[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 247 (Friday, December 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80366-80367]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-32945]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OW-2010-0782; ER-FRL-9000-7]
Availability of an Environmental Assessment (EA) and Finding of
No Significant Impact (FONSI)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Environmental Assessment (EA)/Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI).
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42
U.S.C. 4321-4307h), the Council on Environmental Quality's NEPA
regulations (40 CFR Part 1500-1508), and EPA's regulations for
implementing NEPA (40 CFR Part 6), EPA has prepared an Environmental
Assessment (EA) to analyze the potential environmental impacts related
to the reissuance of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System (NPDES) General Permit for Discharges from Construction
Activities (2012 Construction General Permit). The EA evaluates the
potential environmental impacts from the discharge of pollutants
associated with stormwater runoff from construction activities greater
than one acre, where EPA is the permitting authority. Based on the
environmental impact analysis in the EA, EPA has made a preliminary
determination that no significant environmental impacts are anticipated
from the issuance of the 2012 Construction General Permit.
This notice initiates the 30-day review period and invites comments
from Federal, State, and local agencies, Indian tribes, and the public
regarding EPA's preliminary determination.
DATES: Comments must be received by January 23, 2012.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments to the Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2010-
0782 by any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting
comments by clicking on ``Help'' or ``FAQs.''
Mail: Attn: CGP Comments, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Office of Wastewater Management, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.,
Mail Code: 4203 M, Washington, DC 20460.
Courier: Attn: CGP Comments, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Office of Wastewater Management, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.,
Rm 7241C, Washington, DC 20004, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Eastern time, Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Comments should be received within 30 days of the date of the
publication of this notice in the Federal Register. EPA's policy is
that all comments received will be included in the public docket
without change and may be made available online at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided,
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov. The http://www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, which
means EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you
provide it in the body of your comment. If you submit an electronic
comment, EPA recommends that you include your name and other contact
information in the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM
[[Page 80367]]
you submit. If EPA cannot read your comment due to technical
difficulties and cannot contact you for clarification, EPA may not be
able to consider your comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of
special characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects
or viruses.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica Trice, NEPA Compliance
Division, Office of Federal Activities, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Mail Code: 2252A, Washington, DC
20460. Telephone: (202) 564-6646.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA is seeking public comment regarding its
preliminary Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) to document its
determination that no significant environmental impacts are anticipated
from the issuance of the 2012 Construction General Permit. EPA invites
the public to submit comments through Regulations.gov or by mail to the
address cited in the ADDRESSES section during the 30-day comment period
following the publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
Since 1992, EPA has issued a series of NPDES Construction General
Permits (CGP) that cover areas where EPA is the permitting authority.
At present, EPA is the permitting authority in four states (Idaho,
Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New Mexico), the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, all U.S. territories with the exception of the
Virgin Islands, federal facilities in four states (Colorado, Delaware,
Vermont, and Washington), most Indian lands and other specifically
designated activities in specific states (e.g., oil and gas activities
in Texas and Oklahoma). EPA's current CGP became effective on June 30,
2008 (see 74 FR 40338) and will expire on February 15, 2012. The
proposed action, would replace the 2008 CGP, as well as the 2003 CGP
for construction sites still covered under that administratively
continued permit. EPA proposes to issue the construction general permit
for five (5) years, and to provide permit coverage to eligible existing
and new construction projects in all areas of the country where EPA is
the NPDES permitting authority. On April 25, 2011, EPA proposed for
public comment the draft National Pollutant Discharge Elimination
System general permit for stormwater discharges from large and small
construction activities and initiated scoping for the development of
the environmental issues and reasonable alternatives to be addressed in
the EA. 76 FR 22882.
The environmental review process, which is documented by the
Environmental Assessment (EA), indicates that no potential significant
adverse environmental impacts are anticipated from the proposed action.
The EA, which analyzed the potential environmental impacts of issuing
the new CGP, considered the potential environmental impacts from the
discharge of pollutants in stormwater discharges associated with
construction activity where EPA is the permitting authority.
Based on the environmental impact analysis in the EA, EPA has
determined that no significant environmental impacts are anticipated
from the issuance of the 2012 Construction General Permit and the
proposed action does not constitute a major Federal action
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, making
the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) unnecessary.
Therefore, EPA is issuing a preliminary Finding of No Significant
Impact (FONSI).
Dated: December 20, 2011.
Aimee S. Hessert,
Deputy Division Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal
Activities.
[FR Doc. 2011-32945 Filed 12-22-11; 8:45 am]
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