Llano Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit Restoration and Pumping Plant/Fish Screen Facility Protection Project, California; Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, 20368-20369 [2011-8664]
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Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 12, 2011 / Notices
require a larger buffer either as a
stipulation in the lease or as a condition
of Construction and Operations Plan
approval.
In response to concerns regarding
potential impacts to the surf clam/
quahog fishery in the area of interest,
BOEMRE intends to consider potential
impacts to the fishery in a proposed
lease area as well as the industry
associated with this fishery as part of
our compliance process.
In response to requests that BOEMRE
conduct outreach to the mariner and
fishing communities, BOEMRE will
continue its ongoing outreach efforts,
including but not limited to,
participation in meetings with the
Mariners Advisory Committee for the
Bay and River Delaware and outreach to
the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management
Council and regulators of associated
activities offshore Delaware.
Dated: March 29, 2011.
Michael R. Bromwich,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, Regulation and Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 2011–8341 Filed 4–11–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–R–2011–N042; 1261–0000–80230–
W2]
Llano Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit
Restoration and Pumping Plant/Fish
Screen Facility Protection Project,
California; Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for
public comment.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service (Service), in
coordination with the California
Department of Fish and Game (CDFG),
are preparing a joint environmental
impact statement/environmental impact
report (EIS/EIR) for the proposed Llano
Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit
Restoration and Pumping Plant/Fish
Screen Facility Protection Project, in
Glenn and Butte Counties, California.
The proposed project includes riparian
restoration and protection of the
Princeton-Cordora-Glenn and Provident
Irrigation Districts (PCGID–PID)
pumping plant and fish screen facility.
This notice advises the public that we
intend to gather information necessary
to prepare an EIS pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). We encourage the public and
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:00 Apr 11, 2011
Jkt 223001
other agencies to participate in the
NEPA scoping process by sending
written suggestions and information on
the issues and concerns that should be
addressed in the draft EIS/EIR,
including the range of alternatives,
appropriate mitigation measures, and
the nature and extent of potential
environmental impacts.
DATES: To ensure that we have adequate
time to evaluate and incorporate
suggestions and other input, we must
receive your comments on or before
May 27, 2011. A public scoping meeting
will be held on May 10, 2011 from 4
p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at the Ord Bend
Community Hall, 3241 Highway 45, Ord
Bend, California 95943–9654.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments or
requests to be added to our project
mailing list to: Daniel W. Frisk, Project
Leader, Sacramento National Wildlife
Refuge Complex, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 752 County Road 99W,
Willows, CA 95988. Alternatively, you
may send written comments or requests
by fax to (530) 934–7814, or by e-mail
to dan_frisk@fws.gov. Please indicate
that your comments refer to the Riparian
Sanctuary Restoration and Pumping
Plant/Fish Screen Facility Protection
Project.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kelly Moroney, Refuge Manager, (530)
934–2801.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Llano Seco Riparian Sanctuary
Unit was acquired by the Service in
1991 and added to the Sacramento River
National Wildlife Refuge. The Service
acquired the Llano Seco Riparian
Sanctuary Unit as part of the Joint
Management Agreement between Parrot
Investment Co., The Nature
Conservancy, California Department of
Fish and Game, and the Service to
cooperatively manage lands on the
Llano Seco Ranch. The Llano Seco
Riparian Sanctuary Unit is one piece of
the larger Llano Seco Ranch, and was
cleared of riparian vegetation for
agricultural production by the previous
landowner during the 1970s. Although
the property has been out of agricultural
production for close to 15 years, the
habitat remains dominated by nonnative
and invasive noxious weeds. Currently,
just over 200 acres is farmed to dryland
row crops to help control nonnative
weeds.
Prior to acquisition by the Service,
rock revetment was placed on the north
end of the Llano Seco Riparian
Sanctuary Unit by the Department of
Water Resources in 1985 and 1986. The
rock was placed in order to lock the
PO 00000
Frm 00064
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Sacramento River in place ensuring that
flood flows would continue to be
diverted from the Sacramento River
through the Goose Lake overflow
structure and into the Butte Basin.
