68344 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 220 / Friday, November 14, 2014 / Notices 

Dated: October 29, 2014. 

Simon Henshaw 

PDAS, Bureau of Population, Refugees and 

Migration, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2014–27040 Filed 11–13–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–33–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice 8948] 

Notice of Preparation/Notice of Intent 

To Prepare an Environmental Impact 

Report/Environmental Impact 

Statement for the Otay Mesa 

Conveyance and Disinfection System 

Project 

AGENCY: Department of State. 

ACTION: Notice; solicitation of 

comments. 

SUMMARY: The purpose of this Notice is 

to inform the public and interested 

federal, tribal, state, and local 

government entities that the Otay Water 

District (District) and the U.S. 

Department of State (DOS) intend to 

prepare a joint Environmental Impact 

Report/Environmental Impact Statement 

(EIR/EIS) for the Otay Mesa Conveyance 

and Disinfection System Project 

(proposed project). In November 2013, 

the District submitted an application to 

DOS for a Presidential Permit 

authorizing the construction, 

connection, operation, and maintenance 

of a cross-border pipeline facility for the 

proposed project, which would convey 

desalinated seawater from a new border 

crossing with Mexico approximately 

four miles northeast to the District’s Roll 

Reservoir in San Diego County. This 

Notice of Preparation/Notice of Intent 

(NOP/NOI) informs the public about the 

proposed project and solicits 

participation and comments from 

interested federal, tribal, state, and local 

government entities and the public for 

consideration in establishing the scope 

and content of the EIR/EIS. 

Project Description: The proposed 

project would entail construction of a 

potable water pipeline and associated 

facilities to convey desalinated sea 

water produced in Mexico into the 

District’s service area in southern San 

Diego County, California. The scope of 

the proposed project for the purpose of 

environmental review pursuant to the 

California Environmental Quality Act 

(CEQA) and consistent with the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) is limited to the portion of the 

proposed project within the United 

States. The scope does not include the 

proposed desalination plant in Rosarito, 

Mexico or associated pipeline 

infrastructure in Mexico. Within the 

United States, the proposed project 

would involve the construction and 

operation of an approximately four-mile 

long (depending on the selected 

alternative) potable water pipeline with 

a set diameter of between 48 and 54 

inches, and a metering station within 

the Otay Mesa area of the County of San 

Diego just north of the United States/

Mexico border. Additionally, a pump 

station and/or disinfection facility may 

be constructed if needed. 

The proposed project would enable 

the District to import and convey 

desalinated potable water from a 

connection point at the United States/

Mexico border north to the District’s 

existing Roll Reservoir. The proposed 

Mexican desalination plant (not a part 

of the proposed project) is envisioned to 

produce 100 million gallons per day 

(MGD) of desalinated sea water. The 

District intends to initially purchase 

approximately 20–25 MGD of 

desalinated sea water, and ultimately 

increase the amount to 50 MGD. Due to 

seasonal variation in demand, the 

District anticipates that 10 MGD would 

be conveyed in the winter months, and 

up to 50 MGD would be conveyed 

during peak demand periods in the 

summer months. Numerous alignment 

(routing) options were considered; 

however, after initial consideration of 

environmental and engineering 

opportunities and constraints, the 

District has chosen three alternative 

alignments considered the most feasible, 

and will address those alignments in the 

EIR/EIS. 

The District will be responsible for 

approving the expenditure of public 

funds for the proposed project and DOS 

will be responsible for determining 

whether the proposed project serves the 

national interest pursuant to Executive 

Order 13337, and if so, issuing a 

Presidential Permit authorizing the 

construction, connection, operation, and 

maintenance of the cross-border 

pipeline facility. 

Project Location: The proposed 

project is generally located in the 

southwestern portion of San Diego 

County, in the community of Otay Mesa, 

immediately adjacent to the United 

States/Mexico border, east of Interstate 

5, Interstate 805 and State Route 125. 

More specifically, the proposed project 

is located within the East Otay Mesa 

Specific Plan, which lies between the 

Otay River Valley to the north, United 

States/Mexico border to the south, San 

Ysidro Mountains to the east, and City 

of San Diego Otay Mesa Community 

Plan Area to the west. 

