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Federal Register/Vol. 68, No. 31/Friday, February 14, 2003/Notices

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Federal Register/Vol. 68, No. 31/Friday, February 14, 2003/Notices 7536 Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 31 / Friday, February 14, 2003 / Notices Renewal of the Operating Licenses (OLs) EIS No. 030053, Draft EIS, BLM, WY, McMurdo Station; this man-made pier for an Additional 20–Year Period, Snake River Resource Management has a normal life span of three to five Supplement 9 to NUREG–1437, York Plan, BLM-administrated public land years. At the end of its useful life, all County, SC. and resources allocation and transportable equipment, materials, and Summary: EPA has no objection to the management, Snake River, Jackson debris are removed, and the pier is cast proposed action since our previous Hole, Teton Counties, WY, comment loose from its moorings at the base and issues were resolved. period ends: May 15, 2003, contact: towed out to McMurdo Sound for Dated: February 11, 2003. Joe Patti (307) 775–6101. disposal, where it melts naturally. Joseph C. Montgomery, EIS No. 030055, Draft EIS, FHW, TX, Issuance of this general permit is Grand Parkway/TX–99 Improvement necessary because the pier must be Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office of Federal Activities. Project, IH–10 to U.S. 290, funding, towed out to sea for disposal at the end right-of-way grant and U.S. Army COE of its useful life. This final general [FR Doc. 03–3692 Filed 2–13–03; 8:45 am] section 404 permit issuance, Harris permit is intended to protect the marine BILLING CODE 6560–50–P County, comment period ends: May environment by setting forth permit 23, 2003, contact: John Mack (512) conditions, including operating ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 536–5960. conditions during use of the pier and AGENCY EIS No. 030056, Draft EIS, AFS, FL, clean-up, with which the NSF must USDA Forest Service and State of comply before the disposal of such ice Florida Land Exchange Project, piers can take place. EPA has [ER–FRL–6637–6] assembled exchange of both fee, determined that only minimal adverse Environmental Impact Statements; ownership parcels and partial interest environmental impacts will result from Notice of Availability parcels, Baker, Citrus, Franklin, the dumping of ice piers under this Hernando, Lake, Liberty, Okaloosa, general permit. AGENCY: Office of Federal Activities, Osceola, Santa Rosa and Sumter DATES: This permit is effective February General Information (202) 564–7167 or Counties, FL, comment period ends: 14, 2003. http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa/. March 31, 2003, contact: Gary Hegg ADDRESSES: Additional information on Weekly receipt of Environmental Impact (850) 926–3561. this final general permit can be obtained Statements, filed February 3, 2003, Dated: February 11, 2003. from the person identified in the section through February 7, 2003, pursuant to Joseph C. Montgomery, FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, 40 CFR 1506.9. Director, NEPA Compliance Division, Office which follows below. EIS No. 030049, Draft EIS, NPS, OH, of Federal Activities. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cuyahoga Valley National Park Rural [FR Doc. 03–3693 Filed 2–13–03; 8:45 am] David Redford, Chief, Marine Pollution Landscape Management Program, BILLING CODE 6560–50–P Control Branch, Oceans and Coastal Rural Landscape Resources Protection Division (4504T), U.S. Preservation and Protection, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Cuyahoga River, Cuyahoga and ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Summit Counties, OH, comment AGENCY Washington, DC 20460; telephone (202) period ends: March 31, 2003, contact: 566–1288. [FRL–7452–9] John P. Debo (440) 546–5903. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EIS No. 030050, Draft Supplement, NPS, Issuance of a Final General Permit to A. The McMurdo Station Ice Pier KY, TN, Big South Fork National the National Science Foundation for River and Recreation Area, General the Ocean Disposal of Man-Made Ice The NSF is the agency of the United Management Plan, implementation, Piers From its Base at McMurdo Sound States Government responsible for additional information concerning on Antarctica oversight of the United States Antarctic resources, roads and trails, McCreary, Program. The NSF currently operates KY and Fentress, Morgan, Pickett, and AGENCY: Environmental Protection three major bases in Antarctica: Scott Counties, TN, comment period Agency (EPA). McMurdo Station on Ross Island, ends: May 15, 2003, contact: Reed ACTION: Final permit. adjacent to McMurdo Sound; Palmer Detring (423) 569–9778. Station, near the western terminus of EIS No. 030051, Final EIS, MMS, AK, SUMMARY: EPA is today issuing a general the Antarctic Peninsula; and Beaufort Sea Planning Area multiple permit under sections 102(a) and 104(c) Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, at sale 186, 195 and 202 oil and gas lease of the Marine Protection, Research, and the geographic South Pole. McMurdo sales, Alaska Outer Continental