[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 172 (Tuesday, September 7, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54377-54378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-22145]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


Cattle Point Road Relocation; Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement; San Juan Island National Historical Park; San Juan County, 
WA; Notice of Availability

    Summary: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(Pub. L. 91-190, as amended), and the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations (40 CFR part 1500-1508), the National Park Service (NPS), 
and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Department of 
Transportation, co-lead agencies for this project, in cooperation with 
San Juan County, Washington and the Washington State Department of 
Natural Resources, have prepared a draft environmental impact statement 
(DEIS) for alternatives designed to respond to coastal bluff erosion 
which threatens Cattle Point Road located in San Juan Island National 
Historical Park (Park), Washington. The DEIS identifies and analyzes 
three ``action'' alternatives for road realignment that respond to 
agency planning requirements and to the public's concerns and relevant 
environmental issues, identified during the scoping and early public 
involvement process. The potential environmental consequences of the 
alternatives, and appropriate measures to minimize or avoid harm, are 
identified and analyzed in the DEIS. An ``environmentally preferred'' 
alternative is also identified.
    Background: A portion of the Cattle Point Road which terminates on 
the southeastern tip of San Juan Island is threatened by coastal 
erosion at the base of the slope traversed by the road. This road 
passes through the Park and serves residences on a peninsular area of 
the island known as Cattle Point, as well provides public access to the 
Cattle Point Natural Resource Conservation Area, managed by the 
Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR). If erosion continues 
unabated, the roadway eventually will fail, disrupting vehicular access 
to these areas. The road is currently maintained by San Juan County 
(County); the project area of potential effect is primarily within the 
Park. The entire Park is listed on the National Register of Historic 
Places as a National Historic Landmark.
    A Notice of Intent to begin the conservation planning and 
environmental impact analysis for the project was published in the 
Federal Register on February 6, 2004. The NPS and the FHWA, along with 
the County and the DNR, organized an interdisciplinary team consisting 
of members from the four agencies. A previous scoping effort begun by 
the County in 2001 was incorporated into the current project. Public 
engagement was initiated through a newsletter and news release, 
followed by two public meetings held February 18, 2004, on San Juan 
Island. Project team members presented information and gathered 
feedback and ideas on preliminary alternatives and potential 
environmental issues. Approximately 30 public comments were received 
during the scoping period ending March 19, 2004.
    The project team subsequently developed a Scoping Report, which 
described the range of potential alternatives identified for more 
detailed analysis, as well as alternatives dismissed from further 
consideration

[[Page 54378]]

(including armoring the base of the slope in lieu of road realignment 
options). The Scoping Report included comments and agency responses as 
appendices. On June 17, 2004, a notice was sent to the 302-member 
project mailing list regarding release of the Scoping Report; 
additionally, a press release was issued and a notice posted on the 
Park website announcing availability of the document. In April of 2005, 
a newsletter was sent to the project mailing list summarizing progress 
on the DEIS to date, including the preliminary identification of a 
preferred alternative, completion of a Cultural Resource Survey and a 
Tunnel Feasibility Study, and plans for rare plant surveys. The project 
team made a presentation summarizing planning to date to the San Juan 
Board of County Commissioners in January, 2006; the meeting was open to 
the public. A plant survey report was also completed during January, 
2006. Letters were sent to culturally affiliated tribes on March 9, 
2006, with copies of the Cultural Resource Survey and inviting their 
comments on the project. The FHWA, on behalf of the project team, sent 
a letter to the Washington State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) 
on May 28, 2009, with a recommendation of No Adverse Effect and Sec.  
4(f) de minimis determination. Concurrence was received from the SHPO 
on June 23, 2009.
    Proposal and Alternatives: Alternative A: No Action--The existing 
use, maintenance, and management associated with the road would 
continue without change. This alternative provides a baseline of 
current conditions to aid comparison and analysis of the ``action'' 
alternatives. Under this alternative, erosion eventually could cause 
the road to fail, disrupting vehicular access to residential properties 
in the Cattle Point Estates and Cape San Juan neighborhoods and to 
public lands east of the eroding bluff. Since measurements began in 
2002, erosion has moved approximately 14 feet closer to the guard rail 
and is currently 32 feet from the guard rail at its closest point. The 
continued life span of the road is difficult to predict, however large 
storm events could potentially make the road unsafe in a few years--
life expectancy (relative to coastal erosion) is estimated at 
approximately 100 years for each of the ``action'' alternatives.
    Alternative B: Hybrid Mid-Slope Realignment--This alternative is 
the ``agency preferred'' alternative. It involves mid-slope realignment 
to the north of the existing road, traversing the south-facing slope of 
Mt. Finlayson. At its highest point, this alignment curves slightly 
south of the Mt. Finlayson summit. The realignment would be entirely on 
the surface (no tunnel), approximately 4,950 feet in length, with a 
short slope of 10.5% on the eastern end. This also is deemed to be the 
``environmentally preferred'' course of action.
    Alternative C: Long Tunnel on Minor Realignment--This alternative 
involves a short realignment (2,830 feet) relatively low on the slope 
of Mt. Finlayson. Sixteen hundred feet of the realignment would be 
within a bored tunnel. Maximum slope would be 7%.
    Alternative D: Mid-Slope Alignment with Short Tunnel--This 
alternative involves mid-slope realignment to the north of the existing 
road, utilizing a short tunnel near the ridgeline of Mt. Finlayson. 
Realignment length would be 4,700 feet, 775 feet of which would be 
within the tunnel. Maximum slope would be 8%.
    Public Review and Comment: The DEIS is now available for public 
review. Copies may be obtained by contacting the Park as noted below. 
Printed copies of the document may also be reviewed at these locations 
in Friday Harbor on San Juan Island: San Juan County Public Library, 
San Juan County Office of Public Works, and at Park headquarters. The 
document may also be reviewed at Federal Highway Administration office 
in Vancouver, Washington. All written comments must be postmarked or 
transmitted not later than 60 days from the date of publication in the 
Federal Register of the Environmental Protection Agency's notice of 
filing of the DEIS--as soon as this date is confirmed, it will be 
announced on the project website and via local and regional media.
    During the review period, several options are available for 
providing written comments. Letters can be directly mailed to: 
Superintendent Peter Dederich, San Juan Island National Historical 
Park, P.O. Box 429, Friday Harbor, WA 98250. In addition, comments may 
be hand-delivered at the upcoming public workshop to be conducted on 
San Juan Island. Confirmed details on the date, location, and time for 
the workshop will be announced in local newspapers, in the forthcoming 
DEIS Alternatives newsletter, online at the Park Web site (http://www.nps.gov/sajh), or may be obtained via telephone at (360) 378-2240. 
Comments may also be transmitted electronically on the NPS project Web 
site http//parkplanning.nps.gov/sajh.
    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.
    Following the opportunity to review the DEIS, all comments received 
will be duly considered in preparing a Final EIS. The Final EIS is 
expected to be completed during the spring of 2011 and availability of 
the document will be similarly announced in the Federal Register and 
via local and regional press media.

    Dated: April 5, 2010.
Cicely A. Muldoon,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. 2010-22145 Filed 9-3-10; 8:45 am]
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