Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 145 /Wednesday, July 29, 1998 / Notices 40515

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Final Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) for Projects and Activities

Associated With Programs at White

Sands Missile Range (WSMR), New

Mexico

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD;

White Sands Missile Range.

COOPERATING AGENCIES: U.S. Air Force;

Ballistic Missile Defense Organization;

Defense Special Weapons Agency;

National Aeronautics and Space

Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: This notice of availability is

for the White Sands Missile Range Final

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The EIS addresses the potential impacts

of several categories of test projects at

WSMR. The testing categories include:

missile testing (i.e., Multiple Launch

Rocket System, Special Launch Vehicle,

and Standard Missile), high altitude

testing (i.e., High Altitude Balloon

Experiment and Research Rockets),

environmental testing (Large Blasts,

Temperature Testing), and high energy

testing (Lasers, Radio Detecting and

Ranging (RADAR)).

In the past, WSMR incorporated the

National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) requirements into project

planning on a case-by-case basis. To

better evaluate the cumulative effects of

unrelated actions being planned at the

same time, the EIS incorporates all

known and future programs. The

analysis addresses potential impacts

and cumulative effects. Mitigation of

these effects is incorporated into the

proposed action.

DATES: The public review period for this

FEIS will end 30 days after publication

of the NOA in the Federal Register by

the U.S. Environmental Protection

Agency.

ADDRESSES: Anyone wishing to receive

a copy of the EIS may send a postcard

with their name and address to

Commander, WSMR, ATTN: STEWS–

NRES–C (Robert J. Andreoli), White

Sands Missile Range, NM 88002–5048.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Robert J. Andreoli at (505) 678–

7926.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS’s

proposed action and alternatives are

described below:

Proposed Action

The proposed action of this EIS is the

long-term operation of WSMR with the

proposed adoption of specific mitigation

measures for the continuation of

existing programs and the future testing

of scientific, military, and commercial

systems. This proposed action includes

two major components. The first

component is the continuation of

current project activities and existing

operations and services including

routine maintenance; modernization or

removal of outdated facilities; and

improvements in infrastructure,

utilities, and services as necessary. The

second component consists of changes

in the number of projects and programs

planned for the next 10-year period,

with resulting changes in site usage and

services. The proposed action includes

adoption of mitigation measures to

reduce the effect of WSMR activities on

the environment.

Other Alternatives Considered

The no action alternative is the other

primary alternative considered. This

alternative represents the status quo.

Under this alternative, WSMR would

remain a viable national range which

supports missile development and test

programs for the Army, Navy, Air Force,

NASA, and other government and

private organizations. Chapter 1 of the

WSMR Environmental Assessment

(1985) describes the current activities at

WSMR. The no action alternative is the

continuation of existing missions and

operations at approximately their

current scope and rates, but without the

adoption of specific mitigation

measures.

The alternative of closing WSMR is

considered to be out of the scope of this

analysis. There are no Congressional or

U.S. Army indications that this option

is contemplated. A special NEPA

process to address the shutdown and

conversion of military bases has been

established for such analyses.

The other preliminary alternative

identified for consideration in the

Notice of Intent (NOI), but not further

analyzed in the EIS, focused on testing

of future systems and expansion of the

mission into nuclear effects testing and

launches into WSMR from off the range.

Ongoing simulated nuclear effects

testing is included in current operations

and is analyzed accordingly in the EIS.

(This research is more accurately

referred to as nuclear effects simulation.

It does not involve the testing of actual

nuclear weapons.) A parallel NEPA

process has been implemented with

respect to current off-range launches

into WSMR and is briefly discussed in

Section 1.5.

Dated: July 23, 1998.

Raymond J. Fatz,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army

(Environment, Safety and Occupational

Health) OASA (I,L&E).

[FR Doc. 98–20210 Filed 7–28–98; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

for Activities Associated With Future

Programs at the U.S. Army Dugway

Proving Ground, Utah

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: In accordance with Pub. L.

91–190, the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969, an EIS is being

prepared to evaluate environmental

implications of proposed operations,

and development potential of Dugway

Proving Ground (DPG) in terms of

environmental carrying capacity. The

proposed action includes diversifying

DPG operations, the expansion of

chemical and biological defensive

testing, increased DoD training

activities, and implementation of the

installation real property master plan.

Issues to be considered include new

activities projected for the installation,

modernization or removal of outdated

facilities, and improvements to

infrastructure, utilities and service

necessary to accommodate new

missions and changes in existing test,

evaluation, and training missions. Three

alternatives are being considered: (1)

Increased training intensity without

expansion of defensive chemical and

biological testing; (2) expanded action

(increased training, and diversified and

increased testing); and (3) no-action

which is the continuation of current

operations and management intensity.

Cessation of current mission activity is

not a decision under consideration.

Mitigation measures to minimize

adverse environmental impacts may be

developed for each alternative.

