[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 34 (Friday, February 18, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8361-8362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-3936]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6251-3]


Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of 
EPA Comments

    Availability of EPA comments prepared January 31, 2000 through 
February 4, 2000 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) 564-7176.
    An explanation of the ratings assigned to draft environmental 
impact statements (EISs) was published in the Federal Register dated 
April 9, 1999 (63 FR 17856).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-BLM-J01010-WY Rating EC2, Horse Creek Coal Lease 
Application (Federal Coal Lease Application WYW-141435), 
Implementation, Campbell and Converse Counties, WY.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding the lack of 
mitigation to reduce harmful levels of nitrogen oxides that could 
result from blasting coal and overburden, a concern for potential 
visibility impairment in Class I areas from increased air emissions 
from coal-bed methane production, coal mining, and coal trains. EPA 
requested a comprehensive impact assessment/planning document be 
developed to disclose incremental developments and their potential 
impacts to the Powder River Basin based on 10% coal production annual 
growth use.
    ERP No. D-COE-C39013-NY Rating LO, Fire Island Inlet to Montauk 
Point, Implementation, Reach 1--Fire Island Inlet to Moriches Inlet 
Interim Storm Damage Protection Project, Long Island, NY.
    Summary: EPA concluded that this project will not result in 
significant adverse environmental impacts and does not object to its 
implementation.
    ERP No. D-COE-K36130-AZ Rating EC2, Tres Rios Feasibility Study 
Project, Ecosystem Restoration, Located at the Salt, Gila and Agua Fria 
Rivers, City of Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ.
    Summary: EPA expressed concern regarding potential water quality 
impacts. EPA requested that additional information be included on this 
issue in the final document.
    ERP No. D-DOE-A06181-00 Rating EC2, Geologic Repository for the 
Disposal of Spent Nuclear Fuel and High-Level Radioactive Waste, 
Construction, Operation, Monitoring and Eventually Closing a geologic 
repository at Yucca Mountain, Nye County, NV.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with this project and 
requested clarifications about and additional data on: the movement of 
radionuclides in the saturated zone beneath the repository; changes in 
project design resulting from on-going studies at the repository site; 
and, the national transportation of spent fuel and high level 
radioactive waste.
    ERP No. D-FAA-F51045-OH Rating EC2, Cleveland Hopkins International 
Airport, To Provide Capacity, Facilities, Highway Improvements and 
Enhancement to Safety, Funding, Cugahoga County, OH.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns regarding potential noise impacts, 
water quality impacts, purpose/need documentation, alternatives, and 
Section 401 Water Quality Certification status. EPA requested that 
additional information/mitigation be provided on these issues.
    ERP No. D-NPS-K65221-AZ Rating LO, Chiricahua National Monument, 
General Management Plan, To Protect Certain National Formations, Known 
as ``the Pinnacles,'' AZ.
    Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objections to the proposed 
management plan.
    ERP No. D-NPS-K65222-AZ Rating LO, Fort Bowie National Historic 
Site General Management Plan, Implementation, Cochise County, AZ.
    Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objections to the proposal. 
However, EPA requested that the NPS disclose details on the proposal's 
potential impacts to groundwater resources, at Apache Spring, expand 
the cumulative impacts section in the final EIS and continue 
consultation with affected tribes on a government to government basis.
    ERP No. D-SFW-L03009-AK Rating EC2, Wolf Lake Area Natural Gas 
Pipeline Project, Construction, Approval Right-of-Way Grant and COE 
Section 404 Permit, Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, AK.
    Summary: EPA identified concerns with the level of analysis 
presented in the EIS, the lack of analysis of the no action 
alternative, and the lack of clearly defined mitigation measures that 
would be implemented. EPA recommended that these issues be addressed in 
the final EIS.
    ERP No. D-TVA-E09805-TN Rating EC2, Addition of Electric Generation 
Peaking and Baseload Capacity at Greenfield Sites, Construction and 
Operation of Combustion Turbines (CTs), Haywood County, TN.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns regarding potential air quality, 
environmental justice and global warming issues. EPA requested that 
additional information on these issues be included in the final EIS.
    ERP No. D-USA-A10073-00 Rating EC2, Programmatic EIS--Transportable 
Treatment Systems for Non-Stockpile Chemical Warfare Material (CWM), To 
Destroy Non-Stockpile (CWM) in order to Protect Human, Health, Safety 
and the Environment, To Comply with the International Treaty, 
Nationwide.
    Summary: EPA recommended that the EIS be changed from a 
programmatic documents to a non-programmatic EIS to reflect the limited 
scope of the EIS in relation to the whole non-stockpile CWM destruction 
program. EPA requested additional information be provided in the final 
EIS concerning treatment effectiveness, hazardous waste determination, 
waste control limits, monitoring, and risk assessments.
    ERP No. DB-NOA-E86002-00 Rating LO, Snapper Grouper Fishery, 
Amendment 12 to the Fishery

