[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 197 (Friday, October 10, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58667-58668]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-25810]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6644-5)


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 Federal Register dated April 04, 2003 (68 FR 16511).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-AFS-F65041-MN Rating EC2, Chippewa and Superior National 
Forests Land and Resource Management Plans Revision, Implementation, 
Beltrami, Cass, Itasca, Cook, Lake and St. Louis Counties, MN.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding the 
management of watersheds, deer populations and invasive species. EPA 
recommended that the final EIS consider a preferred alternative that is 
a hybrid of those that were described in the Draft EIS.
    ERP No. D-AFS-G65088-NM Rating LO, Bluewater Ecosystem Management 
Project, Proposal to Initiate Vegetation Treatments to Restore 
Ponderosa Pine and Pinon-Juniper Stands to a Desired Condition, Cibola 
National Forest, Mt. Taylor Ranger District, McKinley and Cibola 
Counties, NM.
    Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objections to the selection of the 
preferred alternative.
    ERP No. D-AFS-K26002-CA Rating LO, South Tahoe Public Utility 
District (STPUD) B-Line Phase III Wastewater Export Pipeline 
Replacement Project, Luther Pass Pump Station to U.S. Forest Service 
Luther Pass Overflow Campground Access Road, Special Use Permit, U.S. 
Army COE Section 404 and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Permits 
Issuance and EPA Grant, El Dorado and Alpine Counties, CA.
    Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objections.
    ERP No. D-BLM-L65418-OR Rating EC2, Travis Tyrrell Seed Orchard 
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program, Implementation, Eugene 
District, Lorne, Lane County, OR.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns and recommends that 
the final EIS discuss pesticide safety issues, additional IPM 
methodologies, and the relevancy of a concurrent BLM Draft Supplemental 
EIS (Management of Port-Orford-Cedar by Southwest Oregon) which BLM is 
working on that may impact proposed activities for the four seeds 
orchards. EPA also recommends that the final EIS discuss how the 
Washington Toxics Coalition, et al. vs U.S. EPA decision may affect the 
range of alternatives.
    ERP No. D-BLM-L65425-OR Rating EC2, Provolt Seed Orchard Integrated 
Pest Management (IPM) Program, Implementation, Grants Pass, Medford 
District, Jackson and Josephine Counties, OR and Charles A. Sprague 
Seed Orchard Integrated Pest Management Program (IMP), Implementation, 
Merlin, Medford District, Josephine County, OR.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns and recommends that 
the Final EIS should discuss pesticide safety and additional IPM 
methodologies. Also, the Final EIS should discuss management actions 
that may be taken under the concurrent BLM Draft Supplemental EIS, 
Management of Port-Orford-Cedar, their potential impact on proposed 
activities for the four seed orchards.
    ERP No. D-BLM-L65426-OR Rating EC2, Walter H. Horning Seed Orchard 
Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM), Implementation, Colton, Salem 
District, Clackamas County, OR.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns and recommends that 
the final EIS discuss pesticide safety issues, additional IPM 
methodologies, and the relevancy of a concurrent BLM Draft Supplemental 
EIS (Management of Port-Orford-Cedar by Southwest Oregon) which BLM is 
working on that may impact proposed activities for the four seed 
orchards. EPA also recommends that the final EIS discuss how the 
Washington Toxics Coalition, et. al. vs U.S. EPA decision may affect 
the range of alternatives.
    ERP No. D-FRC-C05148-NY Rating LO, St. Lawrence-FDR Hydroelectric 
Project, Application for New License (Relicense), (FERC No. 200-036), 
Located on the St. Lawrence River, Messina, NY.
    Summary: EPA does not believe that the proposed project would 
result in significant adverse impacts to the environmental and cultural 
resources and has no objections to its implementation.
    ERP No. D-IBR-K39079-CA Rating EC2, Programmatic EIS--Environmental 
Water Account Project, Water Management Strategy to Protect the At-Risk 
Native Delta-Dependent Fish Species and Water Supply Improvements, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Act Section 7 and US Army 
Corps Section 10 Permits Issuance, CA.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concern that the water project 
operations could reduce water quality. In addition the Draft EIS does 
not capture current evaluations regarding potential uses of the EWA and 
redefinition of EWA assets in conjunction with other proposed CALFED 
projects, such as South Delta Improvements. EPA recommended that

