Environmental Impact Statement: El Paso County, TX, 51487-51488 [07-4375]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 173 / Friday, September 7, 2007 / Notices ordered to be published in the Federal Register. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information, including a list of the exhibit objects, contact Julie Simpson, Attorney-Adviser, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State (telephone: (202) 453–8050). The address is U.S. Department of State, SA– 44, 301 4th Street, SW., Room 700, Washington, DC 20547–0001. Dated: August 31, 2007. C. Miller Crouch, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Department of State. [FR Doc. E7–17697 Filed 9–6–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4710–05–P DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Highway Administration Environmental Impact Statement: El Paso County, TX Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT. ACTION: Notice of Intent. mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration is issuing this notice to advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be prepared ´ ´ for the proposed Loop 375 Cesar Chavez Highway (Border Highway West Extension) in El Paso, Texas, to include the Texas, New Mexico, and Ciudad ´ ´ Juarez, Chihuahua Mexico border region. The proposed project is part of an alternate route to provide congestion relief for Interstate 10 (I–10), an eastwest facility north of the proposed project. The project is a key element in the Gateway 2030 Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) prepared by the El Paso Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). The proposed Border Highway West Extension would extend approximately 13.8 miles and would provide a continuous route from I–10 east of State Highway (SH) 20 (Mesa Street) to Sunland Park Drive continuing on Loop 375 to end at Untied States Highway (US) 54. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Donald Davis, District Engineer (South), Federal Highway Administration, Texas Division, 300 East 8th Street, Room 826, Austin, Texas 78701; Telephone (512) 536–5960. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The current facility exists as follows: • Six-lane expressway from I–10 to Sunland Park. VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:34 Sep 06, 2007 Jkt 211001 • Four-lane facility along US 85 from New Mexico Route 273 to US 62 (Paisano Drive). • Four-lane boulevard from Paisano Drive to Santa Fe Street. • Four six-lane boulevard transitioning to a six-lane barrier separated controlled access facility from Santa Fe Street to US 54. The proposed project would add capacity and upgrade the existing facility to a controlled access facility through the addition of two to four through-lanes (one to two lanes in each direction). The Border Highway West Extension EIS will evaluate build and no-build alternatives. In addition to the build and no-build/no-action alternatives, Transportation System Management (TSM)/Transportation Demand Management (TDM), mass transit, and tolled and non-tolled alternatives will be examined. Also, the EIS will study potential impacts from construction and operation of the proposed roadway including, but not limited to, the following: transportation impacts (construction detours, construction traffic, mobility improvements), air and noise impacts from construction equipment and operation of the facilities, water quality impacts from construction area and roadway storm water runoff, impacts to waters of the United States, impacts to historic and archeological resources, impacts to floodplain, socio-economic resources (including Environmental Justice and Limited English Proficiency population) indirect and cumulative impacts, land use, vegetation, wildlife, impacts to and/or potential displacement of residences and businesses, and aesthetic and visual resources. Anticipated federal permits, pending selection of alternatives and field surveys may include, but are not limited to, the following: Section 106 (National Historic Preservation Act), Section 401/ 404 (Clean Water Act), and Section 7 (Endangered Species Act). A Project Coordination Plan will be provided in accordance with Public Law 109–59, Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU), Title VI, Section 6002, Efficient Environmental Reviews for Project Decision Making, August 10, 2005, to facilitate and document the lead agencies; structured interaction with the public and other agencies and to inform the public and other agencies of how the coordination will be accomplished. The Project Coordination Plan will promote early and continuous involvement from stakeholders, agencies, and the public as well as PO 00000 Frm 00084 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 51487 described the proposed project, the roles of the agencies and the public, the project need and purpose, schedule, level of detail for alternatives analysis, methodologies to be used in the environmental analysis, and the proposed process for coordination and communication. This Project Coordination Plan is designed to be part of a flexible and adaptable process. The Plan will be available for public review, inputs, and comments at public meetings, including scoping meetings and hearings held throughout the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) evaluation process, and upon request at the TxDOT El Paso District. Pursuant to 23 U.S.C. Chapter 1 Subchapter 1 Section 139 of SAFETEA–LU, cooperating agencies, participating agencies