Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 33 / Friday, February 16, 2001 / Notices 10671

problems and opportunities related to

sedimentation and habitat degradation

in the Illinois River Basin and to

identify potential restoration projects

and a prioritization framework.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions about the proposed action

and DEIS can be answered by calling

Mr. Ken Barr, 309/794–5256, or by

writing to: Commander, U.S. Army

Engineer District, Rock Island, ATTN:

CEMVR–PM–A (Ken Barr), Clock Tower

Building, P.O. Box 2004, Rock Island,

Illinois 61204–2004.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Illinois River Ecosystem Restoration

Feasibility Report is being conducted

under the Corps of Engineers General

Investigations Program in partnership

with the Illinois Department of Natural

Resources. The study was authorized by

Section 216 of the Flood Control Act of

1970. Supplemental authorization is

provided by Section 519 of the Water

Resources Development of 2000, which

authorizes development of a

comprehensive plan for the purposes of

restoring, preserving, and protecting the

Illinois River Basin. The Illinois

Waterway System is being reviewed for

changed physical and economic

conditions that may warrant structural

or operation modifications to improve

the quality of the environment. The

study area includes the entire Illinois

River Watershed.

1. During the reconnaissance study,

the primary problems identified were

sedimentation and degradation of the

environmental conditions of the Illinois

Waterway System. This study will

identify ecosystem restoration efforts

which could address these problems.

2. Ecosystem restoration alternatives

to address sedimentation and habitat

degradation that have been identified to

date include the following: stabilization

of tributary watersheds, modification of

Illinois River side channel and

backwater habitats, water level

management to reduce rapid

fluctuations and naturalized flows, and

restoration and protection of floodplan

habitats. Combinations of these, along

with the ‘‘No Action’’ alternative, are

being evaluated to form an array of

alternatives which will eventually result

in a recommended plan.

3. The DEIS will address impacts

associated with the general types of

restoration alternatives proposed.

Supplemental documentation will be

prepared, as appropriate, to address sitespecific impacts of restoration

alternatives.

4. Previous scoping information

developed as part of the Upper

Mississippi River—Illinois Waterway

Environmental Management Program

(EMP), the EMP Habitat Needs

Assessment, and the State of Illinois

Integrated Management Plan for the

Illinois River Watershed, Upper

Mississippi and Illinois Waterway

Cumulative Effects Study were

considered for initial study scoping

efforts. A coordinating body with

representatives from Federal, State, and

local government and non-governmental

organizations will be established to

promote dialogue and coordination.

Study newsletters will be sent to a

mailing list of approximately 2,000

individuals and organizations

approximately 8 times during the 4-year

study. A series of public meetings will

be held three times during the feasibility

study. Each of the three series of

meetings will be held at six or more

sites within the Illinois River Basin. The

first series of meetings were held in

November and December 2000 and

February 2001. The second and third

series of meetings will occur at the

study mid-point and the study’s

conclusion, respectively. Interested

Federal, State, and local agencies,

Indian tribes, and other interested

private organizations and citizens are

invited to participate.

5. Significant issues to be analyzed in

depth in the DEIS are as follows:

a. Water/Tributary Restoration—

evaluate options to address tributary

degradation and instability looking at

stream and wetlands restoration, water

retention, conservation easements, and

riparian buffers;

b. Side Channel and Backwater

Restoration—consider opportunities to

restore aquatic habitats in these areas,

including off-channel deep-water

habitat, backwater lakes, side channels,

islands, etc;

c. Water Level Management—evaluate

options to reduce rapid fluctuations and

naturalize flows; and,

d. Floodplan Restoration and

Protection—floodplain use, potential

restoration of floodplain function, and

value and potential for acquisition of

conservation easements.

6. Any subsequent environment

review will be conducted according to

the requirements of the National

Environmental Policy Act, National

Historic Preservation Act, Endangered

Species Act, Clean Water Act, Farmland

Protection Act, Fish and Wildlife

Coordination Act, Executive Order

11988—Floodplain Management,

Executive Order 11990—Protection of

Wetlands, and other environmental

regulations.

