Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 102869 

Dated: December 13, 2024. 

Aaron T. Siegel, 

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison 

Officer, Department of Defense. 

[FR Doc. 2024–30018 Filed 12–17–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6001–FR–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Reclamation 

Notice of Intent To Prepare a 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement (SEIS) for the Columbia 

River System Operations 

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

Department of the Army, DoD; Bureau 

of Reclamation, U.S. Department of the 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: In 2020, the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers (Corps), Bureau of 

Reclamation (Reclamation), and 

Bonneville Power Administration 

(Bonneville) issued the 2020 Columbia 

River System Operations Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (CRSO 

EIS; DOE/EIS–0529), which addressed 

the ongoing operations, maintenance, 

and configuration of fourteen Federal 

Columbia River System (CRS) multiple 

purpose dams and related facilities 

located throughout the Columbia River 

basin. The Corps and Reclamation (CoLead Agencies) intend to prepare a 

supplemental EIS to address 

environmental effects from proposed 

changes to the selected alternative in the 

CRSO EIS and new circumstances and 

information about the significance of 

adverse effects that arose or became 

available after completion of the CRSO 

EIS. Bonneville has not elected to serve 

as a co-lead agency for this SEIS and has 

instead expressed interest in 

participating as a cooperating agency. 

DATES: The Co-Lead Agencies invite 

Federal and State agencies, Native 

American Tribes, local governments, 

and the public to submit scoping 

comments relevant to the supplemental 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) process no later than March 20, 

2025. Information will also be provided 

at public meetings. Information on the 

public meetings is provided under the 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section of 

this Notice of Intent. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments, requests 

to be placed on the project mailing list, 

and requests for information may be 

mailed by letter to U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers Northwestern Division Attn: 

CRSO SEIS, P.O. Box 2870, Portland, 

OR 97208–2870; or by email to 

columbiariver@usace.army.mil. All 

comment letters will be available via the 

project website at https://www.nwd.

usace.army.mil/CRSO/. All comments 

and materials received, including names 

and addresses, will become part of the 

administrative record, and may be 

released to the public. Interested parties 

should not submit confidential business 

or otherwise sensitive or protected 

information. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim 

Fleeger, Columbia River Basin Policy 

and Environmental Coordinator, 

Northwestern Division, U.S. Army 

Corps of Engineers 1 (800) 290–5033 or 

email columbiariver@usace.army.mil. 

Additional information can be found at 

the project website: https://

www.nwd.usace.army.mil/CRSO/FinalEIS. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Background: The fourteen Federal 

multiple purpose dams and related 

facilities of the Columbia River System 

(CRS) are operated as a coordinated 

system within the interior Columbia 

River basin in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, 

and Washington. The Corps was 

authorized by Congress to construct, 

operate, and maintain twelve of these 

projects for multiple purposes (project 

purposes vary by project), including 

flood risk management, power 

generation, navigation, fish and wildlife 

conservation, recreation, and municipal 

and industrial water supply: namely, 

Libby, Albeni Falls, Dworshak, Chief 

Joseph, Lower Granite, Little Goose, 

Lower Monumental, Ice Harbor, 

McNary, John Day, The Dalles, and 

Bonneville. Reclamation was authorized 

by Congress to construct, operate, and 

maintain two of these projects for 

purposes of flood risk management, 

power generation, navigation, and 

irrigation: Hungry Horse and Grand 

Coulee. Bonneville is responsible for 

marketing and transmitting power the 

dams generate. Together, the Corps, 

Reclamation, and Bonneville are 

responsible for managing the system for 

these various purposes. 

In 2020, the Corps, Reclamation, and 

Bonneville completed the CRSO EIS and 

signed a Record of Decision (ROD) 

selecting their preferred alternative 

identified in the CRSO EIS. Multiple 

parties filed legal challenges to the 

CRSO EIS and ROD, as well as to the 

associated biological opinions the 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) and U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (FWS) issued in conjunction 

with the CRSO EIS. 

