[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 82 (Friday, April 28, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25171-25172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6430]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6674-7]


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 7, 2006 (71 FR 
17845).

Draft EISs

EIS No. 20050548, ERP No. D-NPS-E65078-NC, North Shore Road, Great 
Smoky Mountains National Park, General Management Plan, Implementation, 
Fontana Dam, Swain County, NC.

    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about the potential 
for adverse impacts to water and air quality. In particular, acid 
generation from highly mineralized rock which has the potential to 
produce acid drainage impacting wetlands and aquatic life.
    Rating EC1.

EIS No. 20060022, ERP No. D-FTA-L40230-WA, South Valley Corridor 
Project, Improvement to Existing Urban Transportation System, Light 
Rail Transit (LRT), Right-of-Way Grant, City of Liberty Lake, Spokane 
County, WA.

    Summary: EPA has no objections to the proposed project.
    Rating LO.

EIS No. 20060063, ERP No. D-FHW-K40259-CA, Big Bear Lake Bridge 
Replacement Project, near Big Bear Lake on CA-18 from Kilopost 71.1/
71.9, Realignment and Widening Roadways, U.S. COE section 404 Permit, 
Funding, San Bernardino National Forest, San Bernardino County, CA.
    Summary: EPA has no objections to the proposed project.

    Rating LO.

EIS No. 20060064, ERP No. D-AFS-D65035-PA, Williow Creek All-Terrain 
Vehicle Trail Expansion, Improvements, located in Marshburg/Stickney 
Intensive Use Area, Alleghany National Forest, McKean County, PA.

    Summary: EPA has environmental concerns about impacts to air 
quality, wetlands, terrestrial habitat, historic resources, public 
health and safety, and suggested clarification of ``forest level'' air 
emissions as well as injury/death statistics pertinent to Allegheny NF. 
The final EIS should include specific information on wetland location, 
delineation and location of impacted terrestrial habitat resources.
    Rating EC2.

EIS No. 20060073, ERP No. D-NRS-G31004-AR, Little Red River Irrigation 
Project, Develop a Water Management Plan for Irrigation Purposes in 
Seary, U.S. Army COE section 404 Permit, Raft Creek, White County, AR.

    Summary: EPA does not object to the proposed action.
    Rating LO.

EIS No. 20060055, ERP No. DS-AFS-J65438-WY, Dean Project Area, Proposes 
to Implement Multiple Resource Management Actions, New Information to 
Disclose Direct, Indirect, and Cumulative Environmental Impacts, Black 
Hills National Forest, Bearlodge Ranger District, Sundance, Crook 
County, WY.

    Summary: The Supplemental EIS did not address EPA's environmental 
concerns about impacts to water quality from timber harvest, runoff, 
soil erosion and sediment losses and cumulative impacts to vegetation 
and wildlife

[[Page 25172]]

habitat from other large-scale vegetation management projects.
    Rating EC2.

Final EISs

EIS No. 20050429, ERP No. F-BLM-J02046-UT, Castle Peak and Eightmile 
Flat Oil and Gas Expansion Project, Expansion of Crude Oil and Natural 
Gas Development and Production Programs, Right-of-Way Grant, Duchesne 
and Uintah Counties, UT.

    Summary: The approved action has deferred drilling near riparian 
areas until needed information from an ongoing survey is collected. EPA 
continues to express environmental concerns about the potential for 
adverse impacts to regional visibility and the adequacy of proposed 
mitigation based on the results of analysis in the EIS indicating 
adverse long term and cumulative air impacts from the project.

EIS No. 20060043, ERP No. F-AFS-J65443-CO, Rock Creek Integrated 
Management Project, Propose Treatment to Address Mountain Beetle 
Epidemics, and to Reduce Wildfires within the Rock Creek Analysis Area, 
Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests and Thunder Basin National 
Grassland, Glenwood Springs Resource Area, Routt and Grand Counties, 
CO.

    Summary: The Final EIS addressed EPA's concerns with specific 
treatments, applications and priorities under the HFA. Other comments 
were not addressed, and EPA continues to express environmental concerns 
about potential impacts to water quality from construction of up to 25 
miles of road in an area with existing watershed impacts.

EIS No. 20060078, ERP No. F-NOA-G90016-TX, PROGRAMMATIC--Texas National 
Estuarine Research Reserve and Management Plan, Mission-Aransas 
Estuary, Site Designation, Federal Approval, TX.
    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
EIS No. 20060080, ERP No. F-AFS-L65476-WA, Methow Transmission Project, 
Construction of New Transmission Line or Reconstruction an Existing 
Line, Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forests, Methow Valley Ranger 
District, Okanogan County, WA.

    Summary: EPA continues to express environmental concerns about 
potential impacts to habitat, resulting from construction of a new 
substation in the Gold Creek area.

    Dated: April 25, 2006.
Robert W. Hargrove,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
 [FR Doc. E6-6430 Filed 4-27-06; 8:45 am]
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