[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 89 (Friday, May 9, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19719-19721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-07964]
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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
[Notice-P-2025-03; Docket No. 2025-0002; Sequence No. 3]
Notice of Availability for a Final Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) and Floodplain and Wetlands Assessment and Statement of Findings
for the Grand Portage Land Port of Entry (LPOE) Modernization and
Expansion Project in Grand Portage, Minnesota
AGENCY: Public Buildings Service (PBS), United States (U.S.) General
Services Administration (GSA).
ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA); Public Notice of Floodplain and
Wetlands Assessment and Statement of Findings.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the Final EIS, which
examines potential environmental impacts from the modernization and
expansion of the Grand Portage LPOE, located within the Grand Portage
Reservation of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa (herein
referred to as the Grand Portage Band). The existing Grand Portage LPOE
is owned and managed by GSA and is operated by the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The Final EIS describes the purpose and need for the project;
alternatives considered; the existing environment that could be
affected; the potential impacts resulting from each of the
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alternatives; and proposed best management practices and mitigation
measures.
The Final EIS also includes a Floodplain and Wetlands Assessment
and Statement of Findings as a result of potential construction in a
floodplain and wetlands at the Grand Portage LPOE. Based on impacts
analyses and public comments, GSA has identified the Proposed Action as
described in the Final EIS as its preferred alternative.
DATES: The Final EIS Wait Period begins with publication of this NOA in
the Federal Register and will last for 30 days until June 8, 2025. Any
final written comments must be received or postmarked by the last day
of the Wait Period (see the ADDRESSES section of this NOA on how to
submit comments). After the Wait Period, GSA will issue the Record of
Decision (ROD).
ADDRESSES: A copy of the Final EIS can be found on the GSA website at:
https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/gsa-regions/region-5-great-lakes/buildings-and-facilities/minnesota/grand-portage-land-port-of-entry.
Hard copies are also available at the following locations: Grand
Portage Tribal Council Office, 83 Stevens Rd., Grand Portage, MN 55605;
Grand Portage Community Center, 73 Upper Rd., Grand Portage, MN 55605;
Grand Portage Trust Lands, 27 Store Rd., Grand Portage, MN 55605.
Public Comments
Members of the public may submit comments by any of the following
methods. All comments will be considered equally and will be part of
the public record.
Electronic comments should be submitted to the email
address listed below.
[email protected].
Please include `Grand Portage LPOE Final EIS' in the subject line.
Written comments should be mailed to: ATTN: Matthew
Heiman, Senior Project Manager, Grand Portage LPOE Final EIS, U.S.
General Services Administration, c/o Potomac-Hudson Engineering, Inc.,
77 Upper Rock Circle, Suite 302, Rockville, MD 20850.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions and comments on the Final
EIS should be directed to: Matthew Heiman, Senior Project Manager, GSA
at the following email address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Wait Period
The views and comments of the public are necessary in helping GSA
in its decision-making process. The public review process will be
accomplished through direct mail correspondence to appropriate federal,
state, and local agencies, and to private organizations and citizens
who have previously expressed, or are known to have, an interest in the
project. The Final EIS has considered previous input provided during
the scoping and Draft EIS comment periods.
Background
The existing 5.7-acre LPOE serves vehicles and pedestrians crossing
the U.S.-Canada border between the Grand Portage Reservation in the
U.S. and Neebing, Ontario in Canada. The Feasibility Study performed in
2019 determined that the existing structures do not contain the
necessary square footage as specified by CBP's space and facility
requirements (also referred to as Program of Requirements [POR]). In
addition, the facility lacks outbound inspection capabilities.
Following preparation of the Feasibility Study, a Program Development
Study (PDS) was initiated as the next step in the design process to
further refine potential alternatives under consideration. From the PDS
process, viable alternatives were further refined into the Proposed
Action analyzed within the Final EIS, in collaboration with the Grand
Portage Band, who is serving as a Cooperating Agency for this EIS.
GSA has prepared this Final EIS for the purpose of analyzing the
potential environmental, cultural, and economic impacts resulting from
the Proposed Action to modernize and expand the existing Grand Portage
LPOE.
