63554 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 230 / Monday, December 1, 1997 / Notices

discussions could reveal confidential trade

secrets or commercial property such as

patentable material and personal information

concerning individuals associated with the

applications and/or proposals, the disclosure

of which would constitute a clearly

unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program No. 93–879—Medical Library

Assistance, National Institutes of Health)

Dated: November 24, 1997.

LaVerne Y. Stringfield,

Committee Management Officer, NIH.

[FR Doc. 97–31421 Filed 11–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4140–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR–4307–N–01]

Draft Environmental Impact Statement;

City of Porterville, CA; Section 108

Loan Guarantee Funded Infrastructure

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Community Planning and

Development, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Housing

and Urban Development gives notice

that the City of Porterville, California,

intends to prepare a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement for a

public infrastructure project to be

located within the Urban Development

Boundary of Porterville.

This Notice is in accordance with

regulations of the Council on

Environmental Quality as described in

40 CFR parts 1500–1508. Federal

agencies having jurisdiction by law,

special expertise, or other special

interest should report their interests and

indicate their readiness to aid in the EIS

effort as a ‘‘Cooperation Agency.’’

A Draft Environmental Impact

Statement will be completed for the

proposed action described herein.

Comments relating to the Draft EIS are

requested and will be accepted by the

contact person listed below. When the

Draft EIS is completed, a notice will be

sent to individuals and groups known to

have an interest on the Draft EIS and

particularly on the environmental

impact issues identified therein. Any

person or agency interested in receiving

a notice and making comment on the

Draft EIS should contact the person

listed below.

DATES: Comments Due: December 16,

1997.

ADDRESSES: All interested agencies,

groups and persons are invited to

submit written comments on the withinnamed project and the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement to the

following contact person: Ronald J.

Mauck, City of Porterville, Department

of Community Development and

Services, 291 North Main Street,

Porterville, CA 93257. Such comments

should be received by the office within

15 days of the publication of this notice

in the Federal Register and all

comments so received will be

considered prior to the preparation and

distribution of the Draft Environmental

Impact Statement.

Particularly solicited is information

on reports or other environmental

studies planned or completed in the

project area, major issues and date

which the EIS should consider and

recommended mitigating measures and

alternatives associated with the

proposed project. Federal agencies

having jurisdictions by law, special

expertise or other special interest

should report their interests and

indicate their readiness to aid the EIS

effort as a ‘‘cooperating agency’’.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ronald J. Mauck, City of Porterville,

Department of Community Development

and Services, 291 North Main Street,

Porterville, CA 93257.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

proposed project involves installation of

a variety of public infrastructure

including, but not necessarily limited

to, public streets (including curbs,

gutters, sidewalks, and street lights),

water and sewer trunk lines, highway

on and off ramps, and storm drain lines.

The primary objective of installing the

infrastructure is to facilitate the

development of new industrial and

commercial employment centers to

accomplish provision of new jobs,

particularly low- and moderate-income

jobs, within the community.

The City of Porterville anticipates

acquiring Community Development

Block Grant funds from the U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban

Development under Title I of the

Housing and Community Development

Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93–383) to repay a

Section 108 Loan Guarantee from the

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban

Development in funding the proposed

project.

The combined Environmental Impact

Report/Environmental Impact Statement

(EIR/EIS) will analyze potential

environmental effects of five project

alternatives. The alternatives described

here are not intended to represent a

final list of alternatives that may be

considered, but are illustrative of

varying options for investment of the

Section 108 Loan Guarantee funds,

enabling an evaluation of the full range

of potential environmental impacts in

the EIR/EIS. Development plans for the

final selected project alternative will

represent infrastructure facilities to be

constructed and address related growth

inducing effects which fall within the

range of impacts identified within the

EIR/EIS alternatives.

Alternatives

Alternative I would provide for

extension of water and sewer trunk lines

within Indiana Street and Teapot Dome

Avenue connecting the existing City

water and sewer infrastructure system

with industrial designated lands along

Teapot Dome Avenue and within the

easterly sector of the Porterville

Municipal Airport. Alternative I would

also include development of a new

highway interchange at the intersection

of State Highway 65 and Teapot Dome

Avenue. Approximately 200 acres of

vacant and agricultural land currently

designated by the City General Plan for

future industrial development would

ultimately be converted to urbanized

use under Alternative I.

Alternative 2 would provide for

extension of water trunk lines within

South Newcomb Street from River

Avenue south across the Tule River to

a point just south of the intersection of

South Newcomb Street and State

Highway 190. Alternative 2 would also

provide for the construction of South

Newcomb Street to arterial width from

Heritage Avenue south across the Tule

River, inclusive of construction of a

bridge across the river, to a point just

south of the intersection of South

Newcomb Street and State Highway

190. Street improvements would

include curb, gutter, sidewalk, and

streetlights. Approximately 200 acres of

vacant land currently designated by the

City General Plan for low-density

residential uses would be ultimately

converted to Industrial/Commercial

Uses under Alternative 2.

Alternative 3 would provide for

extension of sewer and trunk lines from

Indiana Street north of Gibbons Avenue

to the intersection of Indiana Street and

Scranton Avenue then west along

Scranton Avenue across State Highway

65 to the intersection of Scranton

Avenue and South Newcomb Street.

Construction of State Highway on and

off ramps at the intersection of State

Highway 65 and Scranton Avenue

would also be provided by Alternative

3. Approximately 300 acres of vacant

land designated for highway

commercial uses and 200 acres of

primarily vacant land designated for

industrial uses would ultimately be

converted to urbanized uses under

Alternative 3.
Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 230 / Monday, December 1, 1997 / Notices 63555

Alternative 4 (the proposed Project

Alternative) would provide for

infrastructure improvements within two

(2) distinctly separate locations.

