[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 11 (Friday, January 16, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2592-2593]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-1051]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6647-5]


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 FR dated April 4, 2003 (68 FR 
16511).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-AFS-G65091-NM Rating LO, Surface Management of Gas 
Leasing and Development in the Carson National Forest, Implementation, 
Jicarilla Ranger District, Rio Arriba County, NM.
    Summary: EPA has no objections to the proposed action since the 
project includes mitigation and site specific Conditions of Approval 
(COA)'s.
    ERP No. D-AFS-J65395-WY Rating EC2, Lost Cabin Mine Project, 
Improvement of Historic Mining Road (Way 4170H) to Allow Motorized 
Access to the Lost Mine for Mineral Exploration, Plan-of -Operations, 
Medicine-Bow Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National 
Grassland, Carbon County, WY.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with potential 
impacts to water quality. The final EIS should include more information 
on the potential of the mining exploration to cause acid mine drainage.
    ERP No. D-AFS-J65398-MT Rating EC2, Judith Restoration Project, 
Proposal to Maintain and/or Restore Healthy Soil, Water and Vegetation 
Conditions, Lewis and Clark National Forest, Judith Ranger District, 
Judith Basin County, MT.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with potential 
impacts to water quality, fisheries, and consistency of project 
activities with State/EPA development of TMDLs and Water Quality 
Restoration Plans to address impairments in the 303(d) listed South 
Fork Judith River. EPA recommended modifications in the final EIS to 
address these issues.
    ERP No. D-AFS-K65261-CA Rating EC2, Larson Reforestation and Fuel 
Reduction Project, Implementation, Stanislaus National Forest, 
Groveland Ranger District, Mariposa and Tuolumne Counties, CA.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding the 
potential impacts to aquatic habitat as a result of aerial herbicide 
applications. EPA requested additional information regarding Best 
Management Practices, a more extensive cumulative impacts analysis, and 
including recent studies regarding impacts of nonylphenol and its 
ethoxylates on riparian ecosystems.
    ERP No. D-BLM-J02041-WY Rating EC2, Desolation Flats Natural Gas 
Field Development Project, Drilling Additional Development Wells, 
Carbon and Sweetwater Counties, WY.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with potential 
adverse impacts to air quality, water quality and wildlife. EPA 
requested that the final EIS identify additional mitigation for air 
quality impacts and to include benefits and costs of implementation. 
EPA recommended updating visibility and lake acidification impacts and 
including mitigation to reduce additional emissions in Class 1 areas. 
The final EIS should add mitigation that would reduce storm water 
runoff from well pads, compressor stations and other disturbed areas 
related to project development.
    ERP No. D-FHW-C40160-NY Rating EC2, Cumberland Head Connector Road 
Construction, County Road 57 between U.S. 9 and the Peninsula (known as 
the Parkway), Funding, Town of Plattsburg, Clinton County, NY.
    Summary: EPA has environmental concerns regarding the alternative 
analysis, the direct/indirect impacts to wetlands and the appropriate 
mitigation requirements, and the need for further mitigation of 
stormwater runoff associated with the project.
    ERP No. D-FHW-E40800-FL Rating EC2, Indian Street Bridge PD&E 
Study, New Bridge Crossing of the South Fork of the St. Lucie River 
County Road 714 (Martin Highway)/SW 36th Street/Indian Street from 
Florida's Turnpike to East of Willoughby Boulevard, Martin County, FL.
    Summary: EPA has environmental concerns with the proposed project 
regarding the long term impacts and the continued degradation to 
aquatic resources of the St. Lucie River. Deficiencies have been 
identified in the alternatives analysis and consideration of options 
for mitigating adverse impacts. In addition, indirect and cumulative 
impacts were not assessed adequately in the DEIS.
    ERP No. D-FRC-G02012-TX Rating EC2, Freeport Liquefied Natural Gas 
(LNG) Project, To Deliver Imported

[[Page 2593]]

