Search Results for keywords:"environmental assessment"

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has assessed that its proposed rule to implement consumer protections for Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) financing will not have a significant impact on the environment. PACE loans help finance home improvements like solar panels and energy efficiency projects. The proposed rule would require lenders to ensure borrowers can repay these loans, potentially reducing the number of loans issued. While some argue this could limit environmental benefits from such projects, the CFPB found the rule's effect on the environment would be minimal and does not necessitate a more extensive environmental review.

Pacific Gas & Electric Company submitted a request on November 8, 2024, to temporarily change the flow requirements of the Haas-Kings Hydroelectric Project in California. The change involves stopping a supplemental water flow to replace a turbine valve from January 6 to May 31, 2025, ensuring a natural flow remains. Public comments on this request are accepted until January 15, 2025, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission plans to prepare an environmental assessment by February 28, 2025. Public participation is encouraged, and assistance is available through the Commission's Office of Public Participation.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the USDA has released a final supplemental environmental assessment and found no significant environmental impact in their response to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreaks in U.S. migratory bird flyways. This assessment updates an earlier one from September 2022 that only covered initial outbreaks in seven states. Since then, the virus has affected approximately 110 million birds across 49 states. Public comments, which raised concerns about consultation with other agencies and environmental effects, were considered, and the final documents reflect responses to those concerns.

The Clearwater Marine Aquarium in Florida has applied for a permit to import up to five male bottlenose dolphins from the Attica Zoological Park in Greece for public display. These dolphins, aged 11 to 24 years, include three common bottlenose dolphins and two Black Sea bottlenose dolphins. The permit sought under the Marine Mammal Protection Act would last for five years, and the public can submit comments on this application by February 3, 2025. The proposed activity has been preliminarily excluded from needing an environmental assessment.

The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have released a draft plan for managing the Marianas Trench Marine National Monument over the next 15 years. This plan outlines the goals, objectives, and potential management activities, and it includes an environmental assessment to understand the possible impacts on the human environment. The public is invited to comment on this draft by May 25, 2021, and comments can be submitted electronically or by mail. The agencies will consider all these comments before finalizing the management plan.

Tennessee Gas Pipeline Company, L.L.C. has applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for permission to abandon parts of its pipelines, known as the 507G Line Abandonment Project. The project involves leaving 59.6 miles of pipeline in place and removing 15.8 miles, while also relocating a facility used for cleaning and inspecting pipelines. FERC plans to prepare an environmental assessment, inviting public comments, and completing the review by April 25, 2025, with a final decision deadline by July 24, 2025. Public participation is encouraged, with resources available to help individuals engage in the process.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has announced a notice for public inspection of a new major license application filed by Lyonsdale Associates, LLC for the Lyonsdale Hydroelectric Project on the Moose River in New York. The project aims to generate electricity using water from the river and includes proposals for recreation facilities, minimum water flow maintenance, and environmental management plans. The public is encouraged to submit scoping comments electronically by February 16, 2025. FERC will either prepare an environmental assessment or impact statement to evaluate the project's potential environmental effects.

Lake Lynn Generation, LLC has applied to relicense its hydroelectric project on the Cheat River, located near Morgantown, West Virginia and Point Marion, Pennsylvania. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) plans to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential impact of this project, as it is not expected to significantly affect the environment. The EA will be open for a 45-day comment period, allowing interested parties to provide feedback. For questions or public participation help, contact FERC's Office of Public Participation.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is reviewing Amendment 20 to the Pacific Coast Salmon Fishery Management Plan, submitted by the Pacific Fishery Management Council. If approved, this amendment would change the schedule for implementing annual management measures and adjust the southern boundary of the Klamath Management Zone by 5 nautical miles north. The amendment also aims to update outdated language in the fishery management plan. Public comments on this proposal are being considered until April 12, 2021.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has released an environmental assessment (EA) for the Lines DT and DS Replacement Project Amendment proposed by Southern Star Central Gas Pipeline, Inc. This project seeks permission to abandon in-place, rather than remove, two pipeline lines in Anderson and Franklin Counties, Kansas, to minimize impacts on landowners and the environment. The assessment concludes that the project would not significantly affect the human environment if appropriate mitigation measures are adopted. Interested parties are invited to submit comments on the EA before January 27, 2021, through various submission methods available on the FERC website.