Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 209 / Wednesday, October 29, 1997 / Notices 56153

Dated: October 24, 1997.

Richard E. Newsome,

Acting Deputy Assistance Secretary of the

Army (Environmental,Safety and

Occupational Health) OASA, (I, L&E).

[FR Doc. 97–28673 Filed 10–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3710–08–M

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Notice of Intent To Prepare an

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

for the Renewal of the McGregor

Range, New Mexico, Military Land

Withdrawal

AGENCY: U.S. Army Air Defense

Artillery Center and Fort Bliss, Fort

Bliss, Texas and New Mexico,

Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

SUMMARY: The United States Army will

prepare an environmental impact

statement (EIS) to assess the potential

environmental impacts of renewal of the

McGregor Range, New Mexico, military

land withdrawal. McGregor Range, New

Mexico, is an integral part of the U.S.

Army Air Defense Artillery Center and

For Bliss (USAADACENFB). The

current land withdrawal and reservation

of the McGregor Range was established

by the Military Lands Withdrawal Act of

1986 (Pub. L. 99–606) for the period

ending November 6, 2001. The Act

provides that the Army may seek

renewal of the McGregor Range

withdrawal, in connection with which

the Secretary of the Army will publish

a Draft EIS consistent with the

requirements of the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of

1969. In preparing the DEIS, the Army

and the Bureau of Land Management

(BLM) have mutually agreed to use the

legislative environmental impact

statement (LEIS) process pursuant to 40

CFR 1506.8 to comply with the

requirements of P.L. 99–606. This LEIS

will be prepared in cooperation with

BLM and will be completed by

November 6, 1998, in accordance with

P.L. 99–606. Therefore, pursuant to the

LEIS process, a Final LEIS (FLEIS) will

be prepared and a Notice of Availability

of the FLEIS will be published in the

Federal Register; however, there will

not be a Record of Decision.

The purpose of the proposed

McGregor Range renewal is to retain a

military training and testing range

essential to near and long-term

preparedness of the U.S. Army and

other military services. Renewing the

land withdrawal will provide for the

continuation of on-going training and

testing missions for air defense artillery

systems while maintaining the

flexibility to adapt to the training needs

of new technologies and doctrine as

they develop. McGregor Range provides

a combination of attributes that serve

this training requirement, including

favorable location and weather;

sufficient land and airspace; diverse

terrain; and developed training support

facilities. McGregor Range includes

approximately 608,385 acres of

withdrawn pubic domain land in Otero

County, New Mexico, containing a

complex of facilities, ranges, and safety

areas to support training and test

activities of the U.S. Army and other

organizations.

As a result of the Military lands

Withdrawal Act of 1986, the Army and

BLM co-manage McGregor Range with

military requirements having priority

over non-military uses. This

management arrangement is defined in

a Memorandum of Understanding

between Fort Bliss and the BLM which

define agency responsibilities related to

energy and mineral resources, wildlife

habitat management, grazing, recreation,

hunting, visual and cultural resources,

fire management, wilderness study areas

and areas of environmental concern.

The LEIS will consider reasonable

alternatives including renewal of the

current public domain land withdrawal

for military use. Without limiting the

priority military use, non-military couse activities would continue to be

managed in part by the BLM. The No

Action (allowing the current withdrawal

to expire) alternative required by NEPA

will be evaluated. Other reasonable

alternatives will also be considered.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on

or before January 9, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Please direct written comments

concerning the scope of the McGregor

Range, New Mexico, Military Land

Withdrawal Renewal LEIS to: Dr. A.

