[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 336]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-33214]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 
(SEIS) for PacRim Coal's Proposed Chuitna Coal Project

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Alaska District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) 
intends to prepare an SEIS to identify and analyze the potential 
impacts associated with the proposed Chuitna Coal Project. It is 
anticipated that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Native 
Village of Tyonek (NVT), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), 
and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (ADNR) will participate 
as cooperating agencies in the SEIS development process. The USACE will 
be evaluating a permit application for work under Section 10 of the 
Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The SEIS 
will be used as a basis for the Corps' permit decision and to ensure 
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The SEIS 
will also address issues related to the Alaska Surface Coal Mining 
Control and Reclamation Act (ASCMCRA) permit, which governs all aspects 
of the mining operation and infrastructure.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and the DSEIS can be answered by: Ms. Serena Sweet, Regulatory 
Division, telephone: (907) 753-2819, toll free in AK: (800) 478-2712, 
fax: (907) 753-5567, e-mail: [email protected], or mail: 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CEPOA-RD, Post Office Box 6898, Elmendorf 
AFB, Alaska 99506-0898.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    1. The Chuitna Coal Project (Project) is located in the Beluga Coal 
Field, approximately 10 miles northwest of the Native Village of Tyonek 
and 45 miles west of Anchorage, Alaska. The Project is based on the 
development of a +1 billion metric ton, ultra low sulfur sub-bituminous 
coal resource located within the Chuitna Coal Lease Area. The proposed 
Project includes a surface coal mine, the Ladd Landing coal export 
terminal and other associated support facilities (including: Shop/
office/warehouse facility, fuel storage facility and fueling station, 
ready line for parking and fueling of rolling stock, electrical 
substation, truck dump with stilling shed and coal crusher, 35,000 to 
40,000[hyphen]ton covered surge bin, overland conveyor loading station, 
roads, and a power distribution system). The project proponent, PacRim 
Coal, LP, targets a coal production rate of approximately 12 million 
tons per year (facilities are designed for up to 18-20 million tons per 
year), and a 25-year mine life based on current estimated coal 
reserves.
    2. A previous project design was evaluated in an EIS and permitted 
by most of the applicable State and Federal regulatory programs in the 
early 1990s; however, this project did not proceed to development. 
Since 2006, EPA has been lead federal agency for the development of an 
SEIS for the Project and the USACE, ADNR, USFWS and NVT participated as 
cooperating agencies (71 FR 33446). On October 31, 2010, the EPA's 
authority to issue and enforce mining permits in Alaska for wastewater 
discharges issued under the Clean Water Act National Pollutant 
Discharge Elimination System program was transferred to the Alaska 
Department of Environmental Conservation. Consequently, the EPA 
recently discontinued their role as lead federal agency for the Chuitna 
SEIS.
    3. Alternatives: The alternatives to be evaluated include the ``no-
action'' alternative, wastewater discharge alternatives and alternative 
discharge locations. In addition, the SEIS will evaluate mine access 
road and conveyor alignment alternatives, and coal export terminal 
alternatives. Additional alternatives may be developed.
    4. Scoping for the proposed project was completed by EPA in 2006. 
Based on the comments received during this scoping period, PacRim Coal, 
LP has made revisions to the proposed Project. In accordance with NEPA, 
the Corps has reviewed the revised project description and determined 
that because these revisions are the result of the original scoping 
process and remain within the original scope of review, additional 
scoping processes will not be conducted at this time.
    5. Estimated Date of DSEIS Release: December 2011.

    Dated: December 28, 2010.
Serena E. Sweet,
Project Manager, Alaska District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
[FR Doc. 2010-33214 Filed 1-3-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P