[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13212-13213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7197]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
[FES 96-14]


Tongue River Basin Project/Northern Cheyenne Indian Reserved 
Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992, Big Horn County, Montana

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation (Interior), in conjunction with the 
Northern Cheyenne Tribe and the Montana Department of Natural Resources 
and Conservation.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Reclamation, acting as 
lead Federal agency, in conjunction with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe 
and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, has 
prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement on the Tongue River 
Basin Project portion of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reserved Water 
Rights Settlement Act of 1992 (Settlement Act). The proposed action 
affects the following trust assets of the Northern Cheyenne Indian 
Tribe (Tribe) (1) the Tribe's existing water supplies held in Tongue 
River Reservoir; (2) the safety of downstream Tribal lands; and (3) 
additional water for the Tribe's use in the Tongue River Basin. The 
FEIS evaluates the impact to the environment of various alternatives 
for protecting these Tribal assets. The project includes the repair and 
enlargement of the Tongue River Dam, the partial fulfillment of the 
Northern Cheyenne Settlement Act, and the conservation, development, 
and enhancement of fish and wildlife resources and habitat in the 
Tongue River Basin.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Katherine Jabs, Area Manager, 
Montana Projects Office, Bureau of Reclamation (Code: MT-100), P.O. Box 
30137, Billings, Montana 59107, telephone: (406) 247-7298.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Negotiations between the Federal Government 
(acting as trustee for the Tribe) and the State of Montana culminated 
in 1991 with the signing of a water rights compact. Subsequently, the 
compact was ratified by the United States Congress and the Northern 
Cheyenne Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992 (Settlement Act) 
was signed into Public Law #102-374. During the negotiations, an 
opportunity was identified to rehabilitate the presently unsafe State-
owned Tongue River Dam (Dam) and provide additional water to the Tribe 
by raising the dam. The following action alternatives for 
rehabilitating and replacing the spillway and raising the Dam crest 
elevation 4 feet were evaluated in the FEIS: (1) A Labyrinth Weir 
Spillway, (2) a Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC) Spillway, and (3) No 
Action. Other alternatives were considered and dismissed on the basis 
of being technically or economically infeasible or resulted in greater 
environmental effects. These dismissed alternatives ranged from 
purchasing water rights to satisfy the Settlement Act to constructing a 
new dam at another location. The preferred alternative

[[Page 13213]]
selected by the project sponsors is the RCC alternative.
    During the process of negotiating the compact, the State of Montana 
and the Bureau of Reclamation hosted numerous public and agency 
informational meetings. More recently, during the NEPA process, public 
scoping meetings were held during March 1993. A scoping document 
containing the schedule for all meetings was mailed to approximately 
2100 individuals and entities on the Northern Cheyenne Indian 
Reservation and surrounding towns and cities. After the scoping process 
was completed, the draft EIS was completed and sent out for agency and 
public review and comment in mid 1995. Comments were received and 
replies are incorporated in the FEIS.
    There is a 30-day public comment period for the FEIS. Anyone 
interested in obtaining a copy of the FEIS and/or wanting more 
information relative to the study should contact the following persons:

Ms. Brenda Schilf, Project Coordinator, Bureau of Reclamation, Montana 
Projects Office, P.O. Box 30137, Billings, MT 59107, (406) 247-7298.
Mr. Ernie Robinson, Project Coordinator, Northern Cheyenne Tribe, 128 
Little Coyote Drive, Lame Deer, MT 59043, (406) 477-6503.
Mr. Stan Jones, Project Coordinator, Department of Natural Resources 
and Conservation, 48 N. Last Chance Gulch, P.O. Box 201601, Helena, 
Montana 59620-1601, (406) 444-0525.

    Dated: March 14, 1996.
Katherine Jabs,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 96-7197 Filed 3-25-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-09-P