[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 146 (Friday, July 30, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45708-45709]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-17382]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6654-2]


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 2, 2004 (69 FR 17403).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-BIA-C60004-NY Rating EC2, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, Mohawk 
Mountain Casino and Resort, Proposed Transfer of 66 Acres of Land into 
Federal Trust Status, Fee-to-Trust Acquisition, Sullivan County, NY.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns due to direct and 
cumulative impacts to groundwater and surface water.
    ERP No. D-BLM-J67031-ND Rating EC2, West Mine Area, Freedom Mine 
Project, Application to Acquire Federal Coal Lease, Mercer County, ND.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about air quality 
impacts and adequate protection for fens and peatland wetlands.
    ERP No. D-COE-C40162-NJ Rating EO2, NJ 92 Project, New Jersey 
Turnpike Authority, Transportation Improvement from East-West Highway 
Link Connecting U.S. Route1 in South Brunswick Township with the New 
Jersey Turnpike at Interchange 8A in Monroe Township, Middlesex County, 
NJ.
    Summary: EPA objected to the proposed permit based on the potential 
for significant environmental impacts and that all reasonable 
alternatives, including those with fewer environmental impacts, have 
not been fully evaluated.
    ERP No. D-COE-E39065-FL Rating LO, Central and Southern Florida 
Project, Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan, Aquifer Storage and 
Recovery (ASR) Pilot Operation, Aquifer Storage and Recovery Pilot 
Project, To Test the Feasibility Utilizing ASR Technology for Water 
Storage at Seven Well Sites, Right-of-Way and NPDES Permits, Several 
Counties.
    Summary: While EPA had no objections to the proposed project, EPA 
requested clarification on to identifying applicable standards for 
groundwater injection and surface water discharges.
    ERP No. D-DOI-J39031-UT Rating EC2, Utah Lake Drainage Basin Water 
Delivery System (ULS), Construction and Operation, Bonneville Unit of 
the Central Utah Project (CUP), Utah, Salt Lake, Wasatch and Juab 
Counties, UT.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns relating to water 
quality impacts, as well as project purpose and information on affected 
environment, and implementation of water conservation.
    ERP No. D-HUD-C85045-NY Rating EC2, Ridge Hill Village Project, 
Construction, Comprehensive Development Plan, (CDP), Planned Mixed-Use 
Development District (PMD), U.S. Army COE Section 404, City of Yonkers, 
Westchester County, NY.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns due to air quality impacts given 
Westchester County's current non-attainment status. EPA requested that 
the Final EIS include additional information such as a meso-scale 
analysis to address the air quality issues.
    ERP No. D-NOA-E39066-FL Rating LO, Programmatic EIS--Seagrass 
Restoration in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, 
Implementation, U.S. Army COE Section 404 and CZMA Permits, Monroe 
County, FL.
    Summary: While EPA has no objection to the proposed action, EPA did 
request clarification on the preferred alternative in relation to 
specific regions within the Sanctuary, and defining thresholds for 
developing future site-specific NEPA documents tiering from this 
document.
    ERP No. D-NOA-L91023-00 Rating EC2, Pacific Coast Groundfish 
Fishery Management Plan, Amendment 16-3 Adopts Rebuild Plans for 
Bocaccio, Cowcod, Widow Rockfish and Yelloweye Rockfish, Maximum 
Sustainable Yield (MSY), Implementation, WA, OR, ID and CA.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns due to impacts on habitat, cowcod 
stock status, and uncertainty of bycatch information, and impacts on 
habitat.
    ERP No. D-NOA-L91024-00 Rating EC2, Puget Sound Chinook Harvest 
Resource Management Plan (RMP) 2004-2009, Implementation, Endangered 
Species Act, OR and WA.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns that the proposed action will not 
meet many of the escapement and rebuilding goals established in the 
management plan. EPA also expressed concerns with Puget Sound chinook 
salmon fishing mortalities in Canadian waters, hatchery augmentation 
and the applicability of the management plant to the 2004 fishing 
season.
    ERP No. D-SFW-B64004-ME Rating LO, Petit Manan National Wildlife 
Refuge Complex, Comprehensive Conservation Plan, Implementation, the 
Gulf of Maine.
    Summary: EPA had no objection to the proposed project.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-J65405-ND Equity Oil Company Federal 32-4 and 23-21 
Oil and Gas Wells Surface Use Plan of Operation (SUP0), Implementation, 
Located in the Bell Lake Inventoried Roadless Area (IRA), Dakota 
Prairie Grasslands, Medora Ranger District, Goldon Valley County, ND.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-BLM-J01080-WY West Hay Creek Coal Lease Application, 
Federal Coal Leasing, Buckskin Mine, Powder River Basin, Campbell 
County, WY.
    Summary: EPA continues to express environmental concerns about 
regional air quality and impacts to and mitigation for playa wetlands. 
EPA supports mitigation methods for controlling fugitive dust and 
suggests those in use be reviewed to determine if additional measures 
are needed. EPA supports the efforts to control nitrogen dioxide 
releases from blasting and encourages measures to eliminate these toxic 
emissions.
    ERP No. F-COE-G61042-NM Closure of the Al Black Recreation Area at 
the Cochiti Lake Dam Outlet Works, Implementation, Sandoval County, NM.

[[Page 45709]]

    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-DOE-F09004-OH Portsmouth, Ohio Site Depleted Uranium 
Hexafluoride Conversion Facility, Construction and Operation, Pike 
County, OH.
    Summary: Since EPA's previous concerns have been resolved, EPA has 
no objection to the proposed action.
    ERP No. F-FRC-B05193-CT Housatonic River Hydroelectric Project, 
Application to Relicense Existing Licenses for Housatonic Project No. 
2576-022 and the Falls Village Project No. 2597-019, Housatonic River 
Basin, Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield Counties, CT.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns about the range of alternatives 
considered and the consistency of the preferred alternative with 
conditions of the Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality 
certification.
    ERP No. F-FRC-L05230-OR Pelton Round Butte Hydroelectric Project, 
(FERC No. 2030-036), Application for a New License for Existing 366.82-
megawatt Project, Deschutes River, OR.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-UAF-K11113-00 Air Force Mission at Johnston Atoll 
Airfield (Installation) Termination, Implementation, Johnston Atoll is 
an Unincorporated Territory of the United States.
    Summary: The FEIS addressed many of EPA's previous concerns. EPA 
requested commitments in the NEPA Record of Decision on waste 
minimization, pollution prevention and responsibility for environmental 
contaminants, and to identify the geographic boundaries of areas where 
the Defense Department will have jurisdiction and management 
responsibilities.
    ERP No. F-USA-K11111-HI Transformation of the 2nd Brigade, 25th 
Infantry Division (Light) to a Stryker Brigade Combat Team in Hawai'i, 
Implementation, Honolulu and Hawai'i Counties, HI.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

    Dated: July 26, 2004.
Ken Mittelholtz,
Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 04-17382 Filed 7-29-04; 8:45 am]
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