Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of EPA Comments

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-5414-9]

Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of

EPA Comments

Availability of EPA comments prepared March 11, 1996 Through March

15, 1996 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)

564-7167.

An explanation of the ratings assigned to draft environmental

impact statements (EISs) was published in the Federal Register dated

April 14, 1996 (60 FR 19047).

Draft EIS's

ERP No. D-AFS-J02033-UT Rating LO, Dixie National Forest Oil and

Gas Leasing on Federal Lands, Implementation, Garfield, Kane, Iron,

Washington, Piute and Wayne Counties, UT.

Summary: EPA provided no formal written comments. EPA has no

objection to the preferred alternative as described in the EIS.

ERP No. D-AFS-L65254-AK Rating LO, 1995 Mendenhall Glacier

Recreation Area Management Plan, Implementation, Tongass National

Forest, Juneau Ranger District, Chatham Area, AK.

Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objections for the proposed

action.

ERP No. D-BLM-G65064-TX Rating LO, Texas Land and Resource

Management Plan (RMP), Implementation, Split Estates Federal Mineral

Ownership (FMO), Several Counties, TX.

Summary: EPA had no objection to the selection of the preferred

alternative described in the draft EIS.

ERP No. D-FHW-E40763-NC Rating EC2, Winston-Salem Northern Beltway,

(Eastern Section) from US 52 North of Winston-Salem to US 421/I-40

Business east of Winston-Salem, Construction, Funding and COE Section

404 Permit, Forsyth County, NC.

Summary: EPA had environmental concerns that the 12 mile long

Bypass evaluated in the draft EIS is only one of two segments of a

planned Northern Bypass. The NEPA review should have been

comprehensive. EPA is also concerned about secondary impacts to a water

supply.

ERP No. D-FHW-E40765-FL Rating EC2, East-West Multimodal Corridor

Transportation Improvements, Beginning at the Tamiami Campus of Florida

International University (FIU) extending the length of FL 836, Port of

Miami, Dade County, FL.

Summary: EPA's review found that all of the proposed alternatives

will have relatively minor impact to the natural environment, but did

express concerns for impacts to the urban human environment in the form

of noise and relocations.

ERP No. D-FHW-K40215-CA Rating EC2, East Sonora Bypass/CA-108

Construction, CA-108 from Post Mile

[[Page 14098]]

M1.8 to Post Mile R6.9, Funding and COE Section 404 Permit Issuance,

Tuolumne County, CA.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding cumulative

impacts of the project on the environment and development plans along

the alignment, water quality, and hazardous waste found at sites within

the corridor.

ERP No. D-FRC-A08030-00 Rating EU2, Promoting Wholesale Competition

through Open Access Non-Discriminatory Transmission Service by Public

Utilities (RM95-8-000) and Recovery of Strandred Costs by Public

Utilities and Transmitting Utilities (Docket No. RM-94-7-001), Proposed

Rulemaking.

Summary: EPA raised environmental concerns over the potential for

the proposed rule to significantly increase air pollution, the need for

additional information to better assess the potential impacts, the need

for further analysis and consideration of mitigation options, and the

absence of an appropriate mitigation mechanism to prevent the pollution

increases. EPA believed that by working with FERC, the Department of

Energy and other agencies, practical mitigation steps can be developed.

ERP No. D-USA-K11065-CA Rating EC2, Miramar Naval Air Station (NAS)

Realignment or Conversion to Miramar Marine Corps Air Station,

Implementation, San Diego, CA.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding the loss of

vernal pools and endangered species habitat, as well as noise analysis.

ERP No. DA-FTA-K51035-CA Rating EC2, Bay Area Rapid Transit

District (BART) Transportation Improvements, San Francisco to San

Francisco International Airport Extension, Alternative VI Aerial Design

Option, Approval, Funding, COE Section 404 and Possible FHWA

Encroachment Permits Issuance, San Mateo County, CA.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with the project's

possible impacts to wetland, endangered species, and minority

neighborhoods.

Final EIS's

ERP No. F-AFS-K65154-CA Mendocine National Forest Land and Resource

Management Plan, Implementation, Colusa, Glenn, Lake, Mendocino, Tehama

and Trinity Counties, CA.

