[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 156 (Friday, August 13, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44218-44219]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-21064]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6245-4]


Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of 
EPA Comments

    Availability of EPA comments prepared July 19, 1999 Through July 
23, 1999 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 09, 1999 (64 
FR 17362).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-AFS-J65301-MT Rating EC2, North Belts Travel Plan/Maypie 
Confederate Vegetation Restoration Project, Improvements, Helena 
National Forest, Townsend and Helena Ranger District, Broadwater, Lewis 
and Clark and Meagher County, MT.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding the lack of 
information and commitment to carrying out a monitoring program to 
identify actual impacts from all the implementation activities. EPA 
also expressed concerned about aerial application of herbicides, and 
suggests the final EIS include recommendations to reduce adverse 
impacts from aerial spraying.
    ERP No. D-COE-F36163-00 Rating EO2, Upper Des Plaines River Flood 
Damage Reduction Project, Recommended Plan to Construction a Lateral 
Storage Area, National Economic Development (NED), Lake County, IL and 
Kenosha and Racine Counties, WI.
    Summary: EPA expressed objections based on the limited scope of 
analysis and range of alternative, and the potential significant 
adverse impacts to wetland and water quality.
    ERP No. D-DOE-G06011-NM Rating LO, Sandia National Laboratories/New 
Mexico (SNL), Continue Operation, Site-Wide (DOE/EIS-0281), 
Albuquerque, NM.
    Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objection to the continuation of 
the operation of the facility. Overall, the analyses indicates little 
difference in the environmental impacts among alternative.
    ERP No. D-FHW-L40211-AK Rating EC2, C Street Corridor Project, 
Improvements from O'Malley Road to International Airport Road, NPDES 
and COE Section 404 Permits, Municipality of Anchorage, AK.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns related to alternatives evaluated 
in the EIS, air quality impacts, secondary/cumulative effects analysis, 
and wetland impacts and mitigation debits analysis. More information 
has been requested for the final EIS.
    ERP No. D-FRC-F03006-00 Rating EO2, Independence Pipeline and 
Market Link Expansion Projects, Construction and Operation, Interstate 
National Gas Pipeline, (Docket Nos. CP97-315-001, CP97-319-000, CP98-
200-000 and CP98-540-000), NPDES and COE Section 404 Permits, IL, IN, 
MI, OH, PA and NJ.
    Summary: EPA expressed objections based on inadequate information 
in the following areas: (1) Purposed and Need, (2) Cumulative Impact 
Analysis, (3) Wetlands and mitigation, (4) Upland forests and 
mitigation, and (5) Water Quality.
    ERP No. D-UAF-G11038-00 Rating EC2, Realistic Bomber Training 
Initiative, Improve the B-52 and B-1 Aircrews Mission Training and 
Maximize Combat Training Time, Barksdale Air Force Base, LA, NM and TX.
    Summary: EPA has identified some environmental concerns that need 
to be resolved in the Final EIS to insure and fully insure compliance 
with the requirements of NEPA and the CEQ regulations. EPA specific 
comments focus on the need to provide more complete analysis of noise 
impacts and airspace management issues, and to provide references and 
citations to support the DEIS analysis.
    ERP No. D1-IBR-K39050-CA Rating * * *, Programmatic--CALFED Bay-
Delta Program, Develop and Implement Long-Term Comprehensive Plan to 
Restore Ecological Health and Improve Water Management, San Francisco 
Bay--Sacramento/San Joaquin River Bay-Delta, CA.
    Summary: Review of the EIS was not deemed necessary. No formal 
comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-J65299-MT Pinkham Timber Sales and Associated 
Activities, Implementation, Kootenai National Forest, Rexford Ranger 
District, Lincoln County, MT.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding potential 
non compliance with forest standards for open road density, and concern 
regarding regeneration after timber harvest that may leave many large 
forest openings. EPA recommended that the final EIS describe water 
quality/aquatics monitoring that would be required assure efficacy of 
the mitigation actions.
    ERP No. F-BLM-K65206-NV Caliente Management Framework Plan 
Amendment, Implementation, Management of Desert Tortoise Habitat 
(Gopherus agassizii), Northeastern Mojave Recovery Unit, Lincoln 
County, NV.
    Summary: Review of the Final EIS was not deemed necessary. No 
formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-COE-G36148-TX Dallas Floodway Extension, Implementation, 
Trinity River Basin, Flood Damage Reduction and Environmental 
Restoration, Dallas County, TX.
    Summary: The Final EIS adequately responds to EPA comments offered 
on the Draft EIS.
    ERP No. F-COE-L28007-OR Coos Bay-North Bend Water Board Water 
Supply Expansion Project, (Formerly Known as Joe Ney and Upper Pony 
Creek Reservoirs Expansion Project), COE Section 10 and 404 Permits, 
Coos County, OR.
    Summary: The Final EIS satisfactorily addresses all of EPA's 
concerns and comments expressed in the draft EIS.
    ERP No. F-FHW-K40231-AZ Red Mountain Freeway (Loop 202) 
Construction and Operation, between AR 87 (County Club Drive) and US-60 
(Superstition Freeway), Funding, NPDES Permit and COE Section 404 
Permit, City of Mesa, Maricopa County, AZ.
    Summary: Review of the Final EIS was not deemed necessary. No 
formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-NOA-F61018-MN Minnesota's Lake Superior Costal Program, 
Approval and Implementation, St. Louis and Cook Counties, MN.
    Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objection to the proposed actions 
assessed in the FEIS.
    ERP No. F-NRC-J09802-UT Uranium Mill Tailings Reclamation at Atlas 
Site, License Amendment Request for existing License No. SUA-917 along 
the Colorado River near Moab, UT.
    Summary: EPA agrees in principle to issue a license amendment to 
conduct preliminary cleanup action. However, EPA continues to have 
objections to the proposed action due to the uncertainty

[[Page 44219]]

of whether the proposed reclamation of the site will meet the standards 
necessary to protect an endangered fish species from the leaching of 
contaminants into the Colorado River.

    Dated: August 10, 1999.
William D. Dickerson,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 99-21064 Filed 8-12-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P