### 49792 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 160 / Friday, August 17, 2012 / Notices

operation of the U.S. electric power supply system under normal and contingency conditions, and any other factors that DOE may consider relevant to the public interest.

DOE has determined that the potentialimpacts from the Route for the DoubleCircuit 230-kV Transmission Line are expected to be small, as discussed above.

For the reasons stated above, DOE will issue Presidential Permit PP–334 to authorize ESJ to construct, operate, maintain, and connect the Energia Sierra Juarez U.S. Double-Circuit 230-kV Transmission Line across the U.S. border. Presidential Permit PP–334 will limit the project to a maximum of 400 MW.

Issued in Washington, DC, on August 13,
2012. Patricia A. Hoffman, Assistant Secretary of Energy Electricity, Delivery and Energy Reliability.
[FR Doc. 2012–20234 Filed 8–16–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6450–01–P**

**ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY** 

**[ER–FRL–9004–5]**

**Environmental Impacts Statements; Notice of Availability** 

Responsible Agency: Office of Federal Activities, General Information (202)
564–7146 or http://www.epa.gov/ compliance/nepa/. Weekly receipt of Environmental Impact

Statements Filed 08/06/2012 Through 08/10/2012 Pursuant to 40 CFR 1506.9

Notice

Section 309(a) of the Clean Air Act requires that EPA make public its comments on EISs issued by other Federal agencies. EPA’s comment letters on EISs are available at: http://www.epa. gov/compliance/nepa/eisdata.html.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  Starting October 1, 2012, EPA will not accept paper copies or CDs of EISs for filing purposes; all submissions on or after October 1, 2012 must be made through e-NEPA. While this system eliminates the need to submit paper or CD copies to EPA to meet filing requirements, electronic submission does not change requirements for distribution of EISs for public review and comment. To begin using e-NEPA, you must first register with EPA’s electronic reporting site— https://cdx.epa.gov/epa

_home.asp. EIS No. 20120264, Final EIS, USFS, CA,

On Top Hazardous Fuels Reduction Project, To Disclose the Environmental Effects of a Federal Proposal on National Forest System (NFS) Land, Plumas National Forest, Feather River Ranger District, Plumas, Butte Counties, CA, Review Period Ends: 09/17/2012, Contact: Carol Spinos 530–534–6500. EIS No. 20120265, Draft EIS, FHWA,

MT, Billings Bypass Improvements, Connecting Interstate 90 (I–90) east of Billings with Old Highway (Old Hwy 312), Possible USACE Section 10 and 404 Permits, Yellowstone County, MT, Comment Period Ends: 10/01/ 2012, Contact: Brian Hasselbach 406–
441–3908. EIS No. 20120266, Draft EIS, USFS, CO,

Village at Wolf Creek Access Project, Conveyance of Non-Federal Land to the U.S. in Exchange for National Forest System Lands Managed by the Rio Grande National Forest, Mineral County, CO, Comment Period Ends: 10/01/2012, Contact: Harold Dyer
719–852–6215. EIS No. 20120267, Draft EIS, USN, VA,

Outdoor Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Activities within the Potomac River Test Range and Explosives Experimental Area Complexes, the Mission Area and Special-Use Airspace at Naval Support Facility Dahlgren, Expansion, Dahlgren, VA, Comment Period Ends: 10/01/2012, Contact: Jennifer Boyd
540–653–8695.

Amended Notices EIS No. 20120184, Draft EIS, NOAA, 00,

Issuing Annual Quotas to the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission (AEWC) for a Subsistence Hunt on Bowhead Whales for the Years 2013 through 2017/2018, Comment Period Ends: 08/31/2012, Contact: Ellen Sebastian 907–586–7247. Revision to FR Notice Published 06/15/2012; Extending Comment Period from 08/14/2012 to 08/31/2012. EIS No. 20120197, Draft EIS, USFS, ID,

Golden Hand No. 1 and No. 2 Lode Mining Claims Project, Krassel Ranger District, Payette National Forest, Valley and Idaho Counties, ID, Comment Period Ends: 08/13/2012, Contact: Jeff Hunteman 208–634– 0434. Revision to FR Notice Published 06/29/2012; Extending Comments Period from 08/13/2012 to 09/17/
2012. EIS No. 20120263, Final EIS, USFS, CA,

Barren Ridge Renewable Transmission Project, Construct, Operate, Maintain, and Upgrade 220kV Electrical Transmission Lines and Switching Stations, Kern and Los Angeles Counties, CA, Review Period Ends: 09/10/2012, Contact: Justin Seastrand 626–574–5278(AFS), Lynette Elser 951–697–5233(BLM).
Revision to FR Notice Published 08/ 10/2012; Review Period ends 09/10/212. More information on the U.S. Forest Service’s appeal process is available at http://www.ladwp.com/barrenridge

.

Dated: July 14, 2012. Aimee Hessert, Deputy Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 2012–20248 Filed 8–16–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6560–50–P**

**ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY** 

**[EPA–HQ–OPP–2012–0442; FRL–9356–5]**

**FIFRA Pesticide Registration Review and ESA Consultation Processes;**  **Proposal Regarding Stakeholder Input; Request for Comment** 

**AGENCY :**  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

**ACTION :**  Notice of availability.

**SUMMARY :**  EPA is seeking public comment on a proposal to enhance opportunities for stakeholders to provide input during its review of pesticide registrations under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and associated consultations under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The proposal was jointly prepared by EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) in the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in the U.S. Department of Interior. The proposal describes significant changes to EPA’s registration review process which are intended to facilitate ESA pesticide consultations and coordination across these Federal agencies, and calls for a greater role for USDA.

