[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 156 (Tuesday, August 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40087-40089]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-17225]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-FAC-2018-N070; FXFR133508RMAIN-189-FF08F00000]
Delta Research Station Project: Estuarine Research Station and
Fish Technology Center, Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental
Impact Statement; Sacramento, California
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), have prepared
a final environmental impact report/environmental impact statement
(EIR/EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969
and its implementing regulations. The final EIR/EIS evaluates impacts
regarding construction and operation of the Delta Research Station
(DRS) in the San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary,
California. The planned DRS would consist of two facilities, a proposed
Estuarine Research Station and a Fish Technology Center. The USFWS is
the lead Federal agency responsible for coordinating the environmental
analysis for the proposed action under NEPA. The California Department
of Water Resources is the lead State agency responsible for
coordinating the environmental analysis under the California
Environmental Quality Act.
DATES: We must receive any comments on the final EIR/EIS by 5 p.m. on
September 12, 2019. We will sign a record of decision no sooner than 30
days after the publication of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
notice of the final EIS in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: To view or download the Final EIR/EIS, or for a list of
locations to view hard-bound copies, go to http://www.deltaresearchstation.com. For how to view comments on the EIS from
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or for information on EPA's
role in the EIS process, see EPA's Role in the EIS Process under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Beggs, at 916-930-5603 (phone)
or barbara_beggs@fws.gov (email). Persons who use a telecommunications
device for the deaf may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-
877-8339. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for you
to leave a message or question for the above individual. You will
receive a reply during regular business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), have prepared a
Final Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/
EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), and its implementing regulations (40
CFR 1500 et seq.). The Final EIR/EIS evaluates impacts regarding
construction and operation of the Delta Research Station (DRS) in the
San Francisco Bay/Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Estuary (Bay-Delta),
California. The planned DRS would consist of two facilities, a proposed
Estuarine Research Station (ERS) and a Fish Technology Center (FTC).
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is the lead Federal agency
responsible for coordinating the environmental analysis for the
proposed action under NEPA. The California Department of Water
Resources (DWR) is the lead State agency responsible for coordinating
the environmental analysis under the California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA). The EIR/EIS is now available for review. Volumes I and II
are the draft EIR/EIS, and Volume III identifies the changes made to
the draft EIR/EIS and provides the responses to comments. The Final
EIR/EIS addressed comments received on the Draft EIR/EIS and contained
two attachments related
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to the public review of the Draft EIR/EIS: Attachment A, which includes
the Draft EIR/EIS notices and mailing list; and Attachment B, which
includes public meeting materials such as the meeting sign-in sheet,
comment form, speaker card, and presentation.
Public Coordination
On December 10, 2014, the USFWS issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to
prepare an EIR/EIS on the DRS (79 FR 73332; https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-12-10/pdf/2014-28891.pdf). The NOI identified the purpose
and need of the project, provided an overview of the DRS and proposed
facilities, and requested comments throughout the scoping process. Two
scoping meetings were held, in Rio Vista and Stockton, on December 15,
2014, and December 16, 2014, respectively. On October 30, 2015, the
Draft EIR/EIS was released to the public and a 45-day public comment
period was opened through notification in the Federal Register (80 FR
66926; https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-10-30/pdf/FR-2015-10-30.pdf). This notice described the proposed action and the range of
alternatives. Two public meetings were held, in Rio Vista and Stockton,
on December 1, 2015, and December 3, 2015, respectively.
Background
The proposed project consists of construction and operation of two
facilities, a proposed Estuarine Research Station (ERS) and a Fish
Technology Center (FTC). Collectively, these facilities are intended to
serve as an aquatic research and monitoring facility that is located in
a centralized area of the Bay-Delta. The project reflects the outcome
of a multiyear collaboration between DWR, USFWS, California Department
of Fish and Wildlife, and other agencies involved in the Interagency
Ecological Program (IEP).
The DRS would consolidate ongoing Interagency Ecological Program
(IEP) research and monitoring activities throughout the Bay-Delta and
provide facilities for study and production of endangered Delta fishes.
Currently, the IEP has approximately 145 State and Federal employees
that conduct research throughout the Bay-Delta. The IEP collaboratively
monitors, researches, models, and synthesizes critical information for
adaptive management water project operations and planning and
regulatory purposes relative to the aquatic ecosystem in the Bay-Delta.
