Notice of Availability of the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the United States Gypsum Company Mine Expansion/Modernization Project, Imperial County, CA, 66928 [2019-26288]
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66928
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 235 / Friday, December 6, 2019 / Notices
Dated: December 2, 2019.
Rob Wallace,
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and
Parks.
[FR Doc. 2019–26335 Filed 12–5–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD07000.51010000.ER0000.
LVRWB09B1670 19X; CACA–44014, CACA–
56477; MO#4500140313]
Notice of Availability of the Final
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for the United States
Gypsum Company Mine Expansion/
Modernization Project, Imperial
County, CA
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) has prepared a
Final Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing the
potential impacts of the United States
Gypsum Company (USG) Mine
Expansion and Modernization Project
(Project), and by this notice is
announcing its availability.
DATES: The BLM will not issue a final
decision on the proposal for a minimum
of 30 days after the date that the
Environmental Protection Agency
publishes its Notice of Availability in
the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final
Supplemental EIS are available for
public inspection in the BLM El Centro
Field Office at 1661 S 4th St, El Centro,
CA 92243; at the BLM-California Desert
District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de
los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553;
and electronically on the project
website: https://bit.ly/2QiGK0m.
Compact disc copies of the Final
Supplemental EIS are available by
request.
SUMMARY:
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Miriam Liberatore, BLM Project
Manager, by telephone at (541) 618–
2400; by mail at Bureau of Land
Management, Medford District Office,
3040 Biddle Road, Medford, OR 97504;
or by email at mliberat@blm.gov.
Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to
contact Ms. Liberatore during normal
business hours. The FRS is available 24
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:11 Dec 05, 2019
Jkt 250001
hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a
message. You will receive a reply during
normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Project is located in southwestern
Imperial County, California, and
involves both the Plaster City Wallboard
Plant (processing plant) and Plaster City
Quarry (quarry). The processing plant is
located on Evan Hewes Highway
approximately 18 miles west of the city
of El Centro. The quarry is located on
Split Mountain Road approximately 26
miles northwest of Plaster City. Both
sites are located within the BLM’s
California Desert Conservation Area.
A joint Draft Environmental Impact
Report/Environmental Impact Statement
(EIR/EIS) was published in 2006, and a
Final EIR/EIS was published in 2008.
The BLM did not issue a Record of
Decision and the United States Army
Corps of Engineers (USACE) was not a
party to the EIR/EIS. This Supplemental
EIS revises and supplements the 2008
Final EIR/EIS, updating conditions and
effects that have changed since 2008,
and includes the USACE and the United
States Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) as Cooperating Agencies.
Certain aspects of the Project
originally analyzed in the 2006 Draft
EIR/EIS and 2008 Final EIR/EIS have
been implemented under the conditions
and approvals provided by Imperial
County and were not subject to the
jurisdiction of the BLM or the USACE.
The BLM will use the Final
Supplemental EIS to support its
decisions on the Mining Plan of
Operations and on rights-of-way (ROW)
applications to construct, operate,
maintain, and decommission: (a) A new
water line with associated buried
electrical service between the quarry
and a proposed new well (CACA–
56477); (b) A new water line between
US Gypsum’s processing plant and the
Imperial Irrigation District (IID)
Westside Main Canal; and (c) A
replacement line between USG’s
processing plant and existing wells in
Ocotillo (CACA–44014).
The USACE will use the Final
Supplemental EIS to support its
decision on an application by USG for
a permit under Section 404 of the Clean
Water Act (CWA). The USEPA has
authority to review projects requiring a
CWA 404 permit, but does not have a
direct permitting role in the project.
The Final Supplemental EIS considers
the Proposed Action, a No-Action
Alternative, and six action alternatives.
Alternative 1, Proposed Action, would
expand the quarry as described in the
Mining Plan of Operations, replace the
existing water line, and install a new
PO 00000
Frm 00059
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
water line between the quarry and the
new well. Alternative 2, No Action,
would continue operations as they
currently are permitted without
expanding the quarry or replacing the
existing water line. Alternative 3, Partial
IID Water Supply, would provide for a
new water line between the processing
plant and the IID Westside Main Canal
to partially replace processing water
from a groundwater source with a
surface water source. Alternative 4, Full
IID Water Supply, would fully replace
the processing water with surface water.
Alternatives 5 through 8 are variations
on the mining plan proposed in the
Mining Plan of Operations. The BLM
has selected Alternative 3, Partial IID
Water Supply, as the Agency-Preferred
Alternative in the Final Supplemental
EIS.
The BLM published a Notice of
Availability of the Draft Supplemental
EIS in the Federal Register on July 19,
2019, announcing a 45-day public
comment period (84 FR 34924). The
BLM held a public-comment meeting on
August 5, 2019. Seven individuals
attended the meeting. The BLM received
13 comment letters during the comment
period. Following the public comment
period, comments were used to inform
the Final Supplemental EIS. The BLM
responded to substantive comments and
made appropriate revisions to the
document, or explained why a comment
did not warrant a change. Comments
did not result in substantive changes to
effects analysis, findings or conclusions.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10,
43 CFR 1610.2)
Danielle Chi,
Deputy State Director, Resources.
