[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 24, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29979-29980]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-7903]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[INT-FES-06-09]


Platte River Recovery Implementation Program

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the final environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969 (as amended), the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) as joint lead agencies have 
prepared a final programmatic environmental impact statement (FEIS) for 
the Platte River Recovery Implementation Program (Program). This FEIS 
also serves as the Biological Assessment necessary for consultation 
under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In 1997, the 
States of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado and the U.S. Department of 
the Interior (Interior) signed a Cooperative Agreement for Platte River 
Research and Other Efforts Relating to Endangered Species Habitats 
Along the Central Platte River, Nebraska (Cooperative Agreement). In 
this document, the signatories agreed to pursue a basinwide, 
cooperative approach to improve and maintain habitat for four 
threatened and endangered species which use the Platte River in 
Nebraska: whooping crane (Grus americana), interior least tern (Sterna 
antillarum), piping plover (Charadrius melodus), and pallid sturgeon 
(Scaphirhynchus albus). This Program will provide ESA compliance for 
Service and Reclamation water projects in the Platte River Basin for 
the four target species, as well as for other participating projects 
which require Federal permits.

DATES: Interior will not make a decision on the proposed action until 
at least 30 days after release of the Final EIS. After the 30-day 
waiting period, a Record of Decision (ROD) will be completed. The ROD 
will state the action that will be implemented and will discuss all 
factors leading to the decision.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on, or requests for copies of, the FEIS 
should be addressed to Platte River EIS Office (PL-100), PO Box 25007, 
Denver, Colorado, 80225-0007; telephone: (303) 445-2096, or by sending 
an e-mail request to [email protected]. The document is available on 
the Internet at http://www.platteriver.org. Copies of the FEIS are also 
available for public inspection at the locations listed under the 
Supplementary Information section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joy Knipps, Platte River EIS Office at 
the above address, or by telephone at (303) 445-2108, or e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Reclamation and the Service have prepared 
this FEIS to analyze the impacts of the First Increment (13 years) of 
the proposed Program, developed jointly by the States of Nebraska, 
Wyoming, and Colorado, water users, environmental organizations and the 
Department, to benefit the target species and their habitat in the 
Platte River Basin and to provide compliance with the ESA for certain 
historic and future water uses in each State. The habitat objectives of 
the proposed Program include: improving flows in the Central Platte 
River through water re-regulation and conservation/supply projects; and 
protecting, restoring, and maintaining at least 10,000 acres of habitat 
in and along the Central Platte River area between Lexington and 
Chapman, Nebraska.

[[Page 29980]]

    A draft EIS was released for public review and comment January 23, 
2004. The comment period ended September 20, 2004. All public comments 
have been addressed in the FEIS.
    The FEIS analyzes the impacts of four alternatives to implement the 
Program. One alternative, the Governance Committee Alternative, has 
been selected as the Department's preferred alternative. The 
programmatic FEIS focuses on impacts that the Program may have on 
hydrology, water quality, land, target species and their habitat, other 
species, hydropower, recreation, economics, and social and cultural 
resources. Subsequent NEPA and ESA documents required for 
implementation of specific Program actions will be tiered off of this 
document.
    FEIS available for public inspection at the following locations:
     Bureau of Reclamation, Public Affairs Office, 1849 C 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20240.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Platte River EIS Office, 44 Union 
Boulevard, Suite 100, Lakewood, CO 80228.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Great Plains Regional Office, 316 
North 26th Street, Billings, MT 59101.
     Bureau of Reclamation, Eastern Colorado Area Office, 11056 
West County Road 18E, Loveland, CO 80537-9711.
     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 203 W. 2nd Street, Grand 
Island, NE 68801.
     U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4000 Airport Parkway, 
Cheyenne, WY 82001.
Libraries:
     Omaha Public Library, 215 South 15th Street, Omaha, NE 
68102.
     Scottsbluff Public Library, 1809 Third Avenue, 
Scottsbluff, NE 69361.
     University of Nebraska at Kearney, Calvin T. Ryan Library, 
2508 11th Avenue, Kearney, NE 68849-2240.
     University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Love Memorial Library, 
13th and R Streets, Lincoln, NE 68588-4100.
     Grand Island Public Library, 211 North Washington Street, 
Grand Island, NE 68801.
     North Platte Public Library, 120 West 4th Street, North 
Platte, NE 69101.
     Goodall City Library, 203 West A Street, Ogallala, NE 
69153.
     Natrona County Public Library, 307 East 2nd Street, 
Casper, WY 82601.
     Wyoming State Library, 2301 Capitol Avenue, Cheyenne, WY 
82002-0002.
     University of Wyoming, George W. Hopper Law Library, 16th 
and Gibbon Streets, Laramie, WY 82071-3035.
     Goshen County Library, 2001 East A Street, Torrington, WY 
82240.
     Carbon County Government Public Library, Rawlins, WY 
82301.
     Central Wyoming College Library, 2660 Peck Avenue, 
Riverton, WY 82501-2273.
     University of Colorado, Boulder, Norlin Library, 1720 
Pleasant Street, Boulder, CO 80309-0184.
     Denver Public Library, 10 West 14th Avenue Parkway, 
Denver, CO 80204-2731.
     Colorado State University, William E. Morgan Library, Fort 
Collins, CO 80523-1019.
     University of Northern Colorado, James A. Michener 
Library, 501 20th Street, Greeley, CO 80639-0091.
     Jefferson County Public Library, Lakewood Library, 10200 
West 20th Avenue, Lakewood CO 80215-1402.
     Julesburg Public Library, 320 Cedar Street, Julesburg, CO 
80737-1545.
     Sterling Public Library, 420 North 5th Street, Sterling, 
CO 80751-0400.
     Loveland Public Library, 300 North Adams, Loveland, CO 
80537-5754.
     Fort Morgan Public Library, 414 Main Street, Fort Morgan, 
CO 80701-2209.
     Garfield County Public Library, 413 9th Street, Glenwood 
Springs, CO 81601-3607.

Public Disclosure Statement

    Comments received in response to this notice will become part of 
the administrative record for this project and are subject to public 
inspection. Comments, including names and home addresses of 
respondents, will be available for public review. Individual 
respondents may request that Reclamation withhold their home address 
from public disclosure, which will be honored to the extent allowable 
by law. There also may be circumstances in which Reclamation would 
withhold a respondent's identity from public disclosure, as allowable 
by law. If you wish to have your name and/or address withheld, you must 
state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. Reclamation 
will make all submissions from organizations or businesses and from 
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of 
organizations or businesses available for public disclosure in their 
entirety.

    Dated: May 18, 2006.
Willie R. Taylor,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance.
 [FR Doc. E6-7903 Filed 5-23-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P