[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 103 (Friday, May 29, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29429-29430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14286]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Notice of Availability of Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact 
Statement

AGENCY: National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior, 
designated lead agency; Bureau of Land Management (BLM), designated 
cooperating agency.

ACTION: Notice of availability of an abbreviated final environmental 
impact statement for the proposed AT&T Corporation P140 Coaxial Cable 
Removal Project, Socorro County New Mexico, Clark County Nevada, and 
Kern and San Bernardino Counties California.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the National Park Service announces the 
availability of an abbreviated final environmental impact statement 
(FEIS) for the P140 Cable Removal Project, Socorro, New Mexico, to 
Mojave, California. The draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for 
the proposal was on public review for more than 60 days from December 
29, 1997 to March 27, 1998. The abbreviated final document includes 
responses to public comments on the DEIS and factual corrections to the 
DEIS.
    In 1996 AT&T approached the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) 
concerning a proposal to remove 220 miles of their P140 cable system 
that no longer supports their current fiber optic network.
    The proposed project involved the removal of portions of a 
telecommunications system traversing 7.7 miles in New Mexico, 7.4 miles 
in Nevada, and 205.2 miles in California.

[[Page 29430]]

The P140 system includes buried coaxial cable, repeater huts, manholes, 
marker posts, and an access corridor. In addition, AT&T proposed to 
relinquish associated rights-of-way easements, in whole or in part, 
wherever cable and equipment were removed.
    As jurisdictional agencies of federal lands 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. In March 1997 DOI determined to 
prepare a non-delegated environmental impact statement.
    The abbreviated FEIS describes and analyzes four alternatives in 
response to AT&T's request to remove cable and to terminate the 
associated rights-of-way. 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.
    Alternative A is the Proposed Action and includes the removal of 
174.5 miles of cable, repeater huts and manholes along 220 miles of the 
right-of-way, and marker posts along 174.2 miles. In addition, the 
proposed action suggests rehabilitation actions to promote revegetation 
and habitat recovery that include the elimination of 39.8 miles of the 
access corridor and 4 miles of dual track.
    Alternative B was developed to protect critical habitat of the 
desert tortoise on federal lands. Cable would not be removed from these 
areas, and more of the access corridor within critical habitat would be 
eliminated. Cable would be removed along 113.7 miles outside of 
critical habitat on federal lands, and repeater huts and manholes would 
be removed along 174.7 miles. Rehabilitation actions include 
eliminating 51.6 miles of the access corridor and 4 miles of dual 
track.
    Alternative C would minimize construction-related impacts on desert 
vegetation and the desert tortoise on federal lands. Cable would not be 
removed from federal lands and the access corridor would be eliminated 
in wilderness areas only. Cable would be removed along 72.3 miles of 
primarily state and private lands. Repeater huts and manholes would be 
removed along 220 miles, and marker posts would be removed along 174.7 
miles. The elimination and rehabilitation of 5.4 miles of the access 
corridor and 4 miles of dual tract also would be included in 
alternative C.
    For all action alternatives, cable removal activities would result 
in long-term (20-50 years) adverse affects on desert vegetation, animal 
species of concern, soil productivity, recreation, and visual 
aesthetics, but to varying degrees. Removal and rehabilitation 
activities also would result in temporary adverse affects on air 
quality and noise due to construction-related activities. 
Rehabilitation actions would have a permanent beneficial impact on 
desert vegetation and the desert tortoise. Elimination of portions of 
the access corridor in the Proposed Action would have a significant 
impact on recreational access to open desert land, but would not 
eliminate access to any designated recreational site. Due to 
elimination of additional segments of the access corridor, Alternative 
B would eliminate access to several designated recreational sites.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joan DeGraff, National Park Service, 
Denver Service Center, PO. 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. A 
limited number of individual copies of the abbreviated FEIS may be 
obtained from Joan DeGraff at the above address or by calling (303) 
969-2464.
    A 30-day no action period will begin following release of the 
abbreviated FEIS. A record of decision will follow the no action 
period.

    Dated: May 22, 1998.
Willie R. Taylor,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 98-14286 Filed 5-28-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 2310-67-P