USFWS and DWR plan to construct the DRS in a centrally located area
within the Bay-Delta, and the facilities are expected to enhance
interagency coordination and collaboration.
The purpose of the DRS is to enhance interagency coordination and
collaboration by developing a shared facility. Currently, Federal and
State agency staff working on similar Bay-Delta issues are distributed
among different locations that are often remote from the Bay-Delta.
Construction and operation of the DRS would reduce travel times and
costs and improve research and monitoring activity efficiency. The DRS
would consolidate existing IEP programs currently located throughout
the Delta, and the FTC would house a new program to develop and apply
captive fish propagation technologies in support of population
restoration.
The Draft EIR/EIS evaluated the potential impacts of three action
alternatives, as well as the No Project Alternative: The No Project
Alternative (DWR and USFWS would not construct the ERS or FTC);
Alternative 2 (the ERS and FTC facilities would be consolidated in the
predominantly undeveloped portions of the Rio Vista Army Reserve Center
site); Alternative 3 (the ERS facilities would involve rehabilitation
and reuse of existing facilities); and Alternative 4 (the ERS and FTC
facilities would be located at the 845 Ryde Avenue site in Stockton).
California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the CEQA lead agency,
identified Alternative 2 as the proposed project and USFWS has selected
Alternative 2 as the NEPA preferred alternative.
Since publication of the Draft EIR/EIS, Alternative 2 was modified
such that the new marina would be partially excavated inland, as
opposed to being entirely located within the existing Sacramento River
channel (as it was described in the Draft EIR/EIS). The Final EIR/EIS
described and analyzed project modifications and refinements to
Alternative 2 (Rio Vista Army Reserve Center--Configuration 1). This
modified alternative consists of developing the ERS and FTC facilities
on the southern edge of Rio Vista. The ERS and FTC facilities would be
consolidated in the predominantly undeveloped portions of the site, and
the marina would be established in the Sacramento River at the
southeastern end of the site. The facilities layout of the modified
Alternative 2 would be very similar to that which is described in the
Draft EIR/EIS, with the exception that some building footprints would
be shifted westerly to accommodate the partially excavated marina.
These modifications were made in response to comments from the Army
Corps of Engineers and did not result in substantial changes in the
proposed action relevant to environmental concerns. Therefore, a
supplement was not required under 40 CFR 1502.9(c)(1)(i).
The Final EIR/EIS contains responses to all substantive comments
received on the Draft EIR/EIS, reflects comments and any information
received during the review period, and includes revisions to the
environmental analysis to reflect modifications to Alternative 2.
DWR's certification of the EIR and final decision-making under the
CEQA occurred May 18, 2017. USFWS will not sign the Record of Decision
until at least 30 days after EPA publishes a notice of availability of
the Final EIR/EIS.
EPA's Role in the EIS Process
The EPA is charged under section 309 of the Clean Air Act to review
all Federal agencies' EISs and to comment on the adequacy and the
acceptability of the environmental impacts of proposed actions in the
EISs.
EPA also serves as the repository (EIS database) for EISs prepared
by Federal agencies and provides notice of their availability in the
Federal Register. The EIS database provides information about EISs
prepared by Federal agencies, as well as EPA's comments concerning the
EISs. All EISs are filed with EPA, which publishes a notice of
availability on Fridays in the Federal Register.
For more information, see http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa/eisdata.html. You may search for EPA comments on EISs, along with EISs
themselves, at https://cdxnodengn.epa.gov/cdx-enepa-public/action/eis/search.
Public Availability of Comments
All comments received, including names and addresses, will become
part of the decision record for this action and will be available to
the public. Before including your address, phone number, email address,
or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should
be aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--will be publicly available. If you submit a hardcopy
comment that includes personal identifying information, you may request
at the top of your document that we withhold this information from
public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do
so.
Authority
This notice is published in accordance with the requirements of
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321
et seq.), the Council for Environmental
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Quality's regulations for implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500 through 1508),
and the Department of the Interior's NEPA regulations (43 CFR part 46).
Jody Holzworth,
Deputy Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-17225 Filed 8-12-19; 8:45 am]
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