[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 208 (Friday, October 28, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 62102]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-21474]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Surface Mining

Fish and Wildlife Service


Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Mountaintop 
Mining and Valley Fills

AGENCIES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army, DOD; 
Environmental Protection Agency; Office of Surface Mining and Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Interior; and West Virginia Department of 
Environmental Protection.

ACTION: Announcement of availability of Final Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (FPEIS).

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SUMMARY: The above agencies announce the availability of the FPEIS that 
considers developing policies, guidance, and coordinated agency 
decision-making processes to minimize, to the maximum extent 
practicable, the adverse environmental effects to waters of the United 
States and to fish and wildlife resources affected by mountaintop 
mining operations, and to environmental resources that could be 
affected by the size and location of excess spoil-disposal sites in 
valley fills within the Appalachian study area in West Virginia, 
Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. This FPEIS was prepared as part of a 
settlement agreement that resolved the Federal claims brought in Bragg 
v. Robertson, Civ. No. 2:98-0636 (S.D.W.Va.).
    This FPEIS was prepared consistent with the provision set forth in 
40 CFR 1503.4(c) of the Council on Environmental Quality regulations 
implementing NEPA, which allow the agencies to attach an errata sheet 
to the statement instead of rewriting the draft statement and to 
circulate the errata, comments, responses, and the changes, rather than 
the entire document. The agencies are filing the entire statement with 
a new cover sheet as the FPEIS. The FPEIS is being made available by 
mail and can be viewed on the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/region3/mtntop/index.htm. The FPEIS can also be viewed at local offices of the 
above agencies and at selected local libraries. Copies of the FPEIS may 
be obtained by writing to the address listed below.

ADDRESSES: Send written requests for copies of the FPEIS to John 
Forren, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (3EA30), 1650 Arch Street, 
Philadelphia, PA 19103.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Forren, U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, at (215) 814-2705; Katherine Trott, U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers, at (202) 761-5542; Mike Robinson, U.S. Office of Surface 
Mining, at (412) 937-2882; Cindy Tibbott, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, at (814) 234-4090; or Russell Hunter, West Virginia Department 
of Environmental Protection, at (304) 926-0499.

    Dated: October 20, 2005.
Gerald W. Barnes,
Chief, Operations, Directorate of Civil Works.

David Evans,
Director, Wetlands Division, Environmental Protection Agency.

Glenda H. Owens,
Deputy Director, Office of Surface Mining.

Marshall P. Jones, Jr.
Deputy Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 05-21474 Filed 10-27-05; 8:45 am]
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