Phase I Cultrual Resources Investigations for a Proposed Biomass Power Plant, Warren County, Georgia

Phase I cultural resource investigations were conducted by Bums & McDonnell, Inc. for a proposed biomass power plant project. These investigations were conducted to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (as amended) and in accordance with RUS Environmental Policies and Procedures (7 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 1794) and The Council on Environmental Quality regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR Part 1500). The lead agency on this project is Rural Utilities Services (RUS). The applicant for federal financial assistance is Oglethorpe Power Corporation. The project area is located in a rural area of Warren County, Georgia, a little over one mile east of the town of Warrenton. A total of365 acres were surveyed for the project. These lands covered all of the Area of Potential Effect (APE). The purpose of this investigation was to identify all cultural resources within the project area and to provide a preliminary evaluation of their significance and potential eligibility for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). All work was conducted in accordance with professional guidelines and standards of fieldwork and reports found in the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archaeology and Historic Preservation (48 FR 44716-44742) and Georgia Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Surveys (Georgia Council of Professional Archaeologists). As a result of the cultural resource investigations, four archaeological sites and seven isolated finds were recorded. None of the sites are recommended eligible for the NRHP.