Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Point Thomson Project, North Slope Borough, AK, 44221-44222 [2012-18372]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 145 / Friday, July 27, 2012 / Notices
impacts to the environment. The
proposed project includes the
construction of structures in navigable
Comments
waters of the United States (U.S.) and
The 60-day Notice soliciting
the discharge of dredged and/or fill
comments was published on March 20,
materials into waters of the U.S.,
2012 on page 16213. No public
including wetlands. The proposed work
comments were received.
requires authorization from the Corps of
Description: CNCS is seeking approval Engineers under Section 10 of the Rivers
of the Senior Corps Grant Application,
and Harbors Act (RHA) of 1899 and
as revised. The Grant Application is
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act
used by RSVP, Foster Grandparent and
(CWA). The Final EIS will be used to
Senior Companion Program grantees,
evaluate the Applicant’s Department of
and for potential applicants. The Senior the Army (DA) permit application and
Corps Grant Application is currently
compliance with NEPA.
approved through June 30, 2014.
DATES: The 30-day review period begins
Type of Review: Revision of a
on July 27, 2012 and ends on August 27,
currently approved collection.
Agency: Corporation for National and 2012. The Record of Decision on the
proposed action will be issued after
Community Service.
Title: Senior Corps Grant Application. August 27, 2012. The Final EIS is not
open for public comment.
OMB Number: 3045–0035.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Agency Number: None.
Affected Public: Current and potential Harry A. Baij Jr., by email message at
grantees of the RSVP, Foster
harry.a.baij@usace.army.mil, by
Grandparent, and Senior Companion
telephone at 800–478–2712 (toll free
programs.
within AK), 907–753–2784 (office), or
Total Respondents: 1,518.
907–350–5097 (cell).
Frequency: Annual.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Average Time per Response: 5 hours.
1. Authorization: Section 404 of the
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 7,590.
Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) and
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup):
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act
None.
of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403); Department of
Total Burden Cost (operating/
Defense, Corps of Engineers,
maintenance): None.
Department of the Army, 33 CFR Parts
Dated: July 20, 2012.
320 through 330, Regulatory Program of
Erwin J. Tan,
the Corps of Engineers; Final rule;
Director, Senior Corps.
Appendix B of 33 CFR Part 325.
[FR Doc. 2012–18347 Filed 7–26–12; 8:45 am]
2. Background Information: The
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Alaska District, Corps of Engineers
received the Applicant’s complete
permit application on November 1,
2011. The Applicant’s project purpose is
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
to initiate commercial liquid
Department of the Army, U.S. Army
hydrocarbon production (natural gas
Corps of Engineers
condensate) and delineate and evaluate
hydrocarbon resources in the Point
Notice of Availability of the Final
Thomson area. Two natural gas
Environmental Impact Statement for
production wells have been authorized,
the Proposed Point Thomson Project,
drilled, and tested at an existing gravel
North Slope Borough, AK
pad at Point Thomson, AK. Other
AGENCY: Corps of Engineers, Department previously authorized gravel pads and
exploration wells exist in the general
of the Army, Department of Defense.
area.
ACTION: Notice of Availability—Final
3. Location: The project is located on
EIS.
Alaska’s Arctic Coastal Plain, Beaufort
seacoast, approximately 60 miles east of
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
Prudhoe Bay. Most of the Thomson
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and Sand Reservoir is located under the
Beaufort Sea. The proposed facilities
Council on Environmental Quality
would be located primarily onshore, on
regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508)
State of Alaska lands, leased to the
the Corps of Engineers, Alaska District,
Applicant or their working interest
advises that the Final EIS for the Point
partners of the oil and gas industry.
Thomson Project, proposed by Exxon
Kaktovik, AK is located approximately
Mobil Corporation and PTE Pipeline, is
60 miles east. The farthest eastward
now available for public review. The
development resulting from this
Final EIS evaluated reasonable
proposed project would be
alternative designs and potential
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technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submissions of responses.
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44221
approximately 2 miles west of the Arctic
National Wildlife Refuge boundary.
