72530 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 202 / Friday, October 20, 2023 / Notices 

9. What types of state enforcement 

actions, policies, and procedures have 

been found to result in timely well 

plugging and how might they be 

applicable in evaluating a RIG 

application? 

10. Is joint and several liability an 

effective means to prevent taxpayers 

from eventually paying for plugging and 

reclaiming orphaned wells, and how 

could or should joint and several 

liability be incorporated into Program 

Standards? Similarly, is an assignor’s 

retention of well-plugging liability an 

effective means to prevent a State’s 

taxpayers from being liable, in the 

future, for plugging orphaned wells? 

Why or why not? And if so, how could 

or should retention of assignor liability 

be incorporated into Program 

Standards? 

11. Are financial strength tests an 

effective method to gauge whether 

operators will likely meet plugging, 

remediation, and decommissioning 

requirements? If so, are there specific 

criteria a state should incorporate into 

its financial strength tests? 

12. How should idle wells and a 

state’s approach to managing idle wells 

be factored into the development and 

administration of Program Standards for 

RIGs? 

13. Are there any other thoughts or 

comments that should considered 

pertaining to the administration of the 

RIG program? 

Kimbra Davis, 

U.S. Department of the Interior, Director 

Orphaned Wells Program Office. 

[FR Doc. 2023–23146 Filed 10–19–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4334–63–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[BLM_ES_FRN_MO4500174413] 

Notice of Mailing/Street Address 

Change for the BLM Northeastern 

States District Office 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces 

changes to the mailing and street 

address for the Northeastern States 

District Office of the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM). 

DATES: The date for the changes will be 

on or about November 1, 2023. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Richard Navarro, Assistant District 

Manager for Support Services, BLM 

Northeastern States District; (414) 297– 

4419; rdnavarro@blm.gov. Individuals 

in the United States who are deaf, 

deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a 

speech disability may dial 7–1–1 (TTY, 

TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 

telecommunications relay services. 

Individuals outside the United States 

should use the relay services offered 

within their country to make 

international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

mailing and street address for the BLM 

Northeastern States District Office will 

be changed from 626 E Wisconsin Ave., 

Suite 200, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 

to 250 E Wisconsin Ave., Suite 1100, 

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202. 

Authority: Departmental Manual 382, 

Chapter 2.1. 

Mitchell Leverette, 

BLM Eastern States State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2023–23170 Filed 10–19–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4331–18–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[BLM_OR_FRN_MO4500173143] 

Notice of Availability of the Draft Hult 

Reservoir and Dam Safety 

Environmental Impact Statement in 

Lane County, Oregon 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: In compliance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended (NEPA), and the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the 

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 

announces the availability of the Hult 

Reservoir and Dam Safety Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). 

DATES: To afford the BLM the 

opportunity to consider comments in 

the Final EIS, please ensure that the 

BLM receives your comments within 45 

days following the date the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

publishes its Notice of Availability 

(NOA) of the Draft EIS in the Federal 

Register. The EPA usually publishes its 

NOAs on Fridays. The BLM will hold at 

least one public meeting in Blachly, 

Horton, or Triangle Lake; the date(s) and 

location(s) of public meetings will be 

announced at least 15 days in advance 

on the BLM National NEPA Register at: 

https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/ 

project/99598/510. Interested parties 

can also register for email notifications 

of the scoping meetings by submitting 

an email request to: BLM_OR_NO_SIU_

Hult_Dam_EIS@blm.gov. 

ADDRESSES: The Draft EIS is available 

for review on the BLM ePlanning project 

website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/ 

eplanning-ui/project/99598/510. 

Written comments related to the Hult 

Reservoir and Dam Safety Draft EIS may 

be submitted by any of the following 

methods: 

• ePlanning website: https://

eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/ 

project/99598/510. 

• Email: BLM_OR_NO_SIU_Hult_

Dam_EIS@blm.gov. 