Summary: Review of the final EIS was not deemed necessary. No

formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

ERP No. F-AFS-K65157-CA Paper Reforestation and Resource Recovery

Project, Implementation, Stanislaus National Forest, Mi-Wok Ranger

District, Tuolumne County, CA.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding level of

aerial spraying of hexazinone.

ERP No. F-AFS-L65172-ID Idaho Panhandle National Forests Noxious

Weed Management Projects, Implementation, Bonners Ferry Ranger

District, Boundary County, ID.

Summary: EPA had no objection to the action as proposed. ERP No. F-

FHW-E40740-NC US 1 Improvements, Secondary Road 1853 at Lakeview to

Secondary Road 1180 south of Sanford, Funding and COE Section 404

Permit Issuance, Lee and Moore Counties, NC.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with the US 1 Highway

Improvement Project primarily because of insufficient commitment to

wetlands mitigation.

ERP No. F-FHW-K40134-CA CA-180 Transportation Project,

Construction, between Temperance Avenue and Cove Road, Funding and COE

Section 404 Permit, Fresno County, CA.

Summary: EPA's environmental concerns with the draft EIS were

adequately addressed in the FEIS. Also, EPA recommended that FHWA

continue their coordination with the other interesed state and local

agencies.

ERP No. F-MMS-G02005-00 1996 Central and Western Gulf of Mexico

Outer Continental Shelf (OSC) Oil and Gas Lease Sales No. 157 (March

1996) and No. 161 (August 1996), Lease Offerings, Offshore coastal

counties and parishes of AL, MS, LA and TX.

Summary: EPA had no objections to the selection of the preferred

alternative.

ERP No. F-NOA-A29004-00 Programmatic EIS--Coastal Nonpoint

Pollution Control Program, Implementation, Approval for 29 States and

Territories Coastal Nonpoint Program.

Summary: Review of the Final EIS was not deemed necessary. No

formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

ERP No. F-NOA-A91061-00 Atlantic Mackerel, Squid and Butterfish

Fisheries, Fishery Management Plan, Amendment No. 5, Implementation,

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the US Atlantic Coast.

Summary: EPA had no objections to the proposed program.

ERP No. F-UAF-K11061-GU Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) Solid Waste

Management Facility, Construction, Island of Guam, GU.

Summary: EPA continued to express environmental concerns regarding

stability and monitorability of the landfill site and reiterated the

need for additional information regarding monitoring, air emissions,

pretreatment and runoff controls before the Air Force signs a ROD.

ERP No. F-USN-G11028-TX Mine Warfare Center of Excellance (MWCE)

Establishment, Construction and Operations, Magnitic Silencing Facility

(MSF), Aviation Mine Count Measures (AMCM) and Sled Facility, Possible

NPDES Permit, COE Section 10 and 404 Permits, Corpus Christi Bay Area,

TX.

Summary: EPA had no objection to the selection of the preferred

alternative described in the Final EIS.

ERP No. F-USN-K11062-CA San Diego Homeporting Facilities

Construction and Operation to Support Berthing One NIMITZ Class

Aircraft Carrier, Implementation, San Diego County, CA.

Summary: EPA had no objection to the final EIS.

ERP No. FR-UAF-B11015-ME Loring Air Force Base (AFB) Disposal and

Reuse, Implementation, Aroostook County, ME.

Summary: EPA environmental concerns have been resolved

satisfactorily in the 1995 revised documents.

Other

ERP No. LF-NPS-L61204-OR.

Adoption: Wallowa River Wild and Scenic River Study from the

Confluence of the Minam and Wallowa Rivers to the Confluence of the

Wallowa River and the Wild and Scenic Grande Ronde River for

Designation or Nondesignation into the National Wild and Scenic River

System, Union and Wallowa Counties, OR.

Summary: Review of the final EIS has been completed and the project

found to be satisfactory. EPA provided no formal written comments. EPA

had no objection to the preferred alternative as described in the EIS.

Dated: March 26, 1996.

William D. Dickerson,

Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.

[FR Doc. 96-7754 Filed 3-28-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-U