Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of EPA Comments

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-4725-6]

Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of

EPA Comments

Availability of EPA comments prepared June 24, 1995 Through June

28, 1995 pursuant to the Environmental Review Process (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)

260-5076.

An explanation of the ratings assigned to draft environmental

impact statements (EISs) was published in FR dated April 14, 1995 (60

FR 19047).

Draft EISs

ERP No. D-AFS-J65233-MT

Rating EC2, Murphy Timber Sales, Harvesting Timber, Road

Construction and Prescribed Burning, Kootenai National Forest, Fortine

Ranger District, Lincoln County, MT.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about increased water

yield and sediment production and resultant aquatic effects,

particularly in the Deep Creek basin, and the lack of information

regarding water quality monitoring, exceedances of open road density

standards, and potential air quality impacts.

ERP No. D-AFS-J65234-MT

Rating EC2, Beaver Woods Vegetation Management Project,

Implementation, Bitterroot National Forest, West Fork Ranger District,

Ravalli County, MT.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about potential

increased water and sediment yields and proposed activities in critical

watersheds and in watersheds where peak stream flow thresholds are

already being exceeded. EPA requested additional information to fully

assess and mitigate potential environmental impacts of the management

actions.

ERP No. D-AFS-J65235-MT

Rating EC2, Bass Lake Dam Reconstruction, Operation and

Maintenance, Temporary-Use-Permit, Bitterroot National Forest,

Stevensville Ranger District, Ravalli County, MT.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about the potential

impacts resulting from equipment access along the old road and trail

into the Wilderness Area, and impacts of the concrete maintenance

program and pipe and concrete housing replacement. EPA requested

additional information to fully assess and mitigate potential

environmental impacts of the management actions.

ERP No. D-AFS-K65167-CA

Rating EO2, California Spotted Owl Habitat Management Plan,

Implementation, Sierra Nevada National Forests, CA.

Summary: EPA had environmental objections with whether the proposed

management framework would be successful given the complexity

variability of Sierra Nevada forests ecosystems and the lack of

information on these ecosystems. EPA requested additional information

on potential impacts to aquatic species and habitat, as well as fire

risk, salvage activities, monitoring methods, cumulative impacts, and

management tradeoffs.

ERP No. D-GSA-A80027-AZ

Rating LO, Evo A. Deconcini Federal Building--United States

Courthouse, Construction and Site Selection, Central Business Area

(CBA), City of Tucson, Pima County, AZ.

Summary: EPA had no environmental objection to the project.

ERP No. D-NOA-A91062-00

Rating EC2, Atlantic Coast Weakfish Fishery, Fishery Management

Plan, Implementation, Weakfish Harvest Control in the Atlantic Ocean

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), off the New England, Mid-Atlantic and

South Atlantic Coast.

Summary: EPA had environmental concerns with some aspects of the

regulations and requested that additional information be included in

the FEIS on the exemption for the Block Island Sound area and on the

impacts that other fisheries may have on the weakfish fishery.

ERP No. D-TVA-E32075-TN

Rating EC2, Upper Tennessee River Navigation Improvement Project,

Rehabilitation and/or Construction, Ckickamauga Dam--Navigation Lock

Structural Improvement Alternative, Funding, NPDES Permit, Coast Guard

Bridge Permit and COE Section 404 Permits, Tennessee River, Hamilton

County, TN.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns over potential

impacts to spawning fish populations, air quality, and wetlands. EPA

also noted the need for additional analyses to support conclusions

regarding potential environmental impacts.

ERP No. DS-FHW-E54009-NC

Rating EC2, US 117 Corridor Improvement Project, US 13/70 at

Goldsboro, North to US 301 in Wilson, Funding and COE Section 404

Permit, Updated and Additional Information, Wayne and Wilson Counties,

NC.

Summary: EPA continues to express environmental concerns about the

preferred alternative. Potential impacts to the Little River need to be

avoided in order to fully protect this aquatic resource.

[[Page 41073]]

ERP No. DS-NAS-A12031-00

Rating EC2, Programmatic EIS--Sounding Rocket Program (SRP),

Updated Information concerning Programmatic Changes since the 1973

FEIS, Site-Specific to Wallops Flight Facility (WFF), Wallops Island,

VA; Poker Flat Research Range (PFRR), Fairbanks, AK and White Sands

Missile Range (WSMR), White Sands, NM and on a Global Scale.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns that, while the

Sounding Rocket Program (SRP) as a whole does not seem to have

significant direct impacts on the environment, it may present

cumulative impacts at the local level. As a result, EPA requests some

additional information.

ERP No. DS-RUS-E08017-FL

Rating EC2, Hardee Unit 3; 440 Megawatt (MW) Natural Gas and Oil

Fired Combined Cycle Electric Power Station Construction and Operation,

Funding, Approval and NPDES Permit Issuance, Hardee County, FL.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding impacts to

air and water quality, and requested that additional information be

presented in the final EIS supplement.

Final EISs

ERP No. F-BLM-K67026-CA

Briggs Open Pit Heap Leach Gold Mine Project, Construction and

Operation, NPDES Permit and COE Section 404 Permit, Inyo County, CA.

Summary: The final EIS fully addressed EPA's environmental concerns

regarding potential impacts to surface water and wetlands, facilities

design, closure, reclamation and maintenance of the heap leach pad, and

contingency measures. EPA also commented that BLM should consider new

information regarding Native American interests in the proposed project

before a Record of Decision is issued.

ERP No. F-GSA-L81009-WA

Seattle Federal Courthouse Building (Project # ZWA 81061),

Implementation, Site Selection, Construction and Operation, King

County, WA.

Summary: EPA commented that the final EIS effectively addressed

EPA's comments on the draft EIS.

Dated: August 8, 1995.

William D. Dickerson,

Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.

[FR Doc. 95-19939 Filed 8-10-95; 8:45 am]

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