[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 218 (Friday, November 12, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 61635-61637] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-29708] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [ER-FRL-6248-1] Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of EPA Comments Availability of EPA comments prepared October 25, 1999 Through October 29, 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 10, 1999 (63 FR 17856). Draft EISs ERP No. D-AFS-K65220-NV Rating LO, Cave Rock Management Direction, Implementation, Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Douglas County, NV. Summary: EPA had no objections to the proposed project, and encouraged the Forest Service to continue consulting with the Washoe Tribe. ERP No. D-AFS-L65329-AK Rating, Skipping Cow Timber Sale, Harvesting Timber, South half of Zarembo Island, Tongass National Forest, Wrangell Ranger District. Summary: EPA Region 10 used a screening tool to conduct a limited review of this action. Based on this screen, EPA does not foresee having any environmental objections to the proposed project. Therefore, EPA will not be conducting a detailed review. ERP No. D-BLM-K61148-NV Rating LO, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area (RRCNCA), General Management Plan (GMP), Amendment to the Las Vegas Resource Management Plan, Las Vegas, NV. Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objections to the proposed General Management Plan, but recommended that BLM develop more specific plans to address water quality and vegetation impacts from wild horses and burros. ERP No. D-BLM-K67050-NV Rating EC2, South Pipeline Mine Project, Proposal to Extend Gold Mining Operations, Implementation, Lander County, NV. Summary: EPA expressed concerns regarding the project's potential impacts to vegetation and waters of the U.S. EPA requested additional information be provided on pit backfiling design, pit lake geochemistry, air impacts, reclamation and bonding, and mitigation measures. ERP No. D-COE-E39051-FL Rating EC2, Lake Okeechobee Regulation Schedule Study, To Maintain or Improve Existing Water Storage, St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee River Estuaries, FL. Summary: EPA expressed environmental concern about changing the water release schedule of Lake Okeechobee via implementation of the Water Supply and Environmental alternative, but believes that the additional information being developed can address outstanding issues. ERP No. D-DOE-E09804-FL Rating EC2, JEA Circulating Fluidized Bed (CFB) Combustor Project, 300 Megawatt-Electric, Coal and Petroleum Coke-Fired, CFB Combustor and Boiler to Repower an existing Steam Turbine at JEA's North-side Generating Station Construction and Operation, Funding, Jacksonville, Duval County, FL. Summary: EPA has environmental concerns with the Clean Coal Technology (CCT) Program demonstration project draft EIS. EPA requests that DOE provide additional information on noise impacts and mitigation, air quality, and health-based criteria in the Final EIS. ERP No. D-DOE-L00007-00 Rating EC2, Sodium-Bonded Spent Nuclear Fuel for the Treatment and [[Page 61636]] Management, Candidate Sites are Argonne National Laboratory--West (ANL- W) Located within the boundaries of the Idaho National Laboratory I and the Savannah River Sites (SRS) F-Area and L Area, SC. Summary: EPA expressed concerns about the lack of a demonstrated need to treat spent nuclear fuels at the present time. Moreover, DOE issued the draft EIS before finishing its final testing on the cost and treatment-effectiveness of the electrometallurgical process, a process proposed in five of the six action alternative. EPA requested that information related to these issues be included in the EIS. ERP No. D-FHW-J40149-CO Rating EC2, Colorado Forest Highway 80, Guanella Pass Road (also known as Park County Road 62/Clear Creek County Road 381/Forest Development Road 118) from US 285 in Grant to Georgetown, Improvements, Funding and COE Section 404, NPDES and Special Use Permits Issuance, Park and Clear Creek Counties, CO. Summary: EPA expressed concerns regarding potential impacts to the alpine environment, especially wetlands, sediment control and wild life. EPA also recommended that the 404 CWA permit process be integrating with the FEIS. ERP No. D-FHW-J54000-CO Rating EC2, Southeast Corridor Multi-Modal Project, To Improve Travel between Central and Southeast Corridors, Light Rail Transit (LRT), Colorado Metropolitan Area, Denver, CO. Summary: EPA expressed concern regarding air quality, wetland and potential cumulative impacts. EPA required additional information and clarification related to these issues. ERP No. D-FHW-K40236-HI Rating EC2, Kihei-Upcounty Maui Highway, Transportation Improvements, Funding and COE Section 404 Permit, County of Maui, HI. Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding potential impacts to water quality and wetlands. EPA recommended that FHWA and the Hawaii Transportation Department design, construct and operate the project to avoid and minimize adverse impacts to water resources to the fullest extent possible. ERP No. D-FTA-K40237-CA Rating LO, Orange County CenterLine Project, Transportation Improvements, Advanced Rail Transit in the Heart of Orange County, Funding and COE Section 404 Permit, Orange County, CA. Summary: EPA had no comments on the proposed light rail project. ERP No. D-FTA-K40238-CA Rating LO, Downtown Sacramento--Folsom Corridor, To Improve Transit Services, US 50/Folsom Boulevard, COE Section 404 Permit, Transportation Systems Management (TSM) and Light Rail Transit (LRT), City and County of Sacramento, CA. Summary: EPA has no objection to the proposed action. ERP No. D-NPS-L65328-AK Rating EO2, Spruce Creek Access Project, Construct and Operation. Denali National Park and Preserve, NPDES and COE Section 404 Permits, AK. Summary: EPA objected to the proposed action, as there are other viable options that would be less impacting to fish habitat and water quality. EPA has no objections to the air access alternative or the no action alternative. EPA recommended that additional, protect-level information be included in the EIS, along with additional analysis/ discussion of road maintenance and potential implications on Park management plans and policies. ERP No. D-USN-A10072-00 Rating EC2, Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System (SURTASS) Low Frequency Active (LFA), To Improved Capability to Detect Quiter and Harder-to-Find Foreign Submarines, Implementation. Summary: EPA expressed concerns about the potential impacts to marine animals and recommended that the information from the biological opinion rendered from the Department of Commerce's National Marine Fisheries Service be included in the final EIS. ERP No. D-USN-K11099-NV Rating EC2, Fallon Naval Air Station (NAS), Proposal for the Fallon Range Complex Requirements, Federal and Private Lands, Churchill, Eureka, Lander, Mineral, Nye and Washoe Counties, NV. Summary: EPA expressed concerns regarding cumulative impacts to lands given the long history of bombing and gunnery activity. EPA requested that more comprehensive information about past contamination, clean up, and future potential impacts be included in the Final EIS. Final EISs ERP No. F-AFS-E65051-AL Longleaf Restoration Project, Implement a Systematic Five-Year Program for Restoration of the Native Longleaf Pine, Conecuh National Forest, Conecuh Ranger District, Covington and Escambia Counties, AL. Summary: EPA has no objections to the project, provided that the mitigation measures and monitoring programs are implemented as described in the FEIS. ERP No. F-AFS-L67036-OR Nicore Mining Project, Implementation, Plan-of-Operations, Mining of Four Sites, Road Construction, Reconstruction, Hauling and Stockpiling of Ore, Rough and Ready Creek Watershed, Illinois Valley Ranger District, Siskiyou National Forest, Medford District, Josephine County, OR. Summary: EPA expressed lack of objections. ERP No. F-FHW-G40149-NM US 84/285 Highway Transportation Improvements from Alamo Drive in Santa Fe to Viarrial Street in Pojoaque, Right-of-Way Acquisition, NPDES Permit and COE Section 404 Permit, Santa Fe County, NM. Summary: No formal comment letter sent to lead agency. ERP No. F-FHW-K40229-HI 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 continues to be concerned about quantities and quality of mitigation for significant individual direct and indirect adverse impacts to water quality, wetlands, and threatened and endangered species habitats. ERP No. F-FHW-L40211-AK C Street Corridor Project, Improvements from O'Malley Road to International Airport Road, NPDES and COE Section 404 Permits, Municipality of Anchorage, AK. Summary: No formal comment letter sent to the lead agency. ERP No. F-FRC-J05078-MT Missouri-Madison Hydroelectric (FERC No. 2188) Project, Issuing a New license (Relicense) for Nine Dams and Associated Facilities, MT. Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding FERC's rejection of certain State and Federal fish and wildlife agency recommendations, and the need to establish Madison River thermal success criteria. EPA also requested that license conditions be included to allow the license to be re-opened if thermal success criteria are not adequately attained by the proposed mitigation. ERP No. F-NRS-K36126-HI Lower Hamakua Ditch Watershed Plan, To Provide a Stable and Affordable Supply of Agricultural Water to Farmer and Other, COE Section 404 Permit, Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention, Hawaii County, HI. Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency. ERP No. FS-NOA-B91005-00 Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, Updated Information concerning Overfishing of Red Hake and Silver Hake Fishiers, Northeast United States. Summary: EPA had no comments on the project. [[Page 61637]] Dated: November 9, 1999. William D. Dickerson, Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities. [FR Doc. 99-29708 Filed 11-10-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-U