• Mail: Bureau of Land Management, 

Northwest Oregon District, ATTN: Hult 

Reservoir and Dam Safety EIS, 3106 

Pierce Parkway, Springfield, OR 97477. 

Documents pertinent to this proposal 

may be examined online at https://

eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/ 

project/99598/510 and at the Siuslaw 

Field Office, 3106 Pierce Pkwy., 

Springfield, OR 97477. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dianne Olson, Public Involvement Lead, 

at (971) 213–4970 or BLM_OR_NO_SIU_

Hult_Dam_EIS@blm.gov. Individuals in 

the United States who are deaf, 

deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a 

speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, 

TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 

telecommunications relay services for 

contacting Ms. Olson. Individuals 

outside the United States should use the 

relay services offered within their 

country to make international calls to 

the point-of-contact in the United 

States. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Hult 

Reservoir and Hult Pond Dam are 

located near the community of Horton, 

Oregon. The reservoir is fed by Lake 

Creek and smaller tributaries. The 

earthen embankment dam was built in 

the 1930s or 1940s to create a log 

holding pond for the Hult Lumber 

Company sawmill. Today, the 54-acre 

reservoir and surrounding area are 

primarily used as a recreation 

destination. The dam serves no other 

water retention purposes and provides 

no flood protection. The average 

lifespan for an earthen embankment 

dam is 50 years, which the Hult Dam 

has exceeded by over 3 decades. The 

BLM believes that the dam it is at the 

end of its lifecycle. 

When the BLM took ownership of the 

reservoir and dam in a 1994 land 

exchange, the dam had been poorly 

maintained, but a 1990 Bureau of 

Reclamation inspection found it was in 

no immediate danger of failing. Since 

then, the BLM has made improvements 

to the dam, including repairs, 

reinforcement, and installation of 


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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 202 / Friday, October 20, 2023 / Notices 72531 

monitoring equipment. BLM staff 

continuously monitor the reservoir level 

and adjust the dam outlet during winter 

weather events to avoid overtopping. 

In 2017, the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (USACE) inspected the dam 

and found multiple failure points due to 

its age and condition. The 2018 USACE 

report based on this inspection 

described that flooding resulting from 

dam failure could impact 70 to 130 

people downstream and cause damage 

to Oregon Highway 36, as well as 

potential loss of life. 

The project’s purpose and need is to 

decommission the current Hult Dam 

structure to reduce the potential for 

failure of the aging structure and 

associated loss of life and critical 

services, and to be fiscally responsible 

to the public in managing the costs 

associated with the dam. 

The Draft EIS includes a No Action 

Alternative (Alternative 1) analyzing 

continued management and standard 

maintenance of Hult Dam under the 

current conditions. The BLM analyzed 

three action alternatives in detail: 

Alternative 2 (Remove the Existing 

Dam and Build a New Dam to Maintain 

Hult Reservoir) responds to public 

comments received during the EIS 

scoping period. This alternative would 

remove all existing dam infrastructure 

and build a new dam that meets 

necessary safety standards and a new 

bridge. The poorly functioning fish 

ladder would be replaced with a 

roughened channel to allow fish 

passage. Construction would take place 

over 3 years, and dam construction 

would happen during summer months 

when water levels would be lowest. 

This alternative includes the creation 

of a developed camp host site and 

cultural design features including 

signage with information about the 

area’s original indigenous inhabitants 

and the lumber mill previously located 

near the reservoir. 

Alternative 3 (Remove Hult Reservoir; 

Add Little Log Pond) would 

permanently remove existing dam 

infrastructure and drain Hult Reservoir, 

allowing a natural stream course to 

reestablish through the former reservoir 

footprint. A new bridge would span the 

stream channel near the current dam, 

replacing the existing bridge and road 

across the dam. 