When the Service acquired the ranch
property in 1991, we did so with the
understanding that our management
activities would not impact the Goose
Lake overflow structure that diverts
flood water into the Butte Basin.
Since the placement of rock revetment
in 1986, the natural riverbank that is
south of the revetment has eroded
approximately 600 feet. The erosion on
refuge property is directly across from
the PCGID–PID pumping plant and fish
screening facility. In 1999, the PCGID–
PID consolidated three pumping plants
into one new facility equipped with
state-of-the-art fish screens. The fishscreening efficiency of the new PCGID–
PID pumping plant is now endangered
by the bank erosion on the refuge
property and the migration of the
Sacramento River. Although the rock
revetment on the north edge of refuge
property is decades old and eroding, it
plays a key role in protecting the
PCGID–PID pumping plant. As the bank
erodes, the angle of flow and velocity of
the water passing the screens will
change, trapping fish against the screen
rather than sweeping them past.
Without some type of protection, it is
likely the bank will continue to erode
and the pumping plant facility will fail
to meet guidelines for operation of the
pumping-plant fish screens that were
published by the National Marine
Fisheries Service of National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration
(Department of Commerce).
To address these issues we are
proposing the restoration of
approximately 500 acres of the Llano
Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit to
improve habitat for wildlife with an
emphasis on endangered and threatened
species and the protection of the
PCGID–PID pumping plant and fish
screen facility.
Previous Planning Studies
In 2001, River Partners submitted a
planning proposal to the CALFED BayDelta Program for grant funding to
investigate the following problems:
• River meander may threaten the
operation of the PCGID–PID fish screen
and pumping plant located across the
river from the Llano Seco Riparian
Sanctuary (part of the Sacramento River
National Wildlife Refuge).
• Current site conditions on much of
the 950-acre Llano Seco Riparian
Sanctuary have contributed little to
endangered species recovery and overall
riparian health.
E:\FR\FM\12APN1.SGM
12APN1
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 70 / Tuesday, April 12, 2011 / Notices
• Few restoration projects integrate
an interdisciplinary scientific approach
into project implementation, limiting
the opportunities to learn restoration.
In 2004, following approval of
CALFED Bay-Delta Program grant
funding, River Partners and an
interdisciplinary team began studies to
examine measures to protect the
PCGID–PID pumping plant and fish
screen facility and develop restoration
options for the Llano Seco Riparian
Sanctuary Unit.
River Partners initiated a cooperative
process with the Service and the
PCGID–PID to address complex and
potentially controversial issues
associated with restoration activities
and pumping plant and fish screen
facility protection measures. MBK
Engineers completed the Llano Seco
Unit Sacramento River Mile 178
Pumping Plant Protection Feasibility
Study in August 2005 to identify
alternatives that meet the PCGID–PID’s
pumping plant and fish screen
protection objectives.
In 2005, River Partners prepared a
Riparian Feasibility Study for the Llano
Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit to
investigate the feasibility of restoration
and other management options for this
area. Approximately 500 acres of the
site was found to be dominated by
nonnative plants, with poor wildlife
habitat values, and suitable for
restoration.
In 2010, Ayres Associates refined the
alternatives identified in the MBK
study, identifying the most feasible
alternatives that should be considered
for protection of the PCGID–PID facility.
Summary of Alternatives
No Action Alternative
Under the No Action alternative, only
the ongoing removal and management of
invasive plant species would occur at
the Riparian Sanctuary. No active
restoration of native plants would occur.
Maintenance activities for the PCGID–
PID pumping plant and fish screens
would continue, but no new actions
would be taken to prevent river
meander.
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Action Alternatives
A full range of reasonable alternatives
will be developed based on the River
Partners 2005 feasibility study, the 2010
Ayres feasibility study, and public input
received during this scoping period. The
2005 River Partners study identified
restoration measures consisting of full
plantings or site-specific plantings of
the Llano Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit.