and the public will be given an opportunity for input in the development of the project. Two public scoping meetings, conducted in an open house format, are planned to be held in October 2007. These will be the first in a series of meetings to solicit public comments throughout the planning process on the proposed action as part of the national Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The scoping meetings will provide opportunities for participating agencies, cooperating agencies, and the public to be involved in defining the need and purpose for the proposed project, and to assist in determining the range of alternatives for consideration in the EIS and alternative evaluation methodologies. Notices of the public scoping meetings will be published in newspapers of general circulation in the project area at least 30 days prior to the meetings, and again approximately 10 days prior to the meetings. In addition to the public scoping meetings, correspondence describing the proposed action and soliciting comments to be considered during the scoping process will be sent to the appropriate federal, state, and local agencies, and to organizations and individuals who have previously expressed or are known to have an interest in the project. Public scoping meetings and public hearings will be held during appropriate phases of the project development process. Public notices will be given stating the date, time and location of each and will be published in English as well as Spanish. The Draft EIS will be available for public and agency review and comment prior to a public hearing. To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed action are addressed and all significant issues identified, comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or questions concerning this E:\FR\FM\07SEN1.SGM 07SEN1 51488 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 173 / Friday, September 7, 2007 / Notices proposed action and the EIS should be directed to FHWA at the address provided. A proposed schedule for completion of the environmental review process is not available at this time; however, will become accessible for public review at a futures date. (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance program Number 20.205 Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on Federal programs and activities apply to this program.) Donald Davis, District Engineer, FHWA texas Division. [FR Doc. 07–4375 Filed 9–6–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910–22–M DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Maritime Administration [USCG–2006–26844] Woodside Natural Gas Inc. OceanWay Secure Energy Liquefied Natural Gas Deepwater Port License Application Maritime Administration, DOT. Notice of application. AGENCY: mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES ACTION: SUMMARY: The Maritime Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard announce that they have received an application for the licensing of a natural gas deepwater port, and that the application appears to contain the required information to proceed. This notice summarizes the applicant’s plans and the procedures that will be followed in considering the application. DATES: The Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, requires any public hearing on this application to be held not later than 240 days after this notice, and requires a decision on the application to be made not later than 90 days after the final public hearing. ADDRESSES: The public docket for this application, USCG–2006–26844, is maintained by the: Department of Transportation, Docket Management Facility, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12–140, Washington, DC 20590. Docket contents are available for public inspection and copying at this address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The Facility’s telephone number is 202–366–9329 and the fax number is 202–493–2251. The Web site for electronic submissions or for electronic access to docket contents is https://dms.dot.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roddy Bachman, U.S. Coast Guard, VerDate Aug<31>2005 18:34 Sep 06, 2007 Jkt 211001 telephone: 202–372–1752, e-mail: Roddy.C.Bachman@uscg.mil. If you have questions on viewing the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone: 202–493– 0402. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Receipt of Application On August 17, 2006, the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration received an application from Woodside Natural Gas Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Woodside Petroleum LTD., for all Federal authorizations required for a license to own, construct, and operate a deepwater port authorized under the Deepwater Port Act of 1974, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq. (the Act). The City of Los Angeles (City) will be a cooperating agency in processing this application because Woodside Natural Gas, Inc. has filed an application for a lease/franchise of offshore submerged City lands, an onshore pipeline franchise for the subsea pipelines through City waters, and a pipeline through the City. Revisions to the application were received on December 27, 2006; on July 9, 2007; and again on August 20, 2007. As of the date of this notice, the Maritime Administration and the Coast Guard have determined that the application appears to contain all information required by the Act to proceed with the application process. The application is now available for viewing on the docket (see ADDRESSES). Background According to the Deepwater Port Act, a deepwater port is a fixed or floating manmade structure other than a vessel, or a group of structures, located beyond State seaward boundaries and used or intended for use as a port or terminal for the transportation, storage, and further handling of oil or natural gas for transportation to any State. Deepwater ports require a license issued by the Maritime Administrator (by delegated authority from the Secretary of Transportation, published on June 18, 2003 (68 FR 36496)). Statutory and regulatory requirements for licensing appear in 33 U.S.C. 1501 et seq. and in 33 CFR Part 148. Under delegations from the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of Homeland Security, applications are processed by the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration. Each application is considered on its merits. The Act provides deadlines for processing applications. After determining that an application contains the required information, public hearings on the application must PO 00000 Frm 00085 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 be held within 240 days, and the Maritime Administrator must render a decision on the application within 330 days. Additional Federal Register notices will be published throughout the application review process to provide notice of public hearings and other procedural milestones. The Maritime Administrator’s decision, and other key documents, will be filed in the public docket. At least one public hearing will take place in each adjacent coastal State. For purposes of the Act, California is the adjacent coastal State for this application. Other States can apply for adjacent coastal State status in accordance with 33 U.S.C. 1508(a)(2). Summary of the Application/Proposed Action/Project Woodside Natural Gas proposes to construct, own, and operate a deepwater port with associated ship-to-ship transfer (STS) location(s) and single point mooring (SPM) buoys for the receiving of regasification liquefied natural gas carriers (RLNGCs), offshore and onshore natural gas pipelines, and a receiving and custody transfer facility (RCTS) to deliver natural gas with an annualized rate of 0.4 billion cubic feet per day (bcf/d) and a peak of 1.1 bcf/d into the Southern California market on initial development and an annualized rate of 1.0 bcf/d and a peak of up to 1.6 bcf/d at full project development. The deepwater port would be located in the Federal waters of the Santa Monica Basin, 21 miles from the nearest point on the mainland of Southern California and 18 miles from the western end of Santa Catalina Island, approximately 27 miles southwest of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), in a water depth of approximately 3,000 feet. It would consist of two single point mooring (SPM) buoys that serve as cargo discharge system connections for RLNGCs, a mooring/anchoring array, four flexible risers that connect the SPMs to four seafloor riser end manifolds, two pipeline end manifolds (PLEMs) and two parallel 24-inch pipelines beginning on the seafloor at the PLEMs beneath the SPM buoys and continuing to shore. The SPMs would be located approximately 5 nautical miles (5.75 miles) outside established shipping lanes (SPM NE: Latitude: 33°41′52″ N, Longitude: 118°48′33″ W and SPM SW: Latitude: 33°39′58″ N, Longitude: 118°49′15″ W). Woodside has proposed three ship-toship transfer locations ranging from approximately 35 to 90 nautical miles (40 to 104 miles) from shore and 55 to 111 nautical miles (63 to 128 miles) E:\FR\FM\07SEN1.SGM 07SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 173 (Friday, September 7, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51487-51488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-4375]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Environmental Impact Statement: El Paso County, TX

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Federal Highway Administration is issuing this notice to 
advise the public that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be 
prepared for the proposed Loop 375 Cesar Chavez Highway (Border Highway 
West Extension) in El Paso, Texas, to include the Texas, New Mexico, 
and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua Mexico border region. The proposed project 
is part of an alternate route to provide congestion relief for 
Interstate 10 (I-10), an east-west facility north of the proposed 
project. The project is a key element in the Gateway 2030 Metropolitan 
Transportation Plan (MTP) prepared by the El Paso Metropolitan Planning 
Organization (MPO).
    The proposed Border Highway West Extension would extend 
approximately 13.8 miles and would provide a continuous route from I-10 
east of State Highway (SH) 20 (Mesa Street) to Sunland Park Drive 
continuing on Loop 375 to end at Untied States Highway (US) 54.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Donald Davis, District Engineer 
(South), Federal Highway Administration, Texas Division, 300 East 8th 
Street, Room 826, Austin, Texas 78701; Telephone (512) 536-5960.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The current facility exists as follows:
     Six-lane expressway from I-10 to Sunland Park.
     Four-lane facility along US 85 from New Mexico Route 273 
to US 62 (Paisano Drive).
     Four-lane boulevard from Paisano Drive to Santa Fe Street.
     Four six-lane boulevard transitioning to a six-lane 
barrier separated controlled access facility from Santa Fe Street to US 
54.

