69362 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2004 / Notices 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act and 

implementing regulations, an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

will be prepared and incorporated into 

the James River, South Dakota 

Feasibility Study once alternative 

actions are identified that meet the 

project objectives described below. The 

James River Water Development District 

(JRWDD) is the non-Federal sponsor for 

this study. The JRWDD encompasses 

portions of Brown, Marshall, Spink, 

Davison, Yankton, Beadle, Sanborn, 

Hutchinson and Hanson Counties in 

South Dakota. 

Based on the authorizing legislation 

and previous studies, this Feasibility 

Study will address the need for 

enhancement of ecological resources 

and ecosystem management and flood 

damage reduction, both independently 

and in combination. The study will 

evaluate pertinent information and 

identify problems and opportunities 

that exist in the study area. Various 

alternatives (i.e., potential projects) will 

be evaluated to determine whether or 

not they are technically feasible and 

economically cost effective or 

economically justified depending on 

their purpose (e.g., ecosystem 

enhancement/restoration and/or flood 

damage reduction).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

additional information on the NEPA 

process, or to be added to the mailing 

list, contact Eric Laux, CENWO–PM–

AE, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 106 

South 15th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 

68102, telephone at (402) 221–7186, or 

Fax (402) 221–4886. For additional 

information on the Feasibility Study, 

contact Richard Taylor, CENWO–PM–

AP, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 106 

South 15th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 

68102, telephone (402) 221–3772, or Fax 

(402) 221–4890.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: a. This 

Feasibility Study is authorized under 

Section 401(b) of the Water Resources 

Development Act of 1986. The Federal 

objective of water and related land 

resources planning is to contribute to 

national economic development 

consistent with protecting the nation’s 

environment in accordance with 

national environmental statutes, 

applicable executive orders, and other 

Federal planning requirements. 

b. The study area consists of the 

portion of the James River and adjacent 

areas that are located in eastern South 

Dakota. The James River flows generally 

southward for a distance of 747 river 

miles, 474 miles of which lie in the 

study area. This river has the flattest 

gradient of any river of its length in 

North America, falling only about 135 

feet along its South Dakota course. The 

James River basin occupies a total of 

22,000 square miles, of which 14,000 

square miles lie in South Dakota. The 

basin in South Dakota is bounded by the 

Missouri River drainage to the west and 

the Big Sioux and Vermillion River 

basins to the east and southeast. The 

Sand Lake Wildlife Refuge is located at 

the upper end of the study area. Land 

use in the basin is primarily agriculture 

and the larger communities located in 

the study area include Mitchell, Huron, 

and Aberdeen. 

c. The intention of this Feasibility 

Study and EIS is to formulate and 

evaluate alternatives that help to restore 

or enhance ecological function and 

habitat and/or ameliorate flooding 

problems along the James River. Factors 

such as sediment deposits from 

tributaries, log jams, encroachment of 

vegetation into the channel, inadequate 

bridge capacity, low head dams in the 

channel, and the flat slope and 

meandering nature of the river are 

contributors to the flooding problems 

exhibited by the river. In 2000, the 

Corps completed a reconnaissance study 

evaluating potential solutions to limit 

flooding along the James River and to 

identify where flood control storage 

could supplement instream flows for 

fish and wildlife habitat. No structural 

flood control projects were found to be 

feasible. However, the study 

recommended future local study efforts 

focusing on long-term management and 

protection of the two- to five-year flood 

plain with emphasis on removing local 

channel obstructions. In addition, the 

report identified numerous 

opportunities to pursue environmental 

restoration projects that would also help 

alleviate agricultural flood damages. 

d. Scoping and agency meetings will 

be held for this project. A public notice 

will be widely distributed inviting 

public participation in the scoping 

process. This process will be the key to 

preparing a concise EIS and clarifying 

the significant issues to be analyzed in 

depth. Public concerns on issues, 

studies needed, alternatives to be 

examined, procedures and other related 

matters will be addressed during 

scoping. Scoping meetings are 

tentatively planned to be held at 

Aberdeen, Huron, Mitchell and 

Yankton, South Dakota in the middle 

part of December. Upon setting exact 

locations, dates, and times for the 

meetings, the specific locations of the 

meetings will be provided in news 

releases and posted on the Omaha 

District Corps of Engineers and James 

River Water Development District Websites. The web addresses for the sites are 

http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/

pa/pahm/hottopics.htm and http://

www.jrwdd.com.

e. The estimated date when a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement is 

expected to be available for public 

review is September 2006.