The 2010 Ayres feasibility study
identified the following measures to
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:00 Apr 11, 2011
Jkt 223001
protect the PCGID–PID pumping plant
and fish screen facility: Construction of
spur dikes, traditional riprap revetment,
traditional riprap with a low berm, and
traditional riprap with removal of
existing revetment. A combination of
these measures will be used to develop
a range of alternatives.
Public Comment
We are furnishing this notice in
accordance with section 1501.7 of the
NEPA implementing regulations to
obtain suggestions and information from
other agencies and the public on the
scope of issues to be addressed in the
EIS/EIR. We invite written comments
from interested parties to ensure
identification of the full range of issues.
Written comments we receive become
part of the public record associated with
this action. Before including your
address, phone number, e-mail address,
or other personal identifying
information in your comment, you
should be aware that the 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.
Public Scoping Meeting
In addition to providing written
comments, the public is encouraged to
attend a public scoping meeting to
provide us with suggestions and
information on the scope of issues and
alternatives to consider when drafting
the EIS/EIR. A public scoping meeting
will be held on the date shown in the
DATES section.
Persons needing reasonable
accommodations in order to attend and
participate in the public meeting should
contact us at the address listed in the
ADDRESSES section no later than 1 week
before the public meeting. Information
regarding this proposed action is
available in alternative formats upon
request. We will accept both oral and
written comments at the scoping
meeting.
NEPA Compliance
Information gathered through this
scoping process will assist us in
developing a range of alternatives to
address restoration of the Llano Seco
Riparian Sanctuary Unit and protection
of the PCGID–PID pumping plant and
fish screen facility. A detailed
description of the proposed action and
alternatives will be included in the EIS/
EIR. The EIS/EIR will identify the
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts
PO 00000
Frm 00065
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
20369
of the alternatives on biological
resources, cultural resources, land use,
air quality, water quality, water
resources, and other environmental
resources. It will also identify
appropriate mitigation measures for
adverse environmental effects.
We will conduct environmental
review in accordance with the
requirements of NEPA, as amended (42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), its implementing
regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508),
other applicable regulations, and our
procedures for compliance with those
regulations. The environmental
document will be prepared to meet both
the requirements of NEPA and the
California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA). The CDFG is the CEQA lead
agency. We anticipate that a draft EIS/
EIR will be available for public review
in the fall of 2011.
Dated: April 6, 2011.
Alexandra Pitts,
Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2011–8664 Filed 4–11–11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLMT921000–11–L13200000–EL0000–P;
MTM 101687–MTM 101688]
Notice of Invitation–Coal Exploration
License Applications MTM 101687 and
MTM 101688
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
Members of the public are
hereby invited to participate with the
Spring Creek Coal Company on a pro
rata cost sharing basis in a program for
the exploration of coal deposits owned
by the United States of America in lands
located in Big Horn County, Montana,
encompassing a combined 9,011.61
acres.
DATES: Any party seeking to participate
in this exploration program must send
written notice to both the Bureau of
Land Management and Spring Creek
Coal Company as provided in the
‘‘ADDRESSES’’ section below no later than
May 12, 2011 or 10 calendar days after
the last publication of this Notice in the
Sheridan Press newspaper, whichever is
later. This Notice will be published
once a week for 2 consecutive weeks in
the Sheridan Press, Sheridan, Wyoming.
Such written notice must refer to serial
numbers MTM 101687 or MTM 101688.
ADDRESSES: The proposed exploration
license and plan are available for review
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\12APN1.SGM
12APN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 70 (Tuesday, April 12, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20368-20369]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8664]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-R-2011-N042; 1261-0000-80230-W2]
Llano Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit Restoration and Pumping Plant/
Fish Screen Facility Protection Project, California; Intent To Prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for public comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), in
coordination with the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG),
are preparing a joint environmental impact statement/environmental
impact report (EIS/EIR) for the proposed Llano Seco Riparian Sanctuary
Unit Restoration and Pumping Plant/Fish Screen Facility Protection
Project, in Glenn and Butte Counties, California. The proposed project
includes riparian restoration and protection of the Princeton-Cordora-
Glenn and Provident Irrigation Districts (PCGID-PID) pumping plant and
fish screen facility. This notice advises the public that we intend to
gather information necessary to prepare an EIS pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). We encourage the public and other
agencies to participate in the NEPA scoping process by sending written
suggestions and information on the issues and concerns that should be
addressed in the draft EIS/EIR, including the range of alternatives,
appropriate mitigation measures, and the nature and extent of potential
environmental impacts.
