[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] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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