Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for the International Falls Land Port of Entry Modernization and Expansion Project in International Falls, Minnesota, 75630-75632 [2022-26834]

Agencies

• General Services Administration

[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 236 (Friday, December 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75630-75632]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26834]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice-PBS-2022-07; Docket No. 2022-0002; Sequence No. 28]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (SEIS) for the International Falls Land Port of Entry 
Modernization and Expansion Project in International Falls, Minnesota

AGENCY: Public Buildings Service (PBS), General Services Administration 
(GSA).

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI); Announcement of meeting.

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SUMMARY: The GSA intends to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (SEIS) and conduct the Section 106 Process of the National 
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) to address proposed improvements at 
the International Falls Land Port of Entry (LPOE), including site 
expansion (up to 20.5 acres), demolition, and new construction. This 
NOI also announces the public scoping process for the SEIS.

DATES: Public Scoping Period--Interested parties are invited to provide 
comments regarding the scope of the SEIS. The public scoping period 
begins with the publication of this NOI in the Federal Register and 
continues until Friday, January 13, 2023. Written comments must be 
received by the last day of the scoping period (see ADDRESSES section 
of this NOI on how to submit comments).
    Meeting Date--GSA will host a hybrid virtual and in-person public 
and stakeholder meeting on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, from 6 p.m. to 8 
p.m., Central Standard Time (CST). The purpose of the meeting is to 
provide information on the project and to encourage public feedback on 
the scope of the SEIS. The meeting will be primarily virtual in nature, 
although members of the public may attend at the Koochiching County 
Court Administration Building to view an online broadcast of the 
meeting in person (see ADDRESSES section for location address). Refer 
to the VIRTUAL PUBLIC MEETING INFORMATION section of this NOI on how to 
access the online public meeting.

ADDRESSES: Meeting Location--The public may attend the virtual meeting 
at the Koochiching County Court Administration building at 715 4th 
Street, 3rd floor, International Falls, MN, 56649, to view the online 
presentation in-person. A GSA staff member will be available (in-person 
and virtually) to assist the public in providing public comments via 
the virtual platform.

Public Scoping Comments

    In addition to oral comments and written comments provided at the 
public meeting, members of the public may also submit comments by one 
of the following methods. All oral and written comments will be 
considered equally and will be part of the public record.
     Email: [email protected]. Please include 
`International Falls LPOE SEIS' in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: ATTN: Michael Gonczar, International Falls LPOE 
SEIS; U.S. General Services Administration, Region 5; 230 S. Dearborn 
Street, Suite 3600, Chicago, IL 60604.

Virtual Public Meeting Information

    The hybrid virtual public meeting will begin with presentations on 
the NEPA and NHPA processes and the proposed project. A copy of the 
presentation slideshow will be made available prior to the meeting at: 
https://www.gsa.gov/real-estate/gsa-properties/land-ports-of-entry-and-the-bil/bipartisan-infrastructure-law-construction-project/minnesota. 
Following the presentation, there will be a moderated session during 
which members of the public can provide oral comments on the SEIS. 
Members participating virtually or attending in-person will be able to 
comment. Commenters will be allowed 3 minutes to provide comments. 
Comments will be recorded. Attendees can also provide written comments 
at the public meeting should they not wish to speak.
    Members of the public may join the SEIS virtual public meeting by 
entering

[[Page 75631]]

the Meeting ID: 817 8441 8631, using any of the below methods, or by 
using the following link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81784418631. Note 
that the meeting is best viewed through the Zoom app. Attendees are 
encouraged to download the Zoom app at the Zoom website (https://zoom.us) on their personal computer or on their mobile device and test 
their connection prior to the meeting to ensure best results.
     By personal computer (via the Zoom app)--Install the Zoom 
app at the Zoom website (https://zoom.us) and launch the Zoom app. 
Click `Join a Meeting' and enter the above Meeting ID. Follow the 
prompts to enter your name and email address to access the meeting; or
     By personal computer (via the Zoom website)--Using your 
computer's browser, go to the Zoom website at https://zoom.us/join and 
enter the above Meeting ID. Click `Join from your browser' and follow 
the prompts to enter your name; or
     By mobile device (via the Zoom mobile app)--Install and 
launch the Zoom app. Enter the above Meeting ID.
    Whether joining through the Zoom app or web browser, attendees 
should follow the prompts to connect their computer audio. Attendees 
are encouraged to connect through the `Computer Audio' tab and click 
`Join Audio by Computer' under the `Join Audio' button on the bottom of 
their screen. Users who do not have a computer microphone and wish to 
provide a comment during the meeting may connect by following the 
prompts under the `Phone Call' tab under the `Join Audio' button.
    For members of the public who do not have access to a personal 
computer, they may join the meeting audio by dialing the following 
number: 646 931 3860. When prompted, enter the following information: 
Meeting ID-817 8441 8631, followed by the pound (#) key; then press 
pound (#) again when prompted for a participant ID. Note, dialing in to 
the meeting is only necessary if you are not accessing the meeting 
through a personal computer or mobile app, or if you would like to 
provide oral comments during the meeting but do not have a computer 
microphone.
    The public meeting will be recorded, and all comments provided will 
become part of the formal record.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Gonczar, NEPA Program Manager, 
GSA, 312-810-2326, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Scoping Process

