Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of EPA Comments

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6241-4]

Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of

EPA Comments

Availability of EPA comments prepared March 8, 1999 through March

12, 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 the Federal Register dated

April 10, 1998 (63 FR 17856).

Draft EISs

ERP No. D-AFS-B65005-NH Rating EC2, Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC)

Huts and Pinkham Notch Visitor Center (PNVC) Continued Operations,

Special Use Permit and Possible COE Permit Issuance, White Mountain

National Forest, Grafton and Coos Counties, NH.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with regard to the

analysis of impacts to water supply, ground water and wetlands and

asked that those issues be addressed in the final EIS in order to fully

evaluate the environmental acceptability of the proposed project.

ERP No. D-AFS-B65008-VT Rating EC2, Mount Snow/Haystack Resort,

Expansion of Snowmaking Coverage and Development of Alternative Water

Supplies, Special-Use-Permit and COE Section 404 Permit, Green Mountain

National Forest, Manchester Ranger District, Windham County, VT.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns pertaining to water

quality impacts and asked for a more complete discussion of cumulative

effects associated with the development of the proposed snowmaking

infrastructure. EPA supported the proposed changes that would bring

existing water withdrawals in line with established flow criteria and

encouraged the Forest Service to use the comments on the DEIS to frame

discussions about modifications to the existing water withdrawal

settlement agreement.

ERP No. D-AFS-J65217-UT Rating EC2, Brighton Ski Resort Master

Development Plan Updated, Implementation, Wasatch-Cache National

Forest, Salt Lake City, UT.

[[Page 15970]]

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns from based primarily

on the need for identifying potential adverse impacts to wetlands

resources from snow storage. The final EIS should include additional

mitigation measures to reduce impacts to the aquatic ecosystem.

ERP No. D-AFS-J65293-MT Rating EC2, Taylor Fork Timber Sale and

Road Restoration, Implementation, Buck Creek, Taylor Fork Creek and

Eldridge Creek, Gallatin National Forest, Madison Ranger, Hebgen Lake

Ranger District, Yellow Stone, Gallatin County, MT.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns due to lack of

information regarding wetlands, existing watershed conditions, and

potential impacts to westslope cutthroat trout.

ERP No. D-AFS-J65298-CO Rating EC2, South Fork Salvage Analysis

Area, Implementation, Routt Divide Blowdown, Land and Resource

Management Plan, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests, Hahns Peak/Bears

Ears Ranger District, Rounty County, CO.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns and requested

information on impacts from road reconstruction actions and

identification of any roads in Streamline Management Zones (SMZs).

ERP No. D-AFS-L61218-ID Rating EC2, Frank Church--River of No

Return Wilderness (FC-RONRW), Implementation for the Future Management

of Land and Water Resource, Bitterroot, Boise, Nez Perce, Payette and

Salmon-Challis National Forests, ID.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns related to the

potential adverse of using herbicides to manage noxious weeds in

wilderness areas.

ERP No. D-AFS-L65313-ID Rating EC2, Silver Creek Integrated

Resource Project, Implementation, Middle Fork Payette River, Boise

National Forest, Boise and Valley Counties, ID.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with potential

adverse impacts to water quality, air quality and wilderness habitat.

ERP No. D-AFS-L65314-OR Rating EO2, Mill Creek Watershed Timber

Sales Project, Implementation, Ochoco National Forest, Crook County,

OR.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental objections with the proposed

alternative and with potential adverse impacts to water quality,

wildlife and riparian conservation areas.

ERP No. D-AFS-L65315-ID Rating EO2, West Fork Potlatch Timber

Harvesting, Road Construction, Reforestation and Watershed Restoration,

Palouse Ranger District, Latah County, ID.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns related to the lack

of an adequate water quality analysis, impacts associated with road

construction, and the failure to treat the Potlatch basin as a key

watershed. EPA recommends that the Forest Service consider the value of

withdrawing the EIS and issuing a revised document.

ERP No. D-AFS-L65320-00 Rating EC2, Targhee National Forest Open

Road and Open Motorized Trail Analysis, To Implement a new Travel Plan,

several counties, ID and Lincoln and Teton Counties, WY.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with potential

impacts to water quality, cutthroat trout, canada lynx and their

habitat.

ERP No. D-BLM-K65214-AZ Rating EC2, Dos Pobres/San Juan Mining Plan

and Land Exchange, Implementation of two Open Pit Copper Mines and one

Central Ore Facility, NPDES and COE Section 404 Permits, Graham County,

AZ.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns over potential

impacts to air resources, water resources and quality, and water-

related biologic resources. EPA expect that additional mitigation

measures of clarification of planned mitigation and monitoring, and

inclusion of other additional requested information in the Final EIS

may alleviate or reduce these concerns. EPA level of concern over

potential impacts to air and water resources has also been raised by

the physical magnitude and potential long time line of the Proposed

Action.

ERP No. D-NPS-L61222-WA Rating LO, Lake Roosevelt National

Recreation Area, General Management Plan, Implementation, Ferry, Grant,

Lincoln, Okanogan and Stevens Counties, WA.

Summary: EPA had no objection to the preferred alternative. EPA did

request further discussion about how the Lake Roosevelt Management

Agreement affects development of a new plan; the effect of lake level

fluctuations on recreation facilities: water resources; geology; and

sustain ability.

Final EISs

ERP No. F-AFS-K65176-CA Sequoia National Forest Trail System Plan,

Implementation, Amendment to the Sequoia National Forest Land and

Resource Management Plan, Fresno, Kern and Tulare Counties, CA.

Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with the final plan.

Elements of the plan may conflict the moratorium on construction in

road-less areas, and the Clean Water Action Plan, and EPA requested

that the Forest Service suspend evaluation and construction of new

motorized trails pursuant to the Forest Plan amendment pending the

release or the Forest Service's long-term transportation policy and the

completion of the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment NEPA process.

ERP No. F-BLM-L61219-AK Squirrel River Wild and Scenic River

Suitability Study, Designation and Non-Designation, National Wild and

Scenic Rivers System, AK.

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

formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

ERP No. F-NPS-E61038-TN Stones River National Battlefield General

Management Plan and Development Concept Plan, Implementation, Ruthford

County, TN.

Summary: EPA recommends that new building construction and

renovations meet energy efficiency strategies, as outlined in the

American Society for Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning

Efficiency guidelines. Any contractors working in the Stones River

floodplain should be required to conform to ``Floodplain Management

Guidelines'', which were issued as NPS ``Special Directive 93-4'' in

1993.

Dated: March 30, 1999.

William D. Dickerson,

Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.

[FR Doc. 99-8183 Filed 4-1-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-U