Shelf, Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) to the Station is the largest of the three Offshore Marine Environment, National Science Foundation (NSF) for stations, and serves as the primary Beaufort Sea Coastal Plain, and the the disposal at sea of man-made ice logistics base for Antarctica. North Slope Borough of Alaska, wait piers from its base at McMurdo Sound For most of the year, McMurdo period ends: March 17, 2003, contact: on Antarctica. McMurdo Station, which Station is closed in by sea ice. However, George Valiulis (703) 787–1662. is located on the southern tip of Hut in early January, a U.S. Coast Guard EIS No. 030052, Final EIS, FHW, IA, Point Peninsula on Ross Island, is the icebreaker opens a channel to the harbor Avenue G viaduct and connecting largest of three stations in Antarctica at McMurdo Station, allowing a fuel corridor, access improvement for local operated by the National Science tanker and a supply vessel to replenish emergency services and safety Foundation. This station is the logistics the station. The tanker normally arrives through expanded capacity across the hub of the United States Antarctic in mid-January to unload fuel and trail corridor, funding and NPDES Program. The majority of personnel and unleaded gasoline. In early February, permit, Pottawattamie County, IA, supplies destined for bases and field the supply vessel arrives and off-loads wait period ends: March 17, 2003, camps on Antarctica pass through the annual provision of supplies for contact: Bobby Blackmon (515) 233– McMurdo Station. In order to unload McMurdo Station and other U.S. 7300. supplies, ships dock at an ice pier at Antarctic bases. After unloading its VerDate Jan<31>2003 19:15 Feb 13, 2003 Jkt 200001 PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\14FEN1.SGM 14FEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 31 / Friday, February 14, 2003 / Notices 7537 cargo, the supply vessel is backloaded and are generally disposed of in small would result from the dumping of ice with the previous year’s accumulation quantities. piers from the NSF base at McMurdo of wastes, which are returned to the The proposed towing of ice piers by Station in Antarctica. United States for disposal and recycling. the NSF from McMurdo Station for Furthermore, the NSF is directed, as Construction of an ice pier is disposal at sea constitutes a condition of this permit, to utilize a necessary to allow the various vessels to transportation of material for the methodology to track any ice piers dock and unload at McMurdo Station. purpose of dumping in ocean waters, so released from McMurdo Station for a This ice pier, which is approximately it is subject to the MPRSA. EPA has period of one year from the date of 800 feet long, 300 feet wide, and 22 feet determined that only minimal adverse release. Such methodologies may thick, is constructed during the winter environmental impacts will result from include the use of satellite-tracked season. The pier has several wooden the ocean dumping of ice piers under pingers placed on the ice pier, or any poles frozen in it to support lighting, this general permit. other methodology that will allow data power, and telephone connections, and C. Discussion to be collected on the course, speed, and is covered with a gravel surface. At the location of the ice pier. The results of Today EPA is issuing a general permit end of each austral summer season, the these tracking efforts are to be included to the NSF and its agents for the ocean pier is inspected, and as much of the in the reports that the NSF is required dumping of man-made ice piers from gravel surface as possible is removed to submit to the Agency. If tracking the NSF research station at McMurdo and stored for use the following season. results demonstrate that all such ice Sound, Antarctica, subject to specific If the pier is to be reused the next year, piers released have generally followed conditions. Agents of the NSF are it is flooded with seawater during the the same path and time duration for the included in the permit because winter to create a new surface for the one year following release, the Agency transportation for the purpose of following summer season. dumping the pier may be by vessels will consider whether further tracking The ice pier has a normal viable life which are not under the direct efforts and tracking reports shall be of three to five years; after that period, ownership or operational control of the required from the NSF under any future factors such as stress cracking and NSF, e.g., the U.S. Military Sealift versions of this permit. erosion cause the pier to be unusable. If Command, the U.S. Navy, or the U.S. D. Response to Comments Received the pier has deteriorated to the point Coast Guard. Further, the general permit that it is not capable of being used the applies only to the ocean dumping of One comment was received on the following season, the wooden poles are man-made ice piers from the NSF proposed general permit (68 FR 775- cut off just above the surface of the ice, station at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.
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