**DATES :**  Comments must be received on or before October 16, 2012.

**ADDRESSES :**  Submit your comments, identified by docket identification (ID) number EPA–HQ–OPP–2012–0442, by one of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

• Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket Center (EPA/ DC), Mail Code: 28221T, 1200


### 49793 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 160 / Friday, August 17, 2012 / Notices

Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460–0001.

• Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the instructions at http:// www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.htm. Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along with more information about dockets generally, is available at http://www.epa.gov/ dockets.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :** Richard P. Keigwin, Jr., Pesticide Reevaluation Division (7510P), Office of Pesticide Programs, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460–0001; telephone number: (703) 308–8000; fax number: (703) 308–8005; email address: keigwin.richard@epa.gov.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  I. What action is the Agency taking?

EPA is taking public comment on a document entitled, ‘‘Proposal for Enhancing Stakeholder Input in the Pesticide Registration Review and ESA Consultation Processes and Development of Economically and Technologically Feasible Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives,’’ a copy of which is available in the docket at http://www.regulations.gov under docket ID number EPA–HQ–OPP–2012– 0442. The document describes proposed changes to EPA’s pesticide registration review program and how it conducts consultation with the Services under Section 7 of the ESA. II. Why is the Agency taking this action?

In an effort to be responsive to stakeholders’ desires for a mechanism to get information into the registration review process as early as possible, EPA proposes to hold ‘‘Focus’’ meetings at the start of registration review for each active ingredient. In response to stakeholders’ desires for a more open, reliable, and transparent pesticide consultation process, EPA proposes to initiate any needed formal ESA consultations at a later stage in the review process. Consulting later in the registration review process allows EPA to develop more refined ecological risk assessments and to engage affected stakeholders in discussions that should result in more focused consultation packages inclusive of mitigation for listed species. There is an emerging consensus that EPA and the Services should engage informally and early in the consultation process, but that formal consultation should be reserved until EPA’s ecological risk assessment and proposed decision are more fully formed. This approach has the potential to maximize the opportunity to effect changes that provide protections for species and their designated critical habitat, lessen the impacts on agriculture, and narrow the scope of the Federal action.

Additionally, the proposal describes EPA’s plans to reach out to pesticide users potentially affected to discuss the technological and economic feasibility of ‘‘Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives’’ (RPAs) intended to avoid jeopardy to threatened and/or endangered species. The USDA’s relationships with the agricultural community provide a critical link between EPA’s expertise on pesticides and the Services’ expertise on listed species’ locations, status and biology.

Finally, the proposal describes the process by which public comments received on RPAs will be summarized and organized by EPA and provided to the Services, who will prepare a document to be included in the administrative record of the consultation explaining how comments were considered, and if appropriate, how the final biological opinion was modified to address the comments. The Services will provide the document to EPA, and both the Services and EPA will make the document available to the public upon request. These process changes are intended to provide clarity and transparency to the ESA Section 7 consultation process for pesticides.

EPA and the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Interior are taking this action because many stakeholders have expressed concerns regarding the apparent lack of transparency surrounding ESA consultations on pesticide registration review decisions, and the need for increased access to the decision-making process by states and other stakeholders for the purpose of providing relevant data for consideration during registration review and accompanying ESA consultation. Increasing public participation opportunities during both the registration review and accompanying ESA consultation processes, and improving clarity and transparency during these processes are important goals of this action.

In the interest of facilitating discussion and providing clarification on the process changes described in the proposal, EPA and the departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Interior are willing to meet with affected stakeholders. Individuals and/or organizations wanting to meet with the agencies to discuss this proposal should submit a request to the docket. List of Subjects Environmental protection, Endangered species, Pesticides and pests, Threatened species.

Dated: August 3, 2012. Steven Bradbury, Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. 2012–20237 Filed 8–16–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 6560–50–P**

**ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY** 

**[EPA–HQ–OPP–2012–0570; FRL–9358–4]**

**Ortho-Phthalaldehyde; Receipt of Application for Emergency Exemption,**  **Solicitation of Public Comment**

**AGENCY :**  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

**ACTION :**  Notice.

**SUMMARY :**  EPA has received a specific exemption request from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) to use the pesticide orthophthalaldehyde (OPA) (CAS No. 643– 79–8) to treat the International Space Station internal active thermal control system (IATCS) coolant to control Cupriavidus metallidurans, Variovorax paradoxus, Acidovorax sp., Sphingomonas parapaucimobilis, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, Methylobacterium extorquens, and unidentified gram negative rods. This emergency exemption involves the use of a chemical which has not been registered by the EPA. EPA is soliciting public comment on the exemption.

**DATES :**  Comments must be received on or before September 4, 2012.

**ADDRESSES :**  Submit your comments, identified by docket identification (ID) number EPA–HQ–OPP–2012–0570, by one of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting comments. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

• Mail: OPP Docket, Environmental Protection Agency Docket Center (EPA/ DC), Mail Code: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460–0001.

• Hand Delivery: To make special arrangements for hand delivery or delivery of boxed information, please follow the instructions at http:// www.epa.gov/dockets/contacts.htm. Additional instructions on commenting or visiting the docket, along with more