Notice of Availability of the Assessment Plan: Lower Fox River/ Green Bay Natural Resource Damage Assessment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of the Assessment Plan: Lower Fox River/

Green Bay Natural Resource Damage Assessment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of 30 day comment period.

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SUMMARY: Notice is given that the document titled ``Assessment Plan:

Lower Fox River/Green Bay NRDA'' (``The Plan'') will be available for

public review and comment on the date of publication in the Federal

Register. The U.S. Department of the Interior, The Menominee Indian

Tribe of Wisconsin, and the Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin

(``trustees'') are trustees for natural resources considered in this

assessment, pursuant to subpart G of the National Oil and Hazardous

Substances Pollution Contingency Plan, 40 CFR 300.600 and 300.610, and

Executive Order 12580.

The trustees are following the guidance of the Natural Resource

Damage Assessment Regulations found at 43 CFR Part 11. The public

review of the Plan announced by this Notice is provided for in 43 CFR

11.32(c).

Interested members of the public are invited to review and comment

on the Plan. Copies of the Plan can be requested from the address

listed below. All written comments will be considered by the trustees

and included in the Report of Assessment, at the conclusion of the

assessment process.

DATES: Written comments on the Plan must be submitted on or before

September 23, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the Plan may be made to: Frank

Horvath, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 3 (ATTN: ES/EC-NRDA),

B.H.W. Whipple Federal Building, 1 Federal Drive, Ft. Snelling, MN

55111.

Comments on the Plan should be sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service at the address listed above. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

will provide copies of all comments to the other trustees.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The trustees are undertaking an assessment

of damages resulting from the suspected injury to natural resources of

the Lower Fox River, Green Bay and Lake Michigan which have been

exposed to hazardous substances released by area paper mills and other

potential sources. It is suspected that this exposure has caused injury

and resultant damages to trustee resources. The injury and resultant

damages will be assessed under the Comprehensive Environmental

Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, as amended, and the Clean

Water Act, as amended. The Plan addresses the trustees' overall

assessment approach and utilizes existing data. Plan addenda may be

prepared by the trustees to provide public notice of additional data

collection activities.

William F. Hartwig,

Regional Director, Region 3, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 96-21520 Filed 8-22-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-55-M