71068 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 235 / Wednesday, December 8, 2004 / Notices 

The CERHR selects chemicals for 

evaluation based upon several factors, 

including production volume, extent of 

human exposure, public concern, and 

extent of the database on reproductive 

or developmental toxicity studies. 

CERHR follows a formal, multi-step 

process for review and evaluation of 

selected chemicals. The formal 

evaluation process was published in the 

Federal Register (July 16, 2001: Volume 

66, Number 136, pages 37047–37048) 

and is available on the CERHR Web site 

under ‘‘About CERHR’’ or in printed 

copy from the CERHR.

Dated: November 29, 2004. 

Samuel H. Wilson, 

Deputy Director, National Institute of 

Environmental Health Sciences.

[FR Doc. 04–26885 Filed 12–7–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4140–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Coast Guard 

[USCG–2001–9267] 

Shipboard Technology Evaluation 

Program; Programmatic Environmental 

Assessment and Finding of No 

Significant Impact

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces 

the availability of the Final 

Programmatic Environmental 

Assessment (PEA) and Finding of No 

Significant Impact (FONSI) that 

evaluated the potential environmental 

impacts resulting from the 

implementation of the Shipboard 

Technology Evaluation Program (STEP). 

The purpose of STEP is to facilitate the 

development of effective ballast water 

treatment technologies to protect U.S. 

waters against the unintentional 

introduction of nonindigenous species 

via ballast water discharges. STEP will 

create more options for vessels seeking 

alternatives to ballast water exchange as 

they manage their ballast water.

ADDRESSES: Comments and material 

received from the public, as well as 

documents mentioned in this notice as 

being available in the docket, are part of 

docket USCG–2001–9267 and are 

available for inspection or copying at 

the Docket Management Facility, U.S. 

Department of Transportation, room PL–

401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 

Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday, except 

Federal holidays. You may also find this 

docket on the Internet at http://

dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If 

you have questions on this program call 

Mr. Bivan Patnaik, Project Manager at 

(202) 267–1744 or e-mail: 

bpatnaik@comdt.uscg.mil. If you have 

questions on viewing or submitting 

material to the docket, call Andrea M. 

Jenkins, Program Manager, Docket 

Operations, Department of 

Transportation, telephone 202–366–

0271.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 

(Section 102(2)(c)), as implemented by 

the Council on Environment Quality 

regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508) 

and Coast Guard Policy for Considering 

Environmental Impacts (COMDTINST 

M16475.1D), the Coast Guard prepared 

a final PEA and FONSI for 

implementing STEP. 

Response to Comments 

The Coast Guard received one 

comment on the draft PEA. The 

commenter stated that the Coast Guard 

made inaccurate statements regarding 

the effectiveness of ozone as a ballast 

water treatment technology and the 

corrosion issues associated with the use 

of ozone.

Although the Coast Guard commends 

the ongoing efforts of developers of 

ozone technologies as an effective 

treatment for ballast water, we disagree 

with the commenter. Based on our 

review of peer-reviewed published 

literature and documents submitted by 

the commenter, it is premature to 

conclude that ozone will effectively 

remove all organisms or that corrosion 

is not an issue. Therefore, no changes 

were made to the final PEA. We look 

forward to the results of future research 

on the effectiveness of ozone 

technologies and we encourage the 

commenter to consider participation in 

STEP. 

Programmatic Environmental 

Assessment 

The final PEA identified and 

examined those reasonable alternatives 

needed to effectively implement STEP. 

The final PEA analyzed the no action 

alternative and two action alternatives 

that could fulfill the purpose and need 

of STEP. The final PEA is a program 

document meant to provide a broad 

environmental review of a Federal 

agency’s (Coast Guard) national 

program. In this case, the final PEA 

provided a broad, general view of the 

potential environmental impacts that 

could be anticipated by implementing 

STEP. Specifically, the final PEA 

considered potential effects to the 

natural and human environments 

including: fish; marine mammals; 

invertebrates; microbes and plankton; 

submerged and emergent species; 

threatened and endangered species; 

essential fish habitats; and various 

socioeconomic resources. The final PEA 

could not foresee all possible specific 

operational sites or cumulative 

environmental impacts as a result of 

implementing any of the action 

alternatives. However, once specific 

operational sites and individual 

shipboard ballast water treatment 

technologies have been identified, these 

technologies will undergo a more 

specific environmental review (tiering). 

This environmental review of 

individual shipboard ballast water 

treatment technologies and specific 

operational sites will result in the 

issuance of either: (1) Categorical 

Exclusion; (2) Finding of No Significant 

Impact (FONSI) after an Environmental 

Assessment (EA); or (3) Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS).

Dated: November 18, 2004. 

Joseph J. Angelo, 

Director of Standards, Marine Safety, Security 

& Environmental Protection.

[FR Doc. 04–26863 Filed 12–7–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4910–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Canyons of the Ancients National 

Monument Advisory Committee; 

Notice of Renewal

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management 

(BLM), Colorado State Office, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of renewal for the 

Canyons of the Ancients National 

Monument Advisory Committee. 

SUMMARY: This notice is published in 

accordance with Section 9(a)(2) of the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act of 

1972, Public Law 92–463. Notice is 

hereby given that the Secretary of the 

Interior has renewed the Bureau of Land 

Management’s Canyons of the Ancients 

National Monument Advisory 

Committee. 

The purpose of the Committee is to 

provide advice and counsel to the 

Bureau of Land Management, through 

the Canyons of the Ancients National 

Monument Manager, regarding the 

development and implementation of a 

management plan for public lands 

within the Monument area.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Melanie Wilson Gore, 

Intergovernmental Affairs (640), Bureau