[Federal Register: September 12, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 177)]
[Notices]
[Page 53728-53730]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12se03-44]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[ER-FRL-6643-7]
Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of
EPA Comments
Availability of EPA comments prepared pursuant to the Environmental
ReviewProcess (ERP), under section 309 of the Clean Air Act and section
102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act as amended. Requests
for copies of EPA comments can be directed to the Office of Federal
Activities at (202) 564-7167. An explanation of the ratings assigned to
draft environmental impact statements (EISs) was published in FR dated
April 04, 2003 (68 FR 16511).
Draft EISs
ERP No. D-AFS-E65065-KY Rating EC2, Daniel Boone National Forest
Land and Resource Management Plan Revision, Implementation, Winchester,
several counties, KY.
Summary: EPA has environmental concerns related primarily to water
quality improvement goals and objectives for the National Forest. EPA
recommends inclusion of several forest-wide goals, objectives and
standards to improve water quality and identifies individual,
watershed-specific, and management prescriptions for implementation.
ERP No. D-AFS-E65087-AL Rating LO, Forest Health and Restoration
Project, Proposal to Determine the Desired Future Conditions of
allExisting Loblolly Pine Stands, National Forests in Alabama, Bankhead
National Forest, Winston,Lawrence and Franklin Counties, AL.
Summary: EPA supports efforts to restore native upland hardwood
forests and pine-oak woodlands. EPA has no objections to this project,
provided mitigation measures and monitoring programs, as described in
the Draft EIS, are implemented.
[[Page 53729]]
ERP No. D-AFS-J65388-UT Rating EC2, North Rich Cattle Allotment,
Grazing Authorization,Implementation, Logan District, Wasatch-Cache
NationalNational Forest, Cache and Rich Counties, UTCounties, UT.
Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding impacts
from livestock grazing and motorized recreation to wetlands, streams
and riparian zones, pathogens in streams, springs and ponds that are
habitat for boreal toad (ESA candidate species) and rare Bonneville
cutthroat trout. EPA recommended the Proposed Action be modified to
eliminate grazing impacts near important aquatic resources.
ERP No. D-AFS-L65419-ID Rating EC2, Upper and Lower East Fork
Cattle and HorseAllotment Management Plans, Revision of Allotment Plans
to Allow Permitted LivestockGrazing, National Forest System Lands,
Sawthooth and Challis National Forests, Custer County, ID.
Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with adverse impacts
to riparian zones and aquatic habitat from grazing. The final EIS
should contain measures to restore and protect critical habitat in the
project area. The final EIS should offer a full range of alternatives
to meet a well defined purpose and need.
ERP No. D-AFS-L65424-ID Rating EC2, North End Sheep Allotment
Management Plan (AMP)Revision, Authorization of ContinuedLivestock Use,
Caribou-Targhee NationalForest, Soda Springs Ranger District, Caribou
and Bonneville Counties, ID.
Summary: EPA recommends that a broader range of action alternatives
be considered in the final EIS to meet the Purpose and Need of the
project. EPA recommends that the final EIS further analyze the
cumulative effects, especially related to grazing, mining, and other
recreational activities that may continue to degrade aquatic habitat.
ERP No. D-FHW-G40175-TX Rating LO, TX-45 Highway Southeast Study,
I-35 south at Farm-to-Market Road-1327 to TX-130/US 183,Local Regional
Enhancements to the NationalTransportation Systems, Funding and Right-
of-WayPermit Issuance, Travis County, TX.
Summary: EPA has no objections to the preferred alternative.
ERP No. D-FRC-E03010-FL Rating EC2, Ocean Express Pipeline Project,
Construction,Operation and Maintenance of an Interstate NaturalGas
Pipeline extending from the Exclusive EconomicZone (EEZ) boundary
between the United States and the Bahamas, (Docket No. CP02-090-001-1)
Plan of Operations Approval, NPDES and U.S. Army COE Section 10 and
Possible 404 Permits, Broward County, FL.
Summary: EPA expressed environmental concern about potential
impacts to Florida nearshore corals/hardbottoms and onshore mangrove
wetlands and the uncertainty of successful Horizontal
DirectionalDrilling crossings. Impact verification and a better
mitigation plan to include a relocation plan for corals/hardbottoms was
requested.
ERP No. D-IBW-G36155-TX Rating EC2, Lower Rio Grande Flood Control
Project,Alternative Vegetation Maintenance PracticesImpacts,
Implementation, Portions of the RioGrande, Cameron, Hidalgo and Willacy
Counties, TX.
Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding potential
jurisdictional wetland impacts and requested additional information on
this issue.
ERP No. D-NPS-E65066-NC Rating LO, Proposed Land Exchange between
the National ParkService and the Eastern Band of Cherokee
Indians,Exchange of Land Known as Ravensford Site for Land Known as
Waterrock Knob Site, Great SmokyMountains National Park, Cherokee,
Graham,Jackson, Macon, Swain Counties, NC.
