Notice of Availability of the Assessment Plan: Grant Calumet River, Indiana Harbor Ship Canal, Indiana Harbor and Associated Lake Michigan Environments

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of the Assessment Plan: Grant Calumet

River, Indiana Harbor Ship Canal, Indiana Harbor and Associated Lake

Michigan Environments

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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

the Natural Resource Damage Assessment of the Grand Calumet River,

Indiana Harbor Ship Canal, Indiana Harbor and Associated Lake Michigan

Environments'' (``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, and The State of Indiana (``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

[[Page 53336]]

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 by November 13,

1997.

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

Supervisor, Ecological Services Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

620 S. Walker Street, Bloomington, Indiana 47403.

or:

Ms. Elizabeth Admire, Indiana Department of Environmental Management,

100 N. Senate Avenue, P.O. Box 6015, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206-6015.

Comments on the Plan should be sent to the the Indiana Department

of Environmental Management at the address listed above. The trustees

will coordinate comment review.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The trustees are undertaking an assessment

of damages resulting from the suspected injury to natural resources of

the Grand Calumet River, Indiana Harbor Ship Canal, Indiana Harbor and

Associated Lake Michigan Environments which have been exposed to

hazardous substances released by area steel mills, refineries 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. 97-26788 Filed 10-10-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-55-M