[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 156 (Friday, August 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44218-44219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-21064]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[ER-FRL-6245-4]
Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of
EPA Comments
Availability of EPA comments prepared July 19, 1999 Through July
23, 1999 pursuant to the Environmental Review Process (ERP), under
section 309 of the Clean Air Act and section 102(2)(c) of the National
Environmental Policy Act as amended. Requests for copies of EPA
comments can be directed to the Office of Federal Activities at (202)
564-7167.
An explanation of the ratings assigned to draft environmental
impact statements (EISs) was published in FR dated April 09, 1999 (64
FR 17362).
Draft EISs
ERP No. D-AFS-J65301-MT Rating EC2, North Belts Travel Plan/Maypie
Confederate Vegetation Restoration Project, Improvements, Helena
National Forest, Townsend and Helena Ranger District, Broadwater, Lewis
and Clark and Meagher County, MT.
Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding the lack of
information and commitment to carrying out a monitoring program to
identify actual impacts from all the implementation activities. EPA
also expressed concerned about aerial application of herbicides, and
suggests the final EIS include recommendations to reduce adverse
impacts from aerial spraying.
ERP No. D-COE-F36163-00 Rating EO2, Upper Des Plaines River Flood
Damage Reduction Project, Recommended Plan to Construction a Lateral
Storage Area, National Economic Development (NED), Lake County, IL and
Kenosha and Racine Counties, WI.
Summary: EPA expressed objections based on the limited scope of
analysis and range of alternative, and the potential significant
adverse impacts to wetland and water quality.
ERP No. D-DOE-G06011-NM Rating LO, Sandia National Laboratories/New
Mexico (SNL), Continue Operation, Site-Wide (DOE/EIS-0281),
Albuquerque, NM.
Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objection to the continuation of
the operation of the facility. Overall, the analyses indicates little
difference in the environmental impacts among alternative.
ERP No. D-FHW-L40211-AK Rating EC2, C Street Corridor Project,
Improvements from O'Malley Road to International Airport Road, NPDES
and COE Section 404 Permits, Municipality of Anchorage, AK.
Summary: EPA expressed concerns related to alternatives evaluated
in the EIS, air quality impacts, secondary/cumulative effects analysis,
and wetland impacts and mitigation debits analysis. More information
has been requested for the final EIS.
ERP No. D-FRC-F03006-00 Rating EO2, Independence Pipeline and
Market Link Expansion Projects, Construction and Operation, Interstate
National Gas Pipeline, (Docket Nos. CP97-315-001, CP97-319-000, CP98-
200-000 and CP98-540-000), NPDES and COE Section 404 Permits, IL, IN,
MI, OH, PA and NJ.
Summary: EPA expressed objections based on inadequate information
in the following areas: (1) Purposed and Need, (2) Cumulative Impact
Analysis, (3) Wetlands and mitigation, (4) Upland forests and
mitigation, and (5) Water Quality.
ERP No. D-UAF-G11038-00 Rating EC2, Realistic Bomber Training
Initiative, Improve the B-52 and B-1 Aircrews Mission Training and
Maximize Combat Training Time, Barksdale Air Force Base, LA, NM and TX.
Summary: EPA has identified some environmental concerns that need
to be resolved in the Final EIS to insure and fully insure compliance
with the requirements of NEPA and the CEQ regulations. EPA specific
comments focus on the need to provide more complete analysis of noise
impacts and airspace management issues, and to provide references and
citations to support the DEIS analysis.
ERP No. D1-IBR-K39050-CA Rating * * *, Programmatic--CALFED Bay-
Delta Program, Develop and Implement Long-Term Comprehensive Plan to
Restore Ecological Health and Improve Water Management, San Francisco
Bay--Sacramento/San Joaquin River Bay-Delta, CA.
Summary: Review of the EIS was not deemed necessary. No formal
comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
Final EISs
ERP No. F-AFS-J65299-MT Pinkham Timber Sales and Associated
Activities, Implementation, Kootenai National Forest, Rexford Ranger
District, Lincoln County, MT.
Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding potential
non compliance with forest standards for open road density, and concern
regarding regeneration after timber harvest that may leave many large
forest openings. EPA recommended that the final EIS describe water
quality/aquatics monitoring that would be required assure efficacy of
the mitigation actions.
ERP No. F-BLM-K65206-NV Caliente Management Framework Plan
Amendment, Implementation, Management of Desert Tortoise Habitat
(Gopherus agassizii), Northeastern Mojave Recovery Unit, Lincoln
County, NV.
Summary: Review of the Final EIS was not deemed necessary. No
formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
ERP No. F-COE-G36148-TX Dallas Floodway Extension, Implementation,
Trinity River Basin, Flood Damage Reduction and Environmental
Restoration, Dallas County, TX.
Summary: The Final EIS adequately responds to EPA comments offered
on the Draft EIS.
ERP No. F-COE-L28007-OR Coos Bay-North Bend Water Board Water
Supply Expansion Project, (Formerly Known as Joe Ney and Upper Pony
Creek Reservoirs Expansion Project), COE Section 10 and 404 Permits,
Coos County, OR.
Summary: The Final EIS satisfactorily addresses all of EPA's
concerns and comments expressed in the draft EIS.
ERP No. F-FHW-K40231-AZ Red Mountain Freeway (Loop 202)
Construction and Operation, between AR 87 (County Club Drive) and US-60
(Superstition Freeway), Funding, NPDES Permit and COE Section 404
Permit, City of Mesa, Maricopa County, AZ.
Summary: Review of the Final EIS was not deemed necessary. No
formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
ERP No. F-NOA-F61018-MN Minnesota's Lake Superior Costal Program,
Approval and Implementation, St. Louis and Cook Counties, MN.
Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objection to the proposed actions
assessed in the FEIS.
ERP No. F-NRC-J09802-UT Uranium Mill Tailings Reclamation at Atlas
Site, License Amendment Request for existing License No. SUA-917 along
the Colorado River near Moab, UT.
Summary: EPA agrees in principle to issue a license amendment to
conduct preliminary cleanup action. However, EPA continues to have
objections to the proposed action due to the uncertainty
[[Page 44219]]
of whether the proposed reclamation of the site will meet the standards
necessary to protect an endangered fish species from the leaching of
contaminants into the Colorado River.
Dated: August 10, 1999.
William D. Dickerson,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 99-21064 Filed 8-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P