The proposed project would add capacity and upgrade the existing 
facility to a controlled access facility through the addition of two to 
four through-lanes (one to two lanes in each direction).
    The Border Highway West Extension EIS will evaluate build and no-
build alternatives. In addition to the build and no-build/no-action 
alternatives, Transportation System Management (TSM)/Transportation 
Demand Management (TDM), mass transit, and tolled and non-tolled 
alternatives will be examined. Also, the EIS will study potential 
impacts from construction and operation of the proposed roadway 
including, but not limited to, the following: transportation impacts 
(construction detours, construction traffic, mobility improvements), 
air and noise impacts from construction equipment and operation of the 
facilities, water quality impacts from construction area and roadway 
storm water runoff, impacts to waters of the United States, impacts to 
historic and archeological resources, impacts to floodplain, socio-
economic resources (including Environmental Justice and Limited English 
Proficiency population) indirect and cumulative impacts, land use, 
vegetation, wildlife, impacts to and/or potential displacement of 
residences and businesses, and aesthetic and visual resources. 
Anticipated federal permits, pending selection of alternatives and 
field surveys may include, but are not limited to, the following: 
Section 106 (National Historic Preservation Act), Section 401/404 
(Clean Water Act), and Section 7 (Endangered Species Act). A Project 
Coordination Plan will be provided in accordance with Public Law 109-
59, Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A 
Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU), Title VI, Section 6002, Efficient 
Environmental Reviews for Project Decision Making, August 10, 2005, to 
facilitate and document the lead agencies; structured interaction with 
the public and other agencies and to inform the public and other 
agencies of how the coordination will be accomplished. The Project 
Coordination Plan will promote early and continuous involvement from 
stakeholders, agencies, and the public as well as described the 
proposed project, the roles of the agencies and the public, the project 
need and purpose, schedule, level of detail for alternatives analysis, 
methodologies to be used in the environmental analysis, and the 
proposed process for coordination and communication.
    This Project Coordination Plan is designed to be part of a flexible 
and adaptable process. The Plan will be available for public review, 
inputs, and comments at public meetings, including scoping meetings and 
hearings held throughout the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
evaluation process, and upon request at the TxDOT El Paso District. 
Pursuant to 23 U.S.C. Chapter 1 Subchapter 1 Section 139 of SAFETEA-LU, 
cooperating agencies, participating agencies and the public will be 
given an opportunity for input in the development of the project. Two 
public scoping meetings, conducted in an open house format, are planned 
to be held in October 2007. These will be the first in a series of 
meetings to solicit public comments throughout the planning process on 
the proposed action as part of the national Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) process.
    The scoping meetings will provide opportunities for participating 
agencies, cooperating agencies, and the public to be involved in 
defining the need and purpose for the proposed project, and to assist 
in determining the range of alternatives for consideration in the EIS 
and alternative evaluation methodologies. Notices of the public scoping 
meetings will be published in newspapers of general circulation in the 
project area at least 30 days prior to the meetings, and again 
approximately 10 days prior to the meetings. In addition to the public 
scoping meetings, correspondence describing the proposed action and 
soliciting comments to be considered during the scoping process will be 
sent to the appropriate federal, state, and local agencies, and to 
organizations and individuals who have previously expressed or are 
known to have an interest in the project. Public scoping meetings and 
public hearings will be held during appropriate phases of the project 
development process. Public notices will be given stating the date, 
time and location of each and will be published in English as well as 
Spanish. The Draft EIS will be available for public and agency review 
and comment prior to a public hearing.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed 
action are addressed and all significant issues identified, comments 
and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or 
questions concerning this

[[Page 51488]]

proposed action and the EIS should be directed to FHWA at the address 
provided.
    A proposed schedule for completion of the environmental review 
process is not available at this time; however, will become accessible 
for public review at a futures date.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance program Number 20.205 
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing 
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on 
Federal programs and activities apply to this program.)

Donald Davis,
District Engineer, FHWA texas Division.
[FR Doc. 07-4375 Filed 9-6-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-M
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.