Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of EPA Comments

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6245-4]

Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of

EPA Comments

Availability of EPA comments prepared July 19, 1999 Through July

23, 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-AFS-J65301-MT Rating EC2, North Belts Travel Plan/Maypie

Confederate Vegetation Restoration Project, Improvements, Helena

National Forest, Townsend and Helena Ranger District, Broadwater, Lewis

and Clark and Meagher County, MT.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding the lack of

information and commitment to carrying out a monitoring program to

identify actual impacts from all the implementation activities. EPA

also expressed concerned about aerial application of herbicides, and

suggests the final EIS include recommendations to reduce adverse

impacts from aerial spraying.

ERP No. D-COE-F36163-00 Rating EO2, Upper Des Plaines River Flood

Damage Reduction Project, Recommended Plan to Construction a Lateral

Storage Area, National Economic Development (NED), Lake County, IL and

Kenosha and Racine Counties, WI.

Summary: EPA expressed objections based on the limited scope of

analysis and range of alternative, and the potential significant

adverse impacts to wetland and water quality.

ERP No. D-DOE-G06011-NM Rating LO, Sandia National Laboratories/New

Mexico (SNL), Continue Operation, Site-Wide (DOE/EIS-0281),

Albuquerque, NM.

Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objection to the continuation of

the operation of the facility. Overall, the analyses indicates little

difference in the environmental impacts among alternative.

ERP No. D-FHW-L40211-AK Rating EC2, C Street Corridor Project,

Improvements from O'Malley Road to International Airport Road, NPDES

and COE Section 404 Permits, Municipality of Anchorage, AK.

Summary: EPA expressed concerns related to alternatives evaluated

in the EIS, air quality impacts, secondary/cumulative effects analysis,

and wetland impacts and mitigation debits analysis. More information

has been requested for the final EIS.

ERP No. D-FRC-F03006-00 Rating EO2, Independence Pipeline and

Market Link Expansion Projects, Construction and Operation, Interstate

National Gas Pipeline, (Docket Nos. CP97-315-001, CP97-319-000, CP98-

200-000 and CP98-540-000), NPDES and COE Section 404 Permits, IL, IN,

MI, OH, PA and NJ.

Summary: EPA expressed objections based on inadequate information

in the following areas: (1) Purposed and Need, (2) Cumulative Impact

Analysis, (3) Wetlands and mitigation, (4) Upland forests and

mitigation, and (5) Water Quality.

ERP No. D-UAF-G11038-00 Rating EC2, Realistic Bomber Training

Initiative, Improve the B-52 and B-1 Aircrews Mission Training and

Maximize Combat Training Time, Barksdale Air Force Base, LA, NM and TX.

Summary: EPA has identified some environmental concerns that need

to be resolved in the Final EIS to insure and fully insure compliance

with the requirements of NEPA and the CEQ regulations. EPA specific

comments focus on the need to provide more complete analysis of noise

impacts and airspace management issues, and to provide references and

citations to support the DEIS analysis.

ERP No. D1-IBR-K39050-CA Rating * * *, Programmatic--CALFED Bay-

Delta Program, Develop and Implement Long-Term Comprehensive Plan to

Restore Ecological Health and Improve Water Management, San Francisco

Bay--Sacramento/San Joaquin River Bay-Delta, CA.

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

comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

Final EISs

ERP No. F-AFS-J65299-MT Pinkham Timber Sales and Associated

Activities, Implementation, Kootenai National Forest, Rexford Ranger

District, Lincoln County, MT.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns regarding potential

non compliance with forest standards for open road density, and concern

regarding regeneration after timber harvest that may leave many large

forest openings. EPA recommended that the final EIS describe water

quality/aquatics monitoring that would be required assure efficacy of

the mitigation actions.

ERP No. F-BLM-K65206-NV Caliente Management Framework Plan

Amendment, Implementation, Management of Desert Tortoise Habitat

(Gopherus agassizii), Northeastern Mojave Recovery Unit, Lincoln

County, NV.

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

formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

ERP No. F-COE-G36148-TX Dallas Floodway Extension, Implementation,

Trinity River Basin, Flood Damage Reduction and Environmental

Restoration, Dallas County, TX.

Summary: The Final EIS adequately responds to EPA comments offered

on the Draft EIS.

ERP No. F-COE-L28007-OR Coos Bay-North Bend Water Board Water

Supply Expansion Project, (Formerly Known as Joe Ney and Upper Pony

Creek Reservoirs Expansion Project), COE Section 10 and 404 Permits,

Coos County, OR.

Summary: The Final EIS satisfactorily addresses all of EPA's

concerns and comments expressed in the draft EIS.

ERP No. F-FHW-K40231-AZ Red Mountain Freeway (Loop 202)

Construction and Operation, between AR 87 (County Club Drive) and US-60

(Superstition Freeway), Funding, NPDES Permit and COE Section 404

Permit, City of Mesa, Maricopa County, AZ.

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

formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

ERP No. F-NOA-F61018-MN Minnesota's Lake Superior Costal Program,

Approval and Implementation, St. Louis and Cook Counties, MN.

Summary: EPA expressed a lack of objection to the proposed actions

assessed in the FEIS.

ERP No. F-NRC-J09802-UT Uranium Mill Tailings Reclamation at Atlas

Site, License Amendment Request for existing License No. SUA-917 along

the Colorado River near Moab, UT.

Summary: EPA agrees in principle to issue a license amendment to

conduct preliminary cleanup action. However, EPA continues to have

objections to the proposed action due to the uncertainty

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of whether the proposed reclamation of the site will meet the standards

necessary to protect an endangered fish species from the leaching of

contaminants into the Colorado River.

Dated: August 10, 1999.

William D. Dickerson,

Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.

[FR Doc. 99-21064 Filed 8-12-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-P