[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 108 (Friday, June 4, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31610-31611]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-12617]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6651-9]


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 2, 2004 (69 FR 17403).
    The following EPA Comments should have appeared in the May 28, 2004 
Federal Register.

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-AFS-J65410-WY Rating EC2, Upper Green River Area 
Rangeland Project, Propose Site Specific Grazing Management Practices.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns relating to impacts from livestock 
grazing to streams and riparian zones; water quality impacts from 
sediment, bacteria, temperature modification; conflict between 
livestock, recreation and wildlife uses; impacts to endangered, 
threatened and sensitive fish and wildlife and their habitats; and 
degraded range conditions. EPA recommended modification of the Proposed 
Action by reducing or eliminating grazing impacts near important 
aquatic resources, to work with permittees and other stakeholders, and 
to develop an adaptive management monitoring plan.
    ERP No. D-AFS-L65441-OR Rating EC2, Easy Fire Recovery Project and 
Proposed Nonsignificant Forest Plan Amendments, Timber Salvage, Future 
Fuel Reduction, Road Reconstruction and Maintenance, Road Closure, Tree 
Planting and Two Non-significant Forest Plan Amendments, 
Implementation, Malheur National Forest, Prairie City Ranger District, 
Grant County.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about potential 
impacts of salvage logging on surface water quality and surface water 
temperature.
    ERP No. D-AFS-L65449-AK Rating EC2, Couverden Timber Sales, 
Harvesting Timber, NPDES, Coast Guard Bridge Permit, U.S. Army COE 
Section 10 and 404 Permits, Tongass National Forest, Juneau Ranger 
District, Chilkat Peninsula, AK.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns about the effect of new forest 
roads on water quality and requested that the Forest Service consider 
the closure of

[[Page 31611]]

more existing and new roads following harvest. EPA also requested that 
the Forest Service consider selecting Alternative 5, which avoids clear 
cutting and does not propose new forest roads.
    ERP No. D-AFS-L65452-ID Rating EC2, South Fork Wildfire Salvage 
Project, Harvesting Fire-Killed and Imminently Dead Trees, Cascade 
Ranger District, Boise National Forest, Valley County, ID.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns over potential 
salvage impacts to water quality, and requested that the EIS consider 
measures proposed in alternatives eliminated from consideration to 
further reduce impacts. EPA also requested that the EIS document 
potential project effects to Native Americans.
    ERP No. D-NPS-F08011-WI Rating LO, Arrowhead-Weston Transmission 
Line Right-of-Way Crossing of the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, 
U.S. Army COE Section 10 and 404 Permits, Washburn County, WI.
    Summary: EPA has no objection to the proposed action.
    ERP No. D-NPS-G65017-TX Rating LO, Rio Grande Wild and Scenic River 
General Management Plan, Implementation, Big Bend National Park, 
Brewster and Terrell Counties, TX.
    Summary: EPA has no objection to the selection and implementation 
of the preferred alternative as described in the DEIS.
    ERP No. D-UAF-K11113-00 Rating EC2, Air Force Mission at Johnston 
Atoll Airfield (Installation) Termination, Implementation, Johnston 
Atoll is an Unincorporated Territory of the United States.
    Summary: EPA expressed concern relating to long-term ecological and 
health impacts from potential contaminant releases in the environment 
after a projected failure of the atoll's seawell by 2050. EPA also 
expressed concern regarding the integrity of waste management units 
after termination of the Air Force mission.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-J35006-UT Fox and Crescent Reservoirs Maintenance 
Project, Dam Structures Operation and Maintenance, Special Use Permit 
Issuance, High Uintas Wilderness, Ashley National Forest, Uinta Basin, 
Duchesne County, UT.
    Summary: EPA continues to express concerns related to adverse 
impacts to wilderness values from reservoir operations and maintenance 
in a designated Wilderness Area.

    Dated: May 28, 2004.
Ken Mittelholtz,
Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 04-12617 Filed 6-3-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P