Alternatives Under Consideration
The Proposed Action would consist of modernization and expansion of
existing Grand Portage LPOE facilities as described in the PDS. Under
the Proposed Action, GSA would replace the Grand Portage LPOE with a
modernized facility on an expanded footprint, expanding the existing
5.7-acre operational footprint to a total operational footprint of
approximately 10.4 acres. GSA would also upgrade the electrical
distribution system leading to the LPOE by installing a 7.3-mile buried
three-phase power line within Arrowhead Cooperative's existing utility
right-of-way along the western side of Highway 61. GSA also considered
the No Action Alternative, which assumes that GSA would not expand or
modernize the Grand Portage LPOE or install the three-phase power line.
The purpose of the Proposed Action is for GSA to support CBP's
mission by modernizing and expanding the Grand Portage LPOE. The
existing LPOE does not meet CBP's current needs and does not allow for
expeditious and safe inspection of the traveling public. The
deficiencies fall into two broad categories: deficiencies in the
overall site layout and substandard building conditions. Therefore, to
bring the Grand Portage LPOE operations in line with design standards
and operational requirements, implementation of the Proposed Action is
needed to (1) address space constraints and inefficient traffic flows;
(2) shorten and expedite vehicle processing time, to include improving
daily commutes across the U.S.-Canada border; (3) decrease congestion
and long wait times during the peak travel season; (4) allow CBP to
process a higher volume of vehicles traveling to and from Canada, to
include further accommodation of potential future spikes in travelers
crossing the U.S.-Canada border; and (5) provide a wider single lane
for large semi-trucks hauling wind turbine components from Canada.
The Final EIS analyzes the potential impacts of the proposed
alternatives on environmental resources including geology, water,
biological resources, air quality, noise, traffic and transportation,
land use and visual resources, infrastructure and utilities,
socioeconomics, cultural resources, and human health and safety. The
Final EIS concludes that impacts to all resource areas would be less-
than-significant (i.e., negligible, minor, or moderate. Impact
reduction measures are presented in the Final EIS to reduce potential
adverse effects.
GSA is currently conducting formal consultation with the Grand
Portage Band Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) as required
under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act to
determine impacts to historic properties. Mitigation measures may be
determined in consultation between GSA, the THPO, and applicable
consulting parties.
Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), GSA coordinated with the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) per Section 7 requirements to
determine effects to federally protected species. GSA determined that
there would be no adverse effects to federally threatened or endangered
species with implementation of impact avoidance measures; USFWS
concurred with these findings. GSA's findings and correspondence with
USFWS are incorporated in the Final EIS.
The project area occurs within a region unmapped by the Federal
Emergency Management Agency for floodplains and floodways. As
information is currently unavailable that definitively indicates the
presence or
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location of floodplains relative to the project area, GSA has assumed
that the project area is located within a 1-percent-annual-chance or
0.2-percent-annual-chance floodplain for purposes of complying with
Executive Order 11988 and the GSA Floodplain Management Desk Guide, and
until such time that a floodplain hazard study can be conducted. In
addition, based on a wetland delineation conducted for the project,
approximately 3.3 acres of wetlands occur within the project area. GSA
prepared a Floodplain and Wetlands Assessment and Statement of Findings
addressing potential impacts on floodplains and wetlands, which is
included in the Final EIS. Final design of the Grand Portage LPOE would
incorporate standard measures, including those specified in GSA Interim
Core Building Standards as well as by the authority having
jurisdiction, to reduce or manage stormwater flows as well as any
potential impacts to the floodplain if present. GSA would coordinate as
necessary with the Grand Portage Band to obtain appropriate permits and
approvals related to wetlands disturbance under the Clean Water Act.
Further, GSA would consider options to minimize, avoid, or mitigate
potential impacts, as required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and/
or the Grand Portage Band.
Russell Riberto,
Regional Commissioner, Great Lakes Region 5, U.S. General Services
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2025-07964 Filed 5-8-25; 8:45 am]
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