[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 245 (Thursday, December 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76066-76067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-7662]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Cordova Oil 
Spill Response Facility, Cordova, AL

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This notice advises the public that the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs (BIA) intends to file a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(DEIS) with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a proposed oil 
spill response facility at Shepard Point, near Cordova, Alaska, and 
that the DEIS is now available for public review. The purpose of the 
proposed project is to provide a deepwater staging facility for the 
rapid deployment of equipment to the site of an oil spill. This notice 
also announces a hearing for the public to provide comments on the 
DEIS.

DATES: Written comments on the DEIS must arrive by February 6, 2006.
    Public hearings will be held on the following dates and times:
    1. January 11, 2006, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Anchorage, Alaska.
    2. January 12, 2006, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., Cordova, Alaska.

ADDRESSES: You may mail written comments to Kristin K'eit, Bureau of 
Indian Affairs, Alaska Regional Office, Division of Environmental and 
Cultural Resource Management, P.O. Box 25520, Juneau, Alaska 99802-
5520. You may also fax your comments to (907) 586-7044, or submit them 
electronically at the project Web site, http://[email protected].


    Note: BIA cannot receive electronic comments directly via e-mail 
at this time.


Please include your name, return address, and the caption, ``DEIS 
Comments, Proposed Cordova Oil Spill Response Facility, Cordova, 
Alaska,'' on the first page of your written comments. To obtain a copy 
of the DEIS, please contact Kristen K'eit by mail at the above mailing 
address or by telephone at the number provided below. Copies of the 
DEIS are available for public review at the above mailing address. 
Copies of the DEIS have also been sent to agencies and individuals who 
participated in the scoping process and to all others who have 
previously requested copies of the document.
    The locations of the public hearings are as follows:
    1. Anchorage--Alaska Pacific University, Carr Gottstein Building, 
4101 University Drive, Room 102, Anchorage, Alaska.

[[Page 76067]]

    2. Cordova--Mt. Eccles Elementary School, 201 Adams Street, 
Cordova, Alaska.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kristin K'eit, (907) 586-7423.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On behalf of the Native Village of Eyak, in 
accordance with the Agreement and Consent Decree in the Exxon Valdez 
Case (Case No. A89-095 CI [consolidated] and Case No. A92-175 CI [Ex. 
A]) and as mandated by the State of Alaska in the 1993, Alyeska 
settlement (HB 165), the BIA proposes to design and build a deep-water 
port and oil spill response facility at Shepard Point near Cordova, 
Alaska.
    The BIA's preferred alternative is Alternative 4, a new oil spill 
response facility at Shepard Point near Cordova, Alaska. The proposed 
facility would consist of (1) a dedicated deepwater port, (2) 
additional staging and storage area; and (3) an access road to the 
Cordova road system. The facility would allow all-tide transfer of out-
of-region supplies such as boom, skimmer, sorbents, anchors, tools, and 
personal protective equipment from the all-weather airport at Cordova 
to a wider variety of response vessels than can currently use Cordova's 
port. The NEPA document is required due to the potential effects of the 
project.

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, 7:30 a.m. to 4 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.

    Dated: December 16, 2005.
Michael D. Olsen,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
 [FR Doc. E5-7662 Filed 12-21-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-W7-P