Candace M. Gorton, 

Chief, Environmental, Economics, and 

Cultural Resources Section, Planning Branch.

[FR Doc. 04–26262 Filed 11–26–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–62–M

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement for the Regional 

Dredged Material Management Plan for 

San Francisco Bay and Estuary, CA

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, San Francisco District 

(Corps) will prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) for the San 

Francisco Bay and Estuary Regional 

Dredged Material Management Plan 

(Regional DMMP). The Regional DMMP 

will identify specific measures to 

manage the dredged material from 

maintenance and construction dredging 

at Federal navigation projects over the 

next twenty years. The Corps will take 

into consideration the dredged sediment 

from non-Federal, permitted dredging 

projects with the Bay and Estuary in 

formulating the Regional DMMP to the 

extent that disposal of the material 

affects the capacity and availability of 

disposal options required for Federal 

projects.

DATES: A scoping meeting will be held 

Thursday, December 16, 2004 from 7 

p.m. until 9 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be at the 

Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter, 101 Eighth 

Street, Oakland, CA (510) 464–7700. 

TDD/TTY is (510) 464–7769. Public 

transit access includes BART (Lake 

Merritt Station on Fremont Line), AC 

Transit and Amtrak.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions about the proposed action 

and Environmental Impact Statement 

should be directed to Mr. Richard 

Stradford, either at (415) 977–8669 or 

richard.a.stradford@ 

spd02.usace.army.mil. Written 

correspondence should be sent to Mr. 

Stradford, U.S. Army Corps of 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2004 / Notices 69363

Engineers, San Francisco District, 333 

Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to Section 102(2)(c) of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 

1969 as implemented by the Council on 

Environmental Quality regulations (40 

CFR Parts 1500–1508) and Pub. L. 102–

484 Section 2834, as amended by Pub. 

L. 104–106 Section 2867, the 

Department of the Army hereby gives 

notice of intent to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for the subject Regional DMMP. The San 

Francisco District of the Corps will be 

the lead agency in preparing the EIS. 

The EIS will provide an analysis 

supporting the requirements of NEPA in 

addressing impacts to the environment 

that may result from the implementation 

of the Regional DMMP. 

1. Proposed Action. The U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers regulation (Engineer 

Regulation 1105–2–100) requires that a 

dredged material management plan be 

prepared for each Federal navigation 

project. Where there are groups of 

interrelated harbor projects, a regional 

plan may be developed, which is the 

approach proposed for the projects in 

the San Francisco Bay and Estuary. 

Such plans are intended to implement 

channel and harbor dredging and 

disposal in a cost effective and 

environmentally acceptable manner. 

The proposed Regional DMMP will 

focus on the management of dredged 

material from maintaining Federal 

navigation channels and constructing 

new navigation projects, and will take 

into consideration the non-Federal 

dredging projects permitted by the San 

Francisco District. The approved 

Regional DMMP will be consistent with 

sound engineering practices and meet 

all Federal environmental standards, 

including those established by Section 

404 of the Clean Water Act (1972) and 

Section 103 of the Marine Protection 

Research and Sanctuaries Act (1972), as 

amended. In addition, the Regional 

DMMP will be consistent with State and 

local plans such as the California 

Regional Water Quality Control Board’s 

‘‘Basin Plan’’ and the San Francisco Bay 

Conservation and Development 

Commission’s ‘‘Bay Plan’’ (locally 

approved plan of the Coastal Zone 

Management Act of 1972). As a partner 

in the Long Term Management Strategy 

(LTMS) to manage dredged material in 

the San Francisco Bay Region, the Corps 

is committed to incorporating into the 

Regional DMMP the goals that the 

multi-agency consortium has 

established. The Regional DMMP will 

work towards meeting the LTMS goal of 

reducing in-Bay disposal of dredged 

material, eventually reaching the target 

of 40% ocean disposal, 40% beneficial 

reuse and 20% in-Bay disposal. In 

addition, in response to LTMS 

recommendations, the Regional DMMP 

will consider changes to the design 

parameters of navigation projects such 

as channel width, depth and 

configuration, in terms of changes that 

would reduce the volume of dredging 

necessary to meet the navigational 

needs of each project. 

