[Federal Register: January 18, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 11)]
[Notices]               
[Page 2266-2267]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18ja07-48]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers

 
Withdrawal of Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement for the TransAlta Pit 7 Mine Completion Project at Centralia, 
WA

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent; withdrawal.

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SUMMARY: The permit applicant, TransAlta Centralia Mining LLC (TCM) has 
greatly reduced the scope of its proposed coal mining project at 
Centralia, Washington. Therefore, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(Corps) is withdrawing its Notice of Intent to prepare an environmental 
impact statement (EIS).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jonathan Smith at the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, Seattle Regulatory Branch, 4735 E. Marginal Way 
South, Seattle, Washington 98134, (206) 764-6910, or e-mail 
Jonathan.Smith@nws02.usace.army.mil. Mr. Mark Cline, at the Washington 

Department of Ecology, 300 Desmond Drive, SE., Lacey, Washington 98503, 
or e-mail mcli461@ecy.wa.gov

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps and Washington State Department of 
Ecology (Ecology) published a notice of intent in the April 7, 2006, 
issue of the Federal Register (71 FR 17840) to prepare an EIS on TCM's 
proposed Pit 7 Mining Project. Since that time, TCM's proposed project 
has evolved from a coal mining project, affecting over 100 acres of 
wetlands and streams, to a railroad upgrade project for importing coal 
from existing, already permitted mines in Montana and Wyoming. This 
modified proposal appears likely to affect less than three acres of 
wetlands. Therefore, the Corps and Ecology plan to conduct an 
environmental assessment of the proposed rail upgrade project during 
the first half of year 2007. An EIS would be prepared only if results 
of the environmental assessment indicate potentially significant, 
adverse environmental impacts.


[[Page 2267]]


    Dated: January 5, 2007.
Michelle Walker,
Chief, Regulatory Branch, Seattle District.
 [FR Doc. E7-632 Filed 1-17-07; 8:45 am]

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