90292 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 221 / Friday, November 15, 2024 / Notices 

et al., FTC Docket No. 9427 (Oct. 18, 2024) and 

Statement of Chair Lina M. Khan, Joined by Comm’r 

Alvaro Bedoya, Concurring in the Denial of the 

Motion, In the Matter of H&R Block, Inc., et al., FTC 

Docket No. 9427 (Oct. 18, 2024), with Statement of 

Comm’r Andrew N. Ferguson, In the Matter of H&R 

Block, Inc., et al., Dissenting in Part and Concurring 

in the Denial of the Motion, FTC Docket No. 9427 

(Oct. 18, 2024). 

withhold my final judgment on the 

lawfulness of the stipulated Decision 

and Order until I have reviewed public 

comments and the Fifth Circuit’s 

decision, if it issues in time. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26695 Filed 11–14–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6750–01–P 

GENERAL SERVICES 

ADMINISTRATION 

[Notice–P–2024–02; Docket No. 2024–0002; 

Sequence No. 52] 

Notice of Availability for a Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

and Floodplain Assessment and 

Statement of Findings for the Kenneth 

G. Ward (Lynden) and Sumas Land 

Ports of Entry (LPOE) Modernization 

and Expansion Projects in Lynden and 

Sumas, Washington 

AGENCY: Public Buildings Service (PBS), 

General Services Administration (GSA). 

ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA). 

SUMMARY: This notice announces the 

availability of the Final Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS), which examines 

potential environmental impacts from 

the modernization and expansion of the 

Lynden and Sumas LPOEs in Lynden 

and Sumas, Washington. The existing 

Lynden and Sumas LPOEs are owned 

and managed by GSA and operated by 

the U.S. Department of Homeland 

Security’s Customs and Border 

Protection (CBP). The Final EIS 

describes the purpose and need for the 

project; alternatives considered; the 

existing environment that could be 

affected; the potential impacts resulting 

from each of the alternatives; and 

proposed best management practices 

and mitigation measures. The Final EIS 

also includes a Floodplain Assessment 

and Statement of Findings due to the 

construction in a floodplain at the 

Sumas LPOE. The Final EIS identifies 

the preferred alternatives, including the 

environmentally preferable alternatives, 

as summarized below (see the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of 

this NOA). 

DATES: The Final EIS Wait Period begins 

with publication of this NOA in the 

Federal Register and will last until 

December 16, 2024. Any comments 

regarding the Final EIS must be received 

or postmarked by the last day of the 30- 

day Final EIS Wait Period (see the 

ADDRESSES section of this NOA on how 

to submit comments). After the Final 

EIS Wait Period, GSA will issue the 

Record of Decision (ROD). 

ADDRESSES: Comments concerning the 

Final EIS should be directed to: 

• Email: lyndenlpoe@gsa.gov or 

sumaslpoe@gsa.gov. Please include 

‘‘Lynden and Sumas LPOEs Final EIS’’ 

in the subject line of the message. 

• Mail: ATTN: Patrick Manning, 

Capital Project Manager, Lynden and 

Sumas LPOEs EIS, U.S. General Services 

Administration, Northwest/Arctic 

Region 10, 1301 A Street, Suite 610, 

Tacoma, WA 98402. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Patrick Manning, Capital Project 

Manager, GSA at lyndenlpoe@gsa.gov or 

sumaslpoe@gsa.gov, or at 202–501– 

4755. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Digital 

copies of the Final EIS are available at 

the following GSA project websites: 

www.gsa.gov/lynden and www.gsa.gov/ 

sumas. GSA has considered stakeholder 

input and public comments provided 

during the scoping and Draft EIS 

comment periods and tenant needs at 

the LPOEs to develop the Final EIS and 

determine the preferred alternatives. 

GSA’s preferred alternative for the 

Lynden LPOE is to implement Lynden 

LPOE Alternative 3 (North-South 

Oriented LPOE Expansion) as described 

in the Final EIS. This alternative was 

selected because it would match the 

orientation of the existing LPOE and 

facilitate more efficient traffic flow. GSA 

has identified Lynden LPOE Alternative 

3 as the environmentally preferable 

alternative because the maximum 

proposed limits of disturbance would be 

smaller compared to Lynden LPOE 

Alternative 2 (10.3 acres verses 14.5 

acres) and Lynden LPOE Alternative 3 

would require lower quantities of fill 

because of the smaller project footprint 

and differences in elevation change 

across the project site. 