4. Proposed Project: The proposed
project includes industrial development
involving gravel fill placement in tundra
wetlands and waters, construction of
marine structures, and dredging. The
proposed project would construct a
large gravel mine; a mile long gravel
airstrip; 3 hydrocarbon production and/
or processing gravel pads; several miles
of in-field gravel roads; similar length
infield above-ground pipelines; a
marine bulkhead, service pier, and
mooring dolphins; navigational
dredging; and other industrial
infrastructure. Processed liquid
hydrocarbons would be transported
through a new 23-mile long elevated
pipeline to existing facilities to the west
and further connections to the Trans
Alaska Pipeline System. The proposed
project would include construction of
temporary and permanent camps
(lodging); offices, warehouses, and
shops; electric power generation and
distribution facilities; fuel, water, and
chemical storage; a water and
wastewater treatment facility; a grind
and inject drilling waste facility; a solid
waste facility; and communications
facilities. The proposed project would
include directional drilling a minimum
of five wells from three coastal gravel
pads: Central, East, and West. The
Central Pad would be the largest and the
primary location for construction and
operations, processing fluids, locating a
gas injection well for recycling natural
gas, and a wastewater disposal well. The
East and West Pads would include wells
to delineate and evaluate the
hydrocarbon reservoir for additional oil
and gas resources and facilitate
production.
5. Alternatives: Four alternatives were
developed and evaluated in the Final
EIS that would meet the Applicant’s
stated purpose and need. The No Action
Alternative is used for comparison of
the environmental effects of the action
alternatives and involves long term
monitoring and maintenance of the
existing wells and gravel pads. Three
Action Alternatives were developed and
considered. Two action alternatives
would minimize impacts to coastal
resources by locating infrastructure
components inland from the coastline
and reducing coastal access. These 2
alternatives consider alternative
transportation routes, such as ice roads
and an all-season gravel road in-lieu of
barge access. A third alternative was
developed to reduce impacts to waters
and wetlands by minimizing the total
gravel fill footprint. A complete
description of the alternatives
development, screening process, and the
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44222
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 145 / Friday, July 27, 2012 / Notices
alternatives carried forward for detailed
study, is disclosed in Chapter 2 of the
Final EIS.
6. Scoping Process: A Notice of Intent
to prepare a Draft EIS for the Proposed
Point Thomson Project was published in
the Federal Register on December 4,
2009. The Corps of Engineers conducted
public scoping, Alaska Native Tribal
consultations, and resource agency
meetings in AK prior to preparing the
Draft EIS. Over 300 issue-specific
comments were identified. Results from
the scoping process were summarized a
Public Scoping Document and are
addressed in the Draft EIS.
7. Draft EIS Review: The Draft EIS
comment period began November 18,
2011 with the publication of the Notice
of Availability in the Federal Register.
It was originally scheduled to end on
January 3, 2012 but was extended until
January 18, 2012 after requests for an
extension were received. Open house
and public comment meetings were
held between December 5–15, 2011 in
Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kaktovik,
Nuiqsut, and Barrow, AK. The Corps of
Engineers received over 240 comment
submissions during the comment
period. Over 660 individual comments
were recorded and responded to. Based
on comments received, errors in the
Draft EIS were corrected and sections
edited for clarity. The Final EIS is the
result of these changes and additions.
Overall impact findings did not change
between the Draft and Final EIS,
although some descriptions did change.
8. Availability of the Final EIS: The
Final EIS is electronically available for
viewing and printing at:
www.pointthomsonprojecteis.com.
A printed Executive Summary, which
includes 2 Compact Disks containing
the entire Final EIS, may be obtained by
contacting Mr. Baij at the above contact
information.
Printed copies of the Final EIS are
available for review at the following
public libraries and schools: Harold
Kaveolook School, Kaktovik, Alaska;
Nuiqsut Trapper School, Nuiqsut,
Alaska; Tuzzy Consortium Library,
Barrow, Alaska; Noel Wein Library,
Fairbanks, Alaska; Z.J. Loussac Library,
Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Resources
Library and Information Services,
Anchorage, Alaska; and University of
Alaska, Anchorage Library, Anchorage,
Alaska.
Dated: July 19, 2012.
Harry A. Baij Jr.,
Project Manager, US Army Corps of
Engineers, Alaska District.
[FR Doc. 2012–18372 Filed 7–26–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
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Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
Inland Waterways Users Board
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
AGENCY:
In accordance with 10(a)(2) of
the Federal Advisory Committee Act
(Pub. L. 92–463), announcement is
made of the forthcoming meeting.
Name of Committee: Inland
Waterways Users Board (Board).
Date: August 29, 2012.
Location: The Sheraton St. Louis City
Center Hotel and Suites, 400 South 14th
Street, St. Louis, MO 63103 at (314)
231–5007.
Time: Registration will begin at 8:30
a.m. and the meeting is scheduled to
adjourn at approximately 1:00 p.m.
Agenda: The agenda will include the
status of funding for inland navigation
projects and studies and the status of
the Inland Waterways Trust Fund, the
funding status for Fiscal Year (FY) 2012
and the FY 2013 budget, status of the
Olmsted Locks and Dam Project, and the
Board will consider its project
investment recommendations for the
next year.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Mark R. Pointon, Institute for Water
Resources, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, CEIWR–GM, 7701 Telegraph
Road, Casey Building, Alexandria,
Virginia 22315–3868; Ph: 703–428–
6438.