Alternative 4—Area No. 1 would

provide for extension of water and

sewer trunk lines in the vicinity of the

Porterville Municipal Airport,

improvement of Tea Pot Dome Avenue,

and Newcomb and West Streets

proximate to the Municipal Airport,

improvements to the abandon runway

located at the Municipal Airport, and

installation of master planned storm

drain improvements in the vicinity of

the municipal airport. Alternative 4—

Area No. 2 would provide for extension

of water trunk lines in the vicinity of

South Jaye Street, State Highway 65,

and Gibbons Avenue. South Jaye Street

would be extended as an arterial width

Street from its southerly terminus to

Gibbons Avenue. Alternative 4 would

also accomplish installation of storm

drain facilities in South Jay Street and

Gibbons Avenue. Under Alternative 4,

approximately 200 acres of primarily

vacant land designated for industrial

uses would ultimately be converted to

urbanized use.

Alternative 5 is the No Project

alternative, consideration of which is

required by the California

Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and

by the National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA). Under this alternative, the

proposed infrastructure project would

not occur precluding industrial/

commercial development of any of the

areas discussed in Alternatives 1–4.

Environmental effects of the proposed

project: Land use and planning;

population and housing; water impacts;

air quality impacts; transportation and

circulation impacts; biological resources

impacts; energy and mineral resource

impacts; hazards; noise impacts;

demands on public services and

utilities; aesthetic impacts; recreation

impacts; and cumulative effects.

Need for the EIS

It has been determined that the

project may constitute an action

significantly effecting the quality of the

human environment and an

Environmental Impact Statement will be

prepared by the City of Porterville in

accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (Pub.

L. 91–190) on such project.

Responses to this notice will be used

to:

1. Determine significant environment

issues;

2. Identify data which the EIS should

address; and

3. Identify agencies and other parties

which will participate in the EIS

process and the basis for their

involvement.

This notice is in accordance with the

regulations of the Council on

Environmental Quality under its rule

(40 CFR part 1500).

The Draft Environmental Impact

Statement will be published and

distributed about January 15, 1998, and

a copy will be on file at the City of

Porterville Department of Community

Development and Services at 291 North

Main Street, Porterville, CA 93257 and

available for public inspection, or

copies may be attained at the same

address, upon request.

Scoping

This notice is part of the process used

for scoping the EIS. Responses will help

determine significant environmental

issues, identify data which the EIS

should address, and help identify

cooperating agencies.

The Draft Environmental Impact

Statement will be published upon

completion and will be on file, and

available for public inspection at the

address listed below. Copies may also

be obtained upon request, at the same

address.

This Notice shall be effective for one

year. If one year after the publication of

the Notice in the Federal Register a

Draft EIS has not been filed on the

project, then the Notice for that project

shall be cancelled. If a draft EIS is

expected more than one year after the

publication of this Notice, a new and

updated Notice must be published.

Dated: November 20, 1997.

Richard H. Broun,

Director, Office of Community Viability.

[FR Doc. 97–31339 Filed 11–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4210–29–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force

Meeting

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: This notice announces the

Fall 1997 meeting of the Great Lakes

Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, a

committee of the Aquatic Nuisance

Species Task Force, and its three

subcommittees (Policy and Legislation,

Information/Education, Research

Coordination). Work plan elements,

identification of priorities, and plans for

fiscal year 1998 activities will be

discussed during subcommittee

meetings. The Panel meeting will

highlight discussion of State aquatic

nuisance species legislation related to

the Panel’s model State legislation

project. Also featured at the meeting

will be subcommittee reports, updates

on aquatic nuisance species legislation

and appropriations, the Great Lakes

ballast water demonstration project, the

Chicago Waterways nonindigenous

species dispersal barrier project, model

guidelines for ANS prevention and

control, and reports from Panel

members. The meeting is open to the

public. Interested persons may make

oral statements at the meetings or

submit written statements for

consideration.

DATES: The three subcommittees of the

Great Lakes Panel will meet from 1:00

p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday,

December 17, 1997, and the full Panel

will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on

Thursday, December 18, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at

the Holiday Inn—North Campus, 3600

Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The telephone number of the Holiday

Inn is 313–769–9800.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael J. Donahue or Matthew Doss,

Great Lakes Commission, at 313–665–

9135, or Robert A. Peoples, Executive

Secretary, Aquatic Nuisance Species

Task Force, at 703–358–2025.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant

to section 10(a)(2) of the Federal

Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.

I), this notice announces the Fall 1997

meeting of the Great Lakes Panel on

Aquatic Nuisance Species and its

subcommittees. The Panel is a

committee of the Aquatic Nuisance

Species Task Force established by the

Nonindigenous Aquatic Nuisance

Prevention and Control Act of 1990 (16

U.S.C. 4701–4741). Minutes of the

meeting will be maintained by the Great

Lakes Commission, 400 Fourth Street,

Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103–4816, and

the Executive Secretary, Aquatic

Nuisance Species Task Force, U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax

Drive, Suite 840, Arlington, Virginia

22203–1622, and will be available for

inspection during regular business

hours within 30 days following the

meeting.

Dated: November 16, 1997.

Gary Edwards,

Assistant Director—Fisheries, Co-Chair,

Aquatic Nuisance Species Task Force.

[FR Doc. 97–31324 Filed 11–28–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M