DATES: To ensure that we have adequate time to evaluate and incorporate
suggestions and other input, we must receive your comments on or before
May 27, 2011. A public scoping meeting will be held on May 10, 2011
from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., at the Ord Bend Community Hall, 3241 Highway
45, Ord Bend, California 95943-9654.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments or requests to be added to our project
mailing list to: Daniel W. Frisk, Project Leader, Sacramento National
Wildlife Refuge Complex, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 752 County
Road 99W, Willows, CA 95988. Alternatively, you may send written
comments or requests by fax to (530) 934-7814, or by e-mail to dan_frisk@fws.gov. Please indicate that your comments refer to the Riparian
Sanctuary Restoration and Pumping Plant/Fish Screen Facility Protection
Project.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kelly Moroney, Refuge Manager, (530)
934-2801.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Llano Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit was acquired by the Service
in 1991 and added to the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge. The
Service acquired the Llano Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit as part of the
Joint Management Agreement between Parrot Investment Co., The Nature
Conservancy, California Department of Fish and Game, and the Service to
cooperatively manage lands on the Llano Seco Ranch. The Llano Seco
Riparian Sanctuary Unit is one piece of the larger Llano Seco Ranch,
and was cleared of riparian vegetation for agricultural production by
the previous landowner during the 1970s. Although the property has been
out of agricultural production for close to 15 years, the habitat
remains dominated by nonnative and invasive noxious weeds. Currently,
just over 200 acres is farmed to dryland row crops to help control
nonnative weeds.
Prior to acquisition by the Service, rock revetment was placed on
the north end of the Llano Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit by the
Department of Water Resources in 1985 and 1986. The rock was placed in
order to lock the Sacramento River in place ensuring that flood flows
would continue to be diverted from the Sacramento River through the
Goose Lake overflow structure and into the Butte Basin. When the
Service acquired the ranch property in 1991, we did so with the
understanding that our management activities would not impact the Goose
Lake overflow structure that diverts flood water into the Butte Basin.
Since the placement of rock revetment in 1986, the natural
riverbank that is south of the revetment has eroded approximately 600
feet. The erosion on refuge property is directly across from the PCGID-
PID pumping plant and fish screening facility. In 1999, the PCGID-PID
consolidated three pumping plants into one new facility equipped with
state-of-the-art fish screens. The fish-screening efficiency of the new
PCGID-PID pumping plant is now endangered by the bank erosion on the
refuge property and the migration of the Sacramento River. Although the
rock revetment on the north edge of refuge property is decades old and
eroding, it plays a key role in protecting the PCGID-PID pumping plant.
As the bank erodes, the angle of flow and velocity of the water passing
the screens will change, trapping fish against the screen rather than
sweeping them past. Without some type of protection, it is likely the
bank will continue to erode and the pumping plant facility will fail to
meet guidelines for operation of the pumping-plant fish screens that
were published by the National Marine Fisheries Service of National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Department of Commerce).
To address these issues we are proposing the restoration of
approximately 500 acres of the Llano Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit to
improve habitat for wildlife with an emphasis on endangered and
threatened species and the protection of the PCGID-PID pumping plant
and fish screen facility.
Previous Planning Studies
In 2001, River Partners submitted a planning proposal to the CALFED
Bay-Delta Program for grant funding to investigate the following
problems:
River meander may threaten the operation of the PCGID-PID
fish screen and pumping plant located across the river from the Llano
Seco Riparian Sanctuary (part of the Sacramento River National Wildlife
Refuge).
Current site conditions on much of the 950-acre Llano Seco
Riparian Sanctuary have contributed little to endangered species
recovery and overall riparian health.
