[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 71 (Friday, April 11, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19866-19867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-7810]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

UTAH RECLAMATION MITIGATION AND CONSERVATION COMMISSION


Central Utah Project Completion Act

AGENCIES: Department of the Interior. Office of the Assistant 
Secretary--Water and Science (Interior); and the Utah Reclamation 
Mitigation and Conservation Commission (Mitigation Commission).

ACTION: Notice of Availability, Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS), Lower Duchesne River Wetlands Mitigation Project (LDWP), 
Duchesne and Uintah Counties, Utah.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, Interior and the Mitigation 
Commission (Joint Lead Agencies), have issued a Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Lower Duchesne River Wetlands 
Mitigation Project in Duchesne and Uintah Counties, Utah. The FEIS 
addresses potential impacts related to construction and operation of 
features proposed for the project and incorporates responses to public 
comments received on the Draft EIS.
    The FEIS is intended to satisfy disclosure requirements of NEPA and 
will serve as the NEPA compliance document for contracts, agreements 
and permits that would be required for construction and operation of 
the project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information on matters 
related to this notice can be obtained from Mr. Ralph G. Swanson at 
(801) 379-1254, or [email protected]. Copies of the FEIS, and 
supporting resource technical reports, are available upon request.
    Copies of the FEIS are also available for inspection at:

Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Commission, 230 South 500 
East, Suite 230, Salt Lake City, Utah 84102;
Department of the Interior, Natural Resource Library, Serials Branch, 
18th and C Streets, NW., Washington, DC 20240;
Headquarters, Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Agency, 988 
South 7500 East, Ft. Duchesne, Utah 84026;
Bureau of Indian Affairs, P.O. Box 130, Ft. Duchesne, Utah 84026;
Duchesne County Library, 70 East Lagoon, Roosevelt, Utah 84066;

and on the Mitigation Commission Web site at: 
www.mitigationcommission.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background--The LDWP is proposed to fulfill 
certain environmental mitigation commitments of the Bonneville Unit of 
the Central Utah Project. The Strawberry Aqueduct and Collection System 
(SACS) is a key component of the Bonneville Unit, collecting water from 
the Upper Duchesne River and its tributaries and storing it in 
Strawberry Reservoir for delivery westward to the Wasatch Front in 
Utah. As a result, wetlands and wildlife habitats along the Duchesne 
River have been adversely impacted. Substantial wetland impacts 
occurred on the Uintah and Ouray Reservation lands of the Ute Indian 
Tribe. The Proposed Action would create, restore, and otherwise enhance 
riparian wetland habitats on reservation

[[Page 19867]]

lands of the Ute Indian Tribe along the Duchesne River in Utah as 
partial mitigation for these Bonneville Unit impacts. The LDWP has been 
planned in conjunction with the Ute Indian Tribe and is intended to 
fulfill a long-standing commitment to mitigate for impacts to Ute 
Indian tribal wetland-wildlife resources and to provide additional 
wetland/wildlife benefits to the Ute Indian Tribe.
    Notice of Intent to initiate public scoping and prepare a Draft EIS 
was published in the Federal Register on April 25, 2001 (66 FR 20827). 
Scoping was accomplished by means of three public meetings convened in 
Ft. Duchesne, Roosevelt and Salt Lake City, Utah in May 2003. The DEIS 
was filed with the EPA by the Joint Lead Agencies on November 17, 2003. 
Notice of Availability of the DEIS was announced in the Federal 
Register on November 24, 2003 (68 FR 65943). Three public meetings were 
held in Ft. Duchesne, Roosevelt and Salt Lake City, Utah in December 
2003, to receive public comment on the DEIS. Comments received during 
the public comment period from November 17, 2003 to February 17, 2004, 
were considered during preparation of the FEIS.
    Publication of a Record of Decision for the LDWP will occur no 
sooner than 30 days from the date of this notice.
    Proposed Action--Approximately 4,807 acres of land composed of 
3,215 acres of Ute Indian Tribal trust lands, and 1,592 acres of fee 
lands to be acquired by the Federal Government, would be acquired and/
or developed into cohesive wetlands management units. A portion of the 
water currently managed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the Ute 
Indian Tribe under the existing Uinta Indian Irrigation Project would 
be utilized, along with water that may be acquired with fee land 
acquisitions, to create, restore and enhance wetlands throughout the 
project area. Lands acquired in fee title (except lands acquired by 
eminent domain) would be transferred to the Ute Indian Tribe. All 
project lands (dedicated tribal and acquired lands) would be managed 
for project purposes by the Ute Indian Tribe under management 
agreements with the Joint Lead Agencies to achieve the prescribed 
wetlands-associated fish and wildlife benefits, and for other wetland/
wildlife-related tribal benefits.
    Alternatives--Two action alternatives were developed and evaluated. 
The alternatives included in the FEIS are similar to the Proposed 
Action, differing only in the acreage amounts and locations.
    No Action--No lands or waters would be acquired or managed for 
wetland habitat improvements or tribal benefits. This Central Utah 
Project, Bonneville Unit mitigation commitment to the Ute Indian Tribe 
would remain unfulfilled. The Commission would undertake additional 
planning to develop an acceptable alternative means to complete this 
mitigation commitment.

Reed R. Murray,
Program Director, Department of the Interior.
Michael C. Weland,
Executive Director, Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation 
Commission.
 [FR Doc. E8-7810 Filed 4-10-08; 8:45 am]
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