[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 23 (Friday, February 2, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8789-8790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-2882]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6615-2]


Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of 
EPA Comments

    Availability of EPA comments prepared 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 14, 2000 (65 FR 20157).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-AFS-L65370-OR Rating LO, South Bend Weigh and Safety 
Station Establishment, Special Use Permit for Construction, Maintenance 
and Operation, Deschutes National Forest Lands along US 97 near the 
Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Deschutes County, OR.

    Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objections with the proposed 
project. However, EPA recommended that the cumulative effects analyses 
on Mule Deer be revised including additional information to support 
conclusions presented in the EIS.
    ERP No. D-BLM-G65077-NM Rating LO, Santo Domingo Pueblo and Bureau 
of Land Management Proposed Land Exchange Project, Sandoval and Santa 
Fe Counties, NM.

    Summary: EPA had no objections to the selection of the preferred 
alternative and was pleased with the inclusion of conservation 
easements.
    ERP No. D-IBR-L28008-ID Rating EO2, Arrowrock Dam Outlet Works 
Rehabilitation, Construction and Operation, To Remove 10 Lower Level 
Ensign Valves and Replace with 10 Clamshell Gates, Boise River, City of 
Boise, ID.

    Summary: EPA expressed objections because all alternatives would 
likely result in violations of Idaho water quality standards (WQS), 
including the exceedance of the Total Maximum Daily Load allocation of 
sediment, and endanger threatened bull trout populations that 
overwinter in Arrowrock Reservoir. EPA recommends that the Bureau 
examine additional alternatives and mitigation measures to avoid or 
minimize impacts to water quality and bull trout and that the EIS 
compare results of numerical modeling for water quality to WQS 
thresholds, include additional information on the effects to bull 
trout, and contain a more comprehensive monitoring plan.
    ERP No. DS-FHW-J40149-CO Rating EC2, Colorado Forest Highway 80, 
Guanella Pass Road (also known as Park County Road 62, Clear Creek 
County Road 381 and Forest Development Road 118), Additional 
Alternative includes Rehabilitation, Light Reconstruction and Full 
Construction, Funding, Clear Creek and Park Counties, CO.

    Summary: EPA continues to express concerns regarding project 
impacts to wetlands, water quality and wildlife.
    ERP No. DS-NOA-B91025-00 Rating LO, Federal Lobster Management in 
the Exclusive Economic Service, Implementation, American Lobster 
Fishery Management Plan, NY, NH and MA.

    Summary: EPA had no objections to the project.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-A65168-00, Forest Service Roadless Area Conservation, 
Implementation, Proposal to Protect Roadless Areas.

    Summary: While the final EIS generally addressed EPA's major 
concerns, EPA did suggest that the Record of Decision outline the 
details of the Tongass transition regarding duration of timber sale 
contracts pursuant to 36 CFR 223.31.
    ERP No. F-AFS-J60020-00 Yellowstone Pipeline Proposed Changes to 
Existing Pipeline between Thompson Fall and Kingston, Sanders County, 
MT and Shoshone County, ID.

    Summary: EPA supports the Forest Service's efforts to reduce the 
risk of future pipeline exposoures, and conflicts between maintenance 
and repair of the pipeline and stream protection goals. EPA also 
suggests that additional recommended mitigation measures shown in 
Appendix E (FEIS) be included in final preferred alternative selected 
in the Record of Decision, to further reduce the potential for 
petroleum releases.
    ERP No. F-AFS-J65326-MT, Ashland Post-Fire Project, Proposal to 
Implement Restoration Activities to Maintain Watershed, Custer National 
Forest, Powder River and Rosebud Counties, MT.

Summary: EPA supports the purposed project to stabilize soils and 
maintain watershed function by minimizing soil erosion and maintaining 
soil productivity, stream function and water quality. EPA continues to 
express concerns with erosion and sediment production from timber 
harvest activities.
    ERP No. F-BLM-A99217-00, Programmatic EIS--Surface Management 
Regulations for Locatable Mineral Operation, (43 CFR 3809), Public 
Land.

Summary: While the FEIS did address EPA's concerns with performance 
standards, bonding, reclamation provisions and ``unnecessary or undue 
degradation'' EPA continues to express

[[Page 8790]]

concerns with potential environmental impacts resulting from inadequate 
financial guarantees and not fully linking the EIS to the plan of 
operation and applicable permits.
    ERP No. F-COE-D36118-DE, Fenwick Island Feasibility Study, Storm 
Damage Reduction, Delaware Coast from Cape Henlopen to Fenwick Island, 
Protective Berm and Dune Construction, Community of Fenwick Island, 
Sussex County, DE.

