsibilities to
support the NEPA and scoping process,
as specified at 40 CFR 1501.8.
In addition, with this notice, RUS
invites any affected federal, state, and
local agencies, Tribes, and other
interested persons to comment on the
scope, alternatives, and significant
issues to be analyzed in depth in the
EIS.
Throughout the scoping period a
virtual public scoping meeting room
will be available online at https://
badgerstatesolar.consultation.ai. The
virtual public scoping meeting room is
an interactive website which will
include information about the project,
the NEPA process, and next steps in the
process. Interested parties will also be
able to register to attend the October 26
webinar on Zoom through the virtual
scoping meeting room website.
Public participation is an integral
component of the environmental review
process for federal actions. Public
participation will be especially
important during the scoping phase of
the proposed Project. RUS will be
seeking information, comments, and
assistance from federal, State, and local
agencies, Tribes, and other individuals
who may be interested in or affected by
the proposed Project. This input will be
used in preparing the Draft EIS.
Comments submitted during the scoping
process should be in writing. The
comments should describe as clearly
and completely as possible any issues,
concerns, or input commenters may
have so that they can be addressed
appropriately in the EIS.
RUS is considering funding this
application, thereby making the
proposed Project 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.
Badger State Solar proposes to
construct, install, operate, and maintain
a 149-megawatt photovoltaic
Alternating Current solar energy
generating facility on a site in the
Townships of Jefferson and Oakland, in
Jefferson County, Wisconsin. The
proposed project is approximately 1,750
acres located on the north and south
sides of U.S. Highway 18,
approximately 2-miles west of the City
of Jefferson and west of State Highway
89. The collector substation would be
located in the Primary Development
Area. Site land cover is predominantly
agricultural crops and pasture, with
some forest and wetland.
Construction involves the installation
on leased lands of 127,752 single-axis
tracking PV panels in the Primary
Project area. The PV panels would be
mounted on a steel racking frame.
Supporting facilities include an
electrical substation. The lease
agreement allows for an operating
period of 40 years. A power purchase
agreement (PPA) has been executed
with Dairyland Power Cooperative for
the entire output of the Project. The
proposed site is near the point of
interconnection to the grid at the
American Transmission Company
Jefferson substation near the
intersection of State Trunk Highway 89
and U.S. Highway 18.
Construction equipment would
include graders, bulldozers, excavators,
forklifts, trailers, plows, trenchers, pile
drivers, and directional boring rigs.
Vehicles for transporting construction
materials and components primarily
would be legal load over-the road
flatbed and box trucks. Transport would
use existing regional roads, bridges, and
intersections. Laydown areas would be
established within the Project site.
Internal site access roads would be
required. The site would be fenced.
Overhead collector circuits would not
be required.
Badger State has submitted an
Application for a Certificate of Public
Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to
the Public Service Commission of
Wisconsin (PSC). Consultations have
been conducted with the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
(WDNR) and an endangered resource
review (ER) has been submitted to the
agency. Consultations with other
agencies include the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS),
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA), and informal consultation
with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS). Badger State has consulted
property owners, local town and county
officials and staff, state elected
representatives, Wisconsin Department
of Agriculture Trade and Consumer
Protection, and engaged the general
public.
Among the alternatives that RUS will
address in the EIS is the No Action
alternative, under which the proposal
would not be undertaken or if RUS did
not fund the proposed Project, and any
reasonable alternatives defined as a
result of the scoping process. In the EIS,
the effects of the proposal will be
compared to the existing conditions in
the affected area of the proposal. Public
health and safety, environmental
impacts, socio-economic, and
engineering aspects of the proposal will
also be considered in the EIS.
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.
From information provided in the
studies mentioned above, and using
input provided by government agencies,
tribes, and the public, RUS will prepare
a Draft EIS. The Draft EIS will be filed
with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (USEPA) and will be available
for public comment by the Fall 2021. At
that time, the RUS and USEPA will
publish a notice of the availability of the
Draft EIS and notice of receipt,
respectively, in the Federal Register. In
addition, the Badger State Solar will
publish notices in local newspapers and
any online local news sources. The
comment period for the DEIS will be 45
days from the date the EPA publishes its
Federal Register notice announcing
receipt of the Draft EIS.
To assist the involved federal agencies
in identifying and considering issues
and concerns on the proposal,
comments on the Draft EIS should be as
specific as possible. It is also helpful if
the comments refer to the specific pages
or chapters of the Draft EIS. Comments
may also address the adequacy of the
Draft EIS or the merits of the
alternatives formulated and discussed in
the statement. Reviewers may wish to
refer to the CEQ’s regulations at 40 CFR
1503.3 in addressing these points. After
the comment period ends on the Draft
EIS, the comments will be analyzed,
considered, and responded to by the
agencies involved in preparing the Final
EIS.
