[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 86 (Friday, May 3, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22425-22426]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-11043]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6628-9]


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 12, 2002 (67 FR 17992).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-BIA-K65237-CA Rating EC2, Agua Caliente Indian 
Reservation Project, Proposed Section 14 Specific Plan and Master 
Development Plan, Agua Caliente Band of Cahulla Indians, City of Palm 
Springs, Riverside County, CA.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about impacts to air 
and water quality, and the use of 1995 market studies to project growth 
and assess project impacts.
    ERP No. D-COE-J28021-CO Rating EC2, Rueter-Hess Reservoir Project, 
Construction and Operation, Proposed Water Supply Reservoir and Off-
Stream Dam, US COE Section 404 Permit, Endangered Species Act (Section 
7) and Right-of-Way Use Permit, Located on Newlin Gulch along Cherry 
Creek, Town of Parker, Douglas County, CO.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns that the document 
failed to compare the impacts of the alternatives on the existing 
environment, primarily the impacts of the stream depletions. EPA was 
also concerned that the project meets only a small portion of the 
expected demand for water in the project area, does not document the 
likely water quality of the proposed reservoir, and does not contain a 
sufficiently detailed mitigation plan.
    ERP No. D-FRC-L05223-WA Rating EO2, Martin Creek Hydroelectric 
Project (FERC Project No. 10942), Construction, Operation and 
Maintenance of a 10.2-Megawatt (MW) Hydroelectric Run-of-River 
Facility, License Approval, Cascade Mountains, Martin and Kelley 
Creeks, Mt. Baker-Sqoqualmie National Forest, King County, WA.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental objections to the proposed 
project based on the lack of a demonstrated public interest need for 
the project, the potential to undermine protections prescribed in the 
Northwest Forest Plan and the adverse impacts to water quality in a 
state-designated ``extraordinary'' water body. EPA recommended that 
analyses needed to define project impacts and identify mitigation 
measures be conducted and incorporated in the EIS. EPA recommended 
selection of the No Action alternative.
    ERP No. D-NOA-E91010-00 Rating EC2, Amendment 13 to the Fishery 
Management Plan for Summer Flounder, Scup, and Black Sea Bass, 
Implementation, in the Western Atlantic

[[Page 22426]]

Ocean, from Cape Hatteras, NC, northward to the U.S.-Canadian Border.
    Summary: Although EPA defers to NOAA/NMFS, we generally support 
most of the presented approaches in Amendment 13 to allocate commercial 
harvests of black sea bass and protection against gear effects of 
structured EFH used by summer flounder and black sea bass. An example 
of an option we do not support is the ``wet storage'' of posts/traps 
during a fishing closure since it is counter productive to the purpose 
of the closure.
    ERP No. D-TVA-E39057-00 Rating EO2, Nolichucky Reservoir Flood 
Remediation Project, To Identify and Evaluate Ways to Address Flooding 
Effects of Nolichucky Dam and the Accumulated Sediment in Nolichucky 
Reservoir on Land and Property Not Owned by the Federal Government, 
NPDES Permit and US Army COE 404 Permit, several counties in TN and NC.
    Summary: EPA is concerned that the lowering or removal of the dam 
would result in loss of high quality reservoir fringe wetlands, erosion 
of exposed reservoir banks, increased sedimentation downstream, and 
significant lowering of the water table. EPA recommended that reservoir 
dredging be considered in the FEIS, and that issues regarding sediment 
quality, resuspension and downstream effects be examined. Additional 
information on upstream sediment sources and their potential control 
should also be disclosed.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-J65009-00 Programmatic EIS--Kootena, Idaho Panhandle, 
and Lolo National Forests, Forest Plan Amendments for Access Management 
within the Selkirk and Cabinet-Yaak Grizzly Bear Recovery Zones, ID, WA 
and MT.
    Summary: EPA expressed lack of objections. EPA supports continuing 
interagency evaluation of site-specific and seasonal grizzly bear 
habitat needs for each Bear Management Unit and continued coordination 
between wildlife and water quality fisheries technical staffs in 
developing specific road management proposals.
    ERP No. F-CGD-A59014-00 Programmatic EIS--Integrated Deepwater 
System Project, For Surface, Air, Logistics Communication and Sensor 
Systems, To Replace Its Aging Nation-Wide System, Nation-Wide.
    Summary: EPA requested that the Coast Guard commit in the Record of 
Decision (ROD) to analyzing cumulative and indirect impacts from future 
homeporting/homebasing decisions on a broad scale.
    ERP No. F-COE-K39069-CA Pine Flat Dam Fish and Wildlife Habitat 
Restoration Investigation, Restoration and Protection of the Ecosystem 
for Fish and Wildlife Resources, King River Basin, Fresno County, CA.
    Summary: EPA expressed support for the project, as it will improve 
fishery and wildlife habitat, reestablish the historic floodplain and 
native plant communities, and improve water quality in Byrd Slough and 
the King River.
    ERP No. F-COE-L90029-WA Lower Snake River Juvenile Salmon Migration 
Feasibility Study, Implementation, To Increase the Survival of Juvenile 
Anadromous Fish, Snake River, Walla Walla, WA.
    Summary: EPA had no objection to the action as proposed.
    ERP No. F-FRC-K05057-CA Big Creek No. 4 Hydroelectric Project, 
Issuing New License, (FERC Project No. 2017), San Joaquin River Basin, 
Sierra National Forest, Fresno, Madera and Tulare Counties, CA.
    Summary: EPA continues to have environmental concerns about this 
project, including impacts to fishery habitat, the segmented approach 
for evaluating the Big Creek System, and an insufficient range of 
alternatives.
    ERP No. F-USA-A10074-00 Programmatic EIS--Army Transformation, Army 
Vision to Address the Changing Circumstances of the 21st Century, 
Transformation in three Phases: Initial Phase, Interim Capacibility 
Phase, and an Objective Force Phase.
    Summary: EPA had no objections to the proposed action.
    ERP No. F-USN-E65055-FL Renewal of Authorization to Use Pinecastle 
Range, Continue Use of the Range for a 20-Year Period, Special Use 
Permit Issuance, Ocala National Forest, Marion and Lake Counties, FL.
    Summary: Extension of lease agreement does not appear to result in 
unacceptable environmental impacts to the range and its environs.
    ERP No. F-USN-K11034-CA Point Mugu Sea Range Naval Air Warfare 
Center Weapons Division (NAWCWPWS), Proposal To Accommodate TMD Testing 
and Training, Additional Training Exercises, Ventura, Los Angeles, 
Santa Barbara, San Diego and San Luis Obispo Counties, CA.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. FS-COE-E39058-TN Chickamauga Dam Navigation Project, New 
and Updated Information concerning Cumulative Effects and Compliance 
with Section 106 of the Historic Preservation Act, NPDES, US Army COE 
Section 404 and US Coast Guard Permits Issuance, Tennessee River, 
Hamilton County, TN.
    Summary: No significant issues were identified which would require 
substantive changes to the upgrade proposal.

    Dated: April 30, 2002.
B. Katherine Biggs,
Associate Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal 
Activities.
[FR Doc. 02-11043 Filed 5-2-02; 8:45 am]
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