[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 188 (Wednesday, September 27, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58146-58148]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-24852]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Surface Transportation Board

[STB Finance Docket No. 33407]


Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation Construction 
Into the Powder River Basin

AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
and notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation (DM&E) 
has filed an application with the Surface Transportation Board (Board) 
for authority to construct and operate new rail line facilities in 
east-central Wyoming, southwest South Dakota, and south-central 
Minnesota. The project, known as the Powder River Basin Expansion 
Project, involves approximately 280.9 miles of new rail line 
construction and would extend DM&E's existing rail line from Wall, 
South Dakota west to coal mines in Wyoming's Powder River Basin. 
Additionally, DM&E proposes to rebuild approximately 597.8 miles of 
existing rail line along its current system to standards acceptable for 
operation of unit coal trains. The project would require actions by a 
number of Federal agencies, including the Board, the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture Forest Service (USFS), the U.S. Department of the Interior 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(COE), the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Reclamation

[[Page 58147]]

(Reclamation), and the U.S. Coast Guard (Coast Guard).
    The Board, through its Section of Environmental Analysis (SEA) and 
in cooperation with USFS, BLM, COE, Reclamation, and the Coast Guard, 
has published a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for 
the Powder River Basin Expansion Project. This Draft EIS is a 
preliminary analysis of the potential environmental impacts of the DM&E 
proposal and its reasonable and feasible alternatives, including the 
No-Action Alternative. SEA emphasizes that the conclusions and 
recommended environmental mitigation measures in this Draft EIS are 
preliminary, and invites public and agency comments on all aspects of 
the Draft EIS. SEA is providing a 90-day public comment period on the 
Draft EIS. Comments must be postmarked by the close of the comment 
period, which is January 5, 2001. Information on how to submit comments 
is set forth below.
    SEA, working with the five cooperating agencies, will make its 
final recommendations on the project, including environmentally 
preferable alternative(s) and environmental mitigation, to the Board in 
the Final EIS, after considering all public comments on the Draft EIS 
and conducting further environmental analysis, agency consultations, 
and site visits, as appropriate. The Final EIS will be issued after 
public comments have been received, reviewed, and fully evaluated. 
Notice of availability of the Final EIS will be published in the 
Federal Register.
    Following issuance of the Final EIS, the Board will make its final 
decision regarding this project and any environmental conditions it 
might impose. When considering whether to grant final approval of the 
proposed transaction, the Board will consider the potential 
environmental effects and the cost of any environmental mitigation it 
might impose on the project. In reaching its final decision in this 
proceeding, the Board will take into account the full environmental 
record, including the Draft EIS, the Final EIS, and all public and 
agency comments received. The cooperating agencies will issue their 
decisions based on the same environmental record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Victoria Rutson, Project Manager, 
Surface Transportation Board, Powder River Basin Expansion Project, 1-
877-404-3044; U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service: Wendy 
Schmitzer, (307) 358-4690; U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of 
Land Management: Bill Carson, (307) 746-4453; U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers: Jerry Folkers, (402) 221-4173 (Omaha District) and Timothy 
Fell, (651) 290-5360 (St. Paul District); U.S. Department of the 
Interior Bureau of Reclamation: Kenneth Parr, (605) 394-9757; U.S. 
Coast Guard: Bruce McLaren, (314) 539-33724. [TDD/TDY for hearing 
impaired: 1-800-877-8339.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Availability

    In addition to mailing the document to over 2,500 interested 
parties, SEA has distributed the Draft EIS to over 80 public libraries 
in the project area and asked that the entire Draft EIS be made 
publicly available in their reference section. To obtain the name of 
the library nearest you that has received the Draft EIS, please call 
the toll-free Environmental Hotline at 1-877-404-3044 and leave your 
name, address, and telephone number. The entire Draft EIS is also 
available on the Board's website (http://www.stb.dot.gov) by clicking 
on the ``Decisions'' button and searching by Service date (September 
27, 2000) or Docket Number (FD 33407). The Draft EIS will be listed as 
Environmental Document under the ``TYPE'' category. Because of the size 
of the document--over 2000 pages and several volumes--distribution of 
the entire Draft EIS has been limited to key governmental agencies, 
parties of record, and those who requested the entire document in 
response to SEA's postcard mailing in June 2000.