Summary: EPA did not have any objections regarding this proposed 
project.
    ERP No. F-DOD-A11075-00, National Missile Defense (NMD) Deployment 
System, Analysis of Possible Deployment Sites: AK, AS and ND.
Summary: While EPA has no additional concerns, EPA did express concern 
about the PAVE PWQS radar facilities which are a component of NMD and 
will be assessed in a separate EIS.
    ERP No. F-DOE-L00008-00, PROGRAMMATIC--Accomplishing Expanded 
Civilian Nuclear Energy Research and Development and Isotope Production 
Missions in the United States, Including the Role of the Fast Flux 
Test, ID, TN, WA.

Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-FAA-B51019-RI, T.F. Green Airport Project, To Implement 
the Part 150 Noise Abatement Procedures in a Safe and Efficient Manner, 
Warwick County, RI.

Summary: EPA requested that the Record of Decision include a more 
thorough EJ analysis, additional information about cumulative impacts, 
and firm commitments to mitigation measures.
    ERP No. F-FHW-D40302-WV, US 522 Upgrade and Improvements Project, 
From the Virginia State Line through Morgan County to the Maryland 
State Line, Funding, NPDES and COE Section 404 Permit, Berkeley 
Springs, Morgan County, WV.

Summary: EPA maintained concerns with the potential wetland, stream, 
and residential impacts of the proposed highway project. In addition, 
EPA expressed concern with the potential impacts this project may have 
on the Potomac River Bridge and Route 522 in Maryland.
    ERP No. F-FHW-K53008-NV, Reno Railroad Corridor, Implementation of 
the Freight Railroad Grade Separation Improvements in the Central 
Portion of the City of Reno, Washoe County, NV.

Summary: EPA expressed continuing concerns regarding the adequacy of 
the Dust Control Plan. EPA requested the inclusion of specific PM-10 
control measures in the Dust Control Plan and requested a stated 
commitment to these measures from the lead agency in the Record of 
Decision.
    ERP No. F-FHW-L40204-WA, NE 8TH/I-405 Interchange Project, 
Construction, Funding, Right-of-Way Use Permit and NPDES Stormwater 
Permit, City of Bellevue, King County, WA.

Summary: Due to a lack of objections. EPA did not comment on this 
proposed project.
    ERP No. F-NPS-F39038-00, Lower Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway 
Cooperative Management Plan, Implementation, MN and WI.

    Summary: EPA continued to express concerns about impacts to water 
quality, managing camping to reduce trampling and inappropriate 
disposal of human waste and the zebra mussel infestation of the Lower 
St. Croix River. EPA asked that these issues be addressed in the Record 
of Decision.
    ERP No. F-USN-C11017-NY, Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant 
Bethpage to Nassau County, Transfer and Reuse, Preferred Reuse Plan for 
the Property, Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, NY.

    Summary: Although the FEIS addressed a number of issues identified 
in EPA's comment letter on the DEIS, there are still outstanding 
concerns about transportation-related air quality impacts and indoor 
air quality.
    ERP No. FS-AFS-J65287-UT, Rhyolite Fuel Reduction Project to the 
South Spruce Ecosystem Rehabilitation Project, Implementation, Dixie 
National Forest, Cedar City Ranger District, Iron County, UT.

    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. FS-NOA-E64016-FL, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary 
(FKNMS) Comprehensive Management Plan, Updated Information concerning a 
Proposal to Establish a No-Take Ecological Reserve in the Tortugas 
Region, FL.

    Summary: EPA had concerns about preventing unauthorized activities 
in the ``no-take'' zones and controlling access to these areas, 
enforcement, and jurisdiction of the project because there are many 
multi-jurisdictional (Local/State/Federal) agencies that were and will 
be involved in the completion of this project. In particular, 
management details for the Tortugas Ecological Reserve warrant further 
discussion in the FSEIS.
    ERP No. FS-UAF-E11032-FL, Homestead Air Force Base (AFB) Disposal 
and Reuse, Implementation, Dade County, FL.

    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

    Dated: January 30, 2001.
Joseph C. Montgomery,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 01-2882 Filed 2-1-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-U