[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 202 (Friday, October 17, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61858-61859]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-24811]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-8586-7]


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 202-564-7146.
    An explanation of the ratings assigned to draft environmental 
impact statements (EISs) was published in FR dated April 6, 2008 (73 FR 
19833).

Draft EISs

EIS No. 20080167, ERP No. D-COE-J35011-CO, Northern Integrated Supply 
Project, Construction and Operation a Regional Water Supply to Serve 
the Current and Future Water Needs of 12 Towns and Water District, 
Approval of Section 404 Permit Application, Northern Colorado Water 
Conservancy District, Larimer and Weld Counties, CO.

    Summary: EPA expressed environmental objections to the proposed 
action alternatives due to the potential for substantial and 
unacceptable impacts to the Poudre and South Platte Rivers, and 
expressed concern that the DEIS may not contain sufficient information 
to fully assess the potential water quality and wetland impacts of the 
proposed action alternatives. Rating EO2.

EIS No. 20080304, ERP No. D-NOA-E91025-00, Reef Fish Amendment 30B: 
Gag-End Overfishing and Set Management Thresholds and Targets; Red 
Grouper--Set Optimum Yield, Total Allowable Catch (TAC), and Management 
Measures: Area Closures: and Federal Regulatory Compliance, 
Implementation, Gulf of Mexico.

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

EIS No. 20080312, ERP No. D-FHW-E40821-SC, Southern Evacuation Lifeline 
Project, Proposed New Location Freeway Which Would Provide Improved 
Hurricane Evacuation, Congestion Relief, Improved Access to Services 
East and West of the Waccamaw River, Horry and Georgetown Counties, SC.

    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about significant 
wetland impacts and recommends that further measures be considered to 
avoid and minimize these wetland and stream impacts. In addition, more 
information about the mitigation approach for the remaining wetland and 
stream impacts was requested. Rating EC2.

EIS No. 20080227, ERP No. DA-TPT-K61154-CA, Presidio Trust Management 
Plan (PTMP), Updated Information on the Concept for the 120-Acre Main 
Post District, Area B of the Presidio of San Francisco, Implementation, 
City and County of San Francisco, CA.

    Summary: EPA does not object to the proposed project. Rating LO.

EIS No. 20080320, ERP No. DS-NOA-K91008-00, Amendment 18 to the Fishery 
Management Plan, Pelagic Fisheries of the Western Pacific Region, 
Management Modifications for the Hawaii-based Shallow-set Longline 
Swordfish Fishery, Proposal to Remove Effort Limits, Eliminate the Set 
Certificate Program and Implement New Sea Turtle Interaction Caps.

    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about impacts to sea 
turtles and requested additional information on impact assessment 
methodology and how cumulative impacts to sea turtles were factored 
into the conclusions. Rating EC2.

Final EISs

EIS No. 20080248, ERP No. F-AFS-L65534-ID, Idaho Cobalt Project, 
Development of Two Underground Mines, a Waste Disposal Site and 
Associated Facilities, Approval of Plan-of-Operation, Salmon-Cobalt 
Ranger District, Salmon-Challis National Forest, Lemhi County, ID.

    Summary: EPA continues to have environmental concerns about the 
lack of information on financial assurance that we requested be in the 
FEIS and about the lack of specificity on trigger levels for monitoring 
and mitigation measures.

EIS No. 20080307, ERP No. F-AFS-L65552-OR, East Maury Fuels and 
Vegetation Management Project, Proposed Fuels and Vegetation Treatments 
Reduce the Risk of Stand Loss, Lookout Mountain Ranger District, Ochoco 
National Forest, Crook County, OR.

    Summary: EPA continues to have environmental concerns about the 
need for monitoring and maintenance of culverts on closed roads to 
prevent passage barriers for fish, erosion and sedimentation problems.

EIS No. 20080311, ERP No. F-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 recommends that mitigation measures for air quality 
construction impacts from the proposed project be listed in the ROD as 
construction specification requirements and that the ROD also include 
measures ensuring minimization of NOX and VOC levels.

EIS No. 20080329, ERP No. F-AFS-G65107-NM, Santa Fe National Forest 
Project, Settlement Land Transfers: Pueblo de San lldefonso, Pueblo of 
Santa Clara and Los Alamos County, Implementation, Santa Fe National 
Forest, Los Alamos, Rio Arriba and Santa Fe Counties, NM.

    Summary: No comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

EIS No. 20080332, ERP No. F-FHW-L40227-WA, Interstate 90 Snoqualmie 
Pass East Project, Proposes to Improve a 15-mile Portion of I-90 from 
Milepost 55.10 in Hyak to Milepost 70.3 New Easton, Funding, U.S. Army 
COE Section 404 Permit and NPDES Permit, Kittitas County, WA.

    Summary: EPA does not object to the proposed action.

EIS No. 20080334, ERP No. F-NOA-A91074-00, North Atlantic Right Whale 
Ship Strike Reduction Strategy, To Implement the Operational Measures 
to Reduce the Occurrence and Severity of Vessel Collisions with the 
Right Whale, Serious Injury and Deaths Resulting from Collisions with 
Vessels.

    Summary: EPA has no objection to the proposed action.

EIS No. 20080341, ERP No. F-AFS-L65546-ID, Idaho Roadless Area 
Conservation Project, To Provide State-Specific Direction for the 
Conservation and Management of Inventoried Roadless Areas, National 
Forest System Lands in Idaho.

    Summary: The final EIS addressed EPA's concerns about adverse 
impacts to water quality, the disposition of temporary roads and the 
definition of significant risk.

    EIS No. 20080342, ERP No. F-AFS-J65516-WY, Inyan Kara Analysis Area 
Vegetation Management, Proposes to Implement Best Management Livestock 
Grazing Practices and Activities Associated with Adaptive Management 
and Monitoring Strategies, Douglas Ranger District, Medicine Bow Routt 
National Forest and Thunder Basin National Grassland, Niobrara and 
Weston Counties, WY.


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    Summary: While the Final EIS did address EPA's environmental 
general concerns with water quality and adaptive management, we 
continue to have environmental concerns about the level of water 
resource protection from grazing impacts under drought conditions.

    Dated: October 14, 2008.
Ken Mittelholtz,
Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. E8-24811 Filed 10-16-08; 8:45 am]
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