65392 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2023 / Notices 

comments to OMB. If you have any 

questions about this ICR or the approval 

process, please contact the person listed 

under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq. 

Dated: September 18, 2023. 

Michal Freedhoff, 

Assistant Administrator, Office of Chemical 

Safety and Pollution Prevention. 

[FR Doc. 2023–20548 Filed 9–21–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

GENERAL SERVICES 

ADMINISTRATION 

[Notice–PBS–2023–08; Docket No. 2023– 

0002; Sequence No. 28] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for the Grand Portage Land Port of 

Entry Modernization and Expansion 

Project in Grand Portage, Minnesota 

AGENCY: Public Buildings Service (PBS), 

General Services Administration (GSA). 

ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI); 

announcement of meeting. 

SUMMARY: GSA intends to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and conduct the section 106 process of 

the National Historic Preservation Act 

(NHPA) to address proposed 

improvements at the Grand Portage 

Land Port of Entry (LPOE), including 

site expansion, demolition, and new 

construction. This NOI also announces 

the public scoping process for the EIS. 

DATES: 

Public Scoping Period—Interested 

parties are invited to provide comments 

regarding the scope of the EIS. The 

public scoping period begins with the 

publication of this NOI in the Federal 

Register and continues until Sunday, 

October 22, 2023. Written comments 

must be received by the last day of the 

scoping period (see ADDRESSES section 

of this NOI on how to submit 

comments). 

Meeting Date—GSA will host a hybrid 

(virtual and in-person) public and 

stakeholder meeting on Thursday, 

October 5, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 

p.m., Central Daylight Time (CDT). The 

purpose of the meeting is to provide 

information on the project and to 

encourage public feedback on the scope 

of the EIS. The meeting will be 

conducted in-person at the Grand 

Portage Welcome Center, but members 

of the public may participate via videoconference on Zoom to view an online 

broadcast of the meeting (see ADDRESSES

section for location address). Refer to 

the Public Meeting Information section 

of this NOI on how to access the online 

portion of the public meeting. 

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location—The 

public may attend the meeting at the 

Grand Portage Welcome Center, 9393 E 

MN–61, Grand Portage, MN to view the 

presentation in-person. GSA staff 

members will be available (in-person 

and virtually) to assist the public as they 

offer comments whether they are 

participating virtually or in person. 

Public Scoping Comments 

In addition to oral comments and 

written comments provided at the 

public meeting, members of the public 

may also submit comments by one of 

the following methods. All oral and 

written comments will be considered 

equally and will be part of the public 

record. 

• Email: michael.gonczar@gsa.gov. 

Please include ‘Grand Portage LPOE EIS 

Scoping Comment’ in the subject line of 

the message. 

• Mail: ATTN: Michael Gonczar, GSA 

Grand Portage LPOE EIS; U.S. General 

Services Administration, Region 5; 230 

S Dearborn Street, Suite 3600, Chicago, 

IL 60604. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Gonczar, NEPA Program 

Manager, GSA, 312–810–2326, 

michael.gonczar@gsa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Meeting Information 

The in-person meeting will begin with 

an open house format from 5:00 p.m. to 

5:30 p.m. CDT. This portion of the 

meeting will not be broadcasted. The 

hybrid public meeting will begin at 5:30 

p.m. with presentations on the NEPA 

and NHPA processes and the proposed 

project. A copy of the presentation 

slideshow will be made available prior 

to the meeting at: https://www.gsa.gov/ 

real-estate/gsa-properties/land-ports-ofentry-and-the-bil/bipartisaninfrastructure-law-construction-project/ 

minnesota. Following the presentation, 

there will be a moderated session during 

which members of the public can 

provide scoping comments. Members 

participating virtually or attending inperson will be able to comment. 

Commenters will be allowed 3 minutes 

to provide comments. Comments will be 

recorded. Attendees can also provide 

written comments at the public meeting 

should they not wish to speak. In 

addition, a court reporter will be 

available after the presentation, should 

attendees wish to provide a verbal 

comment in private. All written or 

verbal comments will be treated with 

equal importance. Following the 

presentation and public comment 

session, the meeting will continue with 

an open house format until 7:00 p.m. 

CDT, which will not be broadcasted. 

