Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of EPA Comments

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6242-1]

Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of

EPA Comments

Availability of EPA comments prepared March 29, 1999 through April

02, 1999 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 09, 1999 (64

FR 17362).

Draft EISs

ERP No. D-NPS-K65209-00 Rating LO, Death Valley National Park

General Management Plan, Implementation, Mojave Desert, Inyo and San

Bernardino Counties, CA and Nye and Esmeralda Counties, NV.

Summary: EPA expressed lack of objections, however, EPA made

specific comments regarding groundwater extraction outside the park,

grazing within park boundaries, and military overflights.

ERP No. D-UMC-K11096-AZ Rating EC2, Yuma Marine Corps Air Station

(MCAS), To Improve Ordnance Handling and Storage, Construct a new

Combat Aircraft Loading Area (CALA); New Station Ordnance Area and

Relocation of MCAS Yuma, AZ.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding the lack of

information on compliance with Executive Order 12902, Energy Efficiency

and Water Conservation. EPA requested that information on this issue be

included in the final document.

Final EISs

ERP No. F-BIA-K02010-AZ, Southpoint Power Plant, Fort Mojave Indian

Reservation Approval of a Lease for Development Project, Construction

and Operation of a 500 Megawatt Natural Gas Fired Power Plant, NPDES

Permit and COE Section 404 Permit, Mohave County, AZ.

Summary: EPA had no objection to the proposed action.

ERP No. F-BLM-J01009-WY, Carbon Basin Coal Project Area, Coal Lease

Application for Elk Mountain/Saddleback Hills, Carbon County, WY.

Summary: Final EIS adequately addressed most of EPA's concerns.

ERP No. F-DOA-G36149-OK, Double Creek Watershed Plan,

Implementation, Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention, National

Economic Development (NED), Town of Ramona, Washington and Osage

Counties, OK.

Summary: EPA had no objection to the selection of the lead agency's

preferred alternative as described in the DEIS.

ERP No. F-DOE-L09813-ID, Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project,

Construction and Operation, Site Selection, Idaho National Engineering

and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL), Eastern Snake River Plain, ID.

Summary: Review of the Final EIS has resulted in no objection to

project as proposed.

ERP No. F-DOI-K39053-CA, San Joaquin River Agreement Project,

Implementation of the Meeting Flow Objectives for 1999-2010, Vernalis

Adaptive Management Plan, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Madera, Merced,

Fresno and Tuolume 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-FHW-K40142-CA, CA-4 ``GAP'' Closure Project, Improvements

between I-80 and Cunninings Skyway, Funding, NPDES Permit and COE

Section 404 Permit, City of Hercules, Contra Costa County, CA.

Summary: Review of the FEIS was not deemed necessary. No formal

comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

ERP No. F-NOA-E39044-FL, Guana, Tolomato, Matanizas, Site

Designation, National Estuarine Research Reserve, Management Plan, City

of Jacksonville, St. Johns and Flagler Counties, FL.

Summary: EPA expressed no objection to the action as proposed.

ERP No. F-USA-E11043-GA, U.S. Army/Fort Benning and The

Consolidated Government of Columbus Proposed Land Exchange, Muscogee

and Chattahoochee Counties, GA.

Summary: EPA raised concerns about the gopher tortoises have been

adequately resolved; however, the actual long-term impacts of land use

changes attendant to the exchanges remained to be determined.

ERP No. F-USA-G11027-NM, White Sands Missile Range (WSMR),

Implementation, Range-Wide, Las Cruces, NM.

Summary: Review of the Final EIS has resulted in no objection to

the project as proposed.

ERP No. F-USN-K11089-HI, Pacific Missile Range Facility Enhanced

Capabilities, To Accommodate Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (TBMD)

Training & Testing and Theate Missile Defense (TMD) Testing, NPDES

Permit, several counties, HI.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding the lack of

commitment to proposed mitigation. EPA requested that the Record of

Decision clearly document the mitigation measures that will be

implemented.

ERP No. F-USN-K11093-HI, Barbers Point Naval Air Station, Disposal

and Reuse of Land Facilities, HI.

Summary: Review of the Final EIS has been completed and no

environmental objection were identified.

Other

ERP No. LF-USN-K11091-NV, Fallon Naval Air Station, Renewal of the

B-20 Land Withdrawal, City of Fallon, Churchill County, NV.

Summary: Review of the Final EIS has been completed and no

environmental objection were identified .

Dated: April 20, 1999.

William D. Dickerson,

Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.

[FR Doc. 99-10285 Filed 4-22-99; 8:45 am]

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