2. Project Alternatives. The 

alternatives for the Regional DMMP and 

EIS will consist of an array of disposal 

and beneficial reuse options for each of 

the Federal projects, which currently are 

the Napa River, Oakland Harbor, 

Petaluma River, Pinole Shoal Channel, 

Redwood City Harbor, Richmond 

Harbor, San Francisco Bar Channel, San 

Leandro Marina, San Rafael Creek and 

Suisun Bay Channel projects. There are 

approximately 70 non-Federal dredging 

projects, and the management of 

dredged material from them will be 

taken into account to the extent that it 

impacts the availability of disposal sites 

for the Federal dredged material.

The current beneficial reuse projects 

to be examined are predominantly 

wetlands restoration efforts, with the 

Hamilton Field & Bel Marin Keys 

Wetlands Restoration and Montezuma 

Wetlands being the two main plans. 

Additional beneficial-use initiatives are 

the disposal ponds at Mare Island, the 

Carneros River Ranch and Bair Island 

projects, as well as levee-rehabilitation 

projects on selected Sacramento/San 

Joaquin Delta islands (e.g., Sherman 

Island, Winter Island, and Van Sickle 

Island). The historically used in-Bay 

aquatic disposal sites to be carried 

forward in the Regional DMMP are the 

Carquinez Strait, San Pablo Bay, 

Alcatraz, and Suisun Bay sites. Ocean 

disposal sites for evaluation are the San 

Francisco Bar (actually a reuse site for 

dredged sand from the Bar Channel just 

outside the Golden Gate) and the San 

Francisco Deep Ocean Disposal site, 

located approximately 50 miles west of 

San Francisco. 

3. Scoping Process. The Corps is 

requesting information as well as the 

views of interested Federal, State, and 

local agencies, Native American tribes, 

and other interested private 

organizations and parties through 

provision of this notice and holding of 

a scoping meeting (see DATES). The main 

purpose of this meeting is to solicit 

input regarding the environmental 

issues of concern and the alternatives 

that should be discussed in the Regional 

DMMP and EIS. The public comment 

period closes 30 days from the 

publication of this notice. Additional 

public meetings are anticipated prior to 

the release of the draft EIS. 

4. Availability of EIS. The public will 

have an additional opportunity to 

comment on the proposed alternatives 

after the draft EIS has been released, 

currently scheduled for January 2006.

Brenda S. Bowen, 

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 04–26261 Filed 11–26–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–19–M

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Notice of Proposed Information 

Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information 

collection requests. 

SUMMARY: The Leader, Information 

Management Case Services Team, 

Regulatory Information Management 

Services, Office of the Chief Information 

Officer, invites comments on the 

proposed information collection 

requests as required by the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: An emergency review has been 

requested in accordance with the Act 

(44 U.S.C. Chapter 3507 (j)), since 

public harm is reasonably likely to 

result if normal clearance procedures 

are followed. Approval by the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) has 

been requested by January 31, 2005. A 

regular clearance process is also 

beginning. Interested persons are 

invited to submit comments on or before 

January 28, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Written comments 

regarding the emergency review should 

be addressed to the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Attention: Carolyn Lovett, Desk Officer, 

Department of Education, Office of 

Management and Budget; 725 17th 

Street, NW., Room 10222, New 

Executive Office Building, Washington, 

DC 20503 or faxed to (202) 395–6974.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires 

that the Director of OMB provide 

interested Federal agencies and the 

public an early opportunity to comment 

on information collection requests. The 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) may amend or waive the 

requirement for public consultation to 

the extent that public participation in 

the approval process would defeat the 

purpose of the information collection, 

violate State or Federal law, or 

substantially interfere with any agency’s 

ability to perform its statutory