GSA’s preferred alternative for the 

Sumas LPOE is to implement Sumas 

LPOE Alternative 4 (Multi-Story 

Construction LPOE Expansion) as 

described in the Final EIS. This 

alternative was selected because the 

operational space within the Main 

Building would be consolidated, and 

the building would use a smaller 

footprint within the LPOE allowing 

more space for other LPOE functions 

and increasing LPOE operational 

efficiency. This alternative would also 

add a pedestrian bridge, further 

increasing employee safety. Sumas 

LPOE Alternative 2 (Feasibility Study 

Preferred Alternative), Sumas LPOE 

Alternative 3 (Commercial Inspection 

West), and Sumas LPOE Alternative 4 

(Multi-Story Construction LPOE 

Expansion) would be constructed 

within the same limits of disturbance 

(12.6 acres), with the only noted 

differences being the LPOE’s potential 

alignment, layout, and operating 

efficiency. Therefore, potential 

environmental impacts resulting from 

each of these alternatives are similar 

and each alternative, including GSA’s 

preferred Sumas LPOE Alternative 4, 

could be identified as the 

environmentally preferable alternative. 

Background 

The existing 4.8-acre Lynden LPOE 

serves as the port of entry for people 

and vehicles connecting Lynden, 

Washington to Aldergrove, British 

Columbia, Canada. The Lynden LPOE 

currently operates 16 hours per day, 7 

days per week and processes privately 

owned vehicles (POVs), buses, 

pedestrians, and permitted commercial 

traffic. The existing 4.0-acre Sumas 

LPOE serves as the port of entry for 

people and vehicles connecting Sumas, 

Washington to Abbotsford, British 

Columbia, Canada. The Sumas LPOE 

operates 24 hours per day, 7 days per 

week and processes POVs, buses, 

pedestrians, and commercial traffic. 

The purpose of these expansion and 

modernization projects is for GSA to 

support the CBP mission through 

modernizing and expanding the Lynden 

and Sumas LPOEs. 

Accomplishing this purpose would 

increase the functionality, capacity, 

operational efficiency, effectiveness, 

security, sustainability, and safety of the 

Lynden and Sumas LPOEs. The projects 

are generally needed to update the 

current facilities at the Lynden and 

Sumas LPOEs, which no longer function 

adequately and cannot meet CBP 

current operational needs or Program of 

Requirements. 

The existing Lynden and Sumas 

LPOEs have not undergone major 

improvements since their initial 

construction in the late 1980s and do 

not have sufficient space for 

modernization and expansion. Both 

facilities also have configuration and 

space issues that cause traffic, delays in 

processing times, and safety and 

security issues for inspection personnel. 

Additionally, these facilities do not 

have the ability to incorporate new 

technologies as they become available. 

The projects at the Lynden and Sumas 

LPOEs are analyzed jointly in this Final 

EIS due to their proximity 

(approximately 10 miles) to one another. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 221 / Friday, November 15, 2024 / Notices 90293 

Operational changes at the Lynden 

and Sumas LPOEs could impact each 

other, especially during construction. 

GSA has prepared a Final EIS to 

assess the potential impacts of these 

expansion and modernization projects. 

Alternatives Considered 

The EIS considered two action 

alternatives for the Lynden LPOE and 

three action alternatives for the Sumas 

LPOE, along with two construction 

sequencing options. GSA also 

considered the No Action Alternatives 

for each project location. 

Lynden Alternative 2 (East-West 

Oriented LPOE Expansion) would 

involve potential acquisition of 

primarily agricultural land to the west 

of the LPOE, site preparation, and 

construction to modernize and expand 

the LPOE. The maximum proposed 

limits of disturbance for Lynden 

Alternative 2 would be approximately 

14.5 acres. 

Lynden Alternative 3 (North-South 

Oriented LPOE Expansion) would 

include the same action as Lynden 

Alternative 2, with a difference of 

alignment. The maximum proposed 

limits of disturbance for Alternative 3 

would be approximately 10.3 acres. 

Sumas Alternative 2 (Feasibility 

Study Preferred Alternative) would 

involve potential acquisition of land 

south and east of the LPOE, site 

preparation, and construction to 

modernize and expand the LPOE. The 

maximum proposed limits of 

disturbance for Sumas Alternative 2 

would be approximately 12.9 acres. 

Sumas Alternative 3 (Commercial 

Inspection West) would include the 

same action and maximum proposed 

limits of disturbance as Alternative 2, 

with a difference of a ‘‘flipped’’ 

alignment of the commercial inspection 

facility. 

Sumas Alternative 4 (Multi-Story 

Construction LPOE Expansion) would 

include the same action and maximum 

proposed limits of disturbance as Sumas 

Alternative 2, with a difference of multistory Main Building being constructed. 

The EIS also evaluated two 

construction sequencing options, which 

could be implemented under any of the 

action alternatives considered. 