Since 2021, the litigation challenging 

the CRSO EIS ROD and biological 

opinions has been stayed or 

administratively terminated, allowing 

the U.S. government, including the 

Corps, Reclamation, Bonneville, FWS, 

and NMFS and other departments and 

agencies to engage in mediated 

discussions with the Confederated 

Tribes of the Colville Reservation, the 

Coeur d’Alene Tribe, and the Spokane 

Tribe of Indians as well as Oregon, 

Washington, the Confederated Tribes 

and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the 

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla 

Indian Reservation, the Confederated 

Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation 

of Oregon, the Nez Perce Tribe, local 

governments, stakeholder groups, and 

nongovernmental organizations. 

In December 2023, the United States 

Government (USG) signed a 

Memorandum of Understanding (now 

called the Resilient Columbia Basin 

Agreement (RCBA)) with Oregon, 

Washington, the Confederated Tribes 

and Bands of the Yakama Nation, the 

Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla 

Indian Reservation, the Confederated 

Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation 

of Oregon, the Nez Perce Tribe, and the 

National Wildlife Federation Plaintiffs. 

The RCBA provides for a stay of 

litigation on the CRSO EIS ROD and 

related biological opinions for up to 10 

years and includes agreed upon CRS 

operations. The RCBA also includes 

USG commitments to carry out certain 

analyses related to regional energy 

needs, Tribal circumstances, water 

supply replacement, transportation 

infrastructure, and recreation and public 

access, as well as commitments on a 

series of actions to improve conditions 

for native fish species. As part of the 

RCBA, and consistent with Corps’, 

Reclamation’s, and Bonneville’s ongoing 

responsibilities under NEPA, the USG 

committed to reviewing existing 

environmental compliance documents 

and initiating any supplemental or 

additional environmental compliance 

determined to be necessary in fall of 

2024. 

The Co-Lead Agencies are evaluating 

triggers for supplementation under 

NEPA. In determining the scope of 

supplemental compliance, the Co-Lead 

Agencies will evaluate new information 

and circumstances, including any: 

changes to operations, maintenance, and 

configuration of the fourteen projects 

that make up the Columbia River 

System; new species listed or proposed 

for listing under the Endangered Species 

Act (ESA) (e.g., Wolverine); certain USG 

Commitments associated with the 


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102870 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 

RCBA; relevant reports, studies, or other 

information published since the CRSO 

EIS was completed (including, but not 

limited to, the Department of the 

Interior’s report, Historic and Ongoing 

Impacts of Federal Dams on the 

Columbia River Basin Tribes, and other 

information sources referenced in 

Attachment 2 of the RCBA); and 

anticipated changes in Columbia River 

inflows to the United States from 

Canada and operational effects in the 

U.S. related to the modernization of the 

Columbia River Treaty. 

With respect to the latter, the 

Columbia River’s flow at the U.S.- 

Canada border is affected by how 

Canada operates storage reservoirs in its 

portion of the basin. Canada’s reservoir 

operations are affected in part by how 

the Columbia River Treaty operations 

are managed for flood risk management, 

hydropower generation, and ecosystem 

purposes in coordination with the 

United States. The CRSO EIS applied 

2016 Columbia River Treaty operations 

as the best-available information. 

Certain terms of the Columbia River 

Treaty regarding preplanned flood risk 

management changed on September 16, 

2024, and the countries have been 

negotiating modernized provisions of 

the Treaty to address these changes, 

along with updates to hydropower 

coordination, the inclusion of ecosystem 

purposes, and increased Canadian 

flexibility. The existing Treaty’s changes 

in flood risk management along with 

expected updates from the 

modernization process may lead to 

changed flows across the border from 

Canada that vary from the assumptions 

and effects contemplated in the 2020 

CRSO EIS under certain hydrological 

conditions. 

