[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 120 (Friday, June 21, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37652-37653]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14827]


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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Environmental Impact Statements; National Summary of Rescinded 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 five 
States have rescinded Notices of Intent (NOIs) to prepare nine 
Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) for proposed highway projects. 
The FHWA Division Offices, in consultation with the State departments 
of transportation (State DOT), determined that three 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. Four projects are being reassessed 
and may be reconsidered in whole or in part, by the State DOT at a 
later time. One project is being rescoped and may not require an EIS. 
Finally, one project was rescinded without a specific reason for its 
rescission.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Ostrum, Office of Project 
Development and Environmental Review, (202) 366-4651; 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

[[Page 37653]]

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 June 3, 2012, and published 
in the Federal Register at 77 FR 40406 (July 9, 2012). 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 five 
States (Arizona, California, Mississippi, Nevada, and Texas) have 
recently rescinded previously issued NOIs for nine 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 three projects were no longer viable and have formally 
cancelled the projects. The projects are: Vernalis Expressway along 
State Route 132 in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties California; the 
connector road between I-10 and the intersection of SR43 and SR 603 
outside Kiln, Mississippi; and Loop 9 from US 387 to IH 20 in Dallas 
and Ellis Counties, Texas.
    Four projects are being reassessed and may be reconsidered, in 
whole or in part, by the State DOT at a later time. These projects 
include: I-10 Corridor Improvement Study in Maricopa County, Arizona; 
Sheep Mountain Parkway Transportation Project in Clark County, Nevada; 
Loop 1604 from I-35 to US 90 in Bexar County, Texas; and the SEIS for 
US 290/State Highway 71 West improvements through Oak Hill in Travis 
County, Texas.
    One Project will be rescoped and may not require an EIS. This 
project is: Interstate 515 improvements from Las Vegas to Henderson in 
Clark County, Nevada.
    Finally, one project was rescinded without a specific reason for 
its rescission. This project is: SR 75/282 Transportation Corridor 
Project in the city of Coronado, San Diego County, California.

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                                           Original NOI    Rescinded NOI
    State             Project name             date            date
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AZ             I-10 Corridor Improvement        2/4/2002      12/17/2012
                Study.
CA             Vernalis Expressway......        6/3/2002       10/2/2012
CA             State Route 75/282              1/17/2007       11/7/2012
                Transportation Corridor
                Project.
MS             Connector Road between I-       8/26/2011        4/3/2013
                10 and intersection of
                State Routes 43 and 603.
NV             I-515 improvements.......       8/13/2004       6/20/2012
NV             Sheep Mountain Parkway          11/6/2007       8/28/2012
                Multimodial
                Transportation Project.
TX             US 290/State Highway 71         8/15/2008        7/9/2012
                West Improvements.
TX             Loop 9 from US 287 to IH         8/2/2002       3/20/2013
                20.
TX             Loop 1604 from I-35 to US       7/31/2009        5/7/2013
                90.
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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 14, 2013.
 Victor M. Mendez,
Federal Highway Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2013-14827 Filed 6-20-13; 8:45 am]
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