[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 190 (Friday, September 30, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67382-67383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-23346]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Bonneville Power Administration

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[RR01041000, 16XR0680G3, RX.16786921.2000100]


Notice of Intent To Prepare the Columbia River System Operations 
Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD; 
Bonneville Power Administration, Energy; Bureau of Reclamation, 
Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Bureau of Reclamation 
(Reclamation), and the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) (Action 
Agencies) intend to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on 
the system operation and maintenance of fourteen Federal multiple 
purpose dams and related facilities located throughout the Columbia 
River basin. The Action Agencies will use this EIS process to assess 
and update their approach for long-term system operations and 
configuration through the analysis of alternatives and evaluation of 
potential effects to the human and natural environments, including 
effects to socio-economics and species listed under the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA). The Action Agencies will serve as joint lead 
agencies in developing the EIS.

DATES: Written comments for the Action Agencies' consideration are due 
to the addresses below no later than January 17, 2017. Comments may 
also be made at public meetings. Information on the public meetings is 
provided under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of this notice.

ADDRESSES: Written comments, requests to be placed on the project 
mailing list, and requests for information may be mailed by letter to 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Northwestern Division Attn: CRSO EIS, P.O. 
Box 2870, Portland, OR 97208-2870; or online at [email protected]. All 
comment letters will be available via the project Web site at 
www.crso.info. All personally identifiable information (for example, 
name, address, etc.) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be 
publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Call the toll-free telephone 1-(800) 
290-5033 or email [email protected]. Additional information can be found 
at the project Web site: www.crso.info.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The fourteen Federal multiple purpose dams and related facilities 
are operated as a coordinated system within the interior Columbia River 
basin in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. A map identifying the 
locations of these dams can be found on the project Web site at 
www.crso.info. The Corps was authorized by Congress to construct, 
operate and maintain twelve of these projects for flood control, power 
generation, navigation, fish and wildlife, recreation, and municipal 
and industrial water supply purposes. The Corps' projects that will be 
addressed in this EIS include Libby, Albeni Falls, Dworshak, Chief 
Joseph, Lower Granite, Little Goose, Lower Monumental, Ice Harbor, 
McNary, John Day, The Dalles, and Bonneville. Reclamation was 
authorized to construct, operate, and maintain two projects for 
purposes of flood control, power generation, navigation, and 
irrigation. The Reclamation projects that will be addressed in this EIS 
include Hungry Horse and Grand Coulee. BPA is responsible for marketing 
and transmitting the power generated by these dams. Together, these 
Action Agencies are responsible for managing the system for these 
various purposes.
    In the 1990s, the Action Agencies analyzed the socio-economic and 
environmental effects of operating the system in the Columbia River 
System Operation Review (SOR) EIS and issued respective Records of 
Decision in 1997 that adopted a system operation strategy, which 
included operations supporting ESA-listed fish while fulfilling all 
other congressionally-authorized purposes. Since the completion of the 
SOR EIS, the Action Agencies have operated the system consistent with 
the analyses in the SOR EIS, while some changes to system operations 
have been adopted under subsequent ESA consultations and project-
specific National Environmental Policy Act documents.

[[Page 67383]]

Proposal for New EIS

    The proposed Columbia River System Operations EIS will assess and 
update the approach for long-term system operations and configuration. 
In addition to evaluating a range of alternatives, the EIS will 
consider the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of these 
alternatives on affected resources, including geology, soils, water 
quality and quantity, air quality, fish and wildlife (e.g., ESA-listed 
species and their designated critical habitat), floodplains, wetlands, 
climate, cultural resources, tribal resources, social and economic 
resources, and other resources that are identified during the scoping 
process. The impacts to the resources will be addressed in light of 
anticipated climate change impacts, such as warmer water temperatures, 
diminished snow-pack, and altered flows. The Action Agencies will 
evaluate a range of alternatives in the EIS, including a no-action 
alternative (current system operations and configuration). Other 
alternatives will be developed through the scoping period based on 
public input and Action Agency expertise, and will likely include an 
array of alternatives for different system operations and additional 
structural modifications to existing projects to improve fish passage 
including breaching one or more dams.
    The EIS will also identify measures to avoid, offset or minimize 
impacts to resources affected by system operations and configuration, 
where feasible. For instance, non-operational mitigation measures to 
address impacts to the fish resources, such as habitat actions in the 
tributaries and estuary, avian predation management actions, and 
conservation and safety net hatcheries, may be proposed.
    Additionally, the Action Agencies will comply with all applicable 
statutory and regulatory requirements in evaluating the proposed 
action, such as the ESA, Clean Water Act, Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and Executive Orders, including E.O. 
12898 Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority 
Populations and Low-Income Populations.

