Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) and Notice of Scoping Meeting for the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority's 25-Year Water Transfer Program 2014 to 2038, California, 39436-39437 [2011-16838]

Download as PDF 39436 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 129 / Wednesday, July 6, 2011 / Notices sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES This Federal Register notice provides notice that the LTEP EIS, initiated in a Federal Register notice dated November 6, 2006 (71 FR 64982), will be superseded by the LTEMP EIS. In addition, this notice provides the public with initial information regarding the anticipated development and purpose of the LTEMP, and notice of the Department’s commitment to analyze the LTEMP in an EIS pursuant to NEPA. Public scoping meetings will be held to solicit comments on the scope of the LTEMP and the issues and alternatives that should be analyzed. These meetings will serve to expand upon the input received from meetings and recommendations of the AMWG. Additional information regarding the dates and times for the upcoming meetings and identification of relevant comment periods will be provided in a future Federal Register notice, as well as through other methods of public involvement as the NEPA process is undertaken and the LTEMP is developed and prepared. Background Glen Canyon Dam was authorized by the Colorado River Storage Project Act of 1956 and completed by Reclamation in 1963. Below Glen Canyon Dam, the Colorado River flows for 15 miles through the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area which is managed by the NPS. Fifteen miles below Glen Canyon Dam, Lees Ferry, Arizona, marks the beginning of Marble Canyon and the northern boundary of Grand Canyon National Park. The major function of Glen Canyon Dam is water conservation and storage. The dam is specifically managed to regulate releases of water from the Upper Colorado River Basin to the Lower Colorado River Basin to satisfy provisions of the 1922 Colorado River Compact and subsequent water delivery commitments, and thereby allow states within the Upper Basin to deplete water from the watershed upstream of Glen Canyon Dam and utilize their apportionments of Colorado River water. Another function of Glen Canyon Dam is to generate hydroelectric power. Between the dam’s completion in 1963 and 1990, the dam’s daily operations were primarily to maximize generation of hydroelectric power. Over time, concerns arose with respect to the operation of Glen Canyon Dam, including effects on the downstream riparian ecosystem and on species listed pursuant to the ESA. In 1992, Congress passed and the President signed into law the GCPA which addresses potential impacts of dam operations on VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:17 Jul 05, 2011 Jkt 223001 downstream resources in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Grand Canyon National Park. The GCPA required the Secretary to complete an EIS evaluating alternative operating criteria that would determine how Glen Canyon Dam would be operated ‘‘to protect, mitigate adverse impacts to, and improve the values for which Grand Canyon National Park and Glen Canyon National Recreation Area were established.’’ The final EIS was completed in March 1995. Consistent with section 1802 of the GCPA, the Preferred Alternative (Modified Low Fluctuating Flow Alternative) was selected as the best means to operate Glen Canyon Dam in a ROD issued on October 9, 1996. In 1997 the Secretary adopted operating criteria for Glen Canyon Dam (62 FR 9447) as required by Section 1804(c) of the GCPA. Additionally, the GCPA required the Secretary to undertake research and monitoring to determine if revised dam operations were achieving the resource protection objectives of the final EIS and ROD. These provisions of the GCPA were incorporated into the 1996 ROD and led to the establishment of the GCDAMP, administered by Reclamation, and of the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center within the USGS. Purpose and Need for Action Frm 00061 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Public Disclosure Before including a name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in the comment, please be advised that the entire comment—including personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While a commenter may request that Reclamation and the NPS withhold personal identifying information from public review, Reclamation and the NPS cannot guarantee that the Department will be able to do so. Dated: June 23, 2011. Anne J. Castle, Assistant Secretary—Water and Science. Rachel Jacobson, Acting Assistant Secretary—Fish and Wildlife and Parks. [FR Doc. 2011–16926 Filed 7–5–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–MN–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Reclamation The purpose of the proposed action is to fully evaluate dam operations and identify management actions and experimental options that will provide a framework for adaptively managing Glen Canyon Dam over the next 15 to 20 years consistent with the GCPA and other provisions of applicable Federal law. The proposed action will help determine specific alternatives that could be implemented to meet the GCPA’s requirements and to minimize— consistent with law—adverse impacts on the downstream natural, recreational, and cultural resources in the two park units, including resources of importance to American Indian Tribes. The need for the proposed action stems from the need to utilize scientific information developed over the past 15 years to better inform Departmental decisions on dam operations and other management and experimental actions so that the Secretary may continue to meet statutory responsibilities for protecting downstream resources for future generations, conserving ESA listed species, and protecting Native American interests, while meeting water delivery obligations and for the generation of hydroelectric power. PO 00000 Proposed Federal Action The proposed Federal action is to (a) Develop and implement a structured, long-term experimental and management plan for the operation of Glen Canyon Dam and (b) to determine whether to establish a Recovery Implementation Program for endangered fish species below Glen Canyon Dam. Draft Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) and Notice of Scoping Meeting for the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority’s 25-Year Water Transfer Program 2014 to 2038, California Bureau of Reclamation, Interior. ACTION: Notice of intent and scoping meeting. AGENCY: The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority (Exchange Contractors) propose to prepare a joint EIS/EIR for a twenty-five year water transfer program (Program). The action would be to execute agreements for water transfers among Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region; Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project (SWP) contractors; and the Exchange Contractors for water service years 2014 to 2038. The Program would consist of the annual development