[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13212-13213]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7197]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
[FES 96-14]
Tongue River Basin Project/Northern Cheyenne Indian Reserved
Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992, Big Horn County, Montana
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation (Interior), in conjunction with the
Northern Cheyenne Tribe and the Montana Department of Natural Resources
and Conservation.
ACTION: Notice of availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Reclamation, acting as
lead Federal agency, in conjunction with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe
and the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, has
prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement on the Tongue River
Basin Project portion of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reserved Water
Rights Settlement Act of 1992 (Settlement Act). The proposed action
affects the following trust assets of the Northern Cheyenne Indian
Tribe (Tribe) (1) the Tribe's existing water supplies held in Tongue
River Reservoir; (2) the safety of downstream Tribal lands; and (3)
additional water for the Tribe's use in the Tongue River Basin. The
FEIS evaluates the impact to the environment of various alternatives
for protecting these Tribal assets. The project includes the repair and
enlargement of the Tongue River Dam, the partial fulfillment of the
Northern Cheyenne Settlement Act, and the conservation, development,
and enhancement of fish and wildlife resources and habitat in the
Tongue River Basin.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Katherine Jabs, Area Manager,
Montana Projects Office, Bureau of Reclamation (Code: MT-100), P.O. Box
30137, Billings, Montana 59107, telephone: (406) 247-7298.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Negotiations between the Federal Government
(acting as trustee for the Tribe) and the State of Montana culminated
in 1991 with the signing of a water rights compact. Subsequently, the
compact was ratified by the United States Congress and the Northern
Cheyenne Indian Water Rights Settlement Act of 1992 (Settlement Act)
was signed into Public Law #102-374. During the negotiations, an
opportunity was identified to rehabilitate the presently unsafe State-
owned Tongue River Dam (Dam) and provide additional water to the Tribe
by raising the dam. The following action alternatives for
rehabilitating and replacing the spillway and raising the Dam crest
elevation 4 feet were evaluated in the FEIS: (1) A Labyrinth Weir
Spillway, (2) a Roller-Compacted Concrete (RCC) Spillway, and (3) No
Action. Other alternatives were considered and dismissed on the basis
of being technically or economically infeasible or resulted in greater
environmental effects. These dismissed alternatives ranged from
purchasing water rights to satisfy the Settlement Act to constructing a
new dam at another location. The preferred alternative
[[Page 13213]]
selected by the project sponsors is the RCC alternative.
During the process of negotiating the compact, the State of Montana
and the Bureau of Reclamation hosted numerous public and agency
informational meetings. More recently, during the NEPA process, public
scoping meetings were held during March 1993. A scoping document
containing the schedule for all meetings was mailed to approximately
2100 individuals and entities on the Northern Cheyenne Indian
Reservation and surrounding towns and cities. After the scoping process
was completed, the draft EIS was completed and sent out for agency and
public review and comment in mid 1995. Comments were received and
replies are incorporated in the FEIS.
There is a 30-day public comment period for the FEIS. Anyone
interested in obtaining a copy of the FEIS and/or wanting more
information relative to the study should contact the following persons:
Ms. Brenda Schilf, Project Coordinator, Bureau of Reclamation, Montana
Projects Office, P.O. Box 30137, Billings, MT 59107, (406) 247-7298.
Mr. Ernie Robinson, Project Coordinator, Northern Cheyenne Tribe, 128
Little Coyote Drive, Lame Deer, MT 59043, (406) 477-6503.
Mr. Stan Jones, Project Coordinator, Department of Natural Resources
and Conservation, 48 N. Last Chance Gulch, P.O. Box 201601, Helena,
Montana 59620-1601, (406) 444-0525.
Dated: March 14, 1996.
Katherine Jabs,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 96-7197 Filed 3-25-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-09-P