Liquefied Natural Gas to Shippers, Authorization of Site, Construction 
and Operation, Stratton Ridge Meter Station 2007, City of Freeport, 
Brazoria County, TX.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concern regarding wetland 
impacts/mitigation, Clean Water Act Section 402 permitting, 
vaporization water intake and discharge impacts, and conformity with 
the state's implementation plan for air quality. EPA requested 
additional information on these issues.
    ERP No. D-FRC-L05230-OR Rating LO, Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric 
Project, (FERC No. 2030-036), Application for a New License for 
Existing 366.82-megawatt Project, Deschutes River, OR.
    Summary: EPA Region 10 used a screening tool to conduct a limited 
review of this action. Base upon the screen, EPA does not foresee 
having environmental objections to the proposed project. Therefore, EPA 
will not conduct a detailed review.
    ERP No. D-NOA-K91012-00 Rating EC2, Bottomfish and Seamount 
Groundfish Fisheries Conservation and Management Plan, Implementation, 
US Economic Zone (EEZ) around the State of Hawaii, Territories of Samoa 
and Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana and various Islands and 
Atolls known as the U.S. Pacific remove island areas, HI, GU and AS.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns regarding the integration of the 
proposed alternative with other restrictions on Bottomfish fishing in 
the Western Pacific, and impacts to federally-endangered Hawaiian Monk 
Seals.
    ERP No. DS-COE-D36107-WV, Rating EC2, Lower Mud River at Milton 
Project, Updated Information on the Milton Local Protection Project, 
Proposed Flood Damage Reduction Measure, City of Milton, Cabell County, 
WV.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns over impacts to 
wetlands and the effectiveness of the proposed wetland mitigation 
measures. EPA requested additional information regarding the mitigation 
measures, as well as baseline environmental conditions and predicted 
cumulative impacts.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-J65369-MT, Windmill Timber Sale and Road 
Decommissioning Project, Timber Harvesting, Road Construction and Road 
Decommissioning, Mill Creek Drainage, Absaroka Mountain Range, Gallatin 
National Forest, Park County, MT.
    Summary: The Final EIS includes planning, design and mitigation 
measures which will reduce environmental impacts to water quality and 
old growth habitat. EPA does have concerns for potential adverse 
environmental impacts from development of land transferred through 
exchange, should insufficient revenue be generated by the Windmill 
Timber Sale for land acquisition under the Gallatin Land Consolidation 
Act.
    ERP No. F-AFS-J70021-SD, Prairie Project Area, (Lower Rapid Creek 
Area) Multiple Resource Management Actions, Implementation, Black Hills 
National Forest, Mystic Ranger District, Pennington County, SD.
    Summary: EPA continues to have environmental concerns with erosion 
and impacts to soils and fish and wildlife habitats from roads and 
transportation, water runoff and sediment.
    ERP No. F-COE-E39060-GA, Lake Sidney Lanier Project to Continue the 
Ongoing Operation and Maintenance Activities Necessary for Flood 
Control, Hydropower Generation, Water Supply, Recreation, Natural 
Resources Management and Shoreline Management, US Army COE Section 10 
and 404 Permits, Dawson, Forsyth, Lumpkin, Hill and Gwinnett Counties, 
GA.
    Summary: EPA has no objections to the proposed project.
    ERP No. F-FHW-J40154-WY, US 287/26 Improvements Project, Moran 
Junction to 12 miles west of Dubois to where the roadway traverses thru 
the Bridger-Teton and Shoshone National Forests and Grand Teton 
National Park, NPDES and U.S. Army COE Section 404 Permits Issuance, 
Teton and Fremont Counties, WY.
    Summary: EPA has environmental concerns with the preferred 
alternative regarding impacts to endangered species, habitat, water 
quality and the National Parks as well as concerns regarding erosion.
    ERP No. F-FRC-E03010-FL, Ocean Express Pipeline Project, 
Construction, Operation and Maintenance of an Interstate Natural Gas 
Pipeline extending from the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundary 
between the United States and the Bahamas, (Docket No. CP02-090-001-1) 
Plan of Operations Approval, NPDES and U.S. Army COE Section 10 and 
Possible 404 Permits, Broward County, FL.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding (1) the 
uncertainty of the actual level of impacts during proposed pipeline 
placement, (2) the specifics of the final project mitigation, and (3) 
the potential for public involvement in certain final project decisions 
such as contingencies.
    ERP No. F-FRC-L05200-OR, Bull Run Hydroelectric Project (FERC 
No.477-024), Proposal to Decommission the Bull Run Project and Remove 
Project Facilities including Marmot Dam, Little Sandy Diversion Dam and 
Roslyn Lake, and an Application to Surrender License, Sandy, Little 
Sandy, Bull Run Rivers, Town of Sandy, Clackamas County, OR.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-USA-C11021-NY, Thomas Jefferson Hall and Other 
Construction Activities in the Cadet Zone of the United States Military 
Academy, Implementation, West Point, Hudson River Valley, Orange and 
Putnam Counties, NY.
    Summary: EPA has no objections to the proposed action.
    ERP No. FS-BLM-K67051-NV, Millennium Expansion Project, New 
Facilities Construction and Existing Gold Mining Operations Expansion, 
Plan-of-Operations Approval, Winnemucca, Humboldt County, NV.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns that additional 
measures may be needed to minimize potential air impacts and suggests 
that BLM pursue further reductions of mercury emissions and 
particulates, and require restoration of vegetation on future 
evaporation basins.

    Dated: January 13, 2004.
Ken Mittelholtz,
Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 04-1051 Filed 1-15-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P