[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 7, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4677-4680]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-2629]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Final Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Acreage
Limitation and Water Conservation Rules and Regulations
February 2, 1996.
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability on the final environmental impact
statement; INT-FES-96-7.
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[[Page 4678]]
SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended, and in response to a September 1993 contract for settlement of
a lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council, National
Wildlife Federation, California Natural Resources Federation,
California Association of Family Farmers, California Action Network,
League of Rural Voters, Inc., and County of Trinity, California
(hereinafter NRDC et al.); the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) has
prepared a final environmental impact statement (FEIS) on proposed
acreage limitation and water conservation rules and regulations for
implementing the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (RRA), as amended,
throughout the 17 Western States.
The purpose of the FEIS is to evaluate potential impacts associated
with alternatives for implementing rules under the RRA. As such, the
FEIS presents an evaluation of six alternatives, including no action.
DATES: February 7, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Requests for copies should be addressed to: Public
Involvement Group, D-8280, Bureau of Reclamation, PO Box 25007, Denver
CO 80225; telephone: (303) 236-2722 extension 322.
Copies are available for inspection at all Reclamation Regional and
Area offices at the following locations as of the date of this Federal
Register notice:
Office of the Commissioner, Bureau of Reclamation, Room 7612,
1849 C Street, NW, Washington DC 20240
Reclamation Service Center, Bureau of Reclamation, Library,
Room 167, Building 67, Denver Federal Center, Denver CO 80225
Pacific Northwest Regional Office, Bureau of Reclamation, Room
214, 1150 North Curtis Road, Boise ID 83706
Snake River Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 214
Broadway Avenue, Boise ID 83702
Upper Columbia Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 1917
Marsh Road, Yakima WA 98901
Lower Columbia Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 1503 NE
78th Street, Suite 15, Vancouver WA 98665
Snake River Area Office--East, Bureau of Reclamation, 1359
Hansen Avenue, Burley ID 83318
Mid-Pacific Regional Office, Bureau of Reclamation, Library,
Room W-1522, 2800 Cottage Way, Sacramento CA 95825
North-Central California Area Office, Bureau of
Reclamation, 7794 Folsom Dam Road, Folsom CA 95630
South-Central California Area Office, Bureau of
Reclamation, 2666 North Grove Industrial Drive, Suite 106, Fresno CA
93727
Northern California Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation,
16345 Shasta Dam Boulevard, Shasta Lake CA 96019
Klamath Basin Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 6600
Washburn Way, Klamath Falls OR 97603
Lahontan Basin Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 705
North Plaza Street, Carson City NV 89701
Lower Colorado Regional Office, Bureau of Reclamation,
Library, Room M117, Nevada Highway and Park Street, Boulder City NV
89005
Phoenix Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 23636 North
7th Street, Phoenix AZ 85024
Lower Colorado Dams Facilities Office, Bureau of
Reclamation, Highway 93, Hoover Dam, Boulder City NV 89005
Southern California Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation,
27710 Jefferson Avenue, Suite 201, Temecula CA 92590
Grand Canyon Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 3 miles
south of Buchanan, Boulder City NV 89006
Yuma Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 7301 Calle Agua
Salada, Yuma AZ 85364
Upper Colorado Regional Office, Bureau of Reclamation,
Library, Room 7101, 125 South State Street, Salt Lake City UT 84138
Albuquerque Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 505
Marquette NW, Suite 1313, Albuquerque NM 87102
Western Colorado Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 2764
Compass Drive, Grand Junction CO 81506
Provo Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 302 East 1860
South, Provo UT 84606
Great Plains Regional Office, Bureau of Reclamation, Library,
Room 2037, Federal Office Building, 316 North 26th Street, Billings MT
59101
Dakotas Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 304 East