2. Purpose and Need for the Proposed 

Action: The ongoing action under 

evaluation in this supplemental NEPA 

process is the long-term coordinated 

operations, maintenance, and 

configuration of the Columbia River 

System. The purpose of this action is to 

operate the Columbia River System to 

meet multiple responsibilities including 

resource, legal, and institutional 

purposes of the action. The underlying 

need to which the Co-Lead Agencies are 

responding in this supplemental NEPA 

process is the need to evaluate the 

selected alternative in light of changes 

to the action and potentially substantial 

new circumstances and information that 

arose or became available after 

completion of the CRSO EIS ROD and 

are relevant to environmental effects. 

The Federal decision in this process is 

to determine whether to modify the 

selected alternative from the CRSO EIS 

based on potentially substantial changes 

to measures included in the selected 

alternative, or substantial new 

information or changed circumstances 

and conditions about the significance of 

adverse effects that bear on the analysis. 

3. Description of Proposed Action and 

Alternatives: The CRSO EIS evaluated a 

range of alternatives developed to meet 

the Purpose and Need Statement and 

eight study objectives developed for the 

EIS. The eight objectives, in tandem 

with the Purpose and Need Statement, 

established the framework for 

evaluating the ability of an alternative to 

satisfy the Corps’, Reclamation’s, and 

Bonneville’s numerous legal, 

institutional, and resource obligations. 

The agencies used an iterative process 

to develop a range of alternatives for the 

future physical configuration, operation, 

and maintenance of the 14 projects of 

the CRS. The alternatives were 

developed to achieve a reasonable 

balance of competing resource demands 

for the available water and for the 

multiple authorized purposes, including 

evaluating measures to avoid, offset, or 

minimize impacts to resources affected 

by managing the CRS in the context of 

new information and changed 

conditions in the Columbia River Basin 

since the System Operation Review EIS 

in 1997. During the preparation of the 

CRSO EIS, the agencies developed a 

reasonable range of four Multiple 

Objective Action Alternatives (MOs) 

suitable for analysis in addition to the 

No Action Alternative. Following 

analysis and identification of effects for 

the No Action Alternative and the four 

MO alternatives, the Corps, 

Reclamation, and Bonneville used these 

findings to develop a fifth action 

alternative, which was described as the 

agencies’ Preferred Alternative in the 

CRSO Draft and Final EIS. This selected 

alternative was ultimately chosen in the 

CRSO EIS ROD (Selected Alternative). 

This supplemental NEPA process is 

focused on addressing potentially 

substantial changes to the Selected 

Alternative, reviewing potentially 

substantial new circumstances and 

information that arose or became 

available after completion of the CRSO 

EIS, and preparing a SEIS. The SEIS will 

evaluate potential benefits and impacts 

of changes made to the Selected 

Alternative including direct, indirect, 

and cumulative effects to the human 

and natural environments. 

4. Summary of Potential Effects: The 

Corps, Reclamation, and Bonneville 

issued the CRSO EIS ROD in 2020. 

Since then, a variety of new 

circumstances and information about 

the significance of effects that bear on 

the NEPA analysis previously 

conducted have arisen. The Co-Lead 

Agencies will use this information to 

assess and update, as appropriate, the 

analyses presented in the CRSO EIS. 

The Co-Lead Agencies will analyze any 

substantial changes in effects relating to 

changes in the Proposed Action such as 

any changes to operations, maintenance, 

and configuration of the fourteen 

projects that make up the Columbia 

River System; new species listed or 

proposed for listing under the 

Endangered Species Act (ESA); 

anticipated changes in Columbia River 

inflows to the United States from 

Canada and operational effects in the 

U.S. related to the modernization of the 

Columbia River Treaty; and relevant 

reports, studies, or other information 

published since the CRSO EIS. This will 

include an assessment of existing effects 

analyses and additional effects analyses 

as necessary to ensure compliance with 

applicable environmental laws and 

regulations, including the ESA and the 

National Historic Preservation Act 

(NHPA). The Co-Lead Agencies will 

issue a decision following publication of 

the final SEIS and completion of 

consultation, if necessary, under the 

ESA. 

At this early stage, it is unknown the 

full extent to which effects analyses 

results may differ from those presented 

in the CRSO EIS. Because changes and 

new information involve Columbia 

River System conditions, a broad range 

of resources may be affected. 

