Notice of Availability of Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact Statement

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

Notice of Availability of Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact

Statement

AGENCY: National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior,

designated lead agency; Bureau of Land Management (BLM), designated

cooperating agency.

ACTION: Notice of availability of an abbreviated final environmental

impact statement for the proposed AT&T Corporation P140 Coaxial Cable

Removal Project, Socorro County New Mexico, Clark County Nevada, and

Kern and San Bernardino Counties California.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental

Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the National Park Service announces the

availability of an abbreviated final environmental impact statement

(FEIS) for the P140 Cable Removal Project, Socorro, New Mexico, to

Mojave, California. The draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for

the proposal was on public review for more than 60 days from December

29, 1997 to March 27, 1998. The abbreviated final document includes

responses to public comments on the DEIS and factual corrections to the

DEIS.

In 1996 AT&T approached the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)

concerning a proposal to remove 220 miles of their P140 cable system

that no longer supports their current fiber optic network.

The proposed project involved the removal of portions of a

telecommunications system traversing 7.7 miles in New Mexico, 7.4 miles

in Nevada, and 205.2 miles in California.

[[Page 29430]]

The P140 system includes buried coaxial cable, repeater huts, manholes,

marker posts, and an access corridor. In addition, AT&T proposed to

relinquish associated rights-of-way easements, in whole or in part,

wherever cable and equipment were removed.

As jurisdictional agencies of federal lands crossed by the project,

the NPS and the BLM are responsible for determining terms and

conditions of any removal activity and rehabilitation actions to

promote restoration of the land. In March 1997 DOI determined to

prepare a non-delegated environmental impact statement.

The abbreviated FEIS describes and analyzes four alternatives in

response to AT&T's request to remove cable and to terminate the

associated rights-of-way. The Proposed Action, and two additional

action alternatives have been developed to reduce or avoid adverse

effects on desert vegetation, wilderness, the desert tortoise and

recreational access. The No Action alternative is included as a

baseline for comparison of the action alternatives. To varying degrees,

all action alternatives include cable and structure removal along with

rehabilitation of the access corridor and repeater hut sites.

Alternative A is the Proposed Action and includes the removal of

174.5 miles of cable, repeater huts and manholes along 220 miles of the

right-of-way, and marker posts along 174.2 miles. In addition, the

proposed action suggests rehabilitation actions to promote revegetation

and habitat recovery that include the elimination of 39.8 miles of the

access corridor and 4 miles of dual track.

Alternative B was developed to protect critical habitat of the

desert tortoise on federal lands. Cable would not be removed from these

areas, and more of the access corridor within critical habitat would be

eliminated. Cable would be removed along 113.7 miles outside of

critical habitat on federal lands, and repeater huts and manholes would

be removed along 174.7 miles. Rehabilitation actions include

eliminating 51.6 miles of the access corridor and 4 miles of dual

track.

Alternative C would minimize construction-related impacts on desert

vegetation and the desert tortoise on federal lands. Cable would not be

removed from federal lands and the access corridor would be eliminated

in wilderness areas only. Cable would be removed along 72.3 miles of

primarily state and private lands. Repeater huts and manholes would be

removed along 220 miles, and marker posts would be removed along 174.7

miles. The elimination and rehabilitation of 5.4 miles of the access

corridor and 4 miles of dual tract also would be included in

alternative C.

For all action alternatives, cable removal activities would result

in long-term (20-50 years) adverse affects on desert vegetation, animal

species of concern, soil productivity, recreation, and visual

aesthetics, but to varying degrees. Removal and rehabilitation

activities also would result in temporary adverse affects on air

quality and noise due to construction-related activities.

Rehabilitation actions would have a permanent beneficial impact on

desert vegetation and the desert tortoise. Elimination of portions of

the access corridor in the Proposed Action would have a significant

impact on recreational access to open desert land, but would not

eliminate access to any designated recreational site. Due to

elimination of additional segments of the access corridor, Alternative

B would eliminate access to several designated recreational sites.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joan DeGraff, National Park Service,

Denver Service Center, PO. Box 25287, Denver, CO, 80225-0287.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of the DEIS are available on the

Internet at the NPS web site http://www.nps.gov/planning/index.html. A

limited number of individual copies of the abbreviated FEIS may be

obtained from Joan DeGraff at the above address or by calling (303)

969-2464.

A 30-day no action period will begin following release of the

abbreviated FEIS. A record of decision will follow the no action

period.

Dated: May 22, 1998.

Willie R. Taylor,

Director, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance.

[FR Doc. 98-14286 Filed 5-28-98; 8:45 am]

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