[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 242 (Monday, December 18, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75769-75770]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21471]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


New Melones Lake Project Resource Management Plan/Environmental 
Impact Statement (RMP/EIS), Calaveras and Tuolumne Counties, CA

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an RMP/EIS and notice of public 
meetings.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the 
Reclamation Act of 1902, the Reclamation Project Act of 1939, and the 
Reclamation Recreation Management Act of 1992, the Bureau of 
Reclamation (Reclamation) proposes to prepare an integrated RMP/EIS for 
the New Melones Lake Project. Reclamation is the lead federal agency 
for NEPA. The RMP process is designed to evaluate current and future 
resource conditions for a management area and to analyze whether 
updated or new management actions are necessary to attain desired long-
term goals.
    The public is invited to participate in the planning process by 
submitting comments during the scoping period and the public comment 
period on the draft RMP/EIS. Other opportunities to participate will be 
described during the public scoping meetings.

DATES: Reclamation will host a series of three public scoping meetings 
to solicit input on the development of alternatives, concerns, and 
issues to be addressed in the RMP/EIS. The meeting dates and times are:
     Monday, January 29, 2007, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Sonora, CA,
     Tuesday, January 30, 2007, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Angels Camp, 
CA,
     Wednesday, January 31, 2007, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Manteca, 
CA.

ADDRESSES: Scoping meetings will be held at:
     Sonora at the Sonora Union High School Cafeteria, 251, 
South Barretta Street, Sonora, CA,

[[Page 75770]]

     Angels Camp at the Brett Harte High School Library, 323 
South Main, Angels Camp, CA,
     Manteca at the Manteca High School Cafeteria, 450 East 
Yosemite Avenue, Manteca, CA.
    Written comments on the scope of the proposed RMP/EIS should be 
sent by close of business on February 16, 2007 to: Ms. Elizabeth 
Vasquez, Natural Resource Specialist, Central California Area Office, 
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 7794 Folsom Dam Road, Folsom, CA 95630, or 
e-mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Elizabeth Vasquez at 916-989-7192.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1976, during planning for construction of 
the New Melones Dam, a master plan was created to manage the various 
resources available at New Melones Lake. This plan and a subsequent 
1995 draft resource management plan do not fulfill the need for 
resource management planning, due to the age of the documents, changes 
in visitor use over the last 30 years, and the accumulation of more 
complete information about the various resources managed by Reclamation 
as part of the New Melones Lake Project.
    The RMP process is designed to evaluate current and future resource 
conditions for a management area and to analyze whether updated or new 
management actions are necessary to attain desired long-term goals. All 
proposed management actions will be incorporated into a single document 
that will guide management of biological, social, and physical 
resources and, when implemented, will result in the desired conditions 
for the management area. The associated EIS will assess the potential 
effects of current management actions as well as those proposed under 
the action alternatives. The final RMP/EIS will reflect the alternative 
that is deemed most preferable given the range of resources to be 
managed and the management tools available to Reclamation.
    Reclamation has developed a preliminary list of management issues 
to be addressed in the RMP/EIS. These items include:
     Public health and safety;
     Recreational use;
     Interest groups;
     Traffic and transportation;
     Cultural and archaeological resources;
     Land use, including historic and proposed rights-of-way; 
and
     Sensitive species and habitats.
    This list is not exhaustive and may increase or change as a result 
of public response during the scoping period.

Additional Information

    Persons needing reasonable accommodations in order to attend and 
participate in the public meeting should contact Ms. Vasquez as soon as 
possible. In order to allow sufficient time to process requests, please 
call no later than one week before the meeting. Information regarding 
this proposed action is available in alternative formats upon request.
    During the meetings, Reclamation representatives will present an 
overview of the project. Those attending the meeting will have the 
opportunity to submit comments, which Reclamation will consider in the 
development of alternatives and for analysis of environmental issues 
that should be addressed in the RMP and EIS. (Additional coordination 
meetings can be arranged with responsible/cooperating agencies and with 
special interest groups upon request.)
    Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments will 
be sent to the appropriate federal, state, and local agencies and to 
private organizations and citizens who have expressed an interest or 
who are known to have an interest in this proposal.
    Comments received in response to this notice will become part of 
the administrative record and are subject to public inspection. Our 
practice is to make comments, including names, home addresses, home 
phone numbers, and email addresses of respondents, available for public 
review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their names 
and/or home addresses, etc., but if you wish us to consider withholding 
this information, you must state this prominently at the beginning of 
your comments. In addition, you must present a rationale for 
withholding this information. This rationale must demonstrate that 
disclosure would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of privacy. 
Unsupported assertions will not meet this burden. In the absence of 
exceptional, documentable circumstances, this information will be 
released. We will always make submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available 
for public inspection in their entirety.

Michael Nepstad,
Acting Regional Environmental Officer, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. E6-21471 Filed 12-15-06; 8:45 am]
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