Notice of Availability for a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Grand Portage Land Port of Entry Modernization and Expansion Project in Grand Portage, Minnesota, 87373-87374 [2024-24782]

Agencies

• General Services Administration

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 212 (Friday, November 1, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87373-87374]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-24782]



[[Page 87373]]

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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[Notice--PBS-2024-14; Docket No. 2024-0002; Sequence No. 48]


Notice of Availability for a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Grand Portage Land Port of Entry Modernization and Expansion 
Project in Grand Portage, Minnesota

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

ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA); announcement of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of the Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which examines potential 
environmental impacts from the modernization and expansion of the Grand 
Portage Land Port of Entry (LPOE), which is located within the Grand 
Portage Reservation of the Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa 
(herein referred to as the Grand Portage Band). The existing Grand 
Portage LPOE is owned and managed by GSA and is operated by the U.S. 
Department of Homeland Security's Customs and Border Protection (CBP). 
The Draft EIS describes the purpose and need for the project; 
alternatives considered; the existing environment that could be 
affected; the potential impacts resulting from each of the 
alternatives; and proposed best management practices and/or mitigation 
measures.

DATES: 
    Public Comment Period--Interested parties are invited to provide 
comments on the Draft EIS. The Public Comment Period begins with 
publication of this NOA in the Federal Register and will last for 45 
days until December 16, 2024. Written comments must be received by the 
last day of the Public Comment Period (see ADDRESSES section of this 
NOA on how to submit comments). After the comment period, GSA will 
prepare the Final EIS.
    Hearing Date--GSA will host a hybrid virtual and in-person public 
hearing on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., 
Central Daylight Time (CDT), where interested parties are invited to 
join and provide verbal or written comments on the Draft EIS (see 
ADDRESSES section for location address). Refer to the PUBLIC HEARING 
INFORMATION section of this NOA for additional information and how to 
access the online public hearing.

ADDRESSES: Hearing Location--The public may attend the hearing in 
person at the Grand Portage State Park Welcome Center at 9393 E Highway 
61, Grand Portage, MN 55605.
    A copy of the Draft EIS can be found on the GSA website at: https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/gsa-regions/region-5-great-lakes/buildings-and-facilities/minnesota/grand-portage-land-port-of-entry. Hard copies are 
also available at the following locations: Grand Portage Tribal Council 
Office, 83 Stevens Rd., Grand Portage, MN 55605; Grand Portage 
Community Center,73 Upper Rd, Grand Portage, MN 55605; Grand Portage 
Trust Lands, 27 Store Rd., Grand Portage, MN 55605.

Public Comments

    In addition to oral comments and written comments provided at the 
public hearing, 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 made part of the public record.
     Email: [email protected]. Please include `Grand 
Portage LPOE EIS' in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: ATTN: Michael Gonczar, Grand Portage LPOE EIS; U.S. 
General Services Administration, Region 5; 230 S Dearborn Street, Suite 
3600, Chicago, IL 60604

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Hearing Information

    The in-person meeting will begin with an open house format from 5 
p.m. to 5:30 p.m. CDT; this portion of the meeting will not be 
broadcast. The hybrid in-person and virtual meeting will start promptly 
at 5:30 p.m. CDT and will begin with presentations on the NEPA and 
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) processes, which are being 
conducted concurrently for this project, as well as an overview of the 
proposed project, and then will continue with the findings of the Draft 
EIS. A copy of the presentation slideshow will be made available prior 
to the hearing 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. Members participating virtually or attending in-person will 
be able to comment. Comments will be recorded. Attendees can also 
provide written comments at the public hearing should they not wish to 
speak.
    Members of the public may join the Draft EIS public hearing 
virtually by entering the Meeting ID: 832 5067 5793, using any of the 
below methods, or by using the following link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83250675793. Note that the hearing 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 hearing 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 hearing; 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 hearing 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 hearing audio by dialing the following 
number: 507-473-4847. When prompted, enter the following information: 
Meeting ID--832 5067 5793, followed by the pound (#) key; then press 
pound (#) again when prompted for a participant ID. Note, dialing in to 
the hearing is only necessary if you are not accessing the hearing 
through a personal computer or mobile app, or if you would like to 
provide oral comments during the hearing but do not have a computer 
microphone.
    GSA staff members will be available (in-person and virtually) to 
assist the public as they offer comments whether they are participating 
virtually or in person. In addition, a court reporter will be available 
after the presentation, should in-person attendees wish to provide a 
verbal comment in private. Following the presentation and public

[[Page 87374]]

comment session, the meeting will continue with an open house format 
until 7 p.m. CDT, which will not be broadcast. Interested parties are 
encouraged to attend and participate in this meeting.
    The public hearing will be recorded, and all comments provided will 
become part of the formal record.
    In the event of inclement weather, the meeting may only be held 
virtually or will be broadcast from the Grand Portage State Park 
Welcome Center. If the meeting is broadcast from the Grand Portage 
State Park Welcome Center, a staff member will be available (in-person 
and virtually) to assist the public in providing public comments via 
the virtual platform. Please check the GSA project website (https://www.gsa.gov/about-us/gsa-regions/region-5-great-lakes/buildings-and-facilities/minnesota/grand-portage-land-port-of-entry) for updates in 
the days leading up to the meeting to determine if the meeting will be 
held in-person, virtually, or will be broadcast from the Grand Portage 
State Park Welcome Center.