Accordingly, the full range of resources 

that were analyzed in the CRSO EIS will 

be assessed for potential effects due to 

proposed changes or changed 

conditions and circumstances. These 

resources include: river hydrology and 

hydraulics; water quality; aquatic 

habitat, invertebrates, and fish; 

vegetation, wetlands, wildlife, and 

floodplains; power generation and 

transmission; air quality and greenhouse 

gases; flood risk management; 

navigation and transportation; 

recreation; water supply; visual and 

noise resources; fisheries and passive 

use; cultural resources; Indian trust 

assets, tribal perspectives, and tribal 

interests; environmental justice; and 

implementation and system costs. 

5. Anticipated Permits, Other 

Authorizations, and Other Directives: 

For reasons identified above, the Corps, 

Reclamation, and Bonneville have 

reinitiated ESA consultation with FWS 

and are evaluating whether reinitiation 

of ESA consultation with NMFS is 

necessary under section 7 of the ESA. 

During the pendency of the ESA 

consultation and NEPA processes, 

Corps, Reclamation, and Bonneville will 

operate the CRS consistent with the 

current biological opinions and the 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 243 / Wednesday, December 18, 2024 / Notices 102871 

operations identified in the RCBA. 

Corps, Reclamation, and Bonneville also 

will work with NMFS and FWS to 

ensure compliance with the ESA, 

coordinate environmental reviews, and 

maintain protections afforded to ESAlisted species and critical habitat under 

existing environmental compliance 

documentation. 

The Co-lead agencies (and Bonneville 

when appropriate) will comply with all 

applicable statutory and regulatory 

requirements in evaluating the Proposed 

Action, including but not limited to the 

ESA, Clean Water Act, Section 106 of 

the NHPA, and Executive Orders, 

including E.O. 12898 Federal Actions to 

Address Environmental Justice in 

Minority Populations and Low-Income 

Populations and E.O. 14096 on 

Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment 

to Environmental Justice For All, and 

the recent Presidential Memorandum, 

Restoring Healthy and Abundant 

Salmon, Steelhead, and Other Native 

Fish Populations in the Columbia River 

Basin, 88 FR 67617 (October 2, 2023). 

The Co-Lead Agencies wi.ll also 

ensure government-to-government 

consultation with Tribes that honors the 

U.S. Government’s longstanding 

commitments to Tribal Nations. 

6. Schedule for the Decision-Making 

Process. To the extent feasible, the CoLead Agencies will complete the SEIS in 

compliance with the deadlines and 

schedules set forth in 40 Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) 1501.10(b). 

The draft SEIS will be available for 

public review and comment. A 45-day 

public review period will be provided 

for interested parties and agencies to 

review and comment on this draft 

document. All interested parties are 

encouraged to respond to this Notice of 

Intent and provide a current address if 

they wish to be notified of the Draft 

SEIS circulation. The Co-Lead Agencies 

would issue a decision at the conclusion 

of the NEPA process, in accordance 

with 40 CFR 1506.10. Corps, 

Reclamation, and Bonneville would also 

determine how to proceed consistent 

with their Section 7 obligations under 

the ESA and any resulting biological 

opinions in accordance with 50 CFR 

402.15. 

7. Scoping Process/Public 

Involvement. The Co-Lead Agencies 

invite all affected Federal, State, and 

local agencies, affected Tribes, other 

interested parties, and the general 

public to participate in the NEPA 

process during development of the SEIS. 

Three (3) virtual public scoping 

meetings will be held the week of 

February 10, 2025. The specific dates, 

times, and meeting information will be 

published on the project website: 

https://www.nwd.usace.army.mil/ 

CRSO/. Additional public meetings will 

be scheduled after release of the draft 

SEIS. 