A 5-acre pond for recreational use 

would be created downstream by 

building a smaller dam across Lake 

Creek. This pond could be used for 

fishing, swimming, and non-motorized 

boating. A roughened channel south of 

the pond would be created to allow fish 

passage. This work would take place 

over approximately 2 years, during 

summer months, when water levels 

would be lowest. 

Project design features would include: 

• Riparian and wetland restoration in 

the former reservoir area, with the 

creation of habitat for fish, western 

pond turtles, and beavers; 

• Improved recreation amenities, 

including a new day-use area near the 

pond, a developed camp host site and 

a group campsite, and a multi-use trail 

adjacent to the pond and restoration 

area; and 

• Cultural design features, including 

signage with information about the 

area’s original indigenous inhabitants 

and the lumber mill previously located 

at the site. 

Alternative 4 (Remove Hult Reservoir) 

is the preferred alternative and would 

permanently remove existing dam 

infrastructure. Hult Reservoir would be 

drained, and a natural stream channel 

would be reestablished through the 

former reservoir footprint. A new bridge 

would span the stream channel near the 

current dam, replacing the existing 

bridge and road across the dam. This 

work would take place during summer 

months, when water levels would be 

lowest. 

Project design features are similar to 

those for Alternative 3, including: 

• Riparian and wetland restoration in 

the former reservoir area, with the 

creation of habitat for fish, western 

pond turtles, and beavers; 

• Improved recreation amenities, 

including a new day-use area, a 

developed camp host site and a group 

campsite, and a multi-use trail adjacent 

to the restoration area; and 

• Cultural design features including 

signage with information about the 

area’s original indigenous inhabitants 

and the lumber mill previously located 

at the site. 

Nine other alternatives were 

considered but not analyzed in detail 

because they did not meet the EIS 

purpose and need or were infeasible. 

The public scoping period for the 

project was held in January 2022. Issues 

identified by the public included 

changes to recreation access and 

opportunities such as fishing, 

swimming, and boating; effects to 

wildlife, plants, ecosystems, fish and 

fish passage; effects to the local 

economy and community; availability of 

water for fire suppression; impacts on 

water quality, availability, and rights; 

and impacts on local Tribes. 

Formal cooperating agencies on this 

EIS include: 

• Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower 

Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians of Oregon 

• Confederated Tribes of Grand 

Ronde 

• Oregon Department of Fish and 

Wildlife 

• Oregon Department of Forestry— 

Lane County 

• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers— 

Regulatory Branch 

With all formal cooperating agencies, 

the BLM has signed a memorandum of 

understanding identifying the roles and 

responsibilities of the BLM and the 

cooperating agency in the planning 

process. 

The BLM will continue to consult 

with Indian Tribal Nations on a 

government-to-government basis in 

accordance with Executive Order 13175, 

BLM MS 1780, and other Departmental 

policies. Tribal concerns, including 

impacts on Indian trust assets and 

potential impacts to cultural resources, 

will be given due consideration. The 

Confederated Tribes of Umpqua, Coos, 

and Lower Siuslaw Indians and 

Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde are 

cooperators on the project, and the BLM 

has been receiving their input during 

the EIS process. 

The BLM will be holding at least one 

public meeting in Blachly, Horton, or 

Triangle Lake; the date(s) and 

location(s) of public meetings will be 

announced at least 15 days in advance 

on the BLM National NEPA Register at: 

https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanningSui/project/99598/510. Interested 

parties can also register for email 

notifications of the scoping meetings by 

submitting an email request to: BLM_

OR_NO_SIU_Hult_Dam_EIS@blm.gov. 

During the 45-day public comment 

period, written comments on the draft 

EIS may be submitted by mail, email, or 

on the ePlanning website (see Address 

section above). Before including your 

address, phone number, email address, 

or other personal identifying 

information in your comment, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available at any time. While 

you can ask us in your comment to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10) 

Amanda Hoffman, 

Acting District Manager, Northwest Oregon. 

[FR Doc. 2023–23140 Filed 10–19–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4331–24–P 


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