Vliet, Program Manager, McGregor

Range Withdrawal, U.S. Army Air

Defense Artillery Center and Fort Bliss,

ATTN: ATZC–CSA, PO Box 6020, Fort

Bliss, Texas 79906; telephone (915)

568–6708.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES: Continuance of

military and non-military multiple use

of McGregor Range, in particular the

area known as Otero Mesa will be

addressed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public

scoping meetings in connection with

this LEIS will be held in three

communities: Las Cruces and

Alamogordo, New Mexico, and El Paso,

Texas. Meeting times and locations will

be published in local newspapers. These

meetings will provide the opportunity

for the public to become aware of the

LEIS and for the Army to gather public

input regarding the scope of the study

and reasonable alternatives. Those

unable to attend the scheduled scoping

meetings may submit written comments

regarding the scope of the LEIS through

January 9, 1998, to the address above.

A mailing list has been prepared for

public scoping and review throughout

the process of preparation of this LEIS.

This list includes local, state and federal

agencies with jurisdiction of other

interests in the project. In addition, the

mailing list includes adjacent property

owners, affected municipalities and

other interested parties such as

conservation organizations. Anyone

wishing to be added to the mailing list

may request to be added by contacting

the person identified below.

Dated: October 24, 1997.

Richard E. Newsome,

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the

Army (Environment, Safety and Occupational

Health) OASA (I, L&E).

[FR Doc. 97–28637 Filed 10–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3710–38–M

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Federal Interagency Coordinating

Council Meeting (FICC)

AGENCY: Federal Interagency

Coordinating Council, Education.

ACTION: Notice of a public meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice describes the

schedule and agenda of a forthcoming

meeting of the Federal Interagency

Coordinating Council. Notice of this

meeting is required under section 685(c)

of the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act, as amended, and is

intended to notify the general public of

their opportunity to attend the meeting.

The meeting will be accessible to

individuals with disabilities.

DATES AND TIMES: November 20, 1997,

from 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Hubert Humphrey Building,

Room 305A, 200 Independence Avenue,

S.W., Washington, D.C. 20202.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Libby Doggett or Kim Lawrence, U.S.

Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, S.W., Room

3080, Switzer Building, Washington, DC

20202–2644. Telephone: (202) 205–5507

or 205–9068. Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call (202) 205–0754.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Federal Interagency Coordinating

Council (FICC) is established under
56154 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 209 / Wednesday, October 29, 1997 / Notices

section 685 of the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act, as amended

(20 U.S.C. 1484a). The Council is

established to: (1) Minimize duplication

across Federal, State and local agencies

of programs and activities relating to

early intervention services for infants

and toddlers with disabilities and their

families and preschool services for

children with disabilities; (2) ensure

effective coordination of Federal early

intervention and preschool programs,

including Federal technical assistance

and support activities; and (3) identify

gaps in Federal agency programs and

services and barriers to Federal

interagency cooperation. To meet these

purposes, the FICC seeks to: (1) Identify

areas of conflict, overlap, and omissions

in interagency policies related to the

provision of services to infants,

toddlers, and preschoolers with

disabilities; (2) develop and implement

joint policy interpretations on issues

related to infants, toddlers, and

preschoolers that cut across Federal

agencies, including modifications of

regulations to eliminate barriers to

interagency programs and activities; and

(3) coordinate the provision of technical

assistance and dissemination of best

practice information. The FICC is

chaired by the Assistant Secretary for

Special Education and Rehabilitative

Services.

At this meeting the FICC plans to

discuss issues related to pediatric aids

and intervention options for young

children; and to assess FICC functioning

and changes dictated by the 1997

amendments to the Individuals with

Disabilities Education Act.

The meeting of the FICC is open to the

public. Written public comment will be

accepted at the conclusion of the

meeting. These comments will be

included in the summary minutes of the

meeting. The meeting will be physically

accessible with meeting materials

provided in both braille and large print.

Interpreters for persons who are hearing

impaired will be available. Individuals

with disabilities who plan to attend and

need other reasonable accommodations

should contact Kim Lawrence at (202)

205–8428 one week in advance of the

meeting.

Summary minutes of the FICC

meetings will be maintained and

available for public inspection at the

U.S. Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, S.W., Room

3080, Switzer Building, Washington, DC

20202–2644, from the hours of 9:00 a.m.

to 5:00 p.m., weekdays except Federal

Holidays.

