[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 131 (Tuesday, July 8, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39074-39075]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-15476]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
Environmental Impact Statements: National Summary of Rescinded
Notices of Intent
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that 11
States have rescinded Notices of Intent (NOI) to prepare 19
Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for proposed highway projects.
FHWA Division Offices, in consultation with the State Departments of
Transportation (State DOT), determined that 15 of these projects were
no longer viable projects and have formally cancelled the projects. No
resources will be expended on these projects; the environmental review
process has been terminated. Four projects in four States have been
reduced in scope and now meet the criteria for an Environmental
Assessment (EA) rather than an EIS, or a revised NOI will be issued
restarting the EIS process.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lamar Smith, Office of Project
Development and Environmental Review, (202) 366-8994; Janet Myers,
Office of the Chief Counsel, (202) 366-2019; Federal Highway
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access
An electronic copy of this document may be downloaded by accessing
the Federal Register's home page at: http://www.archives.gov and the
Government Printing Office's Web page at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara.
Background
The FHWA, as lead Federal agency under the National Environmental
[[Page 39075]]
Policy Act and in furtherance of its oversight and stewardship
responsibilities under the Federal-aid Highway Program, has requested
that its Division Offices review, with the State DOTs, the status of
all EISs and place those projects that are not actively progressing in
a timely manner in an inactive project status. The FHWA maintains lists
of active and inactive projects on its Web site at http://www.environment.fhwa.dot.gov/. The FHWA has determined that inactive
projects that are no longer a priority or that lack resources should be
rescinded with a Federal Register notice notifying the public that
project activity has been terminated. As always, FHWA encourages State
DOTs to work with their FHWA Division Office to determine when it is
most prudent to initiate an EIS in order to best balance available
resources as well as the expectations of the public.
The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that 11 States
(Alabama, California, Florida, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington) have recently
rescinded previously issued NOIs for 19 EISs for proposed highway
projects. A listing of these projects, general location, original NOI
date of publication in the Federal Register, and the date that the NOI
was formally rescinded by notice published in the Federal Register, is
provided below. The FHWA Division Offices, in consultation with the
State DOTs, determined that 15 of these projects were no longer viable
projects and have formally cancelled those projects. Four projects in
California, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington have been reduced in
scope and now meet the criteria for performing an EA rather than an
EIS, or a revised NOI will be issued restarting the environmental
review process. The South Stockton Six-Lane Project in Joaquin County,
California, and the NE Novelty Hill project in King County, Washington,
have been reduced in scope and will undergo analysis as EAs. The Mid-
Currituck Sound Bridge Project in Currituck and Dare Counties, North
Carolina, issued a notice on June 3, 2008, rescinding the original July
6, 1995, NOI as well as the January 1998 Draft EIS due to project
changes including the adaptation of the project by the North Carolina
Turnpike Authority. A new NOI for this project is expected. The South
Padre Island Second Access Project in Cameron County, Texas, issued a
revised NOI to rescind the original July 11, 2003, NOI and start the
environmental review process again with an April 23, 2008, NOI.
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State Project name--location NOI date Rescinded date
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AL......................................... West Mobile Loop--Mobile County.... 8/28/2002 5/7/2008
AL........................................ Birmingham Northern Beltline 8/2/2006 4/7/22008
Extension--St. Clair County.
CA......................................... South Stockton Six-Lane Project-- 1/29/2002 3/13/2008
Joaquin County.
FL......................................... Suncoast Parkway 2--Hernando and 6/11/2002 3/11/2008
Citrus Counties.
FL......................................... Upper Manatee River Road--Manatee 1/21/2004 3/14/2008
County.
NC......................................... Mid-Currituck Sound Bridge 7/6/1995 6/3/2008
Project--Currituck and Dare
Counties.
OR......................................... Astoria Bypass--Clatsop County..... 9/28/1994 4/7/2008
PA......................................... Ligonier Truck Route--Westmoreland 1/29/1993 2/20/2008
County.
TN......................................... Appalachian Development Highway 10/28/1999 5/21/2008
System Corridor K--Polk County.
TX......................................... South Padre Island Second Access 7/11/2003 4/23/2008
Project--Cameron County.
TX......................................... Bolivar Bridge--Galveston County... 2/10/2006 1/30/2008
TX......................................... SH 122 Roadway between SH 6 and 9/16/2002 3/14/2008
SH99--Fort Bend County.
UT......................................... I-15 North Corridor--Salt Lake City 1/22/1997 4/10/2008
to Kaysville.
VA......................................... Outer Connector--Stafford and 6/1/1995 5/22/2008
Spotsylvania Counties.
VA......................................... I-77/I-81 Improvement Project-- 5/10/2001 5/22/2008
Wythe County.
VA......................................... Interstate 66 Multimodal 1/11/2002 5/22/2008
Transportation and Environmental
Study--Fairfax and Prince William
Counties.
VA......................................... Route 29 South Bypass Improvement 3/4/2002 5/22/2008
Project--near Lynchburg.
VA......................................... Spotsylvania Parkway--Spotsylvania 11/15/2002 5/22/2008
County.
WA......................................... NE Novelty Hill--King County....... 1/18/2001 4/2/2008
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(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205,
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on
Federal programs and activities apply to this program.)
Issued on: June 30, 2008.
James D. Ray,
Acting Federal Highway Administrator.
[FR Doc. E8-15476 Filed 7-7-08; 8:45 am]
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