[[Page 8362]]

Management Plan, Regulatory Impact Review, South Atlantic Region.
    Summary: While EPA has no objection to the proposed action, it 
recommended that an adaptive management approach be instituted to 
measure the success of the Fishery Management Plan and stock recovery 
and to implement adopted adjustments as needed.
    ERP No. DS-AFS-L61218-ID Rating EC2, Frank Church-River of No 
Return Wilderness (FC-RONRW), Implementation for the Future Management 
of Land and Water Resources, Updated and Additional Information, 
Bitterroot, Boise, Nez Perce, Payette and Salmon-Challis National 
Forests, ID.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns regarding water quality. EPA 
recommended that the EIS include information on degraded streams, their 
polluting parameters, potential impacts from project implementation, 
and strategies for addressing degraded streams as required by the 
Forest Service Protocol for Addressing CWA 303(d) Listed Waters.
    ERP No. DS-NOA-A91065-00 Rating EC2, Atlantic Tunas, Swordfish and 
Sharks, Highly Migratory Species Fishery Management Plan, Updated 
Information, Reduction of Bycatch and Incidental Catch in the Atlantic 
Pelagic Longline Fishery.
    Summary: EPA expressed concern that the preferred alternative is 
counterproductive for some species, particularly protected sea turtles, 
and requested that another alternative that might reduce turtle 
interaction with Longline sets be selected.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-J61100-CO, Arapahoe Basin Ski Area Master Development 
Plan, Construction and Operation, COE Section 404 Permit, White River 
National Forest, Dillon Ranger District, Summit County, CO.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental objections due to potential 
impacts to water quality, and inadequate mitigation for potential 
impacts in Phase I of the project. EPA recommended that a mitigation 
plan be developed to accompany the stipulations attached to Phase II of 
the project.
    ERP No. F-AFS-J65308-UT, Wasatch Powderbird Guides Permit Renewal, 
Proposal to Conduct Guided Helicopter Skiing Activities on National 
Forest System Land, Issuance of a Special-Use-Permit, Wasatch-Cache 
National Forest, Uinta National Forest, Salt Lake County, UT.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-AFS-L65297-AK, Indian River Timber Sales(s) Project, 
Implementation, Tongass National Forest, Chatham Area, Sitka and Hoonah 
Ranger Districts, COE Section 10 and 404 Permit, NPDES and Coast Guard 
Bridge Permit, Chichagof Island, AK.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-COE-C30010-NJ, Barnegat Inlet to Little Egg Inlet 
Hurricane and Storm Damage Protection, Implementation, Long Beach 
Island, Ocean County, NJ.
    Summary: EPA has no objection to the proposed project because it 
does not appear that it would result in significant adverse impacts to 
environmental resources of concern.
    ERP No. F-FHW-L40209-WA, WA-16/Union Avenue Vicinity to WA-302 
Vicinity of Tacoma Improvements, Construction, Funding, Coast Guard 
Permit, COE Section 10 and 404 Permits, Pierce County, WA.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-USA-C11015-NJ, Military Ocean Terminal (MOTBY), Disposal 
and Reuse, Implementation, in the City of Bayonne, Bergen, Essex and 
Hudson Counties, NJ.
    Summary: EPA has no objection to the project as proposed, provided 
that all mitigation is implemented.
    ERP No. F-USA-K11090-AZ, Fort Huachuca Real Property Master 
Planning, Approval of Land Use and Real Estate Investment Strategies, 
Cochise County, AZ.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-USN-K11097-GU, Agana Naval Air Station Disposal and 
Reuse, Implementation, Guam.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

    Dated: February 15, 2000.
B. Katherine Biggs,
Associate Director, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 00-3936 Filed 2-17-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U