Under the Concurrent Construction 

option, both ports would remain open 

during construction. Pedestrian access 

would be maintained through the ports 

by utilizing and resetting, as necessary, 

various access and safety controls. POV 

access would also be maintained 

through both ports using various 

controls, which may require limits on 

the number of open processing lanes 

and shifting of POVs to commercial 

owned vehicle (COV) lanes for limited 

times. COVs may need to be detoured at 

times to other ports to permit adequate 

space for continued POV processing. 

Under the Sequential Construction 

Option, GSA and CBP considered the 

potential for closure of the Lynden 

LPOE. All traffic, pedestrians, POVs, 

and COVs would be detoured from the 

Lynden LPOE during the majority of its 

construction. Once the modernized and 

expanded Lynden LPOE is reopened, 

construction that impacts traffic would 

begin on the Sumas LPOE. The Sumas 

LPOE would remain open to pedestrians 

and POVs during construction to the 

greatest extent possible. COVs would be 

detoured from the Sumas LPOE to other 

LPOEs during portions of the 

construction period. 

The Final EIS addresses the potential 

environmental impacts of the proposed 

alternatives on environmental resources 

including land use; water resources; 

biological resources; geology, 

topography, and soils; air quality, 

climate change, and greenhouse gases; 

human health and safety; infrastructure 

and utilities; traffic and transportation; 

noise and vibration; socioeconomics; 

and environmental justice and 

protection of children’s health and 

safety. Based on the analysis presented 

in the Final EIS, impacts to all resource 

areas would be less-than-significant 

(i.e., negligible, minor, or moderate) 

adverse or beneficial. Impact reduction 

measures are presented in the Final EIS 

to reduce potential adverse effects. 

GSA conducted formal consultation 

with the Washington State Department 

of Archaeology and Historic 

Preservation (referred to as the State 

Historic Preservation Office [SHPO]) as 

required under Section 106 of the 

National Historic Preservation Act to 

determine impacts to historic 

properties. GSA determined that no 

historic properties would be affected by 

the proposed projects. SHPO concurred 

with GSA’s determination. 

GSA determined that implementation 

of any combination of Lynden and 

Sumas action alternatives may affect but 

would not likely adversely affect the 

yellow-billed cuckoo and monarch 

butterfly. Therefore, GSA sent an 

informal consultation letter in 

accordance with Section 7 of the ESA 

regarding the potential impacts to 

protected species from the Proposed 

Action to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (USFWS) on July 31, 2024; and 

a follow-up email on September 18, 

2024. The USFWS did not reply or 

provide written concurrence with GSA’s 

determination within the 60-day 

required timeframe for a response. 

GSA sent Farmland Conversion 

Impact Rating Forms to the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) 

on July 31, 2024; and a follow-up email 

on September 18, 2024 to determine if 

mitigation to reduce potential impacts 

to farmland or farmland soils from the 

proposed modernization and expansion 

of the Lynden and Sumas LPOEs is 

required. The NRCS has not responded 

to date; however, GSA will continue to 

coordinate with NRCS to determine if 

mitigation for potential impacts to 

Farmland Protection Policy Act 

protected soils is required. 

The Sumas LPOE project area is 

located within the 1-percent-annualchance floodplain (also referred to as 

the base flood or 100-year flood) and 

0.2-percent-annual-chance floodplain 

(also referred to as the 500-year flood). 

In compliance with Executive Order 

11988 (Floodplain Management), GSA 

prepared a Floodplain Assessment and 

Statement of Findings addressing 

potential impacts on floodplains, which 

is included in the Final EIS for public 

review and comment. As described in 

the Final EIS, GSA would follow 

Federal, State, and local regulatory 

compliance requirements and 

incorporate design standards at the 

Sumas LPOE to minimize impacts to 

floodplains. 

Anamarie Crawley, 

Director, Facilities Management Division, 

Northwest/Arctic Region 10, U.S. General 

Services Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2024–26296 Filed 11–14–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6820–DL–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES 

Administration for Children and 

Families 

Proposed Information Collection 

Activity; OCSS–75 Tribal Child Support 

Services Annual Data Report (Office of 

Management and Budget #: 0970–0320) 

AGENCY: Office of Child Support 

Services, Administration for Children 

and Families, U.S. Department of Health 

and Human Services. 

ACTION: Request for public comments. 

SUMMARY: The Office of Child Support 

Services (OCSS), Administration for 

Children and Families (ACF), U.S. 

Department of Health and Human 

Services, is requesting a 3-year 

extension of the form OCSS–75–Tribal 

Child Support Services Annual Data 

Report (OMB # 0970–0320, expiration 

May 31, 2025). We are requesting minor 

changes to this form. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES