[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 106 (Friday, June 1, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29798-29799]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-13829]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[ER-FRL-6618-6]


Environmental Impact Statements and Regulations; Availability of 
EPA Comments

    Availability of EPA comments prepared pursuant to the Environmental 
Review
    Process (ERP), under Section 309 of the Clean Air Act and Section 
102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act as amended. Requests 
for copies of EPA comments can be directed to the Office of Federal 
Activities at (202) 564-7167. An explanation of the ratings assigned to 
draft environmental impact statements (EISs) was published in FR dated 
April 14, 2000 (65 FR 20157).

Draft EISs

    ERP No. D-AFS-G36152-NM Rating LO, Santa Fe National Forest, Santa 
Fe Municipal Watershed Project, Servere Crown Fire Reduction and 
Sustainable Forest and Watershed Conditions Restoration, 
Implementation, Pecos Wilderness to Cochitti Lake, Santa Fe National 
Forest, Santa Fe County, NM.

Summary

    EPA has no objections to the selection of the preferred 
alternative.
    ERP No. D-BIA-K60031-NV Rating EC2, Moapa Paiute Energy Center/
Associated Facilities Construction, Operation and Maintenance of a 760-
Megawatt (MW) Baseload Natural Gas-Fired Combined Cycle Power Plant, 
Land Lease and Water Use Approval, R-O-W Grants, Temporary Use, COE 
Section 10/404 and EPA NPDES Permits, Moapa River Indian Reservation 
and BLM Lands, Clark County, NY.

Summary

    EPA expressed concerns, and requested additional information 
regarding: lack of evaluation for ressonable alternatives, impacts to 
groundwater resources, air quality impacts, and endangered species act 
compliance.
    ERP No. D-BOP-G81010-LA Rating LO, Pollock Federal Correctional 
Institution, Construction and Operation, near Town of Pollock, Grant 
Parish, LA.

Summary

    EPA expressed no objection to the project proposal.
    ERP No. D-BOP-K80043-AZ Rating EC2, Southern Arizona Federal 
Correctional Facility, Construction and Operation, Pima and Yuma 
Counties, AZ.

Summary

    EPA expressed concerns regarding the lack of detail relating to 
specific site location information and potential impacts of the prison 
industry component of the project. EPA requested additional information 
on those areas, and also requested additional analysis of the ``no 
action' alternative.
    ERP No. D-IBR-J39029-SD Rating EC2, Angostura Unit--(Dam, Reservoir 
and Irrigation Facilities) Renewal of a Long-Term Water Service 
Contract, Cheyenne River Basin, Pine Ridge Reservation, Bismarck 
County, SD.

Summary

    EPA expressed environmental concerns over the level of analysis of 
direct and indirect impacts, and the lack of information regarding the 
cumulative effects of the Angostura project and the means to mitigate 
the significant impacts of each alternative.

Final EISs

    ERP No. F-AFS-K61145-CA Programmatic EIS--Ansel Adams, John Muir 
and Dinkey Lakes Wildernesses, Proposed New Management Direction, 
Amending the Land and Resource Management Plans for the Inyo and Sierra 
National Forests, Implementation, Inyo, Madera, Mono and Fresno 
Counties, CA.

Summary

    No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.
    ERP No. F-IBR-L28008-ID Arrowrock Dam Outlet Works Rehabilitation, 
Construction and Operation, To Remove 10 Lower Level Ensign Valves and 
Replace with 10 Clamshell Gates, Boise River, City of Boise, ID.

Summary

    EPA is pleased that the final EIS includes a modification from the 
draft EIS which reduces the likelihood of

[[Page 29799]]

significant impacts to water quality and fish. However, EPA continues 
to have objections because the final EIS does not clearly state how 
much the modification would reduce the potential for turbidity and 
lacks a quantitative estimate of suspended solids, new information 
about monitoring and mitigation, and a greater description of 
environmental impacts and alternatives analyses.
    ERP No. F-JUS-K81010-AZ Pinal County Private Detention Facility, To 
Develop and Operate a Pre-Trail Detention Facility, Pinal County, CA.

Summary

    No formal comment letter was sent to the preparing agency.

Regulations

    ERP No. R-BLM-A99217-00 43 CFR Subpart 3809--Surface Management 
Regulations for Locatable Mineral Operations; Proposed Suspension.

Summary

    EPA expressed concern that the bonding and financial assurance 
requirements be adequate to ensure that states and the federal 
government are not required to pay reclamation and clean up costs for 
abandoned mine sites. EPA recommends that the financial assurance 
requirements in the current regulation not be suspended but be 
contined.

    Dated: May 29, 2001.
Ken Mittelholtz,
Environmental Protection Specialist, Office of Federal Activities.
[FR Doc. 01-13829 Filed 5-31-01; 8:45 am]
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