    The purpose of the public scoping process is to identify relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of analysis of the human and 
natural environment including cultural resources. The scoping process 
will be accomplished through a hybrid virtual and in-person public 
scoping meeting, direct mail correspondence to appropriate federal, 
state, and local agencies, and to private organizations and citizens 
who have previously expressed, or are known to have, an interest in the 
project. The SEIS will include public input on alternatives and 
impacts.
    The public scoping meeting will also initiate GSA's public 
consultation required by NHPA. GSA seeks input at this meeting that 
will assist the agency in planning for the Section 106 consultation 
process. This includes identifying consulting parties, determining the 
area of the undertaking's potential effects on cultural resources (Area 
of Potential Effects), and seeking agreement regarding ways to avoid, 
minimize, or mitigate adverse effects. Federal, state, and local 
agencies, along with members of the public, are invited to participate 
in the NEPA scoping and Section 106 consultation process.
    The NHPA and NEPA are two separate laws which require federal 
agencies to consider the impacts to historic properties and the human 
environment before making decisions. NHPA and NEPA are independent 
statutes, yet may be executed concurrently to optimize efficiencies, 
transparency, and accountability to better understand the effects to 
the human, natural, and cultural environment. The SEIS will be prepared 
pursuant to the requirements of the NEPA of 1969, the Council on 
Environmental Quality NEPA regulations, and the GSA Public Buildings 
Service NEPA Desk Guide. GSA will also consult with appropriate parties 
in accordance with Section 106 of the NHPA of 1966.
    Opportunities for members of the public to become a consulting 
party during the NHPA Section 106 process will be presented during the 
public scoping meeting. You may submit a comment to express your 
interest in being a consulting party if you cannot attend the meeting.

Background

    The existing 1.6-acre LPOE is located on the south bank of the 
Rainy River and serves as the port of entry to people and vehicles 
crossing the International Bridge that connects International Falls, 
Minnesota to the town of Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. The 
International Falls Land Port of Entry Improvements Study Final EIS, 
released in 2011, assessed the potential environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed action of replacing the undersized 
International Falls LPOE with a new LPOE facility ``to improve safety, 
security, and functionality.'' A total of ten build alternatives were 
considered, and a preferred action alternative was identified. This 
alternative would consist of demolishing the existing building, 
constructing new facilities at the existing LPOE, and expanding the 
LPOE to meet the required space standards and increased security 
requirements of the Federal Inspection Services. This alternative would 
move the majority of the LPOE improvements and operations to an 
approximately 20-acre site southeast of the existing site between 4th 
Street and Rainy River. GSA signed and released a Record of Decision in 
January 2012 that identified a preferred alternative as it best 
satisfied the purpose and needs of the project with the least overall 
adverse impacts to the environment. The ROD stated that the preferred 
alternative would have less-than-significant impacts on the natural and 
social environment of the study area and International Falls, including 
minor changes or impacts to surface water, surface water runoff, 
traffic, increased lighting, and hazardous substances.
    Since 2011, GSA has identified the following changes to the 
project, which differ from the preferred alternative described in the 
2011 EIS:
     There have been proposed changes in tenants and use of the 
space. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) no longer requires space 
at the LPOE; however, the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Animal Plant 
Health Inspection Services/-Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA/
APHIS-PPQ), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will need space 
and facilities at the LPOE.
     The Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) has acquired 
Boise, Inc. and has a different timber unloading operation occurring 
adjacent to the proposed acquisition parcel, which will require 
modifications to the original site plan.
     PCA's proposed trailer parking lot was shifted further 
east (beyond First Creek) and includes a paved 90-trailer parking lot 
for PCA, which will modify traffic patterns for the LPOE.
     A section of First Creek between Route 11 and the Rainy 
River that was previously contained in a culvert was identified 
following the 2011 EIS. The

[[Page 75632]]

culvert has been removed and is now daylighted, requiring impacts 
analysis.
     There has been an increase in the proposed usable square 
feet (USF) for overall building space needed from 42,282 to 80,611, 
based on the addition of a maintenance building and expansion in the 
sizes of all other buildings per updated agency requirements.
     Stormwater management would be redesigned in the 300-foot 
section of First Creek due to two new areas of pavement crossing the 
creek.
     The Resolute Paper Mill in Fort Frances, Ontario has since 
closed and has decreased rail traffic.
    GSA is preparing an SEIS to assess the potential impacts of these 
updates, which were not assessed in the 2011 EIS.

Alternatives Under Consideration

    GSA has preliminarily identified one action alternative that may be 
assessed in the SEIS:
     Alternative 1: Full Build--Construct the facilities as 
described in the Preferred Action Alternative assessed in the 2011 EIS 
and modified by the 2018 project updates.
    The No Action Alternative will also be considered to satisfy 
federal requirements for analyzing ``no action'' under NEPA. Analysis 
of this alternative will provide a baseline for comparison with impacts 
from Alternative 1.
    The SEIS will address the potential environmental impacts of the 
proposed alternatives on environmental resources including geology and 
soils, water resources, biological resources, air quality and climate 
change, noise, traffic and transportation, land use and visual 
resources, cultural resources, utilities, and human health and safety. 
The EIS will also address the socioeconomic effects of the project, as 
well as impacts on environmental justice populations. Impacts may occur 
from air emissions, noise, and traffic delays associated with 
construction; as well as soil disturbance from earth moving activities 
and resultant sedimentation of nearby waterways. Long term benefits to 
traffic and transportation, air quality, and the local economy are 
expected from operations of the expanded and modernized LPOE and 
associated improved traffic flows.

William Renner,
Director, Facilities Management and Services Programs Division, Great 
Lakes Region 5, U.S. General Services Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022-26834 Filed 12-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-CF-P