[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 91 (Friday, May 10, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31801-31802]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-11784]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6629-2]


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 12, 2002 (67 
FR 17992).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-AFS-K65238-CA Rating EC2, Star Fire Restoration Removal 
of Fire-Killed Trees, Road Reconstruction, and Associated Restoration, 
Eldorado National Forests (ENF) Georgetown Ranger District, Middle Fork 
American River, Chipmunk Ridge and the North Fork of Long Canyon, 
Placer County, CA.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about impacts to 
riparian areas, water quality and wildlife habitat. The final EIS 
should expand the discussion on cumulative impacts, impacts from 
reasonably foreseeable actions and potential use of pesticides and 
herbicides.
    ERP No. D-AFS-K65394-CA Rating EO2, Los Padres National Forest Oil 
and Gas Leasing Management, Implementation, Kern, Los Angeles, 
Monterey, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, CA.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental objections based on severe air 
quality impacts projected during maximum development activity. EPA 
noted that Standard Lease Terms-only, proposed under both of the 
Preferred Alternatives may not adequately protect natural resources. 
EPA recommends additional lease stipulations to reduce air emissions.
    ERP No. D-AFS-L67037-00 Rating EC2, Programmatic--Siskiyou National 
Forest Suction Dredging Activities, Operating Plan Terms and Conditions 
Approval, Coos, Curry and Josephine Counties, OR and Del Norte County, 
CA.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns over the lack of 
mitigation measures to address impacts of roads and limit potential 
adverse impacts to mollusks, amphibians and fish. EPA believes that 
mitigation measures included in Alternative 3 are

[[Page 31802]]

needed to reduce impacts of suction dredge mining to 303(d) listed 
waters and listed fish species. EPA recommends that the final EIS 
contain these measures, training for miners to identify and protect 
aquatic species and develop required planning documents under the 
Northwest Forest Plan, and a well defined enforcement strategy.
    ERP No. D-FHW-L53003-WA Rating EC2, Vancouver Rail Project, Rail 
Improvements at the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Rail Yard and 
Possible Elimination of the West 39th Street At-Grade Crossing, Funding 
and NPDES Permit Issuance, Clark County, WA.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns that the draft EIS 
did not provide full disclosure of direct, indirect and cumulative 
environmental impacts, including impacts to wetland buffers, and does 
not provide sufficient discussion of alternatives.
    ERP No. D-FTA-K54026-NV Rating EC2, Las Vegas Resort Corridor 
Project, Transportation Improvements, Funding, City of Las Vegas, Clark 
County, NV.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns that the document 
does not provide sufficient information on environmental justice and 
cumulative impacts. EPA requested additional analysis and documentation 
on both of these issues.
    ERP No. DS-FHW-F40368-WI Rating EO2, US-12 Highway Corridor 
Project, Improvement from IH90/94 at Lake Delton south to Ski Hi Road, 
Updated Information, Funding and US Army COE Section 404 Permit 
Issuance, Sauk County, WI.
    Summary: EPA has concluded that potential adverse impacts to the 
Baraboo Hills resources will be significant and must be avoided to 
protect the environment. Specific objections are lack of consistency 
between the preferred alternative and the Highway 12 Memorandum of 
Agreement signed in 1999, indirect effects of the highway improvements, 
including secondary land use impacts, and the possibility of increased 
developmental pressure on the Baraboo Hills area's natural resources, 
and mitigation for anticipated impacts to interior forest habitat.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-BIA-L65330-WA White River Amphitheater Project, 
Construction and Operation of a 20,000 Seat Open-Air Amphitheater on 
the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation US Army COE Section 404 Permit and 
NPDES Permit Issuance, Seattle-Tocoma, King County, WA.
    Summary: EPA requested that the concerns of local residents be 
addressed by implementing the mitigation measures. The records of 
Decision should commit to and implement actions that will mitigate 
traffic, noise, air and water quality.
    ERP No. F-FHW-G40145-00 US 71 Highway Improvement Project, between 
Texarkana, (US71) Arkansas and DeQueen, Funding, Right-of-Way Grant and 
US Army COE Section 404 Permit Issuance, Little River, Miller and 
Sevier Counties, AR and Bowie County, TX.
    Summary: EPA had no further comments to offer on the Final EIS. EPA 
had no objection to the preferred alternative.
    ERP No. F-FHW-J40153-MT Montana State Primary Route 78 (P-78), 
Reconstruction, Widening and Realignment, from the junction with State 
Secondary Route 419 (S-419) which is just South of Abarokee, to the 
Southern end of the Yellowstone River Bridge which is just south of 
Columbus, MT.
    Summary: EPA has environmental concerns regarding proposed stream 
channel modifications. EPA recommended consultation with the Montana 
Department of Environment Quality (MDEQ) to assure consistency of the 
proposed highway's construction activities with MDEQ's Total Maximum 
Daily Loading standards development for impaired water bodies in the 
project area.
    ERP No. F-FHW-K40221-CA CA-84--Realignment Project, Transportation 
Improvement between CA-84 from I-880 to CA-2389/Mission Blvd, Funding 
and US Army COE Section 404 Permit Issuance, Cities of Fremont, Hayward 
and Union, Alameda County, CA.
    Summary: EPA expressed continuing environmental concern that there 
is not enough information in the final EIS to assess the ways in which 
the project will impact waters of the United States and whether impacts 
have been avoided and minimized. EPA also commented that the conclusion 
that the project would not violate National Ambient Air Quality 
Standards for CO and PM10 at the project level was not supported.
    ERP No. F-FTA-F40390-MN Northstar Transportation Corridor 
Improvement Project, Downtown Minneapolis to the St. Cloud Area along 
Trunk Highway 10/47 and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad 
Transcontinental Route connecting Hiawatha Light Rail Transit Line at a 
Multi-Modal Station, Minneapolis/St Paul International Airport and Mall 
of America, Bloomington, MN.
    Summary: The final EIS includes additional information and 
discussions for the areas of concern identified in EPA's comment 
letters concerning the draft EIS and supplemental draft EIS. Direct 
wetland impacts have been reduced from 7.23 acres in the DEIS to 1.86 
acres in the final EIS.
    ERP No. F-NPS-D65023-DC Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National 
Historic Site General Management Plan, Implementation, Washington, DC.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

    Dated: May 7, 2002.
Joseph C. Montgomery,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 02-11784 Filed 5-9-02; 8:45 am]
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