Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of EPA Comments

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-5489-8]

Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of

EPA Comments

Availability of EPA comments prepared February 23, 1998 Through

February 27, 1998 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 FR dated April 11, 1997 (62

FR 16154).

Draft EISs

ERP No. D-AFS-E65050-MI Rating EC2, Porter Creek Recreational Lake

and Complex, Implementation, Homochitto National Forest, Homochitto

Ranger District, Franklin County, MI.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about loss of

floodplain resources and water quality problems from potential sewage

discharge.

ERP No. D-AFS-L65297-AK Rating EC2, Indian River Timber Sales(s)

Project, Implementation, Tongass National Forest, Chatham Area, Sitka

and Hoonah Ranger Districts, COE Section 10 and 404 Permit, NPDES and

Coast Guard Bridge Permit, Chichagof Island, AK.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with mitigation

strategies and made recommendations for improving those strategies. EPA

recommended that all log transfer facilities be designed and operated

in a manner that allows for direct transfer of logs from land to barge.

EPA also recommended that the project area watershed analysis, dive

report and wetland delineation be included in the final EIS.

ERP No. D-FHW-C40142-NY Rating EC2, S-20/Broadway (Transit Road to

Lancaster East Village Line) Reconstruction, Funding, COE Section 10

and 404 Permit, in the Villages of Depew and Lancaster, Erie County,

NY.

Summary: EPA requested that the final EIS provide air quality

analysis which demonstrates that Phase II will conform to the state

implementation plan as well as a commitment to characterize and plan

for the disposal of contaminated waste. EPA also requests that the

final EIS address mitigation for adverse effects to historic or

cultural resources.

ERP No. D-FHW-K40229-HI Rating EO2, Saddle Road (HI-200)

Improvements between Mamalahoa Highway HI-190) to Milepost 6 near Hilo,

Funding, NPDES and COE Section 404 Permit, Hawaii County, HI.

Summary: EPA Region 9 raised environmental objections to the build

alternative. EPA suggested that other alternatives be examined and

raised concerns with the alternatives analysis, impacts to water

resources, and indirect and cumulative effects of the project.

ERP No. D-USA-C11014-NY Rating EC2, Seneca Army Depot Activity

Disposal and Reuse, Implementation, Seneca County and the City of

Geneva, Ontario County, NY.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about ground water

contamination remediation, and impacts to wetlands and cultural

resources.

ERP No. D-USA-E11042-AL Rating EC2, Fort McClellen (Main Post)

Disposal and Reuse, Implementation, Calhoun, Cleburne, Randolph, Clay,

Talledega, St. Clair, Etowah and Cherokee Counties, AL.

Summary: EPA has environmental concerns with the preferred

alternative based on the unknowns associated with its potential

environmental impacts. Additional information will need to be developed

to determine the actual long-term consequences of this more intensive

reuse option.

ERP No. D-USN-K11083-CA Rating EC2, Hunters Point (Former) Naval

Shipyard Disposal and Reuse, Implementation, City of San Francisco, San

Francisco County, CA.

SUMMARY: EPA requested additional information on project

description, alternatives land use compatibility, air quality

cumulative impacts, hazardous wastes and environmental justice

analysis. In particular, we are concerned by a general lack of

specificity in the draft EIS/EIR.

ERP No. D-USN-K11086-CA Rating EC2, US Pacific Fleet F/A 18 E/F

Aircraft for Development of Facilities to Support Basing on the West

Coast of the United States, Possible Installations are (1) Lemoore

Naval Air Station and (2) El Centro Naval Air Facility, Fresno, King

and Imperial Counties, CA.

SUMMARY: EPA expressed environmental concerns that the proposed

project and DEIS was developed without consideration of Executives

Orders that require pollution prevention, energy efficiency, water

conservation, hazardous waste minimization, and solid waste reduction

and recycling. EPA expressed concerns that air mitigation measures

required under EPA's general conformity rule are conceptual in nature

and lack definitiveness.

ERP No. DA-FHW-L40049-OR Rating EC2, West 11th Avenue--Garfield

Street (West Eugene Parkway) Highway Project, Florence--Eugene Highway

(OR-126) New Alignment, Comparison of the Originally Approved Design

and a New Modified Design, Funding, Lane County, OR.

SUMMARY: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding alternative

analysis and their rejection since it appeared some had reduced

environmental impacts especially to rare wet prairie meadows. Also,

there is insufficient information to determine whether the design of

wildlife crossings proposed for mitigation will accommodate all species

frequenting the area.

Final EISs

ERP No. F-CGD-C50012-00 Staten Island Bridges Program--

Modernization and Capacity Enhancement Project, Construction and

Operation, Funding, Right-of-Way Grant, COE Section 404 Permit and

NPDES Permit, Staten Island, NY and Elizabeth, NJ.

SUMMARY: Based on EPA review of the final EIS, and with the

understanding that EPA will continue to provide input to the

interagency mitigation group regarding pending

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wetland mitigation issues, and that the stages IB cultural resource

survey will be completed. EPA's concerns have been adequately

addressed. EPA have concluded that the proposed project would not

result in significant adverse environmental impacts; therefore, EPA has

no objections to its implementation.

ERP No. F-DOE-C06013-NY Disposal of the Defueled S3G and D1G

Prototype Reactor Plants, Implementation, Located at the Knolls Atomic

Power Laboratory Kesselring Site near West Milton, Saratoga County, NY.

SUMMARY: EPA had no objections to the implementation of the

proposed project.

ERP No. F-USN-K11077-CA Novato, California Department of Defense

Housing Facility Disposal and Reuse, Implementation, City of Novato,

Marin County, CA.

SUMMARY: EPA express environmental concern about the draft EIS,

which include requests for information regarding project description,

cumulative impacts water and wetlands, air quality and cultural

resources protection, are generally addressed in the Final EIS. EPA

asks the Navy to better use the no-action baseline in its impacts

analysis.

Dated: March 10, 1998.

William D. Dickerson,

Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.

[FR Doc. 98-6573 Filed 3-12-98; 8:45 am]

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