[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]


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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