7. Scoping meetings were held on

November 29, 2000, and December 4, 5,

and 6, 2000. Additional scoping

meetings are scheduled for February 20,

2001, in Grafton, Illinois; February 26,

2001, in Utica, Illinois; and February 27,

2001, in Macomb, Illinois. Notification

of these meetings will be made available

to local media.

8. The DEIS is anticipated to be

provided to the public in fall 2003. The

EIS will be supplemented, as

appropriate.

Dated: January 26, 2001.

William J. Bayles,

Colonel, EN, Commanding.

[FR Doc. 01–3846 Filed 2–15–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3710–HU–M

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of

Engineers

Intent To Prepare a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement

(DEIS) for the Proposed King Cove to

Cold Bay Transportation Access

Project Located in the Aleutians East

Borough, Near the Terminus of the

Alaska Peninsula, Alaska

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,

DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

SUMMARY: The Alaska District, U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers (Corps),

intends to prepare a Draft

Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

to address the potential impacts

associated with the construction of the

proposed King Cove to Cold Bay

Transportation Access Project to be

located between King Cove, Alaska and

Cold Bay, Alaska. The Corps will be

evaluating a permit application for the

work under the authority of Section 10

of the Rivers and Harbors Act and

Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The

EIS will be used as a basis for the permit

decision and to ensure compliance with

the National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions about the proposed action

and the DEIS should be addressed to

Ms. Kathleen Kuna ́, Regulatory Branch,

phone (907) 753–2712, in Alaska 1–

800–478–2712, Fax (907) 753–5567,

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, CO–R,

Post Office Box 898, Anchorage, Alaska

99506–0898.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. The permit applicant is proposing

to construct a year-round transportation

system between the cities of King Cove

and Cold Bay, Alaska. The route would

include the construction of a 17.9 mile

one lane gravel all-weather road and a

marine hovercraft link to transport

10672 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 33 / Friday, February 16, 2001 / Notices

people and supplies across Cold Bay.

This action would involve the

placement of fill material in both

wetlands and waters of the US for the

construction of the road and the

hovercraft terminal and ramps. Funds

for the proposed project were allocated

by Congress in the Fiscal Year 1999

Omnibus Appropriations Act.

2. The proposed road and hovercraft

terminal is located on lands owned by

the King Cove Village Corporation. A

section of the road and the terminal are

sited within the boundaries of the

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge on

Section 22(g) Native owned lands.

3. Additional alternatives to the

applicant’s proposal include the

following: alternate hovercraft terminal

sites; two ferryboat alternatives with

various harbor locations within Cold

Bay; a ferry or smaller heavy weather

capable boat out of Lenard Harbor or

King Cove; upgrading the existing King

Cove airport; development of a new jet

or general aviation airport and the use

of a helicopter service. In addition, there

are three variations of an overland route:

the Native Lands road which would be

located on King Cove Corporation lands

and would use an elevated road and

bridges to cross the mouth of Kinzarof

Lagoon; a road and railroad combination

using the Native Lands route; and the

Isthmus road which would follow the

same route as the Native Lands road

until it reached the head of the bay, then

would go behind Kinzarof Lagoon

through the Izembek National Wildlife

Refuge and Wilderness to connect with

existing roads and trails. All overland

alternatives must cross AK Peninsula

Refuge lands at the northwest corner of

Cold Bay. This list of alternatives is

preliminary and contains suggestions

from many individuals and

organizations. Some may be dropped

and others added through the scoping

process. Certain alternative proposals

conflict with existing laws. The selected

alternatives will be further analyzed as

part of the EIS process.

