[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 239 (Wednesday, December 12, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 64272]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-30667]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[INT-FES-01-40]


Potholes Reservoir Resource Management Plan, Grant County, 
Washington

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Potholes Reservoir Resource 
Management Plan (RMP) final environmental impact statement (FEIS).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Department of the Interior, Bureau 
of Reclamation (Reclamation), has prepared a final environmental impact 
statement to document the analysis of four alternatives, including the 
No Action Alternative, for resource management in the Potholes 
Reservoir Study area. The alternatives respond differently to the 
issues and concerns identified during project planning. The Preferred 
Alternative balances the management agencies' and public's long-term 
vision for Potholes Reservoir and recognizes the need to protect the 
natural and cultural environment while supporting the overall 
recreational interest of the visitors. The Preferred Alternative was 
modified from that in the Draft EIS to incorporate changes resulting 
from public comments. The major change was to leave a portion of the 
Yellow Zone open to seasonal Off-Road Vehicle (ORV) use, instead of 
closing the entire Yellow Zone to such use year-round. The Preferred 
Alternative was modified to close 919 acres of the 1,459 acre Lower 
Crab Creek Arm Management Area (Yellow Zone) to motor vehicle travel 
and ORV use year-round, and to maintain as seasonally open (July 1 to 
October 1) 540 acres of the 1,459 acre Yellow Zone. The FEIS includes 
all comment letters received on the Draft EIS and Reclamation's 
responses to those comments, as well as a summary of the comments from 
the public hearings.
    A Record of Decision (ROD) will be completed no sooner than 30 days 
after the publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's Notice 
of Availability of the FEIS in the Federal Register. The ROD will 
identify the alternative that will be implemented and will discuss 
factors leading to the decision.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the FEIS are available for public inspection and 
review at the following locations:
     Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the Interior, 
Room 7455, 18th and C Streets, NW., Washington, DC.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Pacific Northwest Regional Office, 
1150 North Curtis Road, Suite 100, Boise, Idaho.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Columbia Area Office, 1917 
Marsh Road, Yakima, Washington.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Ephrata Field Office, 32 C Street, 
Ephrata, Washington.

Internet

    The FEIS will also be available on the Internet at http://www.pn.usbr.gov/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information, or to obtain a 
printed copy or a Summary of the FEIS, contact Mr. Jim Blanchard at 
(509) 754-0239, extension 226.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of developing a RMP for Potholes 
Reservoir is to balance the resource protection and conservation 
objectives with the rising demand for increased recreation 
opportunities, visitor facilities, and support services.
    Throughout the RMP study process, Reclamation routinely solicited 
input from the public, agencies, Native Americans, and others with a 
direct interest in the future management of Potholes Reservoir. 
Information was diligently gathered through public workshops, 
interviews with key opinion leaders, and ongoing consultations with 
local, state and Federal agency personnel. Scoping was initiated in 
August 1996 with interviews with local chambers of commerce, 
environmental organizations, local business owners, and sportsman 
clubs. Initial public scoping meetings were held in Othello and 
Bellevue, Washington, in September 1996.
    Through this early and open scoping process, a wide diversity of 
RMP issues and concerns were identified. These issues and concerns were 
summarized in a ``Problem Statement'' and used to develop the range of 
RMP alternatives evaluated in this FEIS.
    A Draft EIS was released on January 26, 2001, for a 60-day review 
period which was subsequently extended for an additional 30 days due to 
public requests. Reclamation conducted two hearings on March 13, 2001, 
at the Midway Learning Center in Moses Lake, Washington, to hear and 
record public comments. Approximately 150 people attended the hearings. 
Of those, 29 individuals made statements for the public record. The 
comments ranged from concern over mosquito and noxious weed problems to 
personal watercraft control in the study area. Most comments reflected 
concern about the proposed limitations of ORV use in the Yellow Zone. 
This was also the major issue identified in the 112 individual letters 
received commenting on the FEIS, and especially in the five form 
letters that were submitted by numerous individuals.
    Reclamation conducted agency meetings on May 7, 2001, and June 4, 
2001, attended by representatives of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the Grant 
County Sheriffs Office. The purpose of the meetings was for the 
administering agencies to consider modifying proposed acreage reduction 
of the ORV Yellow Zone, based on the comments received at the public 
hearings. With agreement from the user groups, agencies, and 
jurisdictional entities, the Preferred Alternative was modified to 
reflect year-round closure of 919 acres of the 1,459 acre Lower Crab 
Creek Arm Management Area (Yellow Zone) to motor vehicle travel and ORV 
use, and to maintain 540 acres of the 1,459 acre Yellow Zone as 
seasonally open (July 1 to October 1).

    Dated: November 19, 2001.
J. William McDonald,
Regional Director, Pacific Northwest Region.
[FR Doc. 01-30667 Filed 12-11-01; 8:45 am]
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