[[Page 58668]]

the Final EIS provide additional and updated information on water 
quality and provide scientific validation of EWA actions intended to 
provide fisheries protection and enhancement.
    ERP No. D-NPS-C80015-00 Rating LO, Ellis Island and Statue of 
Liberty National Monument Development Concept Plan, Long-Term 
Rehabilitation and Reuse for Historic Buildings, Implementation, New 
York Harbor, NY and NJ.
    Summary: EPA has no objections with the proposed management plan 
for Eills Island.
    ERP No. D-NPS-K65257-AZ Rating LO, Coronado National Memorial 
General Management Plan, Implementation, Cochise County, AZ.
    Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objections to this project.
    ERP No. D-NRC-C06014-NY Rating LO, Generic--License Renewal for 
R.E. Ginna Nuclear Power Plant, Supplement 14, NUREG-1437, 
Implementation, Wayne County, NY.
    Summary: EPA has no objection to NRC retaining the option of 
renewing the Ginna Nuclear Power Plant operating license.
    ERP No. D-NRS-G36165-OK Rating LO, Cavalry Creek Watershed 
Supplemental Plan for Floodwater Retarding Structure No. 6, Washita 
River Basin, Washita County, OK.
    Summary: EPA has no objection to the selection of the preferred 
alternative.
    ERP No. DS-AFS-K65226-00 Rating EO2, Sierra Nevada Forest Plan 
Amendment, New Information on a Range of Alternatives for Amending Land 
and Resource Management Plans, Modoc, Lasser, Plumas, Tahoe, Eldorado, 
Stanislaus, Sequoia, Sierra, Inyo and Humboldt-Toiyabe National 
Forests, and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, several counties, CA 
and NV.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental objections based on potential 
adverse impacts to water quality from the preferred alternative. Such 
actions include increased mechanical treatments, less prescriptive 
grazing in wet meadows and deferred action on roads issues. The FSEIS 
should fully disclose impacts to water quality and aquatic life from 
roads; avoidance and mitigation of these impacts and road system cost 
associated with alternative S2. The FSEIS should fully describe the 
scientific basis for current management direction, address 
inconsistencies in the alternatives analysis, and provide an 
implementation plan for the multi-agency body to collaborate on 
management issues begun under the previous ROD.
    ERP No. DS-AFS-L65110-00 Rating EC2, Port-Orford-Cedar Management 
Plan, Implementation, Coos Bay, Medford, and Roseburg Bureau of Land 
Management Districts and the Siskiyou National Forest, Southwest 
Oregon.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with insufficient 
information and analysis provided for the potential impacts of using 
the resistant Port Orford Cedar stock at the landscape level and for 
adequate maintenance of uninfested stands.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-L61208-00, Hells Canyon National Recreation Area 
(HCNRA), Comprehensive Management Plan, Implementation, Wallowa-Whitman 
National Forest, Nez Perce and Payette National Forests, Bake and 
Wallowa Counties, OR and Nez Perce and Adam Counties, ID.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-BLM-K65250-NV, Black Rock Desert-High Rock Canyon 
Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area (NCA) and Associated 
Wilderness and other Contiguous Lands Resource Management Plan, 
Implementation, Great Basin, NV.
    Summary: EPA had no objections to this project.
    ERP No. F-FRC-G03020-LA, Hackberry Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) 
Terminal and Natural Gas Pipeline Facilities, Construction and 
Operation, Cameron, Calcasieu, and Beauregard Parishes, La.
    Summary: EPA had no further comments on the Final EIS. Region 6 is 
continuing to work with the Corps of Engineers to resolve the wetland 
delineation issue and will work toward resolution.
    ERP No. F-FRC-K05058-CA, El Dorado Hydroelectric Project, 
Application for a New License, South Fork of the American River Basin 
and Truckee River Basin (FERC NO. 184-065), El Dorado National Forest, 
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit, Alpine, Amador and El Dorado 
Counties, CA.
    Summary: EPA's previous concerns have been addressed, therefore, 
EPA has no objection to the action as proposed.
    ERP No. F-NPS-E65060-NC, Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site, 
General Management Plan, Implementation, Located in the Village of Flat 
Rock, Henderson County, NC.
    Summary: EPA's review of the EIS did not identify any potential 
environmental impacts requiring substantive changes to the proposal.
    ERP No. F-NRC-H06005-NB
    Generic EIS--Fort Calhoun Station, Unit 1, Renewal of the Operating 
Licenses (OLs) for an Additional 20 Years, Supplement 12 (NUREG-1437) 
Omaha Public Power District, Washington County, NB.
    Summary: The FEIS adequately supplements information needs and 
addresses the concerns that EPA had expressed in the review of the DEIS 
for this project. Consequently, EPA has no objections.

    Dated: October 07, 2003.
Joseph C. Montgomery,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 03-25810 Filed 10-9-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P