4. Scoping: a. The Corps invites full

public participation to promote open

communication on the issues

surrounding the proposal. All Federal,

State, local agencies, and other persons

or organizations that have an interest are

urged to participate in the NEPA

scoping process. Public meetings will be

held to receive public input on the

purpose and need of the project, to

identify significant issues and to discuss

proposed alternatives. The scoping

process will help to further explain the

purpose and need plus the alternatives

to be reviewed in the DEIS.

b. The DEIS will analyze the potential

social, economic, and environmental

impacts to the local area and the

Izembek National Wildlife Refuge

resulting from the proposed project. The

following major issues will be analyzed

in depth in the DEIS: transportation

systems; essential fish habitat and other

marine mammal habitat; threatened and

endangered species including their

critical habitat; migratory birds

including the threatened Steller’s eider,

Emperor goose and Pacific brant;

resident and migratory mammals;

impacts to the wilderness area; cultural

resources; alternatives; secondary and

cumulative impacts; and

socioeconomics.

c. The Corps will serve as the lead

Federal agency in the preparation of the

DEIS. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (FWS) is participating as a

cooperating agency.

d. Some of these alternatives may

require additional federal approvals

such as a compatibility determination

from the FWS.

5. The scoping meetings are

tentatively planned for the following

dates and locations. Specific dates will

be further announced by local media.

Further information about these public

meetings will be published locally and

can be obtained by contacting the Corps

office.

Anchorage, Alaska—April 2, 2001

Sand Point, Alaska—April 3, 2001

Cold Bay, Alaska—April 4, 2001

King Cove, Alaska—April 5, 2001

6. It is anticipated that the DEIS will

be made available for public review in

fall 2001.

Larry L. Reeder,

Branch Chief, Regulatory Branch.

[FR Doc. 01–3847 Filed 2–15–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3710–NL–P

DEFENSE NUCLEAR FACILITIES

SAFETY BOARD

Meeting; Sunshine Act

Pursuant to the provision of the

‘‘Government in the Sunshine Act’’ (5

U.S.C. § 552b), notice is hereby given of

the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety

Board’s (Board) meeting described

below.

TIME AND DATE OF MEETING: 9 a.m.,

February 22, 2001.

PLACE: The Defense Nuclear Facilities

Safety Board, Public Hearing Room, 625

Indiana Avenue, NW., Suite 300,

Washington, DC 20004.

STATUS: Open.

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: The Defense

Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

(‘‘Board’’) will reconvene and continue

the fourteenth quarterly open meeting

conducted on February 13, 2001,

regarding the status of progress of the

activities associated with the

Department of Energy’s Implementation

Plans for the Board’s Recommendation

95–2, Integrated Safety Management

(‘‘ISM’’), Recommendation 98–1,

Integrated Safety Management

(Response to Issues Identified by the

Office of Internal Oversight), and

Recommendation 2000–2, Configuration

Management, Vital Safety Systems.

Topics will include the roles of line

management in executing these

Implementation Plans and the budgetary

resources required to satisfy the

Department’s commitments.

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Richard A. Azzaro, General Counsel,

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board,

625 Indiana Avenue, NW., Suite 700,

Washington, DC 20004, (800) 788–4016.

This is a toll-free number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

reserves its right to further schedule and

otherwise regulate the course of this

meeting, to recess, reconvene, postpone

or adjourn the meeting, and otherwise

exercise its authority under the Atomic

Energy Act of 1954, as amended.

Dated: February 13, 2001.

John T. Conway,

Chairman.

[FR Doc. 01–4074 Filed 2–13–01; 4:41 pm]

BILLING CODE 3670–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Science; Office of Science

Financial Assistance Program Notice

01–23; Atmospheric Radiation

Measurement Program

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy

(DOE).

ACTION: Notice inviting grant

applications.

SUMMARY: The Office of Biological and

Environmental Research (OBER) of the

Office of Science (SC), U.S. Department

of Energy (DOE), hereby announces its

interest in receiving applications for

experimental and theoretical studies of

radiation and clouds in conjunction

with the Atmospheric Radiation

Measurement (ARM) Program as part of

the U.S. Global Change Research

Program (USGCRP). This notice requests

new applications and renewal

applications of grants currently funded

by DOE under previous ARM Program

notices that are relevant to the terms of

reference for this announcement and