SUMMARY:
The
meeting is open to the public. Any
interested person may attend, appear
before, or file statements with the
committee at the time and in the
manner permitted by the committee.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012–18348 Filed 7–26–12; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
National Nuclear Security
Administration
Notice of Availability of the Draft
Surplus Plutonium Disposition
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement
National Nuclear Security
Administration, U.S. Department of
Energy.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
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Frm 00016
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
The U. S. Department of
Energy (DOE) announces the availability
of the Draft Surplus Plutonium
Disposition Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement (SPD
Supplemental EIS; DOE/EIS–0283–S2)
for public comment. DOE also is
announcing the dates, times and
locations for public hearings to receive
comments on the Draft SPD
Supplemental EIS. The Draft SPD
Supplemental EIS analyzes the potential
environmental impacts of alternatives
for disposition of 13.1 metric tons (14.4
tons) of surplus plutonium for which
DOE has not made a disposition
decision, including 7.1 metric tons (7.8
tons) of plutonium from pits that were
declared excess to national defense
needs. It also updates previous DOE
NEPA analyses on plutonium
disposition to consider additional
options for pit disassembly and
conversion, which entails processing
plutonium metal components to
produce an oxide form of plutonium
suitable for disposition, and the use of
mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabricated from
surplus plutonium in domestic
commercial nuclear power reactors to
generate electricity, including five
reactors at two specific Tennessee
Valley Authority (TVA) reactor plants.
DOE is not revisiting the decision to
fabricate 34 metric tons (MT) (37.5 tons)
of surplus plutonium into MOX fuel in
the MOX Fuel Fabrication Facility
(MFFF) (65 FR 1608, January 11, 2000
and 68 FR 20134, April 24, 2003), now
under construction at DOE’s Savannah
River Site (SRS) in South Carolina, and
to irradiate the MOX fuel in commercial
nuclear reactors used to generate
electricity.
TVA is a cooperating agency on this
SPD Supplemental EIS. TVA is
considering the use of MOX fuel,
produced as part of DOE’s Surplus
Plutonium Disposition Program, in its
nuclear power reactors.
DATES: DOE invites Federal agencies,
state and local governments, Native
American tribes, industry, other
interested organizations, and members
of the public to comment on the Draft
SPD Supplemental EIS during a 60-day
public comment period which starts
with the publication of the
Environmental Protection Agency’s
Notice of Availability in the Federal
Register and ends on September 25,
2012. Comments received after this date
will be considered to the extent
practicable. DOE will hold public
hearings on the Draft SPD Supplemental
EIS; the dates, times and locations are
listed under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION.
SUMMARY:
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 145 (Friday, July 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44221-44222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-18372]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed Point Thomson Project, North Slope Borough,
AK
AGENCY: Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army, Department of
Defense.
ACTION: Notice of Availability--Final EIS.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and Council on Environmental
Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) the Corps of Engineers,
Alaska District, advises that the Final EIS for the Point Thomson
Project, proposed by Exxon Mobil Corporation and PTE Pipeline, is now
available for public review. The Final EIS evaluated reasonable
alternative designs and potential impacts to the environment. The
proposed project includes the construction of structures in navigable
waters of the United States (U.S.) and the discharge of dredged and/or
fill materials into waters of the U.S., including wetlands. The
proposed work requires authorization from the Corps of Engineers under
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (RHA) of 1899 and Section 404
of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Final EIS will be used to evaluate
the Applicant's Department of the Army (DA) permit application and
compliance with NEPA.
DATES: The 30-day review period begins on July 27, 2012 and ends on
August 27, 2012. The Record of Decision on the proposed action will be
issued after August 27, 2012. The Final EIS is not open for public
comment.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Harry A. Baij Jr., by email
message at harry.a.baij@usace.army.mil, by telephone at 800-478-2712
(toll free within AK), 907-753-2784 (office), or 907-350-5097 (cell).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Authorization: Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C.
1344) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C.
403); Department of Defense, Corps of Engineers, Department of the
Army, 33 CFR Parts 320 through 330, Regulatory Program of the Corps of
Engineers; Final rule; Appendix B of 33 CFR Part 325.
2. Background Information: The Alaska District, Corps of Engineers
received the Applicant's complete permit application on November 1,
2011. The Applicant's project purpose is to initiate commercial liquid
hydrocarbon production (natural gas condensate) and delineate and
evaluate hydrocarbon resources in the Point Thomson area. Two natural
gas production wells have been authorized, drilled, and tested at an
existing gravel pad at Point Thomson, AK. Other previously authorized
gravel pads and exploration wells exist in the general area.