and transfer of up to 150,000 acre-feet of substitute water (maximum of 100,000 acre-feet of SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\06JYN1.SGM 06JYN1 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 129 / Wednesday, July 6, 2011 / Notices conserved water and a maximum of 50,000 acre-feet from land fallowing) from the Exchange Contractors to other CVP contractors, to Reclamation’s Refuge Water Supply Program (RWSP) for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley wetland habitat areas (wildlife refuges), and/or State Water Project (SWP) contractors. Written comments on the scope of the EIS/EIR should be mailed to Mr. Brad Hubbard at the address below by August 10, 2011. A public scoping meeting will be held on July 13, 5–7 p.m., in Los Banos, California. DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to Mr. Brad Hubbard, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP–410, Sacramento, California, 95825, or via e-mail to bhubbard@usbr.gov. The public scoping meeting will be held at the Miller-Lux Building, Floor 1, 830 Sixth Street, Los Banos, California. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Brad Hubbard, Project Manager, Bureau of Reclamation at the above address, via e-mail at BHubbard@usbr.gov or at 916– 978–5204, or Ms. Joann White, San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, via e-mail at jwhite@sjrecwa.net at 209–827–8616. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Program’s objective is the Exchange Contractor’s annual transfer of Central Valley Project (CVP) water to: • Other CVP contractors and SWP contractors to meet demands of agriculture, municipal, and industrial uses, and/or • The RWSP for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley Federal, State and private wildlife refuges. The proposed Program would assist Reclamation in optimizing the use of limited existing water resources for agriculture, fish and wildlife resources, and municipal and industrial purposes. The Exchange Contractors propose to annually transfer CVP water for the production of agricultural crops or livestock and/or municipal and industrial uses because of water supply shortages or when full contract deliveries cannot otherwise be made. The RWSP needs additional water to provide the refuges with the increment between Level 2 (approximately 422 thousand acre-feet (TAF) of CVP yield— the amount of water historically used by refuges prior to 1992), and Level 4 (approximately 555 TAF—the amount of water required for optimum wetland habitat development) quantities. This increment is known as ‘‘Incremental Level 4’’ and is water the RWSP sroberts on DSK5SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES ADDRESSES: VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:17 Jul 05, 2011 Jkt 223001 acquires from willing sellers. The Program’s annual water transfers would occur largely within the San Joaquin Valley of central California. The Exchange Contractors’ service area covers parts of Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Stanislaus counties. The agricultural water users that would benefit from the potential transfers are located in the counties of Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Merced, Madera, Fresno, San Benito, Santa Clara, Tulare, Kern, Kings, Contra Costa, Alameda, Monterey, and Santa Cruz. The wetland habitat areas that may receive the water are located in Merced, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Kern counties. Some of the resources potentially affected by transfers under the proposed Program include: surface water including the San Joaquin River, groundwater, biological resources, land uses including Indian Trust Assets (if any), air quality/climate change, socioeconomics including impacts to agricultural production, and environmental justice. Special Assistance for Public Meetings If special assistance is required to participate in the scoping meeting, please contact Ms. Joann White at 209– 827–8616 or via e-mail at jwhite@sjrecwa.net. A telephone device for the hearing impaired (TDD) is available at 916–989–7285. Public Disclosure Before including your name, 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. Dated: June 3, 2011. Anastasia T. Leigh, Acting Regional Environmental Officer, MidPacific Region. [FR Doc. 2011–16838 Filed 7–5–11; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–MN–P INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [USITC SE–11–019] Government in the Sunshine Act Meeting Notice United States International Trade Commission. TIME AND DATE: July 20, 2011 at 11 a.m. AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETING: PO 00000 Frm 00062 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 39437 Room 110, 500 E Street, SW., Washington, DC 20436, Telephone: (202) 205–2000. STATUS: Open to the public. PLACE: Matters To Be Considered: 1. Agendas for future meetings: none. 2. Minutes. 3. Ratification List. 4. Vote in Inv. Nos. 701–TA–379 and 731–TA–788 and 790–793 (Second Review)(Stainless Steel Plate from Belgium, Italy, Korea, South Africa, and Taiwan). The Commission is currently scheduled to transmit its determinations and Commissioners’ opinions to the Secretary of Commerce on or before August 10, 2011. 5. Vote in Inv. No. 731–TA–856 (Second Review)(Ammonium Nitrate from Russia). The Commission is currently scheduled to transmit its determinations and Commissioners’ opinions to the Secretary of Commerce on or before July 27, 2011. 6. Outstanding action jackets: none. In accordance with Commission policy, subject matter listed above, not disposed of at the scheduled meeting, may be carried over to the agenda of the following meeting. By order of the Commission. Issued: June 30, 2011. William R. Bishop, Hearings and Meetings Coordinator. [FR Doc. 2011–16946 Filed 7–1–11; 11:15 am] BILLING CODE 7020–02–P DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE Federal Bureau of Investigation [OMB Number 1110–0015] Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection, Comments Requested Revision of a Currently Approved Collection; Hate Crime Incident Report; Quarterly Hate Crime Report 60-day Notice of Information Collection Under Review. ACTION: The Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Criminal Justice Information Services Division will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and clearance in accordance with established review procedures of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed information collection is published to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies. Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until September 6, 2011. This process is E:\FR\FM\06JYN1.SGM 06JYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 129 (Wednesday, July 6, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39436-39437]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-16838]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report 
(EIS/EIR) and Notice of Scoping Meeting for the San Joaquin River 
Exchange Contractors Water Authority's 25-Year Water Transfer Program 
2014 to 2038, California

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent and scoping meeting.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation 
(Reclamation) and the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water 
Authority (Exchange Contractors) propose to prepare a joint EIS/EIR for 
a twenty-five year water transfer program (Program). The action would 
be to execute agreements for water transfers among Reclamation, Mid-
Pacific Region; Central Valley Project (CVP) and State Water Project 
(SWP) contractors; and the Exchange Contractors for water service years 
2014 to 2038. The Program would consist of the annual development and 
transfer of up to 150,000 acre-feet of substitute water (maximum of 
100,000 acre-feet of

[[Page 39437]]

conserved water and a maximum of 50,000 acre-feet from land fallowing) 
from the Exchange Contractors to other CVP contractors, to 
Reclamation's Refuge Water Supply Program (RWSP) for delivery to the 
San Joaquin Valley wetland habitat areas (wildlife refuges), and/or 
State Water Project (SWP) contractors.

DATES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS/EIR should be mailed to 
Mr. Brad Hubbard at the address below by August 10, 2011.
    A public scoping meeting will be held on July 13, 5-7 p.m., in Los 
Banos, California.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be sent to 
Mr. Brad Hubbard, Bureau of Reclamation, 2800 Cottage Way, MP-410, 
Sacramento, California, 95825, or via e-mail to bhubbard@usbr.gov.
    The public scoping meeting will be held at the Miller-Lux Building, 
Floor 1, 830 Sixth Street, Los Banos, California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Brad Hubbard, Project Manager, 
Bureau of Reclamation at the above address, via e-mail at 
BHubbard@usbr.gov or at 916-978-5204, or Ms. Joann White, San Joaquin 
River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, via e-mail at 
jwhite@sjrecwa.net at 209-827-8616.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Program's objective is the Exchange 
Contractor's annual transfer of Central Valley Project (CVP) water to:
     Other CVP contractors and SWP contractors to meet demands 
of agriculture, municipal, and industrial uses, and/or
     The RWSP for delivery to the San Joaquin Valley Federal, 
State and private wildlife refuges.
    The proposed Program would assist Reclamation in optimizing the use 
of limited existing water resources for agriculture, fish and wildlife 
resources, and municipal and industrial purposes. The Exchange 
Contractors propose to annually transfer CVP water for the production 
of agricultural crops or livestock and/or municipal and industrial uses 
because of water supply shortages or when full contract deliveries 
cannot otherwise be made. The RWSP needs additional water to provide 
the refuges with the increment between Level 2 (approximately 422 
thousand acre-feet (TAF) of CVP yield--the amount of water historically 
used by refuges prior to 1992), and Level 4 (approximately 555 TAF--the 
amount of water required for optimum wetland habitat development) 
quantities. This increment is known as ``Incremental Level 4'' and is 
water the RWSP acquires from willing sellers. The Program's annual 
water transfers would occur largely within the San Joaquin Valley of 
central California. The Exchange Contractors' service area covers parts 
of Fresno, Madera, Merced, and Stanislaus counties. The agricultural 
water users that would benefit from the potential transfers are located 
in the counties of Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Merced, Madera, Fresno, San 
Benito, Santa Clara, Tulare, Kern, Kings, Contra Costa, Alameda, 
Monterey, and Santa Cruz. The wetland habitat areas that may receive 
the water are located in Merced, Fresno, Kings, Tulare, and Kern 
counties.
    Some of the resources potentially affected by transfers under the 
proposed Program include: surface water including the San Joaquin 
River, groundwater, biological resources, land uses including Indian 
Trust Assets (if any), air quality/climate change, socioeconomics 
including impacts to agricultural production, and environmental 
justice.

Special Assistance for Public Meetings

    If special assistance is required to participate in the scoping 
meeting, please contact Ms. Joann White at 209-827-8616 or via e-mail 
at jwhite@sjrecwa.net. A telephone device for the hearing impaired 
(TDD) is available at 916-989-7285.

Public Disclosure

    Before including your name, 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.

    Dated: June 3, 2011.
Anastasia T. Leigh,
Acting Regional Environmental Officer, Mid-Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-16838 Filed 7-5-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P

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