[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 105 (Wednesday, June 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31676-31677]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-13541]


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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Environmental Impact Statements: National Summary of Rescinded 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States have rescinded Notices of Intent (NOIs) to prepare 21 
Environmental Impact Statements (EISs) for proposed highway projects. 
The FHWA Division Offices, in consultation with the State departments 
of transportation (State DOTs), determined that six projects were no 
longer viable and have formally cancelled the projects. No further 
Federal resources will be expended on these projects; the environmental 
review process has been terminated. Seven projects have been reduced in 
scope or found not to have significant impacts and now meet the 
criteria for an Environmental Assessment (EA) or a Categorical 
Exclusion (CE). Six projects are currently undergoing re-scoping. After 
additional study, two individual projects were combined into a new 
single corridor project and a new EIS will be prepared.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kreig Larson, Office of Project 
Development and Environmental Review, (202) 366-2056, or 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 
Policy Act (NEPA) and in furtherance of its oversight and stewardship 
responsibilities under the Federal-aid highway program, periodically 
requests 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 EIS 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 financial 
resources should be rescinded with a Federal Register notice notifying 
the public that project activity has been terminated. This notice 
covers the time period since the last summary was issued on July 6, 
2010, and published in the Federal Register at 75 FR 44044 (July 27, 
2010). 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 at the 
request of 11 States (California, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Mississippi, New 
Mexico, New York, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Washington) the FHWA 
recently rescinded previously issued NOIs for 21 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 six of these projects were no longer viable projects 
and have formally cancelled those projects. The projects are: The 
Skowhegan transportation and accessibility project in Somerset County, 
Maine; the I-10/SR-25 connector in Harrison and Stone Counties, 
Mississippi; US-49/I-20 interchange in Ranking County, Mississippi; US-
82/I-69 connector in Washington and Bolivar Counties, Mississippi; 
proposed SR-15 near Beaumont, Harrison, George, Greene, Jackson, Perry, 
and Stone, Mississippi; and the Southeastern Parkway and Greenbelt in 
Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, Virginia.
    The FHWA Division Offices, in consultation with the State DOTs, 
determined that seven additional projects would be reduced in scope or 
are expected not to have significant impacts. In California, the 
proposed 24th Street Improvement Project in Kern County has been 
reduced in scope and now meets the criteria for an EA. New Mexico's 
Northwest Loop project in Sandoval and Bernalillo Counties has been 
reduced in scope and is now eligible for a CE. The Bridge 
Rehabilitation and Interchange Improvements Project in Queens County, 
New York, has been reduced in scope and will be eligible for a CE. 
Route 475 in Knoxville, Loudon, Knox, and Anderson Counties, Tennessee, 
now expects a significantly smaller traffic volume and will no longer 
require an EIS. Seattle, Washington's Seattle Ferry Terminal (Colman 
Dock) project has been reduced in scope and will require an EA or CE. 
The Forest Road 56 improvement project in King County, Washington, has 
been reduced in scope and an EA will be published. The extension of SR-
374 in Montgomery County, Tennessee, is not expected to have a 
significant environmental impact and an EA will now be prepared.
    Six projects are currently undergoing re-scoping and are expected 
to require either an EA or CE when re-scoping is complete. These 
projects include: The SH-44 project in Ada and Canyon Counties, Idaho; 
the roadway improvement project in Warren County, Iowa; SH-71 in Travis 
County, Texas; US-181/SH-286 in Nueces County, Texas; US-181/SH-286 in 
Cameron County, Texas; and the proposed I-69

[[Page 31677]]

extension near Laredo and the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.
    In addition, after further study and interagency coordination, it 
was determined that the SR138 and SR18 projects in Los Angeles County 
and San Bernardino County, California, should be combined into one 
project. A new NOI was issued and an EIS will be prepared.

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                                                   Original    Rescinded
    State                Project name              NOI date    NOI date
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CA..........  New State Route 138 project in Los    10/12/07   9/24/2010
               Angeles County.
CA..........  High Desert Corridor project,        1/27/2009   9/24/2010
               State Route 18, in San Bernardino
               County.
CA..........  24th Street Improvement Project in   4/23/2008  11/10/2010
               Kern County.
ID..........  State Highway 44 in Ada and Canyon   8/28/2007   3/17/2011
               County.
IA..........  Roadway improvement project in       4/26/2007    8/4/2010
               Warren County.
ME..........  The Skowhegan transportation and    11/29/2005    9/3/2010
               accessibility project in Somerset
               County.
MS..........  I-10/SR-25 connector in Harrison     8/12/2005  11/22/2010
               and Stone Counties.
MS..........  US-49/I-20 interchange in Ranking    5/22/2009  11/30/2010
               County.
MS..........  US-82/I-69 connector in Washington  11/29/2005   12/1/2010
               and Bolivar Counties.
MS..........  SR-15 near Beaumont, Harrison,       5/28/2009  12/28/2010
               George, Greene, Jackson, Perry,
               and Stone.
NM..........  Northwest Loop project in Sandoval   1/16/2009   4/15/2011
               and Bernalillo Counties.
NY..........  Bridge Rehabilitation and            3/12/2004    9/7/2010
               Interchange Improvements Project,
               Queens County.
TN..........  Route 475 in Knoxville, Loudon,      11/4/2005   9/21/2010
               Knox, and Anderson Counties.
TN..........  SR-374 extension in Montgomery       4/21/2010   1/19/2011
               County.
TX..........  SH-71 in Travis County............    6/2/2008    9/7/2010
TX..........  US-181/SH-286 in Cameron County...    4/6/2007  10/15/2010
TX..........  US-181/SH-286 in Nueces County....    4/6/2007   11/3/2010
TX..........  I-69 extension near Laredo and the   1/15/2004   1/25/2011
               Lower Rio Grande Valley.
VA..........  Southeastern Parkway and Greenbelt  12/24/2003  11/17/2010
               in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach.
WA..........  Seattle Ferry Terminal (Colman       3/17/2006   2/10/2011
               Dock) in Seattle.
WA..........  Forest Road 56 in King County.....   4/27/2001   2/28/2011
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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: May 23, 2011.
Victor M. Mendez,
Federal Highway Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2011-13541 Filed 5-31-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P