Broadway Avenue, Bismarck ND 58501
Eastern Colorado Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 11056
West County Road 18E, Loveland CO 80537
Montana Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 2900 Fourth
Avenue North, Billings MT 59101
Nebraska-Kansas Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation,
Federal Building, 203 West 2nd Street, Grand Island NE 68801
Oklahoma-Texas Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 420
West Main Street, Suite 630, Oklahoma City OK 73102
Wyoming Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 705 Pendell
Boulevard, Mills WY 82644
Copies will also be available for public inspection at the
following libraries:
Arizona
Arizona Department of Water Resources Library, Phoenix
Arizona State Library, Department of Library, Archives and
Public Records, Phoenix
Arizona State Regional Library for the Blind and
Physically Handicapped, Phoenix
Arizona State University, Noble Science and Engineering
Library, Tempe
Arizona State University, Hayden Library, Tempe
Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library, Flagstaff
Maricopa County Library, Phoenix
Mesa Public Library, Mesa
Northern Arizona University, Cline Library, Flagstaff
Phoenix Public Library, Phoenix
Scottsdale Public Library, Scottsdale
Tempe Public Library, Tempe
Tucson Pima Library, Tucson
University of Arizona Library, Tucson
Yuma County Library District, Yuma
California
Bay Area Library and Information System, Oakland
California State Library, Sacramento
California State University, Hayward Library, Hayward
California State University, University Library, Los
Angeles
California State University Library, Sacramento
Colorado River Board of California Library, Glendale
Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX Library, San
Francisco
Fresno County Free Library, Fresno
Fresno State University Library, Fresno
Kern County Library, Bakersfield
Los Angeles Public Library, Los Angeles
Los Angeles Public Library, Water and Power Section, Los
Angeles
Sacramento Public Library, Sacramento
San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco
Stanford University Libraries, Stanford
University of California Water Resources Center Library,
Berkeley
University of California, General
[[Page 4679]]
Library, Berkeley
University of California, University Research Library, Los
Angeles
University of California, Shields Library, Davis
University of Southern California, Doheny Memorial
Library, Los Angeles
Colorado
Colorado State University Libraries, Fort Collins
Denver Central Library, Denver
University of Colorado at Boulder, Norlin Library, Boulder
University of Denver, Penrose Library, Denver
U.S. Air Force Academy, Academy Library, Colorado Springs
Grand Junction Public Library, Grand Junction Idaho
University of Idaho Library, Moscow
Ada Community Library, Boise
Idaho State Library, Boise
Pocatello Public Library, Pocatello
Kansas
University of Kansas, Lawrence
Kansas State Library, Topeka
Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, Topeka
Montana
University of Montana, Maurene and Mike Mansfield Library,
Missoula
Billings Gazette Library, Billings
Parmly Billings Library, Billings
Missoula Public Library, Missoula
Nebraska
University of Nebraska, D.L. Love Memorial Library, Lincoln
Lincoln City Library, Lincoln
North Platte Public Library, North Platte
Omaha Public Library, Omaha
Nevada
Boulder City Library, Boulder City
Carson City Library, Carson City
Clark County Library District, Las Vegas
Nevada State Library, Carson City
University of Nevada, Reno Library, Reno
University of Nevada at Las Vegas, James Dickinson Library, Las
Vegas
Washoe County Library, Reno
New Mexico
Albuquerque Public Library, Albuquerque
New Mexico State Library, Santa Fe
New Mexico State Library, Las Cruces
University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
North Dakota
Bismarck Public Library, Bismarck
Fargo Public Library, Fargo
North Dakota State University, Fargo
Minot Public Library, Minot
Oklahoma
Metropolitan Library System in Oklahoma County Area, Oklahoma City
Oklahoma Department of Libraries, Oklahoma City
Oklahoma State University, Edmon Low Library, Stillwater
University of Oklahoma, University Libraries, Norman
Oregon
Oregon Institute of Technology, Klamath Falls
Portland State University, Millar Library, Portland
University of Oregon Library, Eugene
South Dakota
Rapid City Public Library, Rapid City
Sioux Falls Public Library, Sioux Falls
South Dakota State Library, Pierre
Texas
Amarillo Public Library, Amarillo
Dallas Public Library, Dallas
El Paso Public Library, El Paso
Harris County Public Library, Houston
