[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 2 (Tuesday, January 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 336]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-33214]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
(SEIS) for PacRim Coal's Proposed Chuitna Coal Project
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
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SUMMARY: The Alaska District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
intends to prepare an SEIS to identify and analyze the potential
impacts associated with the proposed Chuitna Coal Project. It is
anticipated that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Native
Village of Tyonek (NVT), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS),
and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (ADNR) will participate
as cooperating agencies in the SEIS development process. The USACE will
be evaluating a permit application for work under Section 10 of the
Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The SEIS
will be used as a basis for the Corps' permit decision and to ensure
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The SEIS
will also address issues related to the Alaska Surface Coal Mining
Control and Reclamation Act (ASCMCRA) permit, which governs all aspects
of the mining operation and infrastructure.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and the DSEIS can be answered by: Ms. Serena Sweet, Regulatory
Division, telephone: (907) 753-2819, toll free in AK: (800) 478-2712,
fax: (907) 753-5567, e-mail: [email protected], or mail:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CEPOA-RD, Post Office Box 6898, Elmendorf
AFB, Alaska 99506-0898.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. The Chuitna Coal Project (Project) is located in the Beluga Coal
Field, approximately 10 miles northwest of the Native Village of Tyonek
and 45 miles west of Anchorage, Alaska. The Project is based on the
development of a +1 billion metric ton, ultra low sulfur sub-bituminous
coal resource located within the Chuitna Coal Lease Area. The proposed
Project includes a surface coal mine, the Ladd Landing coal export
terminal and other associated support facilities (including: Shop/
office/warehouse facility, fuel storage facility and fueling station,
ready line for parking and fueling of rolling stock, electrical
substation, truck dump with stilling shed and coal crusher, 35,000 to
40,000[hyphen]ton covered surge bin, overland conveyor loading station,
roads, and a power distribution system). The project proponent, PacRim
Coal, LP, targets a coal production rate of approximately 12 million
tons per year (facilities are designed for up to 18-20 million tons per
year), and a 25-year mine life based on current estimated coal
reserves.
2. A previous project design was evaluated in an EIS and permitted
by most of the applicable State and Federal regulatory programs in the
early 1990s; however, this project did not proceed to development.
Since 2006, EPA has been lead federal agency for the development of an
SEIS for the Project and the USACE, ADNR, USFWS and NVT participated as
cooperating agencies (71 FR 33446). On October 31, 2010, the EPA's
authority to issue and enforce mining permits in Alaska for wastewater
discharges issued under the Clean Water Act National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System program was transferred to the Alaska
Department of Environmental Conservation. Consequently, the EPA
recently discontinued their role as lead federal agency for the Chuitna
SEIS.
3. Alternatives: The alternatives to be evaluated include the ``no-
action'' alternative, wastewater discharge alternatives and alternative
discharge locations. In addition, the SEIS will evaluate mine access
road and conveyor alignment alternatives, and coal export terminal
alternatives. Additional alternatives may be developed.
4. Scoping for the proposed project was completed by EPA in 2006.
Based on the comments received during this scoping period, PacRim Coal,
LP has made revisions to the proposed Project. In accordance with NEPA,
the Corps has reviewed the revised project description and determined
that because these revisions are the result of the original scoping
process and remain within the original scope of review, additional
scoping processes will not be conducted at this time.
5. Estimated Date of DSEIS Release: December 2011.
Dated: December 28, 2010.
Serena E. Sweet,
Project Manager, Alaska District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
[FR Doc. 2010-33214 Filed 1-3-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P