Members of the public may join the 

EIS virtual public meeting by entering 

the Meeting ID: 889 5436 6939, using 

any of the below methods, or by using 

the following link https://

us06web.zoom.us/j/88954366939?pwd=

WDZXQTc2dDM3UUtY

c3pyN0FVS1lNUT09. Note that the 

meeting is best viewed through the 

Zoom app. Attendees are encouraged to 

download the Zoom app at the Zoom 

website (https://zoom.us) on their 

personal computer or on their mobile 

device and test their connection prior to 

the meeting to ensure best results. 

• By personal computer (via the 

Zoom app)—Install the Zoom app at the 

Zoom website (https://zoom.us) and 

launch the Zoom app. Click ‘Join a 

Meeting’ and enter the above Meeting 

ID. Follow the prompts to enter your 

name and email address to access the 

meeting; or 

• By personal computer (via the 

Zoom website)—Using your computer’s 

browser, go to the Zoom website at 

http://zoom.us/join and enter the above 

Meeting ID. Click ‘Join from your 

browser’ and follow the prompts to enter 

your name; or 

• By mobile device (via the Zoom 

mobile app)—Install and launch the 

Zoom app. Enter the above Meeting ID. 

Whether joining through the Zoom 

app or web browser, attendees should 

follow the prompts to connect their 

computer audio. Attendees are 

encouraged to connect through the 

‘Computer Audio’ tab and click ‘Join 

Audio by Computer’ under the ‘Join 

Audio’ button on the bottom of their 

screen. Users who do not have a 

computer microphone and wish to 

provide a comment during the meeting 

may connect by following the prompts 

under the ‘Phone Call’ tab under the 

‘Join Audio’ button. 

For members of the public who do not 

have access to a personal computer, 

they may join the meeting audio by 

dialing the following number: 507–473– 

4847. When prompted, enter the 

following information: Meeting ID—889 

5436 6939, followed by the pound (#) 

key; then press pound (#) again when 

prompted for a participant ID. Note, 

dialing in to the meeting is only 

necessary if you are not accessing the 

meeting through a personal computer or 

mobile app, or if you would like to 

provide oral comments during the 

meeting but do not have a computer 

microphone. 

The public meeting will be recorded 

and available for viewing on the GSA 

website in the days following the 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 183 / Friday, September 22, 2023 / Notices 65393 

meeting. All comments provided will 

become part of the formal record. 

Scoping Process 

The purpose of the public scoping 

process is to identify relevant issues that 

will influence the scope of analysis of 

the human and natural environment 

including cultural resources. The 

scoping process will be accomplished 

through a hybrid in-person and virtual 

public scoping meeting, direct mail 

correspondence to appropriate federal, 

state, and local agencies, and to private 

organizations and citizens who have 

previously expressed, or are known to 

have, an interest in the project. The EIS 

will include public input on alternatives 

and impacts. 

The public scoping meeting will also 

initiate GSA’s public consultation 

required by NHPA. GSA seeks input at 

this meeting that will assist the agency 

in planning for the Section 106 

consultation process. This includes 

identifying consulting parties, 

determining the area of the 

undertaking’s potential effects on 

cultural resources (Area of Potential 

Effects), and seeking agreement 

regarding ways to avoid, minimize, or 

mitigate adverse effects. Federal, state, 

and local agencies, along with members 

of the public, are invited to participate 

in the NEPA scoping and section 106 

consultation process. 

The NHPA and NEPA are two 

separate laws which require federal 

agencies to consider the impacts to 

historic properties and the human 

environment before making decisions. 

NHPA and NEPA are independent 

statutes, yet may be executed 

concurrently to optimize efficiencies, 

transparency, and accountability to 

better understand the effects to the 

human, natural, and cultural 

environment. The EIS will be prepared 

pursuant to the requirements of the 

NEPA of 1969, the Council on 

Environmental Quality NEPA 

regulations, and the GSA Public 

Buildings Service NEPA Desk Guide. 

GSA will also consult with appropriate 

parties in accordance with Section 106 

of the NHPA of 1966. 

Opportunities for members of the 

public to become a consulting party 

during the NHPA Section 106 process 

will be presented during the public 

scoping meeting. You may submit a 

comment to express your interest in 

being a consulting party if you cannot 

attend the meeting. 

