[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 32 (Wednesday, February 16, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 7889]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-3577]



[[Page 7889]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Salton Sea Restoration Project, Riverside and Imperial Counties, 
California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of public hearing for Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement/Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/DEIR).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended and the California Environmental 
Quality Act (CEQA), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has 
prepared a joint DEIS/DEIR for the Salton Sea Restoration Project 
(SSRP). The DEIS/DEIR was made available to the public on January 26, 
2000. Reclamation and the Salton Sea Authority (SSA) have scheduled 
four public hearings to receive comments from interested organizations 
and individuals on the environmental impacts of the project.

DATES: The public hearings will be held Wednesday, March 1, 2000, from 
1 to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m; and on Thursday, March 2, 2000, from 1 
to 4 p.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m. Sign-in for the hearings will begin 30 
minutes prior to the scheduled hearing times.

ADDRESSES: The public hearings will be held at the following locations:
     March 1, 2000, 1 to 4 p.m., Imperial Irrigation District 
Board Room, 81-600 Avenue 58, La Quinta, California
     March 1, 2000, 6 to 9 p.m., Coachella Valley Association 
of Governments, 73-710 Fred Waring Drive, Room 119, Palm Desert, 
California
     March 2, 2000, 1 to 4 p.m., Brawley Chamber of Commerce, 
204 South Imperial Avenue, Brawley, California
     March 2, 2000, 6 to 9 p.m., VFW West Shore Post 3251, 50 
Desert Shores Drive, Desert Shores, California
    Written comments on the DEIS/DEIR should be addressed to Mr. Tom 
Kirk, Director, SSA, 78-401 Highway 111, Suite T, La Quinta, CA 92253; 
or to Mr. William Steele, Program Manager, Salton Sea Project, Bureau 
of Reclamation (Reclamation), PO Box 61470, Boulder City, NV 89006-
1470.
    Our practice is to make comments, including names and home 
addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual 
respondents may request that we withhold their home address from public 
disclosure, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There 
also may be circumstances in which we would withhold a respondent's 
identity from public disclosure, as allowable by law. If you wish us to 
withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at 
the beginning of your comment. We will make all submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, available for public disclosure in their entirety.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Tom Kirk, SSA, at (760) 564-4888; 
or Mr. William Steele, Reclamation, at (702) 293-8129.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Salton Sea is an artificially maintained 
inland body of water located in the southeastern corner of California, 
southeast of Palm Springs, and spans Riverside and Imperial counties. 
Scientific, environmental, and engineering studies have been conducted 
for the SSRP to address environmental issues that have arisen since the 
creation of the sea. Five project alternatives have been developed to 
address project goals. The DEIS/DEIR describes and presents the 
environmental effects of the five alternatives as well as the No Action 
Alternative.

Requests To Testify

    Those wishing to request, in advance, a time to make comments at 
the hearings prior to the hearing dates should write or call Ms. Nadine 
Mupas, Salton Sea Authority, 78-401 Highway 111, Suite T, La Quinta, CA 
92253, telephone: (760) 564-4888. Requests should indicate at which 
session the speaker wishes to appear. Speakers will be called upon to 
present their comments in the order in which their requests were 
received by the SSA. Requests to speak may also be made at each 
session; those requesters will be called to speak after the advance 
requests.
    Oral comments will be limited to 5 minutes per individual. The 
meeting facilitator will allow any speaker to provide additional oral 
comments after all persons wishing to comment have been heard.
    Written comments from those unable to attend or those wishing to 
supplement their oral presentation at the hearing should be received by 
Mr. Tom Kirk, SSA; or Mr. William Steele, Reclamation, at the above 
addresses by April 25, 2000, (the end of the DEIS/DEIR public comment 
period) for consideration in the Final EIS/EIR.

    Note: If special assistance is required, contact Nadine Mupas at 
(760) 564-4888 as far in advance of the hearings as possible and not 
less than 1 week before each hearing, to enable securing the needed 
services. If a request cannot be honored, the requester will be 
notified.


    Dated: February 10, 2000.
Eluid L. Martinez,
Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation.
[FR Doc. 00-3577 Filed 2-15-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-94-P