[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 103 (Friday, May 29, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29429-29430]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14286]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
Notice of Availability of Abbreviated Final Environmental Impact
Statement
AGENCY: National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Department of the Interior,
designated lead agency; Bureau of Land Management (BLM), designated
cooperating agency.
ACTION: Notice of availability of an abbreviated final environmental
impact statement for the proposed AT&T Corporation P140 Coaxial Cable
Removal Project, Socorro County New Mexico, Clark County Nevada, and
Kern and San Bernardino Counties California.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, the National Park Service announces the
availability of an abbreviated final environmental impact statement
(FEIS) for the P140 Cable Removal Project, Socorro, New Mexico, to
Mojave, California. The draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) for
the proposal was on public review for more than 60 days from December
29, 1997 to March 27, 1998. The abbreviated final document includes
responses to public comments on the DEIS and factual corrections to the
DEIS.
In 1996 AT&T approached the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI)
concerning a proposal to remove 220 miles of their P140 cable system
that no longer supports their current fiber optic network.
The proposed project involved the removal of portions of a
telecommunications system traversing 7.7 miles in New Mexico, 7.4 miles
in Nevada, and 205.2 miles in California.
[[Page 29430]]
The P140 system includes buried coaxial cable, repeater huts, manholes,
marker posts, and an access corridor. In addition, AT&T proposed to
relinquish associated rights-of-way easements, in whole or in part,
wherever cable and equipment were removed.
As jurisdictional agencies of federal lands crossed by the project,
the NPS and the BLM are responsible for determining terms and
conditions of any removal activity and rehabilitation actions to
promote restoration of the land. In March 1997 DOI determined to
prepare a non-delegated environmental impact statement.
The abbreviated FEIS describes and analyzes four alternatives in
response to AT&T's request to remove cable and to terminate the
associated rights-of-way. The Proposed Action, and two additional
action alternatives have been developed to reduce or avoid adverse
effects on desert vegetation, wilderness, the desert tortoise and
recreational access. The No Action alternative is included as a
baseline for comparison of the action alternatives. To varying degrees,
all action alternatives include cable and structure removal along with
rehabilitation of the access corridor and repeater hut sites.
Alternative A is the Proposed Action and includes the removal of
174.5 miles of cable, repeater huts and manholes along 220 miles of the
right-of-way, and marker posts along 174.2 miles. In addition, the
proposed action suggests rehabilitation actions to promote revegetation
and habitat recovery that include the elimination of 39.8 miles of the
access corridor and 4 miles of dual track.
Alternative B was developed to protect critical habitat of the
desert tortoise on federal lands. Cable would not be removed from these
areas, and more of the access corridor within critical habitat would be
eliminated. Cable would be removed along 113.7 miles outside of
critical habitat on federal lands, and repeater huts and manholes would
be removed along 174.7 miles. Rehabilitation actions include
eliminating 51.6 miles of the access corridor and 4 miles of dual
track.
Alternative C would minimize construction-related impacts on desert
vegetation and the desert tortoise on federal lands. Cable would not be
removed from federal lands and the access corridor would be eliminated
in wilderness areas only. Cable would be removed along 72.3 miles of
primarily state and private lands. Repeater huts and manholes would be
removed along 220 miles, and marker posts would be removed along 174.7
miles. The elimination and rehabilitation of 5.4 miles of the access
corridor and 4 miles of dual tract also would be included in
alternative C.
For all action alternatives, cable removal activities would result
in long-term (20-50 years) adverse affects on desert vegetation, animal
species of concern, soil productivity, recreation, and visual
aesthetics, but to varying degrees. Removal and rehabilitation
activities also would result in temporary adverse affects on air
quality and noise due to construction-related activities.
Rehabilitation actions would have a permanent beneficial impact on
desert vegetation and the desert tortoise. Elimination of portions of
the access corridor in the Proposed Action would have a significant
impact on recreational access to open desert land, but would not
eliminate access to any designated recreational site. Due to
elimination of additional segments of the access corridor, Alternative
B would eliminate access to several designated recreational sites.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joan DeGraff, National Park Service,
Denver Service Center, PO. Box 25287, Denver, CO, 80225-0287.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Copies of the DEIS are available on the
Internet at the NPS web site http://www.nps.gov/planning/index.html. A
limited number of individual copies of the abbreviated FEIS may be
obtained from Joan DeGraff at the above address or by calling (303)
969-2464.
A 30-day no action period will begin following release of the
abbreviated FEIS. A record of decision will follow the no action
period.
Dated: May 22, 1998.
Willie R. Taylor,
Director, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance.
[FR Doc. 98-14286 Filed 5-28-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 2310-67-P