Texas State Library, Austin
Texas Technical University Library, Lubbock
Utah
Brigham Young University, Harold B. Lee Library, Provo
Cedar City Public Library, Cedar City
Salt Lake City Public Library, Salt Lake City
Salt Lake County Library System, Salt Lake City
Southern Utah State University Library, Cedar City
University of Utah, Marriott Library, Salt Lake City
Utah State University, Merrill Library, Logan
Utah State Library, Salt Lake City
Washington County Library, St. George
Weber State University, Stewart Library, Ogden
Washington
King County Library System, Seattle
Seattle Public Library, Seattle
Spokane Public Library, Spokane
University of Washington Libraries, Allen Library, Seattle
Washington State Library, Olympia
Yakima Valley Regional Library, Yakima
Wyoming
Laramie County Library System, Cheyenne
Rock Springs Public Library, Rock Springs
University of Wyoming, Coe Library, Laramie
Western Wyoming Community College, Rock Springs
Wyoming State Library, Cheyenne
Other States
District of Columbia Public Library, Washington DC
Library of Congress, Washington DC
Library Program Service, Government Printing Office, Washington DC
New York State Library, Albany, New York
New York Public Library, New York, New York
Research Libraries, New York, New York
Copies of the FEIS will also be distributed to everyone on
Reclamation's current mailing list for this FEIS, which includes anyone
who received a copy of the DEIS, anyone who submitted comments on the
DEIS, and those who specifically expressed an interest in being added
to the mailing list for this FEIS. The appendix containing public
comments and Reclamation's responses to those comments will be
distributed only to those who submitted comments on the DEIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ronald J. Schuster (D-5300),
Westwide Settlement Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, Denver Office, PO
Box 25007, Denver CO 80225; telephone: (303) 236-9336 ext 237.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In recognition of organizational, economic,
and technological changes in western irrigated farming that have
occurred since the Reclamation Act of 1902, the Reclamation Reform Act
of 1982 (RRA), Title II, Public Law 97-293 (96 Stat. 1263), was signed
into law on October 12, 1982. The RRA revised the number of acres upon
which a landowner could receive Reclamation irrigation water. RRA
provisions established how much land upon which a landowner could
receive Reclamation irrigation water, established reporting
requirements, set specific criteria for the price at which an
individual or legal entity could receive Reclamation water, and
established a requirement for districts to prepare water conservation
plans. Amendments to the RRA were included in the Omnibus Budget
Reconciliation Act of December 22, 1987 (Reconciliation Act), Title V,
Public Law 100-203 (101 Stat. 1330).
Rules and regulations for implementing the RRA, initially becoming
effective on January 5, 1984, were amended in 1987, 1988, 1991, and
1995. Environmental assessments and associated supplements were
prepared in 1983, 1987, and 1988 that resulted in ``Findings of No
Significant Impact'' from implementation of the proposed rules and
regulations.
The proposed rules and regulations and the draft environmental
impact statement (DEIS) were prepared in response to a September 1993
contract
[[Page 4680]]
between the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Department of
Justice, and the Department of the Interior for the settlement of a
lawsuit challenging the inadequacy of the environmental documentation
prepared for the 1987 and 1988 amendments to the RRA rules and
regulations. Reclamation agreed to propose new regulations as part of a
new rulemaking proceeding that comprehensively reexamines
implementation of the RRA, and prepare an EIS considering the impacts
of the proposed regulations and alternatives. The FEIS represents a
modification of the DEIS based upon public comments.
Six alternativesincluding no action and preferredare presented in
the FEIS. They encompass varying levels of regulation to implement the
RRA on a westwide basis. This is an EIS in which existing information
was used in conjunction with the development of specific assumptions to
estimate a range of potential environmental impacts resulting from
specific rule changes. While the significance of these impacts on a
westwide basis is small, localized impacts could be significant for
some alternatives.
Dated: February 2, 1996.
Stephen V. Magnussen,
Acting Commissioner.
[FR Doc. 96-2629 Filed 2-6-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-94-P