The public will again have the
opportunity to review and comment on
the Final EIS. Upon completion of a 30-
day public comment period, the RUS
will document its decision regarding the
proposed Project and reasons for the
decision in a Record of Decision. A
public notice announcing the
availability of the Record of Decision
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 190 / Tuesday, October 5, 2021 / Notices
will be published in the Federal
Register and 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
Environmental Policies and Procedures,
7 CFR part 1970.
Christopher A. McLean,
Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service,
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
[FR Doc. 2021–21579 Filed 10–4–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–15–P
COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS
Notice of Public Meeting of the
Kentucky Advisory Committee to the
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
AGENCY
: U.S. Commission on Civil
Rights.
ACTION
: Announcement of meeting.
SUMMARY
: 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 that
the Kentucky Advisory Committee
(Committee) to the U.S. Commission on
Civil Rights will hold a meeting on
Thursday, October 14, 2021, at 12:00
p.m. Eastern Time. The Committee will
discuss civil rights concerns in the state.
DATES
: The meeting will take place on
Thursday, October 14, 2021, from 12:00
p.m.–1:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
ADDRESSES
:
Online Registration (Audio/Visual):
https://bit.ly/3AQUdmE.
Telephone (Audio Only): Dial 800–
360–9505 USA Toll Free; Access code:
433 716 81.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
:
Barbara Delaviez, DFO, at bdelaviez@
usccr.gov or (202) 376–8473.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
: Members
of the public can listen to these
discussions. Committee meetings are
available to the public through the
above call-in number. Any interested
member of the public may call this
number and listen to the meeting. An
open comment period will be provided
to allow members of the public to make
a statement as time allows. Callers can
expect to incur regular charges for calls
they initiate over wireless lines,
according to their wireless plan. 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. Individuals who are
deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing may
also follow the proceedings by first
calling the Federal Relay Service at 1–
800–877–8339 and providing the
Service with the conference call number
and conference ID number.
Members of the public are also
entitled to submit written comments;
the comments must be received in the
regional office within 30 days following
the meeting. Written comments may be
emailed to Liliana Schiller at lschiller@
usccr.gov. Persons who desire
additional information may contact the
Regional Programs Unit at (312) 353–
8311.
Records generated from this meeting
may be inspected and reproduced at the
Regional Programs Unit Office, as they
become available, both before and after
the meeting. Records of the meeting will
be available via www.facadatabase.gov
under the Commission on Civil Rights,
Kentucky Advisory Committee link.
Persons interested in the work of this
Committee are directed to the
Commission’s website, http://
www.usccr.gov, or may contact the
Regional Programs Unit at the above
email or street address.
Agenda
Roll Call
Introduction of Liliana Schiller
Post-Report Gate—Discussion about
distribution of Report on Bail Reform
Concept Stage—orientation/reminder of
Stage Gate Process
Next Steps
Open Comment
Adjourn
Dated: Monday, September 30, 2021.
David Mussatt,
Supervisory Chief, Regional Programs Unit.
[FR Doc. 2021–21680 Filed 10–4–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Boundary and Annexation
Survey
The Department of Commerce will
submit the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication
of this notice. We invite the general
public and other Federal agencies to
comment on proposed, and continuing
information collections, which helps us
assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. Public
comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on Tuesday,
May 18, 2021 during a 60-day comment
period. This notice allows for an
additional 30 days for public comments.
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau,
Commerce.
Title: Boundary and Annexation
Survey.
OMB Control Number: 0607–0151.
Form Number(s): BAS–1, BAS–2,
BAS–3, BAS–5, BAS–6, BASSC–1L,
BASSC–3L, BASSC–4L.
Type of Request: Regular submission,
Request for a Revision of a Currently
Approved Collection.
Number of Respondents: 40,000
governments.
Average Hours per Response: 7.5
hours. This estimate is based on an
average of 5 hours for a no change
participant and 10 hours for a
participant with changes.
Burden Hours: 300,000 hours.
Needs and Uses: The Boundary and
Annexation Survey (BAS) provides
tribal, state, and local governments an
opportunity to review the Census
Bureau’s legal boundary data to ensure
the Census Bureau has the correct
boundary, name, and status information.
BAS also allows participants to review
and provide updates to Census
Designated Places (CDPs). BAS fulfills
the agency’s responsibility as part of the
National Spatial Data Infrastructure, for
which the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) Circular A–16 designates
the Census Bureau as the lead federal
agency for maintaining national data
about legal government boundaries, as
well as statistical and administrative
boundaries. BAS supports the spatial
data steward responsibilities of the OMB
E-Gov, Data.gov, the National Map, and
Geographic Names Information System.
The Census Bureau uses the
boundaries collected in BAS to tabulate
data for various censuses and surveys
including the decennial census,
American Community Survey (ACS),
and Population Estimates Program
(PEP). It also uses the legal boundaries
collected through BAS to support
several other programs such as
Congressional and State Legislative
redistricting, the Economic Census, the
Geographic Update Population
Certification Program, and the Special
Census program.
Numerous federal programs also rely
on accurate boundaries collected
through BAS. The U.S. Geological
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