Scoping: The first step will be to

determine the appropriate scope of

issues, activities and alternatives to be

addressed. Comments received as a

result of this notice will be used to

assist the Army in identifying potential

impacts to the quality of the human

environment. Individuals or

organizations may participate in the

scoping process by written comment or

by attending scoping meetings. The

Army will conduct scoping meetings in

Salt Lake City and Tooele, Utah, prior
40516 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 145 /Wednesday, July 29, 1998 / Notices

to preparing the EIS (exact, date, time

and location to be determined and will

be advertised in the local news media at

least 15 days prior to the scoping

meeting).

DATES: The public scoping period will

continue until October 15, 1998. Written

public comments and suggestions can

be submitted on or before September 28,

1998 to the address shown below. To

ensure consideration in preparation of

the draft EIS, written comments and

suggestion should be postmarked by

October 15th. Comments received after

this date will be considered to the

extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: Commander, U.S. Army

Dugway Proving Ground, ATTN:

STEDPPA (Site-Wide EIS), Dugway,

Utah 84022–5000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Steven E, Klauser, (435) 831–3739.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Among

the anticipated areas to be evaluated are

public health and safety, noise, shock

and vibration, water quality, air quality,

biological resources including

threatened and endangered species,

social and economic effects, and

historical and archaeological resources.

Dated: July 23, 1998.

Raymond J. Fatz,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army,

(Environment, Safety and Occupational

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

[FR Doc. 98–20211 Filed 7–28–98; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Submission for OMB review;

comment request.

SUMMARY: The Acting Deputy Chief

Information Officer, Office of the Chief

Information Officer, invites comments

on the submission for OMB review as

required by the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to

submit comments on or before August

28, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be addressed to the Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Attention: Danny Werfel, Desk Officer,

Department of Education, Office of

Management and Budget, 725 17th

Street, NW., Room 10235, New

Executive Office Building, Washington,

DC 20503. Requests for copies of the

proposed information collection

requests should be addressed to Patrick

J. Sherrill, Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, S.W., Room

5624, Regional Office Building 3,

Washington, D.C. 20202–4651.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patrick J. Sherrill (202) 708–8196.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time,

Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires

that the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) provide interested

Federal agencies and the public an early

opportunity to comment on information

collection requests. OMB may amend or

waive the requirement for public

consultation to the extent that public

participation in the approval process

would defeat the purpose of the

information collection, violate State or

Federal law, or substantially interfere

with any agency’s ability to perform its

statutory obligations. The Acting Deputy

Chief Information Officer, Office of the

Chief Information Officer, publishes this

notice containing proposed information

collection requests prior to submission

of these requests to OMB. Each

proposed information collection,

grouped by office, contains the

following: (1) Type of review requested,

e.g., new, revision, extension, existing

or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary

of the collection; (4) Description of the

need for, and proposed use of, the

information; (5) Respondents and

frequency of collection; and (6)

Reporting and/or Recordkeeping

burden. OMB invites public comment at

the address specified above. Copies of

the requests are available from Patrick J.

Sherrill at the address specified above.

Dated: July 23, 1998.

Hazel Fiers,

Acting Deputy Chief Information Officer,

Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Office of the General Counsel

Type of Review: Revision.

Title: General Education Provisions

Act (GEPA) Section 427 Guidance for

All Grant Applications.

Frequency: Once only per application

for new awards.

Affected Public: Businesses or other

for-profits; Not-for-profit institutions;

State, local or Tribal Gov’t; SEAs or

LEAs.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour

Burden:

Responses: 5,125.

Burden Hours: 7,688.

Abstract: In compliance with Section

427 of the General Education Provisions

Act, as amended by Pub. L. 103–382, all

applicants for grant awards made by the

Department of Education are required to

describe in their applications the steps

they propose to take to ensure equitable

access to, and equitable participation in,

the proposed grant activities conducted

with federal funds. The Department has

developed a single document that

provides common guidance for all

competitive and formula grant

applicants on how they can meet this

requirement. The language in this

common guidance document is nearly

identical to language that the

Department has previously used in

separate guidance documents applicable

to discretionary grant applicants and to

States that have previously applied for

formula grants on the basis of

consolidated plans available under Title

XIV of the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act.

Office for Civil Rights

Type of Review: Reinstatement.

Title: Fall 1998 Elementary and

Secondary School Civil Rights

Compliance Report.

Frequency: Biennially.

Affected Public: State, local or Tribal

Gov’t; SEAs or LEAs.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour

Burden:

Responses: 60,950.

Burden Hours: 293,419.

Abstract: The Elementary and

Secondary School Civil Rights

Compliance Report is the vehicle for the

Office for Civil Rights (OCR), U.S.

Department of Education, to acquire

source material in the form of data and

information regarding the civil rights

compliance issues in the nation’s public

elementary and secondary schools.

Information from the Elementary and

Secondary School Civil Rights

Compliance Report is used by OCR field

offices when they consider public

school districts for compliance reviews,

and as source material when civil rights

compliance investigations are

conducted.

[FR Doc. 98–20169 Filed 7–28–98; 8:45 am]

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