[FR Doc. 2019–26288 Filed 12–5–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–40–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NRNHL–DTS#–29304;
PPWOCRADI0, PCU00RP14.R50000]
National Register of Historic Places;
Notification of Pending Nominations
and Related Actions
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The National Park Service is
soliciting comments on the significance
of properties nominated before
November 9, 2019, for listing or related
actions in the National Register of
Historic Places.
DATES: Comments should be submitted
by December 23, 2019.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\06DEN1.SGM
06DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 235 (Friday, December 6, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 66928]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26288]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD07000.51010000.ER0000.LVRWB09B1670 19X; CACA-44014, CACA-56477;
MO#4500140313]
Notice of Availability of the Final Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement for the United States Gypsum Company Mine Expansion/
Modernization Project, Imperial County, CA
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a
Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing the
potential impacts of the United States Gypsum Company (USG) Mine
Expansion and Modernization Project (Project), and by this notice is
announcing its availability.
DATES: The BLM will not issue a final decision on the proposal for a
minimum of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection
Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the Final Supplemental EIS are available for
public inspection in the BLM El Centro Field Office at 1661 S 4th St,
El Centro, CA 92243; at the BLM-California Desert District Office,
22835 Calle San Juan de los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA 92553; and
electronically on the project website: https://bit.ly/2QiGK0m.
Compact disc copies of the Final Supplemental EIS are available by
request.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Miriam Liberatore, BLM Project
Manager, by telephone at (541) 618-2400; by mail at Bureau of Land
Management, Medford District Office, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, OR
97504; or by email at [email protected].
Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may
call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact Ms.
Liberatore during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message. You will receive a reply
during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Project is located in southwestern
Imperial County, California, and involves both the Plaster City
Wallboard Plant (processing plant) and Plaster City Quarry (quarry).
The processing plant is located on Evan Hewes Highway approximately 18
miles west of the city of El Centro. The quarry is located on Split
Mountain Road approximately 26 miles northwest of Plaster City. Both
sites are located within the BLM's California Desert Conservation Area.
A joint Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact
Statement (EIR/EIS) was published in 2006, and a Final EIR/EIS was
published in 2008. The BLM did not issue a Record of Decision and the
United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was not a party to the
EIR/EIS. This Supplemental EIS revises and supplements the 2008 Final
EIR/EIS, updating conditions and effects that have changed since 2008,
and includes the USACE and the United States Environmental Protection
Agency (USEPA) as Cooperating Agencies.
Certain aspects of the Project originally analyzed in the 2006
Draft EIR/EIS and 2008 Final EIR/EIS have been implemented under the
conditions and approvals provided by Imperial County and were not
subject to the jurisdiction of the BLM or the USACE. The BLM will use
the Final Supplemental EIS to support its decisions on the Mining Plan
of Operations and on rights-of-way (ROW) applications to construct,
operate, maintain, and decommission: (a) A new water line with
associated buried electrical service between the quarry and a proposed
new well (CACA-56477); (b) A new water line between US Gypsum's
processing plant and the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) Westside
Main Canal; and (c) A replacement line between USG's processing plant
and existing wells in Ocotillo (CACA-44014).
The USACE will use the Final Supplemental EIS to support its
decision on an application by USG for a permit under Section 404 of the
Clean Water Act (CWA). The USEPA has authority to review projects
requiring a CWA 404 permit, but does not have a direct permitting role
in the project.
The Final Supplemental EIS considers the Proposed Action, a No-
Action Alternative, and six action alternatives. Alternative 1,
Proposed Action, would expand the quarry as described in the Mining
Plan of Operations, replace the existing water line, and install a new
water line between the quarry and the new well. Alternative 2, No
Action, would continue operations as they currently are permitted
without expanding the quarry or replacing the existing water line.
Alternative 3, Partial IID Water Supply, would provide for a new water
line between the processing plant and the IID Westside Main Canal to
partially replace processing water from a groundwater source with a
surface water source. Alternative 4, Full IID Water Supply, would fully
replace the processing water with surface water. Alternatives 5 through
8 are variations on the mining plan proposed in the Mining Plan of
Operations. The BLM has selected Alternative 3, Partial IID Water
Supply, as the Agency-Preferred Alternative in the Final Supplemental
EIS.
The BLM published a Notice of Availability of the Draft
Supplemental EIS in the Federal Register on July 19, 2019, announcing a
45-day public comment period (84 FR 34924). The BLM held a public-
comment meeting on August 5, 2019. Seven individuals attended the
meeting. The BLM received 13 comment letters during the comment period.
Following the public comment period, comments were used to inform the
Final Supplemental EIS. The BLM responded to substantive comments and
made appropriate revisions to the document, or explained why a comment
did not warrant a change. Comments did not result in substantive
changes to effects analysis, findings or conclusions.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2)
Danielle Chi,
Deputy State Director, Resources.
[FR Doc. 2019-26288 Filed 12-5-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P