The Co-Lead Agencies are issuing this 

Notice of Intent to: (1) Advise other 

Federal and State agencies, Tribes, and 

the public of their plan to analyze 

effects related to system operations, 

maintenance and configuration; (2) 

obtain suggestions and information that 

may inform the scope of issues to 

evaluate in the SEIS; and (3) provide 

notice and request public input on 

potential effects on historic properties 

from system operations, maintenance 

and configuration due to potential 

modification of the undertaking in 

accordance with section 106 of the 

NHPA (36 CFR 800.2(d)(3) and 

800.8(c)(5)). The Co-Lead agencies will 

also identify any cooperating and 

participating agencies that the Co-Lead 

agencies may require information from 

to facilitate their future decision after 

completion of the Notice of Intent 

scoping period. 

William C. Hannan, 

Brigadier General, US Army, Division 

Commander. 

Jennifer Carrington, 

Regional Director, Columbia-Pacific 

Northwest Region, Bureau of Reclamation. 

[FR Doc. 2024–29936 Filed 12–17–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Environmental Management SiteSpecific Advisory Board, Paducah 

AGENCY: Office of Environmental 

Management, Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of open meeting. 

SUMMARY: This notice announces a 

meeting of the Environmental 

Management Site-Specific Advisory 

Board (EM SSAB), Paducah. The 

Federal Advisory Committee Act 

requires that public notice of this 

meeting be announced in the Federal 

Register. 

DATES: Thursday, January 16, 2025; 

5:30–7 p.m. CST. 

ADDRESSES: West Kentucky Community 

and Technical College, Emerging 

Technology Center, Room 215, 5100 

Alben Barkley Drive, Paducah, 

Kentucky 42001. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Robert ‘‘Buz’’ Smith, Federal 

Coordinator, by Phone: (270) 441–6821 

or Email: Robert.Smith@pppo.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose of the Board: The purpose of 

the Board is to provide advice and 

recommendations concerning the 

following EM site-specific issues: cleanup activities and environmental 

restoration; waste and nuclear materials 

management and disposition; excess 

facilities; future land use and long-term 

stewardship. The Board may also be 

asked to provide advice and 

recommendations on any EM program 

components. 

Tentative Agenda: 

• Administrative Activities 

• Public Comment Period 

Public Participation: The meeting is 

open to the public. The EM SSAB, 

Paducah will make every effort to 

accommodate persons with physical 

disabilities or special needs. If you 

require special accommodations due to 

a disability, please contact Robert ‘‘Buz’’ 

Smith in advance of the meeting. The 

Department of Energy will hear oral 

public comments during the meeting. A 

15-minute public comment period will 

take place at the end of the agenda. 

Individual oral comments are to be 

limited to two minutes per speaker to 

ensure time for all who wish to speak. 

Written statements may be filed either 

before or after the meeting. Written 

comments submitted by 5 p.m. CST on 

Friday, January 24, 2025, will be 

included in the minutes. Please submit 

written comments to Zachery Boyarski 

at Zachary.Boyarski@pppo.gov with 

‘‘Public Comment’’ in the subject line. 

The Deputy Designated Federal Officer 

is empowered to conduct the meeting in 

a fashion that will facilitate the orderly 

conduct of business. 

Minutes: Minutes will be available by 

writing or calling Eric Roberts, Board 

Support Manager, Emerging Technology 

Center, Room 221, 4810 Alben Barkley 

Drive, Paducah, KY 42001; Phone: (270) 

554–3004. Minutes will also be 

available at the following website: 

https://www.energy.gov/pppo/pgdp-cab/ 

listings/meeting-materials. 

Signing Authority: This document of 

the Department of Energy was signed on 

December 12, 2024, by Alyssa Petit, 

Deputy Committee Management Officer, 

pursuant to delegated authority from the 

Secretary of Energy. That document 

with the original signature and date is 

maintained by DOE. For administrative 

purposes only, and in compliance with 

requirements of the Office of the Federal 

Register, the undersigned DOE Federal 

Register Liaison Officer has been 

authorized to sign and submit the 

document in electronic format for 

publication, as an official document of 

the Department of Energy. This 

administrative process in no way alters 

the legal effect of this document upon 

publication in the Federal Register. 


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