[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 194 (Friday, October 6, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59104-59105]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-16567]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6679-9]


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. 20060088, ERP No. D-FTA-J40173-CO, Denver Union Station (DUS) 
Project, Transportation Improvement, Multimodal Transportation Center 
for the Metro Denver Region, Funding and NPDES Permit, City and County 
Denver, CO.

    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about indirect 
effects of development around future train stations in outlying areas 
surrounding Denver, and suggested that specific mitigation measures to 
reduce dust and diesel emissions be written as requirements in 
construction contracts. Rating EC1.

EIS No. 20060277, ERP No. D-NNS-G06013-NM, Los Alamos National 
Laboratory Continued Operations, Los Alamos County, NM

    Summary: EPA does not object to the preferred alternative. Rating 
LO.

EIS No. 20060283, ERP No. D-FHW-J40174-UT, Riverdale Road Project (UT-
26), Improvement Mobility and Safety between 1900 West in Roy, UT and 
U.S. Highway 89 (Washington Boulevard) in Odgen, UT, Cities of Roy, 
Riverdale, South Ogden and Ogden, Weber County, UT

    Summary: EPA does not object to the preferred alternative. Rating 
LO.

EIS No. 20060297, ERP No. D-FHW-E40809-NC, NC-24 Transportation 
Improvements, from west of I-95 to I-40, Funding, U.S. Army COE 404

[[Page 59105]]

Permit, Cumberland, Sampson, and Duplin Counties, NC

    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about residential 
relocations, potential indirect and cumulative impacts, and impacts to 
wetlands. Rating EC2.

EIS No. 20060313, ERP No. D-BIA-J39035-MT, Kerr Hydroelectric Project, 
Proposed Drought Management Plan, Implementation, Flathead Lake, MT

    Summary: EPA expressed concerns about potential adverse impacts to 
aquatic biota and water quality, and requested additional information 
to fully assess and mitigate impacts of the management actions. Rating 
EC2.

EIS No. 20060324, ERP No. D-AFS-J65470-MT, Cabin Gulch Vegetation 
Treatment Project, Restore Fire-Adapted Ecosystems., Reduce Hazardous 
Fuels, and Water Quality Tributaries to Deep Creek, Helena National 
Forest, Townsend Ranger District, Broadwater County, MT

    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about improving water 
quality and reducing sediment delivery. EPA supports decommissioning 
and recontouring of Forest Road 4181, which has adversely affected 
water quality and fisheries habitat in West Fork Cabin Gulch. EPA 
requested additional information on project monitoring and suggested 
additional analysis to assess and mitigate potential impacts to aquatic 
resources from herbicide application. Rating EC2.

EIS No. 20060340, ERP No. D-AFS-J65471-00, Custer National Forest Weed 
Management, To Implement Specific Invasive Weed Treatments, Carbon, 
Stillwater, Sweetgrass, Park, Powder River, Rosebud and Carter 
Counties, MT and Harding County, SD

    Summary: EPA supports the proposed action to prevent the 
establishment and spread of weeds. EPA did not identify any potential 
environmental impacts requiring substantive changes to the proposal, 
but recommended that additional information on the causes of weed 
spread, additional cultural weed control methods (seeding), and a more 
definitive commitment to aquatic monitoring be considered. Rating LO.

Final EISs

EIS No. 20040327, ERP No. F-AFS-J65404-UT, Trout Slope West Timber 
Project, Harvesting Timber, Ashley National Forest, Vernal Ranger 
District, Uintah County, UT

    Summary: EPA continues to express environmental concerns about 
impacts to aquatic resources from the road system and soil compaction 
from project activities.

EIS No. 20060322, ERP No. F-BLM-J02043-CO, Northern San Juan Basin Coal 
Bed Methane Project, Proposal to Drill 300 Wells to Produce National 
Gas from Coal Beds on Federal, State and Private Owned Lands, Special-
Use-Permit, Application for Permit to Drill and U.S. Army COE Section 
404 Permit, LaPlata and Archuleta Counties, CO

    Summary: The Final EIS includes a new alternative which implements 
a development buffer zone and addresses EPA's request for information 
concerning monitoring, mitigation and additional safety measures. 
However, EPA continues to have concerns about potential impacts to 
water quality from the pipeline and related roads across high landslide 
areas and the high potential for hazards spills. EPA recommends that 
the BLM further develop a structured decision framework and 
implementation strategy for the step-wise approach to drilling in the 
highly sensitive Fruitland Formation.

EIS No. 20060346, ERP No. F-SFW-K64026-CA, San Diego Bay National 
Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan, Implementation, 
Sweetwater Marsh and South San Diego Bay Units, San Diego County, CA

    Summary: EPA does not object to the proposed action.
EIS No. 20060350, ERP No. F-BLM-L65496-AK, Ring of Fire Resource 
Management Plan, Implementation, Alaska Peninsula , Kodiak Island and 
Aleutian Islands, AK
    Summary: EPA does not object to the proposed action.

EIS No. 20060363, ERP No. F-SFW-F64006-IL, Crab Orchard National 
Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP), Implementation, 
Williamson, Jackson and Unicon Counties, IL

    Summary: EPA does not object to the proposed action.

    Dated: October 3, 2006.
Robert W. Hargrove,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. E6-16567 Filed 10-5-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P