Public Comment

    Written comments on the Draft EIS must be submitted by January 5, 
2001. For comments over five pages long, please send an original and 
ten copies. For comments five pages long and less, an original alone 
may be submitted. Please send all comments to the following address: 
Office of the Secretary, Case Control Unit, STB Finance Docket No. 
33407, Surface Transportation Board, 1925 K Street NW, Washington, D.C. 
20423-0001.
    In the lower left-hand corner of the envelope, please include the 
following: Attention: Victoria Rutson, Environmental Project Manager, 
Environment Filing.
    SEA is also requesting comments on other documents set forth in 
Appendices to the Draft EIS, specifically, the Biological Assessment, 
the Programmatic Agreement and Identification Plan, and the Memorandum 
of Agreement. Comments on these documents are also due by January 5, 
2001 and should be submitted to the Board according to the instructions 
above.
    Regarding the Forest Plan Amendments, which are also set forth in 
the Executive Summary and in Appendix L to the Draft EIS, the National 
Forest Management Act, 36 CFR 219.10(e), requires consistency between 
projects being proposed and National Forest Land and Resource 
Management Plans (Forest Plans). Accordingly, USFS evaluated two 
existing Forest Plans (Nebraska and Medicine Bow Forest Plans) for 
consistency with standards and guidelines of those plans as well as the 
Draft National Grasslands Plan Revision (Preferred Alternative 3). 
Based on the identification of its Preferred Alternative, Alternative 
C, USFS has determined that if Alternative C is selected for 
implementation, then Alternative C will not be consistent with any of 
the Forest Plans above, and plan amendments must be proposed. You are 
invited to comment on these proposed Forest Plan Amendments and may 
send written comments to Ms. Wendy Schmitzer, USFS Project Coordinator, 
Douglas Ranger District, 2250 East Richards Street, Douglas, Wyoming, 
82633, or call (307) 358-1634. You may e-mail comments on the Forest 
Plan Amendments to: [email protected].
    SEA anticipates that DM&E will submit two permit applications under 
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act to the COE by the publication date 
of this Notice. Comments on DM&E's Section 404 Permit Application 
relating to Minnesota should be sent to: Mr. Timothy Fell, U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, 190 5th Street East, St. Paul, 
MN 55101-1638. Comments on DM&E's Section 404 Permit Application 
relating to Wyoming and South Dakota should be sent to: Mr. Jerry 
Folkers, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, 215 North 17th 
Street, Omaha, NE 68102-4978. The COE has made the Applications 
available for review at various locations. For the location nearest you 
that has the Section 404 Application relating to Minnesota, please 
contact Mr. Fell at (651) 290-5360. For the location nearest you that 
has the Section 404 Application relating to South Dakota and Wyoming, 
please contact Mr. Folkers at (402) 221-4173.

Public Meetings

    In addition to receiving written comments on the Draft EIS, SEA 
will host 12 public meetings at the locations and on the dates and 
times listed below. At each meeting, SEA and the participating 
cooperating agencies will give a brief presentation. Then members of 
the public will have the opportunity to speak. All public meetings will

[[Page 58148]]

follow the same format and agenda. SEA will have a transcriber 
available at each meeting to ensure that oral comments are accurately 
recorded. In some locations, two meetings will be held (an afternoon 
and an evening session). Both the afternoon and evening meetings will 
follow the same format and agenda; it is not necessary to attend both 
meetings.

Douglas, WY
    Best Western Douglas Inn, 1450 Riverbend Drive, Douglas, WY 82633, 
Monday, October 30, 2000, 6-10 p.m.
Newcastle, WY
    The Fountain Inn, 2 Fountain Plaza, Newcastle, WY 82701, Wednesday, 
November 1, 2000, 1-4 p.m. and 6-10 p.m.
Rapid City, SD
    Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, 444 Mount Rushmore Road North, Rapid 
City, SD 57701, Thursday, November 2, 2000, 6-10 p.m.
Pierre, SD
    Best Western Kings Inn, 200 South Pierre, Pierre, SD 57501, Monday, 
November 13, 2000, 1-4 p.m. and 6-10 p.m.
Brookings, SD
    Brookings Inn, 2500 East 5th Street, Brookings, SD 57006, Tuesday, 
November 14, 2000, 1-4 p.m. and 6-10 p.m.
Mankato, MN
    Best Western Hotel and Restaurant, 1111 Range Street, North 
Mankato, MN 56003, Wednesday, November 15, 2000, 1-4 p.m. and 6-10 p.m.
Rochester, MN
    Mayo Civic Center, 30 Civic Center Drive South East, Rochester, MN 
55904, Thursday, November 16, 2000, 1-4 p.m. and 6-10 p.m.

    SEA will also conduct a meeting specifically for interested Tribes 
and Tribal organizations, as part of the formal government-to-
government consultation process on the Draft EIS.

Pre-Registration for Public Meetings

    Persons wanting to speak at a public meeting are strongly urged to 
pre-register by calling the toll-free Environmental Hotline for this 
project at 1-877-404-3044 and leave their name, telephone number, the 
name of any group, business, or agency affiliation, if applicable, and 
the date and time of the meeting at which they wish to speak. The 
deadline for pre-registration for all meetings is October 20, 2000.
    Persons will be called to speak at each meeting in the order in 
which they pre-registered. Those wishing to speak but that did not pre-
register will be accommodated at each meeting as time allows. Those 
wishing to speak at more than one meeting will also be accommodated as 
time allows and after all others have had an opportunity to 
participate. As SEA would like as many persons as possible to 
participate and given that there will be a limited amount of time at 
each meeting, all speakers are strongly encouraged to prepare summary 
oral comments, and submit detailed comments in writing. SEA also 
encourages groups of individuals with similar comments to designate a 
representative to speak for them.

    By the Board, Elaine K. Kaiser, Chief, Section of Environmental 
Analysis.
Vernon A. Williams,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 00-24852 Filed 9-26-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4915-00-P