Background 

The existing 5.7-acre LPOE is located 

on the far northeast tip of Minnesota 

where the Pigeon River meets Lake 

Superior and serves as the port of entry 

to people and vehicles that connects 

Grand Portage, Minnesota to the town of 

Neebing, Ontario, Canada. The LPOE is 

located within the Grand Portage Band 

of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation. 

The Grand Portage Band of the Lake 

Superior Chippewa will serve as a 

Cooperating Agency (CA) for this EIS. 

The purpose of the Proposed Action is 

for GSA to support CBP’s mission by 

bringing the Grand Portage LPOE in line 

with current land port design standards 

and operational requirements of CBP, 

while addressing existing deficiencies 

identified with the ongoing port 

operations. Current LPOE facilities and 

configurations do not meet CBP’s needs 

and do not allow for expeditious and 

safe inspection of the traveling public. 

The LPOE facilities were constructed in 

1965, are too small for CBP’s needs, and 

are served by an inefficient road design. 

Currently, the LPOE contains a main 

building with primary and secondary 

inspection canopies, secondary 

inspection garage, and public restroom 

facilities located between the 

northbound and southbound lanes of 

Highway 61. There are two inbound 

primary inspection lanes; one for noncommercial vehicles and one for buses 

and commercial traffic. A commercial 

inspection dock and GSA garage are 

located north of the inbound lanes of 

Highway 61. There are currently no 

outbound inspection capabilities at the 

LPOE. 

A feasibility study for this project was 

completed in 2019. A total of three 

build alternatives were considered, and 

a preferred build alternative was 

identified. This alternative would 

consist of demolishing the existing 

building, constructing new facilities at 

the existing LPOE, and expanding the 

LPOE to meet the required space 

standards and increased security 

requirements of the Federal Inspection 

Services. 

Following the feasibility study, a 

Program Development Study (PDS) is 

the next formal step to further refine the 

build alternatives, so as to develop a 

facility plan that is respectful of the 

Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior 

Chippewa Reservation property and 

including the Grand Portage State Park. 

To date, GSA has issued a 35 percent 

PDS report in December 2022 and 50 

percent PDS report in May 2023; the 

final alternative design that would 

support construction will be identified 

in the 100 percent PDS. As of the 50 

percent PDS, the identified build 

alternative is located on an 

approximately 8.13-acre site on and 

around the existing Grand Portage LPOE 

and is located entirely within the 

Minnesota Department of 

Transportation (MnDOT) easement 

along Highway 61. 

Alternatives Under Consideration 

GSA has preliminarily identified one 

action alternative that may be assessed 

in the EIS: 

• Alternative 1: Construct the 

facilities as described in the 50 percent 

PDS on an 8.13-acre site on and around 

the existing Grand Portage LPOE and 

located entirely within the MnDOT 

easement. 

The No Action Alternative will also 

be considered to satisfy federal 

requirements for analyzing ‘‘no action’’ 

under NEPA. Analysis of this alternative 

will provide a baseline for comparison 

with impacts from Alternative 1. 

The EIS will address the potential 

environmental impacts of the proposed 

alternatives on environmental resources 

including cultural resources, geology 

and soils, water resources, biological 

resources, air quality and climate 

change, noise, traffic and transportation, 

land use and visual resources, utilities, 

and human health and safety. The EIS 

will also address the socioeconomic 

effects of the project, as well as impacts 

on environmental justice (EJ) 

populations. Impacts may occur from air 

emissions, noise, and traffic delays 

associated with construction; as well as 

soil disturbance from earth moving 

activities and resultant sedimentation of 

nearby waterways. Close consideration 

will be given to potential impacts to 

cultural resources, and GSA will work 

closely with the Grand Portage Band of 

the Lake Superior Chippewa to 

determine if there are any potential 

impacts to sensitive tribal resources. 

Wetlands may be present near the 

project site; and a wetland delineation 

will be conducted to further investigate 

potential impacts. Long term benefits to 

traffic and transportation, air quality, 

and the local economy are expected 

from operations of the expanded and 

modernized LPOE and associated 

improved traffic flows. 

William Renner, 

Director, Facilities Management and Services 

Programs Division, Great Lakes Region 5, U.S. 

General Services Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2023–20381 Filed 9–21–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6820–CF–P 


lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1