Judith E. Heumann,

Assistant Secretary for Special Education and

Rehabilitative Services.

[FR Doc. 97–28600 Filed 10–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[Docket No. EA–58–F]

Application to Amend Export

Authorization; The Detroit Edison

Company

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of application.

SUMMARY: The Detroit Edison Company

has filed, on behalf of itself and

Consumers Energy Company, an

application for removal of the annual

limitation on the existing authorization

permitting Detroit Edison and

Consumers Energy to export electric

energy to Ontario Hydro.

DATES: Comments, protests, or requests

to intervene must be submitted on or

before November 28, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests, or

requests to intervene should be

addressed as follows: Office of Coal and

Power Systems (FE–27), Office of Fossil

Energy, Department of Energy, 1000

Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ellen Russell (Program Office) 202–586–

9624 or Michael Skinker (Program

Attorney) 202–586–6667.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exports of

electricity from the United States to a

foreign country are regulated and

require authorization under section

202(e) of the Federal Power Act (FPA)

(16 U.S.C. 824a(e)).

On October 16, 1997, The Detroit

Edison Company (‘‘Detroit Edison’’)

applied on behalf of itself and

Consumers Energy Company

(‘‘Consumers’’) for removal of the

annual limitation on their existing

authorization (FE Docket EA–58–E) to

export electricity to Ontario Hydro, a

Canadian Provincial utility. The existing

authorization, issued by the Federal

Power Commission on October 20, 1972,

allows Detroit Edison and Consumers

(together ‘‘Michigan Companies’’) to

export to Ontario Hydro up to

4,000,000,000 kilowatt hours (kWhr) of

electric energy annually at a maximum

rate of 2,200,000,000 volt-amperes

(2,200 MVA). Based on emergency

situations or other unusual

circumstances, the Department of

Energy (‘‘DOE’’) has granted several

temporary waivers of this limit. By this

application, the Michigan Companies

request that DOE remove the annual

energy export limitation on a permanent

basis.

In their application, the Michigan

Companies assert that reliability will

not be adversely affected by the removal

of the annual energy export limitation,

coordination among the Michigan

Companies and Ontario Hydro can be

increased, and that there will be no

adverse impacts from removing the

4,000,000,000 kWhr limitation. The

Michigan Companies do not propose to

modify the 2,200,000 kVa limitation on

the rate of export, and they represent

that they will apply that limitation on

a scheduled basis to mitigate loopflow

on other systems as a result of increased

energy exports to Canada.

The electrical systems of the Michigan

Companies and Ontario Hydro presently

are interconnected at four points on the

U.S.-Canada border. Each

interconnection has been authorized by

a Presidential permit issued under

Executive Order 10485.

Procedural Matters

Any persons desiring to become a

party to these proceedings or to be heard

by filing comments or protests to this

application should file a petition to

intervene, comment or protest at the

address provided above in accordance

with §§ 385.211 or 385.214 of the

FERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedures

(18 CFR 385.211, 385,214). Fifteen

copies of such petitions and protests

should be filed with the DOE on or

before the date listed above. Additional

copies are to be filed directly with John

D. McGrane, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius

LLP, 1800 M Street, NW., Washington,

DC 20036–5869; Raymond O. Sturdy,

Jr., The Detroit Edison Company, 2000

Second Avenue—688WCB, Detroit,

Michigan, 48226–1279; William M.

Lange, Consumers Energy Company,

1016 16th Street, NW., Washington, DC

20036; and Wayne A. Kirkby,

Consumers Energy Company, 212 West

Michigan Avenue, Jackson, Michigan

49201.

A final decision will be made on this

application after the environmental

impacts have been evaluated pursuant

to the National Environmental Policy

Act of 1969 (NEPA), and a

determination is made by the DOE that

the proposed action will not adversely

impact on the reliability of the U.S.

electric power supply system.

Copies of this application will be

made available, upon request, for public

inspection and copying at the address

provided above.