Public Comment Period

    The views and comments of the public are necessary in helping GSA 
in its decision-making process with respect to environmental, cultural, 
and economic impacts. The public comment process will be accomplished 
through a hybrid virtual and in-person public hearing, direct mail 
correspondence to appropriate Tribal, 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 Draft 
EIS has considered previous input provided during the scoping period.

Background

    The existing 5.7-acre LPOE serves as the port of entry for vehicles 
and pedestrians crossing the U.S.-Canada border between Grand Portage 
Reservation in the U.S. and Neebing, Ontario in Canada. The Feasibility 
Study performed in 2019 determined that the existing structures do not 
contain the necessary square footage as specified by CBP's space and 
facility requirements (also referred to as Program of Requirements 
[POR]). In addition, the facility lacks outbound inspection 
capabilities. Following preparation of the Feasibility Study, a Program 
Development Study (PDS) was initiated as the next step in the design 
process to further refine potential alternatives under consideration. 
From the PDS process, viable alternatives were further refined into the 
Proposed Action analyzed within this Draft EIS, in collaboration with 
the Grand Portage Band, who is serving as a Cooperating Agency for this 
EIS.
    GSA has prepared this Draft EIS for the purpose of analyzing the 
potential environmental, cultural, and economic impacts resulting from 
the Proposed Action to modernize and expand the existing Grand Portage 
LPOE.

Alternatives Under Consideration

    The Proposed Action would comprise of modernization and expansion 
of existing Grand Portage LPOE facilities as described in the PDS. The 
Proposed Action includes removal of all existing Grand Portage LPOE 
buildings and replacement with new facilities in a new site 
configuration. GSA would replace the Grand Portage LPOE with a 
modernized facility on an expanded footprint, expanding the existing 
5.7-acre operational area to a total operational area of approximately 
10.4 acres. The Proposed Action would also include upgrades to the 
electrical distribution system leading to the LPOE by installing a 7.3-
mile buried three-phase power line within Arrowhead Cooperative's 
existing utility right-of-way along the western side of Highway 61. GSA 
also considered the No Action Alternative, which assumes that GSA would 
not expand or modernize the Grand Portage LPOE or install the three-
phase power line.
    The purpose of the Proposed Action is for GSA to support CBP's 
mission by modernizing and expanding the Grand Portage LPOE. The 
existing LPOE facilities and their configuration do not meet CBP's 
current needs and do not allow for expeditious and safe inspection of 
the traveling public. The deficiencies fall into two broad categories: 
deficiencies in the overall site layout and substandard building 
conditions. Therefore, in order to bring the Grand Portage LPOE 
operations in line with design standards and operational requirements, 
implementation of the Proposed Action is needed to (1) address space 
constraints and inefficient traffic flows; (2) shorten and expedite 
vehicle processing time, to include improving daily commutes across the 
U.S.-Canada border; (3) decrease congestion and long wait times during 
the peak travel season; (4) allow CBP to process a higher volume of 
vehicles traveling to and from Canada, to include further accommodation 
of potential future spikes in travelers crossing the U.S.-Canada 
border; and (5) provide a wider single lane for large semi-trucks 
hauling wind turbine components from Canada.
    The Draft EIS addresses the potential environmental impacts of the 
proposed alternatives on environmental resources including geologic 
resources, water resources, biological resources, air quality and 
climate change, noise, traffic and transportation, land use and visual 
resources, infrastructure and utilities, socioeconomics, cultural 
resources, human health and safety, and environmental justice and 
protection of children. Based on the analysis presented in the Draft 
EIS, impacts to all resource areas would be less-than-significant 
(i.e., negligible, minor, or moderate) adverse or beneficial. Impact 
reduction measures are presented in the Draft EIS to reduce potential 
adverse effects.
    GSA is currently undergoing formal consultation with the Tribal 
Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) to follow coordination procedures 
as required under Section 106 of the NHPA to determine impacts to 
historic properties. Mitigation measures may be determined in 
consultation between GSA, the THPO, and applicable consulting parties.
    Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), GSA is coordinating with 
USFWS per Section 7 requirements to determine effects to federally 
protected species. GSA has determined there would be no adverse effects 
to federally threatened or endangered species with implementation of 
impact avoidance measures. GSA's findings and correspondence with USFWS 
to date are incorporated in the Draft EIS.

William Renner,
Director, Facilities Management and Services Programs Division, Great 
Lakes Region 5, U.S. General Services Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-24782 Filed 10-31-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-CF-P