Summary: EPA supports the 143-acre Revensford site exchange for the
Waterrock Knob site; this reduced-acre site exchange would most protect
most of the alluvial forest adjacent to the Oconaluftee River that
constitutes the 100-year floodplain. EPA also suggested design
modifications be considered that would minimize impacts to all 100-year
floodplain areas.
ERP No. D-TVA-E39062-00 Rating EC2, Programmatic EIS--Tennessee
Valley AuthorityReservoir Operations Study, Implementation,TN, AL, KY,
GA, MS, NC and VA.
Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns over the potential
water quality impacts associated with the ``policy alternatives'' and
recommended potential modifications to the alternatives and inclusion
of mitigation measures.
ERP No. D-USN-K11035-CA Rating EC2, Military Family Housing (MFH)
in the San DiegoRegion, Construction of 1,600 MFH Units, ThreeMFH Sites
are Located in the Marine Corps AirStation (MCAS), Miramar in the City
of San Diego,San Diego County, CA.
Summary: EPA raised environmental concerns with potential impacts
to aquatic resources regulated under CleanWater Act section 404. EPA
asked that the Final EIS and Record of Decision incorporate pollution
prevention measures to reduce adverse mitigation to reduce
construction-related air pollution.
Final EISs
ERP No. F-AFS-J65368-UT Duck Creek--Swains Access (Duck/Swains),
Management Project, Wildlife Habitat, Soil and Watershed Conditions and
Motorized Vehicle Use Management Improvements, Dixie National Forest,
Cedar City Ranger District, Iron, Garfield and Kane Counties, UT.
Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
ERP No. F-AFS-J65370-MT Management Area 11 Snowmobile Use Areas on
the Seeley Lake Ranger District, Implementation, Lola National Forest,
Missoula and Powell Counties, MT.
Summary: EPA did not identify any potential environmental impacts
requiring substantive changes to the proposal but recommended
instituting monitoring and enforcement to prevent snowmobile use in
unauthorized areas.
ERP No. F-AFS-J65372-CO Trout-West Hazardous Fuels Reduction
Project, Proposed Action to Reduce Fuels, Pike-San Isabel National
Forest, Trout and West Creek Watersheds, Teller, El Paso and Douglas
Counties, CO.
Summary: The final EIS reflects project changes made to address
EPA's concerns including measures to minimize impacts, retention of
thermal cover and road density reduction. However, EPA continues to
have environmental concerns about landscape-level impacts to aquatic
resources and terrestrial habitat fragmentation.
ERP No. F-AFS-J65377-CO Missionary Ridge Burned Area Timber Salvage
Project, Timber Harvesting, San Juan National Forest north of Durango,
LaPlata County, CO.
Summary: EPA has environmental concerns about (1) soil erosion,
soil disturbance, and soil compaction; (2) runoff and potential
degradation of water quality and habitats in streams and affected
reservoirs; (3) sedimentation of streams and water-storage reservoirs;
(4) fish and wildlife impacts to sensitive species; and (5) the
potential to establish and spread noxious weeds.
ERP No. F-AFS-L65340-AK Finger Mountain Timber Sales, Timber
Harvesting, Implementation, U.S. Coast Guard, NPDES and U.S. Army COE
Section 10 and 404 Permits, Tongass National Forest, Sitka Ranger
District, AK.
[[Page 53730]]
Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
ERP No. F-AFS-L65393-WA Gardin--Taco Ecosystem Restoration
Projects, Implementation, Vegetative Restoration, Road Closures, and
Decommissioning, and other Road Improvements, Colville National Forest,
Newport Ranger District, Pend Oreille and Stevens Counties, WA.
Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
ERP No. F-FHW-D40312-00 Pennsylvania Turnpike/I-95 Interchange
Project, Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276) and I-95 in Buck County, PA
Connection with Proposed Interstate Improvements Extending east into
Burlington County, NJ.
Summary: EPA has no objections with the preferred alternative. EPA
requests that the project team continue to work closely with the
appropriate resource agencies to ensure incorporation of any changing
environmental conditions as the project proceeds.
ERP No. F-USN-D52000-00 Introduction of F/A 18 E/F (Super Hornet)
Aircraft, Replacing the F-14 (TOMCAT) and F/A-18 C/D (Hornet) Aircraft,
Homebasing and Operation, Possible Homebase sites include Naval Air
Station (NAS) Oceana, VA; Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, SC
and MCAS Cherry Point, NC
Summary: EPA has determined that the Department of the Navy has
adequately addressed its comments within the FEIS.
Dated: September 9, 2003.
Ken Mittelholtz,
Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 03-23306 Filed 9-11-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P