Request for Comments

    The Action Agencies are issuing this notice to: (1) Advise other 
Federal and state agencies, tribes, and the public of their plan to 
analyze effects related to system operations and configuration; (2) 
obtain suggestions and information that may inform the scope of issues 
and range of alternatives to evaluate in the EIS; and (3) provide 
notice and request public input on potential effects on historic 
properties from system operations and configuration in accordance with 
Section 106 of the NHPA (36 Code of Federal Regulations 800.2(d)(3)).
    The Action Agencies are inviting interested parties to provide 
specific comments no later than January 17, 2017, on issues the 
agencies should evaluate related to the Columbia River System 
Operations EIS. All comments and materials received, including names 
and addresses, will become part of the administrative record and may be 
released to the public.

Public Meetings

    The Action Agencies will hold 15 public scoping meetings during the 
fall and winter of 2016 to invite the public to comment on the scope of 
the EIS. The 15 public meetings will be held on:
     Monday, October 24, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wenatchee 
Community Center, 504 S. Chelan Ave., Wenatchee, Washington.
     Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., The Town of 
Coulee Dam, City Hall, 300 Lincoln Ave., Coulee Dam, Washington.
     Wednesday, October 26, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Priest 
River Community Center, 5399 Highway 2, Priest River, Idaho.
     Thursday, October 27, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Kootenai 
River Inn Casino & Spa, 7169 Plaza St., Bonners Ferry, Idaho.
     Tuesday, November 1, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Red Lion 
Hotel Kalispell, 20 North Main St., Kalispell, Montana.
     Wednesday, November 2, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., City of 
Libby City Hall, 952 E. Spruce St., Libby, Montana.
     Thursday, November 3, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Hilton 
Garden Inn Missoula, 3720 N. Reserve St., Missoula, Montana.
     Monday, November 14, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., The Historic 
Davenport Hotel, 10 South Post Street, Spokane, Washington.
     Wednesday, November 16, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Red Lion 
Hotel Lewiston, Seaport Room, 621 21st St., Lewiston, Idaho.
     Thursday, November 17, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Courtyard 
Walla Walla, The Blues Room, 550 West Rose St., Walla Walla, 
Washington.
     Tuesday, November 29, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., The Grove 
Hotel, 245 S. Capitol Blvd., Boise, Idaho.
     Thursday, December 1, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Town Hall, 
Great Room, 1119 8th Ave., Seattle, Washington.
     Tuesday, December 6, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., The Columbia 
Gorge Discovery Center, River Gallery Room, 5000 Discovery Drive, The 
Dalles, Oregon.
     Wednesday, December 7, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., Oregon 
Convention Center, 777 NE Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Portland, 
Oregon.
     Thursday, December 8, 2016, 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., The Loft at 
the Red Building, 20 Basin St., Astoria, Oregon.
     Tuesday, December 13, 2016, 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and 3 
p.m. to 4:30 p.m., PST, webinar. For those that cannot participate in 
person, an online webinar will be provided to interested parties. The 
webinar will cover the material discussed in the in-person public 
scoping meetings. Detailed instructions on how to participate in the 
webinar may be found on the project Web site at www.crso.info. To 
submit written comments, please follow the instructions in the 
ADDRESSES section of this notice.
    The Action Agencies will consider requests for an extension of time 
for public comment and additional opportunities for public involvement 
if requests are received in writing by December 1, 2016. Requests for 
additional time to comment and opportunities for public involvement 
should be sent to the address listed in the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice. Requests should include an explanation of the specific purposes 
served by the requested extension, and should explain how the extension 
could benefit the National Environmental Policy Act process and 
analysis. Announcements for any such further opportunities for public 
involvement, if appropriate given the court-ordered schedule for this 
EIS, will be published in the Federal Register and by news releases to 
the media, newsletter mailings, and posting on the project Web site.
    The draft EIS is scheduled to be published by March 2020 for public 
review and comment, and after it is published, the Action Agencies will 
hold public comment meetings. The Action Agencies will consider public 
comments received on the draft EIS and provide responses in the final 
EIS.

Scott A. Spellmon,
Brigadier General, US Army, Division Commander.

Elliot E. Mainzer,
Administrator, Bonneville Power Administration.

Lorri J. Lee,
Regional Director--Pacific Northwest Region, Bureau of Reclamation.
[FR Doc. 2016-23346 Filed 9-29-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4332-90-P