247 Availability of finding of no significant impact for Voluntary Public Access Habitat Incentive Program

GAME COMMISSION

Availability of Finding of No Significant Impact for Voluntary Public Access Habitat Incentive Program

[45 Pa.B. 735]
[Saturday, February 7, 2015]

 Summary: The United States Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has prepared a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C.A. §§ 4321—4370h), and an environmental impact statement will not be prepared for a Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Improvement Program (VPA-HIP) grant being provided to the Game Commission (Commission).

 For Further Information: A copy of the environmental assessment (EA) and FONSI can be accessed through the appropriate link at www.nrcs.usda.gov/ea. Single copies of the EA and FONSI documents may be obtained by contacting Andrée DuVarney, National Environmental Coordinator, USDA-NRCS, Ecological Sciences Division, Room 6158-S, P. O. Box 2890, Washington, D.C., 20013-2890, [e-mail].

 Supplementary Information: The NRCS is providing VPA-HIP funds to the Commission. These funds will be used to continue expansion of the components of the Pennsylvania Public Access Program that were funded under the 2011 VPA-HIP grant. The 2014 VPA-HIP funds will be utilized through the Pennsylvania Public Access Program to: increase cooperator participation by at least 20% to 16,923 cooperators; provide 20% more new hunting and trapping opportunities to hunters and trappers for pheasants, rabbits, woodcock, ducks, quail, mink and muskrats; increase the current 2.6 million-acre program by 520,000 acres; increase habitat quality on at least 50,000 acres on participating properties; and monitor the results, including program element increases, economic benefits and the results of public access user surveys, so that successes can be documented.

 The NRCS published a Notice of Intent to adopt the Farm Service Agency Programmatic EA at 44 Pa.B. 7990 (December 20, 2014) and requested comments for a 30-day period. Upon an independent review of the EA, the NRCS found that the document adequately addressed the effects of providing the Commission with 2014 VPA-HIP grant funds to continue activities described in the EA. In its notice the NRCS requested comments but none were received.

R. MATTHEW HOUGH, 
Executive Director

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 15-247. Filed for public inspection February 6, 2015, 9:00 a.m.]