Probable Environmental Effects: The 

District will be the CEQA Lead Agency 

and the DOS will be the federal lead 

agency for the environmental review of 

the proposed project. The District and 

DOS are jointly reviewing the proposed 

project pursuant to CEQA and 

consistent with NEPA, respectively, and 

will prepare a joint EIR/EIS to identify 

and assess potential environmental 

impacts, mitigation measures, and 

alternatives associated with the 

proposed project. The District and DOS 

have determined that an EIR/EIS is the 

appropriate environmental document 

for the proposed project because there is 

substantial evidence that some aspects 

of the proposed project individually or 

cumulatively may have a significant 

effect on the human environment. The 

EIR/EIS will identify the purpose and 

need for the proposed project, the 

affected environment, project 

alternatives (including the no action 

alternative), impacts of the project 

alternatives, and proposed mitigation 

measures. Environmental issues that 

may require detailed analysis include, 

but are not necessarily limited to, the 

following: Air quality, biological 

resources, cultural resources, geology 

and soils, greenhouse gas emissions 

(GHG), hazards and hazardous 

materials, hydrology and water quality, 

noise, socioeconomics/environmental 

justice, and transportation/traffic. Based 

on the preliminary scope of the 

proposed project, technical studies are 

expected to be prepared for the 

following issues: Air quality/GHG, 

biological resources, cultural resources, 

geology/soils, hazardous materials, 

hydrology and water quality, noise, and 

traffic. 

Scoping Period: The District and DOS 

have issued this NOP/NOI, and are 

seeking review and comments within 30 

days from relevant federal, tribal, state, 

and local government entities, 

interested parties, and the public about 

the scope of the EIR/EIS, alternatives 

and analyses, pursuant to CEQA Section 

21153(a); California Code of 

Regulations, Title 14, section 15082(a) 

and 15083; and consistent with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (as implemented by the Council on 

Environmental Quality Regulations 

found at 40 CFR 1500–1508). The 

comment period for the NOP/NOI 

begins on November 14, 2014 and ends 

on December 14, 2014. 

A copy of this NOP/NOI is available 

on the proposed project’s Web site: 

www.owd-desalconveyance.com. The 

California Office of Planning and 

Research is responsible for coordinating 

state-level review of the CEQA/NEPA 

document. Additionally, DOS will 

publish the NOP/NOI in the Federal 

Register pursuant to CEQ Regulations, 

Sections 1501.7 and 1508.22. Once the 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 220 / Friday, November 14, 2014 / Notices 68345 

NOP/NOI is published in the Federal 

Register, the 30-day scoping/comment 

period begins consistent with NEPA. 

The District and DOS will also 

undertake any consultations required by 

applicable laws or regulations, 

including the National Historic 

Preservation Act (16 U.S.C. 470, et seq.). 

All comments in response to the 

NOP/NOI must be submitted by 

December 14, 2014. Comments may be 

submitted at www.regulations.gov by 

entering the title of this Notice into the 

search field and following the prompts. 

Comments may also be submitted by 

mail at the address below. All 

comments from agencies or 

organizations should indicate a contact 

person for each agency or organization, 

if applicable. 

All comments received during the 

scoping period may be made public, no 

matter how initially submitted. 

Comments are not private and will not 

be edited to remove identifying or 

contact information. Commenters are 

cautioned against including any 

information that they would not want 

publicly disclosed. Any party soliciting 

or aggregating comments from other 

persons is further requested to direct 

those persons not to include any 

identifying or contact information, or 

information they would not want 

publicly disclosed, in their comments. 

Public Scoping Meeting: A public 

scoping meeting regarding the EIR/EIS 

will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 at the 

Otay Water District Board Room, located 

at 2554 Sweetwater Springs Blvd., 

Spring Valley, CA 91978. Cooperating 

and Responsible Agencies, as well as 

any interested agencies, organizations, 

and members of the public are invited 

to attend. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments should 

be addressed to: Ms. Jill Reilly, U.S. 

Department of State, 2201 C Street NW., 

Room 2726, Washington, DC 20520. As 

described above, comments are not 

private. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Project details on the Otay Mesa 

Conveyance and Disinfection System 

Project application for a new 

Presidential Permit, as well as 

information on the Presidential Permit 

process, are available on the following 

Web site: http://www.state.gov/e/enr/

applicant/applicants/. Please refer to 

this Web site or contact Ms. Jill Reilly 

at the address listed in the ADDRESSES

section of this notice. 