3. Location: The project is located on Alaska's Arctic Coastal
Plain, Beaufort seacoast, approximately 60 miles east of Prudhoe Bay.
Most of the Thomson Sand Reservoir is located under the Beaufort Sea.
The proposed facilities would be located primarily onshore, on State of
Alaska lands, leased to the Applicant or their working interest
partners of the oil and gas industry. Kaktovik, AK is located
approximately 60 miles east. The farthest eastward development
resulting from this proposed project would be approximately 2 miles
west of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge boundary.
4. Proposed Project: The proposed project includes industrial
development involving gravel fill placement in tundra wetlands and
waters, construction of marine structures, and dredging. The proposed
project would construct a large gravel mine; a mile long gravel
airstrip; 3 hydrocarbon production and/or processing gravel pads;
several miles of in-field gravel roads; similar length infield above-
ground pipelines; a marine bulkhead, service pier, and mooring
dolphins; navigational dredging; and other industrial infrastructure.
Processed liquid hydrocarbons would be transported through a new 23-
mile long elevated pipeline to existing facilities to the west and
further connections to the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. The proposed
project would include construction of temporary and permanent camps
(lodging); offices, warehouses, and shops; electric power generation
and distribution facilities; fuel, water, and chemical storage; a water
and wastewater treatment facility; a grind and inject drilling waste
facility; a solid waste facility; and communications facilities. The
proposed project would include directional drilling a minimum of five
wells from three coastal gravel pads: Central, East, and West. The
Central Pad would be the largest and the primary location for
construction and operations, processing fluids, locating a gas
injection well for recycling natural gas, and a wastewater disposal
well. The East and West Pads would include wells to delineate and
evaluate the hydrocarbon reservoir for additional oil and gas resources
and facilitate production.
5. Alternatives: Four alternatives were developed and evaluated in
the Final EIS that would meet the Applicant's stated purpose and need.
The No Action Alternative is used for comparison of the environmental
effects of the action alternatives and involves long term monitoring
and maintenance of the existing wells and gravel pads. Three Action
Alternatives were developed and considered. Two action alternatives
would minimize impacts to coastal resources by locating infrastructure
components inland from the coastline and reducing coastal access. These
2 alternatives consider alternative transportation routes, such as ice
roads and an all-season gravel road in-lieu of barge access. A third
alternative was developed to reduce impacts to waters and wetlands by
minimizing the total gravel fill footprint. A complete description of
the alternatives development, screening process, and the
[[Page 44222]]
alternatives carried forward for detailed study, is disclosed in
Chapter 2 of the Final EIS.
6. Scoping Process: A Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft EIS for
the Proposed Point Thomson Project was published in the Federal
Register on December 4, 2009. The Corps of Engineers conducted public
scoping, Alaska Native Tribal consultations, and resource agency
meetings in AK prior to preparing the Draft EIS. Over 300 issue-
specific comments were identified. Results from the scoping process
were summarized a Public Scoping Document and are addressed in the
Draft EIS.
7. Draft EIS Review: The Draft EIS comment period began November
18, 2011 with the publication of the Notice of Availability in the
Federal Register. It was originally scheduled to end on January 3, 2012
but was extended until January 18, 2012 after requests for an extension
were received. Open house and public comment meetings were held between
December 5-15, 2011 in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Kaktovik, Nuiqsut, and
Barrow, AK. The Corps of Engineers received over 240 comment
submissions during the comment period. Over 660 individual comments
were recorded and responded to. Based on comments received, errors in
the Draft EIS were corrected and sections edited for clarity. The Final
EIS is the result of these changes and additions. Overall impact
findings did not change between the Draft and Final EIS, although some
descriptions did change.
8. Availability of the Final EIS: The Final EIS is electronically
available for viewing and printing at: www.pointthomsonprojecteis.com.
A printed Executive Summary, which includes 2 Compact Disks
containing the entire Final EIS, may be obtained by contacting Mr. Baij
at the above contact information.
Printed copies of the Final EIS are available for review at the
following public libraries and schools: Harold Kaveolook School,
Kaktovik, Alaska; Nuiqsut Trapper School, Nuiqsut, Alaska; Tuzzy
Consortium Library, Barrow, Alaska; Noel Wein Library, Fairbanks,
Alaska; Z.J. Loussac Library, Anchorage, Alaska; Alaska Resources
Library and Information Services, Anchorage, Alaska; and University of
Alaska, Anchorage Library, Anchorage, Alaska.
Dated: July 19, 2012.
Harry A. Baij Jr.,
Project Manager, US Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District.
[FR Doc. 2012-18372 Filed 7-26-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
