[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 55 (Thursday, March 21, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13133-13134]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-6818]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Notice of Wetlands Involvement for the Proposed Conveyance of 
Parcel G, Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

AGENCY: Oak Ridge Operations, U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of wetlands involvement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Oak Ridge Operations 
(ORO) is proposing to convey Parcel G to the City of Oak Ridge. Parcel 
G and the adjacent DOE property south of Parcel G support a palustrine 
emergent/scrub-shrub wetland system totaling approximately 1.4 ha (3.4 
acres). More detail on these wetlands is provided in the supplementary 
information. Parcel G is one of three parcels being considered for 
conveyance from DOE to the City of Oak Ridge. The other two parcels are 
the American Museum of Science and Energy and Parcel 279.01, neither of 
which contain wetlands. The purpose of the proposed DOE action is to 
provide a plan for the long-term financial stability of the AMSE in 
order to preserve the museum as an asset to the city of Oak Ridge and 
the surrounding region. The proposed conveyance of the three parcels is 
also intended to help offset the City of Oak Ridge's long-term cost of 
operating the museum. The purpose of the proposed action is also to 
transfer excess DOE-ORO real property for economic development in order 
to help offset potential economic losses resulting from DOE downsizing, 
facility closeouts, and work force restructuring.
    In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 
the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508) and 
the DOE NEPA Implementing Regulations (10 CFR 1021), DOE has prepared a 
draft Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate the proposed action. 
The EA was issued for public review and comment on January 18, 2002. As 
a part of the EA (DOE/EA-1415), DOE is including a wetlands assessment 
to assess the existing wetlands as well as the potential impact of the 
proposed conveyance. (The wetlands assessment is available by 
contacting the DOE-ORO representative named below.)

DATES: Comments on the wetlands assessment are due to the address below 
no later than April 5, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be addressed to Mr. David R. Allen, U.S. 
Department of Energy, P.O. Box 2001, MS-SE-30-1, Oak Ridge, TN 37831. 
Comments may also be faxed to (865) 576-0746.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David R. Allen, U.S. Department of 
Energy, P.O. Box 2001, MS-SE-30-1, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, (865) 576-0411.
    For Further Information on General DOE Wetland Environmental Review 
Requirements, Contact: Carol M. Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA 
Policy and Compliance, EH-42, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 200585, (202) 586-4600 or (800) 
472-2756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has 
completed a draft EA (DOE/EA-1415) for the Proposed Conveyance of the 
American Museum of Science and Energy, Parcel G, and Parcel 279.01 to 
the City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The purpose of the proposed DOE 
action is to provide a plan for the long-term financial stability of 
the AMSE in order to preserve the museum as an asset to the city of Oak 
Ridge and the surrounding region. The proposed conveyance of the three 
parcels is also intended to help offset the City of Oak Ridge's long-
term cost of operating the museum. The purpose of the proposed action 
is also to transfer excess DOE-ORO real property for economic 
development in order to help offset potential economic losses resulting 
from DOE downsizing, facility closeouts, and work force restructuring.
    Since specific uses of Parcel G would not be known prior to the 
transfer, DOE has developed reasonably foreseeable scenarios and uses 
to bound the impact analysis. Scenarios identify potential tenants, 
utilities and infrastructure, areas to be excluded from development, 
and a range of emissions, effluents, and wastes that could result from 
commercial and industrial activities. It is anticipated that the City 
of Oak Ridge would develop portions of Parcel G for small-scale 
offices, light industrial use, or retail businesses.
    Parcel G contains about 8.1 ha (20.0 acres) and is located 
southeast of the intersection of Bethel Valley and Scarboro roads. A 
portion of Parcel G is within the area of the Oak Ridge Institute of 
Science and Energy Scarboro Operations Site (formerly the South Campus 
Facility). The Scarboro Operations Site supported research on the 
biological effects of radionuclides on animals. The portion of Parcel G 
that is within the boundary of the Scarboro Operations Site was an area 
where only unexposed animals were housed or grazed. In addition to 
pasture, the area contained various barns and a three-tiered swine 
waste treatment pond system. Only one barn structure remains within 
Parcel G. Nearby land uses include the Y-12 Plant buffer area, Bethel 
Valley Industrial Park, Commerce Park, and the University of Tennessee 
Forest Experiment Station and Arboretum. Parcel G is currently zoned by 
the city of Oak Ridge as F.A.I.R. (Forestry, Agriculture, Industry and 
Research District).
    Parcel G and the adjacent DOE property to the south support a 
palustrine emergent/scrub-shrub wetland system along Scarboro Creek 
totaling approximately 1.4 ha (3.4 acres). All wetlands identified at 
Parcel G exhibited positive field indicators of the wetland criteria: 
hydrophytic plants, hydric soils, and wetland hydrology. The majority 
of these wetlands are associated with the floodplain of Scarboro Creek, 
the Scarboro Creek embayment (part of Melton Hill Reservoir), and two 
beaver ponds in Scarboro Creek immediately south of Parcel G.
    In addition to the Scarboro Creek wetlands, there are three ponds 
that were created to treat swine waste when Parcel G was actively 
associated with operation of the Scarboro Operations Site. Agricultural 
uses of the ponds ceased in the mid-1980's and all three ponds have 
remained at the site. Two of the ponds remain permanently inundated. 
The third pond holds water for relatively short periods and supports a 
wetland plant community. The actual area of wetlands to be transferred 
with Parcel G is about 0.4 ha (1.0 ac). DOE would retain control over 
the remaining 1 ha (2.4 acres) of wetlands along Scarboro Creek 
downstream from Parcel G.
    The proposed conveyance of Parcel G would not inherently cause 
adverse impacts to the survival, quality, natural, and beneficial 
values of wetlands along Scarboro Creek, because the proposed transfer 
is an administrative action. Rather, the potential for and degree of 
adverse impacts would depend upon how the City of Oak Ridge proposes to 
develop the property. Adverse impacts would include any activity that 
eliminated or reduced the ability of wetlands to perform their normal 
biological, chemical, hydrological, and physical functions. Some or all 
of the wetlands associated with Scarboro Creek could potentially 
experience

[[Page 13134]]

direct impacts by development in the wetlands themselves or indirect 
impacts from other activities associated with development of adjacent 
upland areas at Parcel G. Wetlands downstream from Parcel G could also 
be affected by any construction activities on Parcel G.
    A number of administrative controls, including deed restrictions or 
conservation easements are available for DOE to use in order to prevent 
adverse impacts to wetlands at Parcel G. Proposals for development of 
Parcel G that would affect wetlands and other special aquatic resources 
would also be subject to regulation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(USACE), Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), 
and possibly the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Proposed projects 
would be required to follow normal sequencing during regulatory review 
to avoid and minimize adverse impacts to wetlands at Parcel G. 
Compensatory mitigation should be used as a last resort and would be 
subject to negotiation between the USACE, TDEC, and possibly DOE and 
TVA.
    In accordance with DOE regulations for compliance with wetlands 
environmental review requirements (10 CFR part 1022), a wetland 
assessment will be included within the Environmental Assessment for the 
Proposed Conveyance of the American Museum of Science and Energy, 
Parcel G, and Parcel 279.01 to the City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee (DOE/
EA-1415).

    Issued in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, on March 12, 2002.
James L. Elmore,
Alternate NEPA Compliance Officer.
[FR Doc. 02-6818 Filed 3-20-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P