[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 49 (Friday, March 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12466-12467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-6573]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-5489-8]


Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of 
EPA Comments

    Availability of EPA comments prepared February 23, 1998 Through 
February 27, 1998 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 11, 1997 (62 
FR 16154).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-AFS-E65050-MI Rating EC2, Porter Creek Recreational Lake 
and Complex, Implementation, Homochitto National Forest, Homochitto 
Ranger District, Franklin County, MI.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about loss of 
floodplain resources and water quality problems from potential sewage 
discharge.
    ERP No. D-AFS-L65297-AK Rating EC2, Indian River Timber Sales(s) 
Project, Implementation, Tongass National Forest, Chatham Area, Sitka 
and Hoonah Ranger Districts, COE Section 10 and 404 Permit, NPDES and 
Coast Guard Bridge Permit, Chichagof Island, AK.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with mitigation 
strategies and made recommendations for improving those strategies. EPA 
recommended that all log transfer facilities be designed and operated 
in a manner that allows for direct transfer of logs from land to barge. 
EPA also recommended that the project area watershed analysis, dive 
report and wetland delineation be included in the final EIS.
    ERP No. D-FHW-C40142-NY Rating EC2, S-20/Broadway (Transit Road to 
Lancaster East Village Line) Reconstruction, Funding, COE Section 10 
and 404 Permit, in the Villages of Depew and Lancaster, Erie County, 
NY.
    Summary: EPA requested that the final EIS provide air quality 
analysis which demonstrates that Phase II will conform to the state 
implementation plan as well as a commitment to characterize and plan 
for the disposal of contaminated waste. EPA also requests that the 
final EIS address mitigation for adverse effects to historic or 
cultural resources.
    ERP No. D-FHW-K40229-HI Rating EO2, Saddle Road (HI-200) 
Improvements between Mamalahoa Highway HI-190) to Milepost 6 near Hilo, 
Funding, NPDES and COE Section 404 Permit, Hawaii County, HI.
    Summary: EPA Region 9 raised environmental objections to the build 
alternative. EPA suggested that other alternatives be examined and 
raised concerns with the alternatives analysis, impacts to water 
resources, and indirect and cumulative effects of the project.
    ERP No. D-USA-C11014-NY Rating EC2, Seneca Army Depot Activity 
Disposal and Reuse, Implementation, Seneca County and the City of 
Geneva, Ontario County, NY.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about ground water 
contamination remediation, and impacts to wetlands and cultural 
resources.
    ERP No. D-USA-E11042-AL Rating EC2, Fort McClellen (Main Post) 
Disposal and Reuse, Implementation, Calhoun, Cleburne, Randolph, Clay, 
Talledega, St. Clair, Etowah and Cherokee Counties, AL.
    Summary: EPA has environmental concerns with the preferred 
alternative based on the unknowns associated with its potential 
environmental impacts. Additional information will need to be developed 
to determine the actual long-term consequences of this more intensive 
reuse option.
    ERP No. D-USN-K11083-CA Rating EC2, Hunters Point (Former) Naval 
Shipyard Disposal and Reuse, Implementation, City of San Francisco, San 
Francisco County, CA.
    SUMMARY: EPA requested additional information on project 
description, alternatives land use compatibility, air quality 
cumulative impacts, hazardous wastes and environmental justice 
analysis. In particular, we are concerned by a general lack of 
specificity in the draft EIS/EIR.
    ERP No. D-USN-K11086-CA Rating EC2, US Pacific Fleet F/A 18 E/F 
Aircraft for Development of Facilities to Support Basing on the West 
Coast of the United States, Possible Installations are (1) Lemoore 
Naval Air Station and (2) El Centro Naval Air Facility, Fresno, King 
and Imperial Counties, CA.
    SUMMARY: EPA expressed environmental concerns that the proposed 
project and DEIS was developed without consideration of Executives 
Orders that require pollution prevention, energy efficiency, water 
conservation, hazardous waste minimization, and solid waste reduction 
and recycling. EPA expressed concerns that air mitigation measures 
required under EPA's general conformity rule are conceptual in nature 
and lack definitiveness.
    ERP No. DA-FHW-L40049-OR Rating EC2, West 11th Avenue--Garfield 
Street (West Eugene Parkway) Highway Project, Florence--Eugene Highway 
(OR-126) New Alignment, Comparison of the Originally Approved Design 
and a New Modified Design, Funding, Lane County, OR.
    SUMMARY: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding alternative 
analysis and their rejection since it appeared some had reduced 
environmental impacts especially to rare wet prairie meadows. Also, 
there is insufficient information to determine whether the design of 
wildlife crossings proposed for mitigation will accommodate all species 
frequenting the area.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-CGD-C50012-00 Staten Island Bridges Program--
Modernization and Capacity Enhancement Project, Construction and 
Operation, Funding, Right-of-Way Grant, COE Section 404 Permit and 
NPDES Permit, Staten Island, NY and Elizabeth, NJ.
    SUMMARY: Based on EPA review of the final EIS, and with the 
understanding that EPA will continue to provide input to the 
interagency mitigation group regarding pending

[[Page 12467]]

wetland mitigation issues, and that the stages IB cultural resource 
survey will be completed. EPA's concerns have been adequately 
addressed. EPA have concluded that the proposed project would not 
result in significant adverse environmental impacts; therefore, EPA has 
no objections to its implementation.
    ERP No. F-DOE-C06013-NY Disposal of the Defueled S3G and D1G 
Prototype Reactor Plants, Implementation, Located at the Knolls Atomic 
Power Laboratory Kesselring Site near West Milton, Saratoga County, NY.
    SUMMARY: EPA had no objections to the implementation of the 
proposed project.
    ERP No. F-USN-K11077-CA Novato, California Department of Defense 
Housing Facility Disposal and Reuse, Implementation, City of Novato, 
Marin County, CA.
    SUMMARY: EPA express environmental concern about the draft EIS, 
which include requests for information regarding project description, 
cumulative impacts water and wetlands, air quality and cultural 
resources protection, are generally addressed in the Final EIS. EPA 
asks the Navy to better use the no-action baseline in its impacts 
analysis.

    Dated: March 10, 1998.
William D. Dickerson,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 98-6573 Filed 3-12-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P