[Federal Register: February 18, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 33)]
[Notices]
[Page 8364]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18fe05-71]
[[Page 8364]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[ER-FRL-6660-7]
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-J65428-CO Rating EC2, Vail Valley Forest Health
Project, Proposed Landscape-Scale Vegetation Management and Fuels
Reduction, White River National Forest, Holy Cross Ranger District,
Eagle County, CO.
Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about potential
effects to aquatic and terrestrial resources from large scale
management activity, and requested additional information on the
ongoing beetle epidemic, especially its impact on meeting project
goals.
ERP No. D-AFS-J65431-UT Rating EC2, Duck Creek Fuels Treatment
Analysis, To Reduce Fuels, Enhance Fire-Tolerant Vegetation and Provide
Fuel Breaks, Dixie National Forest, Cedar City Ranger District, Kane
County, UT.
Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about the potential
for adverse impacts to water quality and aquatic habitat, degradation
of soils and impacts to wildlife from reduction of old growth habitat.
The Final EIS should discuss additional mitigation measures to reduce
impacts in important wildlife habitat and back-country areas.
ERP No. D-AFS-J65434-CO Rating EC2, County Line Vegetation
Management Project, Salvaging Spruce Beetle Infected Trees and Thinning
Spruce-Fir Stand, Rio Grande National Forest, Conejos Peak Ranger
District, Conejes County, CO.
Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about soil
disturbance and erosion, runoff, sedimentation, and habitat impacts in
streams that have a population of genetically pure Rio Grande cutthroat
trout, and wildlife impacts to sensitive species such as threatened
Canada Lynx, Northern Goshawk, and Boreal Owl. EPA recommended that the
Preferred Alternative be modified to protect critical, older-growth
spruce-fir wildlife habitats.
ERP No. D-AFS-K65277-CA Rating EC2, Modoc National Forest Noxious
Weed Treatment Project, Proposes to Implement a Control and Eradication
Project, Lassen, Modoc and Siskiyou Counties, CA.
Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about integration of
weed treatments, impacts to water quality, toxicity of herbicides to
wildlife, and addressing tribal concerns regarding herbicide use.
ERP No. D-USA-L11037-AK Rating EC2, Battle Area Complex (BAX) and a
Combined Arms Collective Training Facility (CACTF) Construction and
Operation, U.S. Army Training Lands in Alaska.
Summary: EPA expressed concerns related to water resource, wetland,
and habitat impacts, and recommended that additional criteria could be
used to expand the range of alternatives in order to minimize
environmental impacts.
ERP No. DR-IBR-K39048-CA Rating EC2, Truckee River Operating
Agreement (TROA) Modify Operations of Five Federal and Two Non-Federal
Reservoirs to Facilitate Distribution of Water, Truckee River Basin, EL
Dorado, Nevada, Placer and Sierra Counties, CA and Douglas, Lyon,
Storey and Washoe Counties, NV.
Summary: EPA expressed concerns about potential impacts to water
quality and sensitive resources, and requested additional information
in the Final EIS on water quality, alternatives, biological resources,
cumulative impacts, water conservation, and program monitoring and
reporting measures.
Final EISs
ERP No. F-AFS-J65399-00 High Mountains Heli-Skiing (HMH) Project,
Issuance of a New 5-Year Special Use Permit (SUP) to Continue Operating
Guided Helicopter Skiing in Portions of the Bridger-Teton National
Forest and Caribou-Targhee National Forest (CTNF), Teton and Lincoln
Counties, WY and Teton and Bonneville Counties, ID.
Summary: EPA expressed no objections to the proposed action.
ERP No. F-BIA-C60004-NY St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, Mohawk Mountain
Casino and Resort, Proposed Transfer of 66 Acres of Land into Federal
Trust Status, Fee-to-Trust Acquisition, Sullivan County, NY.
Summary: EPA continues to express concern about the project's
cumulative effects and air quality analyses.
ERP No. F-FHW-G40174-TX Eastern Extension of the President George
Bush Turnpike (PGBT) from TX-78 to I-30, New Controlled Access Tollway
Construction at a New Location, Cities of Garland, Sachse, Rowlett and
Dallas, Dallas County, TX.
Summary: No comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
ERP No. FA-AFS-L67028-AK Kensington Gold Project, Proposed
Modifications of the 1998 Approved Plan Operation, NPDES, ESA and US
COE Section 10 and 404 Permits, Tongass National Forest, City of
Juneau, AK.
Summary: This EIS has addressed EPA's objections about toxicity in
the lake and the NPDES discharge. EPA is continuing to work through the
404(b)(1) process.
ERP No. F1-AFS-J65308-UT Wasatch Powerbird Guides Permit Renewal,
Authorization to Continue Providing Guided Helicopter Skiing Activities
on National Forest System (NFS) Land on the Wasatch-Cache and Uinta
National Forests, Special-Use Permit (SUP), Provo and Salt Lake City,
UT.
Summary: EPA expressed no objections to the proposed action.
ERP No. F1-FHW-F40361-MI MI-59 Livingston County Widening Project
between I-96 and US 23, Recommended Alternative was Selected, Right-of-
Way Preservation Center Corridor, Funding, NPDES and U.S. Army COE
Section 404 Permits Issuance, Livingston County, MI.
Summary: EPA has environmental concerns about the project regarding
invasive species control, and also requests additional information in
the Record of Decision concerning wetlands impacts and secondary land
use changes.
Dated: February 15, 2005.
Robert W. Hargrove,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 05-3188 Filed 2-17-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P