[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 248 (Monday, December 29, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67656-67657]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33650]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service
[DES 97-46]


Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
AT&T Corporation P140 Coaxial Cable Removal Project, Soccoro County, 
New Mexico, Clark County, Nevada, and Kern and San Bernardino Counties, 
California

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 the National Park Service announces the availability 
of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). The Superintendent 
of Mojave National Preserve, is the Department of the Interior's 
designated lead federal agency official in accordance with 516 DM 
2.4(A), the Bureau of Land Management, Riverside District Office, is 
the designated cooperating agency; and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (USFWS), Ventura Office, is a coordinating agency. This notice 
also announces public meetings for the purpose of receiving public 
comments on the DEIS.
    The National Park Service (NPS) and the Bureau of Land Management 
(BLM) received a request from AT&T Corp. to remove portions of a 
telecommunications system, that is non-supportive to their fiber optic 
network and to relinquish associated rights-of-way easements. As 
jurisdictional agencies of federal Iands crossed by the project, the 
NPS and the BLM are responsible for determining terms and conditions of 
any removal activity and rehabilitation actions to promote restoration 
of the land. AT&T owns and maintains approximately 709 miles of coaxial 
communications cable and equipment generally between Mojave, California 
and Socorro, New Mexico known as the P140 cable system consisting of 
underground cable, repeater huts, manholes, cable markers, other 
electronic equipment and access corridor. The project addresses a 220 
mile portion of the system including 7.7 miles in New Mexico, 7.4 miles 
in Nevada, and 205.2 miles in California.

Alternatives

    The DEIS describes and analyzes four alternatives in response to 
AT&T's request to remove cable and to terminate the associated rights-
of-way. The original right-of-way grants for public and state lands in 
New Mexico and private and state lands in California provide AT&T a 
right to remove cable and equipment; so it was necessary to assume 
cable and equipment removal in these areas. The proposed action, and 
two additional action alternatives have been developed to reduce or 
avoid adverse effects on desert vegetation, wilderness, the desert 
tortoise and recreational access. The No Action alternative is included 
as a baseline for comparison of the action alternatives. To varying 
degrees all action alternatives include cable and structure removal 
along with rehabilitation of the access corridor and repeater hut 
sites.
    The No Action Alternative includes no cable or structural removal 
nor any rehabilitation action. AT&T would retain its right-of-way 
easements and would continue to patrol and maintain the access 
corridor. The Proposed Action-Alternative A, includes the removal of 
174.5 miles of cable, repeater huts and manholes along 220 miles of the 
right-of-way. Removal of marker posts along 174.2 miles and elimination 
of 39.8 miles of the access corridor and 4 miles of dual track. In 
addition, the proposed action includes rehabilitation actions to 
promote restoration and habitat recovery at the repeater hut sites and 
along portions of the access corridor. Alternative B, was developed to 
protect desert tortoise critical habitat on federal lands by not 
removing cable from these areas and eliminating more of the access 
corridor within critical habitat. Cable would be removed along 113.7 
miles outside of critical habitat on federal lands, repeater huts and 
manholes would be removed along 174.7 miles, and 51.6 miles of the 
access corridor and 4 miles of dual track would be eliminated and 
rehabilitated. Alternative C, was developed to minimize construction 
related impacts on desert vegetation and desert tortoise on federal 
lands by not removing any cable on federal lands and by eliminating the 
access corridor in wilderness areas only. Cable would be removed along 
72.3 miles on primarily state and private lands. Repeater huts and 
manholes would be removed along 220 miles, marker posts would be 
removed along 174.7 miles, and 5.4 miles of the access corridor and 4 
miles

[[Page 67657]]

of dual tract would be eliminated and rehabilitated.

Environmental Consequences

    In general, the Proposed Action would involve trade-offs between 
long term, adverse affects on desert resources as a result of cable 
removal activities and permanent gains or benefits associated with 
removal of structures and rehabilitation actions at the repeater hut 
sites and along the access corridor. Removal and rehabilitation 
activities would result in unavoidable, long term adverse effects on 
desert vegetation, animal species of concern, soil productivity, and 
visual aesthetics. Construction activities would also result in 
temporary adverse air quality and noise impacts. Removal of marker 
posts along 220 miles would enhance desert tortoise habitat by 
eliminating predator perches and removal of repeater huts would enhance 
desert aesthetics. Rehabilitation actions along the access corridor 
would have an unavoidable, permanent adverse effect on recreational 
access to open desert areas on federal land. Rehabilitation action 
along the access corridor and at the repeater hut sites, overall, would 
have a beneficial impact on desert resources. Alternative B would 
result in long term losses of desert vegetation and desert tortoise 
habitat due to 113.7 fewer miles of cable removal activities, but would 
affect 61 fewer miles than the Proposed action. The enhancement of 
desert tortoise habitat by eliminating predator perches would be the 
same as the proposal. Elimination of 12 more miles of the access 
corridor would result in a greater permanent gain to desert tortoise 
habitat by eliminating the vehicle related impacts, but would have 
greater impacts on recreation access than the proposal. The permanent 
enhancement of habitat values at the repeater hut sites would be the 
same as the proposal. The permanent visual enhancement associated with 
removal of aboveground structures would be the same as the proposal. 
Impacts of Alternative C would result in long term loss of desert 
vegetation and desert tortoise habitat due to 72.3 fewer miles of cable 
removal, but would affect 102 miles less than the proposal. The 
enhancement of desert tortoise habitat by eliminating predator perches 
along 220 miles would be the same as the proposal. Eliminating 34 fewer 
miles of the access corridor as compared with the proposal would result 
in a smaller permanent gain to desert tortoise habitat but would avoid 
the recreational access impacts of the proposal. The permanent 
enhancement of habitat values at the repeater hut sites would be the 
same as the proposal. The permanent visual enhancement associated with 
removal of the aboveground structures would be the same as the 
proposal.
    The DEIS was prepared in order to evaluate a range of alternatives, 
assess the impacts of these alternatives and to provide the public with 
an opportunity to comment. This document will be on public review for 
at least 60 days. The NPS and the BLM would appreciate any comments on 
the project.

DATES: Comments on the Draft EIS should be received no later than March 
27, 1998. Two public meetings are scheduled for Wednesday, January 14, 
1998 (10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.) at the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor 
Center within the Mojave National Preserve; and (7:00 p.m.--9:00 p.m.) 
at the Holiday Inn, 1511 E. Main Street, in Barstow, California. 
Further information can be obtained by contacting Joan DeGraff of the 
NPS at (303) 969-2464.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the Draft EIS should be submitted to 
Joan DeGraff National Park Service, Denver Service Center, P.O. BOX 
25287, Denver, CO. 80225-0287.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of the DEIS are available on the 
Internet at the NPS web site http://www.nps.gov/planning/index.html. 
Public reading copies of the DEIS are available for review at local NPS 
and BLM Offices and at local public libraries. For information on these 
locations contact: Joan DeGraff at (303) 969-2464.

    Dated: December 19, 1997.
Willie R. Taylor,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 97-33650 Filed 12-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 2310-67-P