[[Page 20369]]
Few restoration projects integrate an interdisciplinary
scientific approach into project implementation, limiting the
opportunities to learn restoration.
In 2004, following approval of CALFED Bay-Delta Program grant
funding, River Partners and an interdisciplinary team began studies to
examine measures to protect the PCGID-PID pumping plant and fish screen
facility and develop restoration options for the Llano Seco Riparian
Sanctuary Unit.
River Partners initiated a cooperative process with the Service and
the PCGID-PID to address complex and potentially controversial issues
associated with restoration activities and pumping plant and fish
screen facility protection measures. MBK Engineers completed the Llano
Seco Unit Sacramento River Mile 178 Pumping Plant Protection
Feasibility Study in August 2005 to identify alternatives that meet the
PCGID-PID's pumping plant and fish screen protection objectives.
In 2005, River Partners prepared a Riparian Feasibility Study for
the Llano Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit to investigate the feasibility
of restoration and other management options for this area.
Approximately 500 acres of the site was found to be dominated by
nonnative plants, with poor wildlife habitat values, and suitable for
restoration.
In 2010, Ayres Associates refined the alternatives identified in
the MBK study, identifying the most feasible alternatives that should
be considered for protection of the PCGID-PID facility.
Summary of Alternatives
No Action Alternative
Under the No Action alternative, only the ongoing removal and
management of invasive plant species would occur at the Riparian
Sanctuary. No active restoration of native plants would occur.
Maintenance activities for the PCGID-PID pumping plant and fish screens
would continue, but no new actions would be taken to prevent river
meander.
Action Alternatives
A full range of reasonable alternatives will be developed based on
the River Partners 2005 feasibility study, the 2010 Ayres feasibility
study, and public input received during this scoping period. The 2005
River Partners study identified restoration measures consisting of full
plantings or site-specific plantings of the Llano Seco Riparian
Sanctuary Unit. The 2010 Ayres feasibility study identified the
following measures to protect the PCGID-PID pumping plant and fish
screen facility: Construction of spur dikes, traditional riprap
revetment, traditional riprap with a low berm, and traditional riprap
with removal of existing revetment. A combination of these measures
will be used to develop a range of alternatives.
Public Comment
We are furnishing this notice in accordance with section 1501.7 of
the NEPA implementing regulations to obtain suggestions and information
from other agencies and the public on the scope of issues to be
addressed in the EIS/EIR. We invite written comments from interested
parties to ensure identification of the full range of issues.
Written comments we receive become part of the public record
associated with this action. Before including your address, phone
number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in
your comment, you should be aware that the 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.
Public Scoping Meeting
In addition to providing written comments, the public is encouraged
to attend a public scoping meeting to provide us with suggestions and
information on the scope of issues and alternatives to consider when
drafting the EIS/EIR. A public scoping meeting will be held on the date
shown in the DATES section.
Persons needing reasonable accommodations in order to attend and
participate in the public meeting should contact us at the address
listed in the ADDRESSES section no later than 1 week before the public
meeting. Information regarding this proposed action is available in
alternative formats upon request. We will accept both oral and written
comments at the scoping meeting.
NEPA Compliance
Information gathered through this scoping process will assist us in
developing a range of alternatives to address restoration of the Llano
Seco Riparian Sanctuary Unit and protection of the PCGID-PID pumping
plant and fish screen facility. A detailed description of the proposed
action and alternatives will be included in the EIS/EIR. The EIS/EIR
will identify the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the
alternatives on biological resources, cultural resources, land use, air
quality, water quality, water resources, and other environmental
resources. It will also identify appropriate mitigation measures for
adverse environmental effects.
We will conduct environmental review in accordance with the
requirements of NEPA, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), its
implementing regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), other applicable
regulations, and our procedures for compliance with those regulations.
The environmental document will be prepared to meet both the
requirements of NEPA and the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA). The CDFG is the CEQA lead agency. We anticipate that a draft
EIS/EIR will be available for public review in the fall of 2011.
Dated: April 6, 2011.
Alexandra Pitts,
Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-8664 Filed 4-11-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