Dated: November 14, 2014. 

Deborah Klepp, 

Director, Office of Environmental Quality and 

Transboundary Issues, Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2014–27003 Filed 11–13–14; 8:45 a.m.] 

BILLING CODE 4710–09–P 

DEPARTMENT OF STATE 

[Public Notice: 8949] 

Executive Order 11423, as Amended; 

Notice of Receipt of Application for a 

Presidential Permit for the Columbus 

Land Port of Entry Replacement 

Facility on the U.S.-Mexico Border at 

Columbus, New Mexico, and Palomas, 

Chihuahua, Mexico 

AGENCY: Department of State. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of State 

hereby gives notice that, on September 

24, 2014, it received an application for 

a Presidential Permit to replace and 

expand the Columbus Land Port of 

Entry (LPOE) on the U.S.-Mexico Border 

at Columbus, New Mexico, and 

Palomas, Chihuahua, Mexico. The 

United States General Services 

Administration (GSA) filed this 

application. The Department of State’s 

jurisdiction over this application is 

based upon Executive Order 11423 of 

August 16, 1968, as amended. As 

provided in E.O. 11423, the Department 

is circulating this application to relevant 

federal agencies for review and 

comment. Under E.O. 11423, the 

Department has the responsibility to 

determine, taking into account input 

from these agencies and other 

stakeholders, whether issuance of a 

Presidential Permit for the proposed 

replacement and expansion of this 

border crossing would serve the 

national interest. Interested members of 

the public are invited to submit written 

comments regarding this application on 

or before December 15, 2014 to the U.S.- 

Mexico Border Affairs Office, via email 

at WHA-BorderAffairs@state.gov or by 

mail at WHA/MEX—Room 3924, 

Department of State, 2201 C St. NW., 

Washington, DC 20520. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

U.S.-Mexico Border Affairs Office, via 

email at WHA-BorderAffairs@state.gov; 

by phone at 202–647–9894; or by mail 

at WHA/MEX—Room 3924, Department 

of State, 2201 C St. NW., Washington, 

DC 20520. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

application and supporting documents 

are available for review in the Office of 

Mexican Affairs, Border Affairs Unit, 

Department of State, during normal 

business hours. 

Dated: November 7, 2014. 

Robin Matthewman, 

Director, Office of Mexican Affairs, 

Department of State. 

[FR Doc. 2014–27012 Filed 11–13–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4710–29–P 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

Global Positioning System Adjacent 

Band Compatibility Assessment 

Workshop II 

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Research and Technology, 

Department of Transportation. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is 

to inform the public that the U.S. 

Department of Transportation will host 

a second workshop to continue 

discussions of the Global Positioning 

System (GPS) Adjacent Band 

Compatibility Assessment (the first 

workshop was held on September 18, 

2014, in Cambridge, MA). The 

workshop will focus on the following 

topics: (i) GPS ‘‘use case’’ information, 

with emphasis on non-Government 

applications; (ii) identification of 

current GPS receivers which are 

representative of the current categories 

of GPS applications and which should 

be considered for sensitivity testing; and 

(iii) feedback on the GPS Adjacent Band 

Compatibility Assessment program 

implementation plan presented during 

the last workshop. To maximize 

participation and discussion, the U.S. 

Department of Transportation is 

requesting that those interested in 

presenting on one (or all) of the above 

topics please contact Stephen Mackey 

(contact information listed below) by 

November 20, 2014. 

This workshop is open to the general 

public by registration only. For those 

who would like to attend the workshop, 

we request that you register no later 

than November 20, 2014. Please use the 

following link to register: https://

volpecenterevents.webex.com/

volpecenterevents/onstage/

g.php?d=660350730&t=a 

You must include: 

• Name 

• Organization 

• Telephone number 

• Mailing and email addresses 

• Attendance method (WebEx or on 

site) 

• Country of citizenship 

• Intend to present (Yes/No) 

Æ If Yes, topic and title 

The U.S. Department of 

Transportation is committed to 

providing equal access to this workshop 

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