[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 168 (Friday, August 29, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52017-52018]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-22164]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6643-4]


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 the Federal Register dated April 4, 2003 (68 FR 16511).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-AFS-F65040-WI Rating EC2, Programmatic EIS--Cheguamegon-
Nicolet National Forests Revised Land and Resource Management Plan, 
Implementation, Ashland, Bayfield, Florence, Forest, Langlade, Oconto,

[[Page 52018]]

Oneida, Price, Sawyer, Taylor and Vilas Counties, CA.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding lack of 
management strategies for watershed protections, problem species, 
alternative descriptions, and unauthorized ATV traffic.
    ERP No. D-AFS-J65381-SD Rating EC2, Sioux Ranger District Oil and 
Gas Leasing Project, Implementation, Sioux Ranger District, Custer 
National Forest, Harding County, SD.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with potential 
adverse impacts to air quality and cultural resources. The final EIS 
should include information on potential air quality impacts from the 
fire flood oil recovery method and consideration of both direct and 
indirect project impacts to traditional cultural properties.
    ERP No. D-AFS-J65386-MT Rating EC2, Programmatic EIS--Winter 
Motorized Recreation Amendment 24, Proposal to Change the Flathead 
National Land and Resource Management Plan, Flathead National Forest, 
Flathead, Lake and Lincoln Counties, MT.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with potential 
impacts to air quality and human health in areas of concentrated use. 
Also, EPA expressed environmental concerns with the preferred 
alternative which potentially reduces protection to grizzly bear 
security.
    ERP No. DC-AFS-L65155-00 Rating EC2, Northern Spotted Owl 
Management Plans, Removal or Modification of the Survey and Manage 
Mitigation Measure Standards and Guidelines in the Final Supplemental 
EIS (1994) and Final Supplement EIS (2002) for Amendments, Northwest 
Forest Plan, WA, CA and OR.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about the protection 
of high risk species. An alternative limiting Survey and Manage 
requirements to a smaller number of species at high risk should be 
considered. More detail is needed on implementing special species 
programs, including a detailed implementation and proposed mitigation 
plan and for species removed from Survey and Manage.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-F65037-MI, Interior Wetlands Project, Timber Harvest, 
White Pine Trees Pruning, Growth System Adjustment, Wildlife Openings 
Creation and Maintenance and Transportation System Improvements, 
Hiawatha National Forest, Eastside Administrative Unit, Chippewa 
County, MI.
    Summary: EPA continues to have no objections to the project, since 
no major changes have been made. The preferred alternative was also the 
alternative favored by EPA.
    ERP No. F-AFS-J65342-00, Wasatch-Cache National Forest Revised Land 
and Resource Management Plan, Implementation, several counties, UT and 
Uinta County, WY.
    Summary: EPA has remaining environmental concerns regarding 
protection of the watershed and ecological values. Implementation of 
the monitoring plan is critical to assuring that environmental 
improvements targets are met.
    ERP No. F-AFS-K65417-CA, Blue Fire Forest Recovery Project, 
Proposal to Move the Existing Condition Caused by the Blue Fire of 2001 
Towards the Desired Condition, Modoc National Forest, Warner Mountain 
Ranger District, Lassen and Modoc Counties, CA.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-AFS-L65410-ID, Gaylord North Timber Sale Project, 
Harvesting Timber, Council Ranger District, Payette National Forest, 
Adam County, ID.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-AFS-L65416-ID, Upper Bear Timber Sale Project, Fuel 
Reduction, Forest Vegetation and Roads Management, Payette National 
Forest, Council Ranger District, Adams County, ID.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-COE-J28021-CO, Rueter-Hess Reservoir Project, 
Construction and Operation, Proposed Water Supply Reservoir and Off-
Stream Dam, U.S. Army COE Section 404 Permit, Endangered Species Act 
(Section 7) Permit and Right-of-Way Use Permit, Located on Newlin Gulch 
along Cherry Creek, Town of Parker, Douglas County, CO.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-UAF-K11110-CA, Los Angeles Air Force Base Land 
Conveyance, Construction and Development Project, Transfer Portions of 
Private Development in Exchange for Construction of New Seismically 
Stable Facilities, Cities of EL Sequndo and Hawthorne, Los Angeles 
County, CA.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. FS-AFS-J65353-MT, Threemile Stewardship Project, Additional 
Information concerning the Potential Effects on the Goshawk Habitat, 
Ashland Ranger District, Custer National Forest, Powder and Rosebud 
Counties, MT.
    Summary: EPA did not object to the preferred alternative to harvest 
and thin timber, use prescribed fire, and manage road systems. EPA 
continues to have environmental concerns with potential project effects 
to goshawk nest territories, and measures for implementing adequate 
oversight of the timber contractor during project implementation via 
stewardship contracting to adequately address environmental and 
ecological concerns.
    ERP No. FS-COE-E36154-FL, Upper St. Johns River Basin and Related 
Areas, Central and Southern Florida Flood Control Project, Proposed 
Modifications to Project Features North of the Fellsmere Grade to 
Preserve and Enhance Floodplain and Aquatic Habitats, Brevard County, 
FL.
    Summary: EPA has no objections to the proposed project 
modifications to improve water quality.

    Dated: August 26, 2003.
Joseph C. Montgomery,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 03-22164 Filed 8-28-03; 8:45 am]
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