[Federal Register: August 27, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 166)]
[Notices]               
[Page 52667-52668]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr27au04-33]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6655-2]

 
Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of 
EPA Comments

    Availability of EPA comments prepared 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 2, 2004 (69 FR 17403).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-AFS-J65414-UT Rating EC2, State of Utah School and 
Institutional Trust LandsAdministration (SITLA) Access Route on 
EastMountain, National Forest System LandsAdministered by Mantila Sal 
National Forest,Ferron/Price Ranger District, Emery Counties,UT.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns related to impacts on the 
inventoried roadless area from logging, oil and gas wells, road 
construction, and gravel pit and vehicle use.
    ERP No. D-AFS-J65415-MT Rating EC2, Robert-Wedge Post-Fire Project, 
Salvage Trees andRehabilitate Lands, Flathead National Forest,Glacier 
View Ranger District, Flathead County, MT.
    Summary: EPA expressed concern that logging in areas of high-burn 
severity may result in increased erosion and sediment production. EPA 
recommended additional use of less damaging logging techniques such as 
helicopter logging or logging during winter on snow or frozen ground.
    ERP No. D-COE-F32197-MS Rating EC2, Programmatic EIS--Upper 
Mississippi River andIllinois Waterway System Navigation 
FeasibilityStudy (UMR-IWW), Addressing NavigationImprovement Planning 
and Ecological RestorationNeeds, MS, IL, IA, MN, MO, WI.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns centering on how implementation of 
the proposed new management strategies would influence the ecological 
future of the UpperMississippi River System. Specific concerns focused 
on defining the purpose and need, adaptive management and phased 
project approach, alternatives analysis, institutional arrangements, 
and ecosystem restoration, and mitigation/impact analysis.
    ERP No. D-COE-L32012-AK Rating EC2, Unalaska Navigation 
Improvements Project,Construction of Harbor on Amaknak Island in 
Aleutian Island Chain, Locally known as ``LittleSouth America, 
Integrated Feasibility Report,Aleutian Island, AK.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns that the proposed mitigation may 
not be adequate to compensate for productive intertidal and subtidal 
habitat adversely impacted by the project. EPA requested that the Corps 
consider additional mitigation at sites identified in the draftEIS or 
other sites if appropriate. EPA also requested that the final EIS 
provide additional information on impacts to impaired waters listed 
under Section 303(d) of the Clean Water Act, analysis of alternative 
sites, and impacts to subsistence resources and minority populations.
    ERP No. D-DOE-J91000-MT Rating EC2,South Fork Flathead Watershed 
Westslope CutthroatTrout Conservation Program, Preserve the 
GeneticPurity of the Westslope Cutthroat TroutPopulation, Flathead 
National Forest, FlatheadRiver, Flathead, Powell and Missoula Counties, 
MT.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns about the need for additional 
information regarding: project monitoring and evaluation and the 
adaptive management program; contingency plans if treatments do not 
eradicate the entire hybrid trout population, and in the event of 
continuing illegal reintroduction of non-native trout after the 
proposed treatments, and spills or releases of hazardous chemicals; 
more complete identification of the advantages and disadvantages of 
proposed fish toxins; and the restocking program.
    ERP No. D-IBR-H39011-00 Rating EC2, Programmatic EIS--Platte River 
Recovery Implementation Program, Assessing Alternatives, Cooperative, 
Endangered Species Recovery Program, The Four Target Species are 
Whooping Crane, Interior Least Tern, Piping Plover and Pallid Sturgeon, 
NB, WY and CO.
    Summary: EPA expressed concerns related to wetlands impacts and 
water quality impacts.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-J65409-MT Lower Big Creek Project, Timber Harvest and 
Prescribed Burning, Implementation, Kootenai National Forest Plan, 
Rexford Ranger District, Lincoln County, MT.
    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns with potential 
adverse impacts from sediment production and transport from logging and 
associated road reconstruction, and with uncertain funding for 
implementation of all the proposed restoration.
    ERP No. F-DOE-L02032-OR COB Energy Facility, Construction of a 
1,160-megawatt (MW) Natural Gas-Fired and Combined-Cycle Electric 
Generating Plant, Right-of-Way Permit cross Federal Land under the 
Jurisdiction of BLM, Klamath Basin, Klamath County, OR.
    Summary: No comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-NAS-E12006-FL International Space Research Park (ISRP) to 
Bring New Research and Development Uses to the John F. Kennedy Center, 
Brevard County, FL.
    Summary: EPA continues to have no environmental objections to the 
proposed research center.
    ERP No. F-NRC-F06022-IL Quad Cities Nuclear Power Station Units 1 
and 2, Supplement 16 to NUREG-1437, License Renewal, IL.
    Summary: EPA continues to express environmental concern related to 
impacts from power uprates and on-site waste storage, sediment 
contamination and estimates of risk.

[[Page 52668]]

    ERP No. F-NRC-F06023-IL Dresden Nuclear Power Station, Unit 2 and 
3, Supplement 17, NUREG 1437, Renewal of a Nuclear Power Plant 
Operating License, Grundy County, IL.
    Summary: EPA continues to express environmental concerns related to 
cooling water system impacts, and on-site waste storage.
    ERP No. F-NRS-E36181-TN Cane Creek Watershed Remedial Plan, 
Widening and Degradation of the Cane Creek Channel, Lauderdale County, 
TN.
    Summary: EPA is supportive of the efforts to improve environmental 
amenities within the project effect's area and, therefore, has no 
objection to the action as proposed.
    ERP No. F-USN-E11051-MS Purchase of Land in Hancock County, 
Mississippi, for a Naval Special Operations Forces Training Range, To 
Improve Riverine and Jungle Training Availabilities, John C. Stennis 
Space Center, Hancock County, MS.
    Summary: EPA has no objections to the proposed land purchase.
    ERP No. F1-AFS-E65031-KY Gray Mountain Coal Lease Land Use 
Analysis, Application for Leasing Tracts 3094Bb, 3049Be and 3049Az, 
Daniel Boone National Forest, Leslie County, KY.
    Summary: EPA has no objections to the project, provided mitigation 
measures and monitoring are implemented as described in the Final EIS.

    Dated: August 24, 2004.
Robert W. Hargrove,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 04-19617 Filed 8-26-04; 8:45 am]

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