[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 51 (Friday, March 16, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12609-12610]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-4859]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6685-1]


Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of 
EPA Comments

    Availability of EPA comments prepared pursuant to the Environmental 
Review Process (ERP), under section 309 of the Clean Air Act and 
Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act as amended. 
Requests for copies of EPA comments can be directed to the Office of 
Federal Activities at 202-564-7167.
    An explanation of the ratings assigned to draft environmental 
impact statements (EISs) was published in FR dated April 7, 2006 (71 FR 
17845).

Draft EISs

EIS No. 20060431, ERP No. D-COE-E67005-NC, PCS Phosphate Mine 
Continuation, Proposes Continued Mining of the Phosphate Reserve in an 
Economically Viable Fashion, Beaufort County, NC

    Summary: EPA objected to issuance of a permit for the applicant-
preferred alternative, which would impact 2,408 acres of waters/
wetlands of the U.S. and 7.3 miles of streams. EPA noted that the 
applicant-preferred alternative is the most environmentally damaging of 
the alternatives that were evaluated and would represent one of the 
largest wetland acreage loss ever permitted in North Carolina. EPA 
encouraged the Corps to determine if there may be another alternative 
that would have less environmental impact and still be practicable, and 
recommended specific refinements to other alternatives. EPA requested 
information in the Final EIS, including additional information about 
the economic analyses, determination of appropriate stream mitigation 
ratios, clarification of phosphogypsum stack impacts on surficial 
aquifers, and

[[Page 12610]]

mitigation of elevated cadmium in reclamation sites.

Rating EO2.

EIS No. 20060471, ERP No. D-FHW-F40812-IL, Prairie Parkway Study, 
Transportation System Improvement between Interstate 80 (I-80) and 
Interstate 88 (I-88) Grundy, Kendall and Kane Counties, IL

    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about direct and 
indirect impacts to wetlands, streams and forests, as well as 
cumulative impacts.

Rating EC2.

EIS No. 20060542, ERP No. D-FRC-L05239-00, Spokane River and Post Falls 
Hydroelectric Project, Applications for two New Licenses for Existing 
14.75 (mw) Post Falls No. 12606 and 122.9 (mw) Spokane River No. 2545, 
Kootenai and Benewah Counties, ID and Spokane, Lincoln and Stevens 
Counties, WA

    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about degradation of 
water quality from the proposed relicensing, and requested additional 
information on metal contaminants and sediment supply/transport in the 
project area.

Rating EC2.

EIS No. 20070008, ERP No. D-AFS-K61165-00, Great Basin Creek South 
Rangeland Management Projects, Management of 12 Livestock Grazing 
Allotments, Bridgeport Ranger District, Lyon and Mineral Counties, NV 
and Mono County, CA

    Summary: EPA expressed environmental concerns about the proposed 
management actions and the potential environmental impacts of these 
actions. EPA requested additional site- and allotment-specific 
information and an expedited implementation of corrective management 
measures where ecosystem and rangeland functions are known to be 
impaired.

Rating EC2.

Final EISs

EIS No. 20060537, ERP No. F-COE-K36143-CA, American River Watershed, 
Lower American River Common Features Mayhew Levee Project, 
Reconstruction, Sacramento County, CA

    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

EIS No. 20060544, ERP No. F-FRC-C05149-NY, Niagara Project, 
Hydroelectric Relicensing Application FERC No. 2216, Niagara River, 
Niagara County, NY

    Summary: The Final EIS addressed EPA's earlier concerns regarding 
potential cumulative impacts to water levels; therefore, EPA does not 
object to the proposed relicensing.

EIS No. 20070017, ERP No. F-NRC-C06016-NJ, GENERIC--License Renewal of 
Nuclear Plants (GEIS) Regarding Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station 
Supplement 28 to NUREG-1437, Located adjacent to Barnegat Bay, Lacy and 
Ocean Townships, Ocean County, NJ

    Summary: EPA continues to have environmental concerns about the use 
of outdated ichthyoplankton and zooplankton studies. EPA is also 
concerned about the lack of a complete evaluation of the environmental 
effects from the continued operation of the facility based on these 
studies.

EIS No. 20070027, ERP No. F-FRC-K05061-CA, Lake Elsinore Advanced 
Pumped Storage (LEAPS) Project, Construction and Operation, Application 
for Hydroelectric License, Special-Use-Permit, FERC No.11858, City of 
Lake Elsinore, Riverside County, CA

    Summary: EPA continues to have environmental concerns about the 
potential significant adverse impacts to air, water, and habitat 
resources; and recommended a number of mitigation measures to minimize 
the potential impacts.

EIS No. 20070031, ERP No. F-AFS-K39101-CA, Lake Davis Pike Eradication 
Project, To Eradicate Pike and Re-Establish Trout Fishery in the 
Tributaries, Special-Use-Permit, Plumas National Forest, Plumas County, 
CA

    Summary: EPA continues to have environmental concerns about the 
tradeoffs from the neutralization process and the mechanisms that will 
avoid reintroduction of the species.

EIS No. 20070045, ERP No. F-FHW-J40174-UT, Riverdale Road Project (UT-
26), Improvement Mobility and Safety between 1900 West in Roy, UT and 
U.S. Highway 89 (Washington Boulevard) in Odgen, UT, Cities of Roy, 
Riverdale, South Ogden and Ogden, Weber County, UT

    Summary: No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

    Dated: March 13, 2007.
Robert W. Hargrove,
Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
 [FR Doc. E7-4859 Filed 3-15-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P