[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 161 (Monday, August 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48972-48973]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-16600]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Reconstruction of BIA Route 27 on the Pine Ridge Indian 
Reservation, SD

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA) as lead agency, with the cooperation of the Oglala Sioux 
Tribe (Tribe), intends to gather the information necessary to prepare 
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed reconstruction 
of BIA Route 27 near Wounded Knee, South Dakota. The BIA intends to 
coordinate the preparation of this EIS with consultations under the 
National Historic Preservation Act. The

[[Page 48973]]

purpose of the proposed action is to improve the roadway to current 
safety standards. This notice also announces a public scoping meeting 
to identify potential issues, alternatives and content to be considered 
in the EIS.

DATES: Written comments on the scope and implementation of this 
proposal must arrive by September 26, 2005.
    The public scoping meeting will be held Tuesday, September 13, 
2005, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., or until the last public comment is 
received.

ADDRESSES: You may mail or hand carry written comments to Marilyn 
Bercier, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Great Plains Regional Office, 115 
4th Avenue SE., Aberdeen, South Dakota 57401.
    The public scoping meeting will be held in the gymnasium at the 
Wounded Knee District School, 1 Main Street, Manderson, South Dakota.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marilyn Bercier, (605) 226-7645.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BIA and the Tribe propose to reconstruct 
BIA Route 27 from a point 5.3 miles northeast of its intersection with 
BIA Rt. 28 and then about 7.5 miles south and east to its intersection 
with State Highway 18. BIA Route 27 is located on the Pine Ridge Indian 
Reservation in Townships 36, 37 & 38 North and Ranges 42 & 43 West in 
Shannon County, South Dakota.
    The purpose of the proposed reconstruction is to meet current 
safety guidelines. The existing asphalt surface is distressed and 
deteriorating. Numerous safety deficiencies include steep side slopes, 
abrupt vertical and horizontal curvatures, narrow roadway surfaces, 
steep in-slopes and back-slopes, protruding pipes, improper sight 
distances and roadside obstructions (trees) within clear zones. The 
highway provides residential access and serves as a major connector 
route to and from the Pine Ridge Community, but currently poses severe 
safety hazards to the members of the Tribe and the general traveling 
public.
    Areas of environmental concern so far identified for analysis in 
the EIS include socio-economics, transportation, groundwater and 
surface water, wildlife and habitat, cultural resources, aesthetics, 
land uses, health and safety, and threatened, endangered, or special-
status species. The range of issues to be addressed may be expanded 
based on comments received during the scoping process.

Public Comment Availability

    Comments, including names and addresses of respondents, will be 
available for public review at the mailing address shown in the 
ADDRESSES section during regular business hours, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Individual respondents 
may request confidentiality. If you wish us to withhold your name and/
or address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of 
your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent 
allowed by law. We will not, however, consider anonymous comments. All 
submissions from organizations or businesses and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety.

Authority

    This notice is published in accordance with section 1503.1 of the 
Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500 through 
1508) implementing the procedural requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), 
and the Department of Interior Manual (516 DM 1-6), and is in the 
exercise of authority delegated to the Principal Deputy Assistant 
Secretary--Indian Affairs by 209 DM 8.1.

    Dated: August 8, 2005.
George T. Skibine,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. 05-16600 Filed 8-19-05; 8:45 am]
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