81 FR 14886 - Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Continued Implementation of the 2008 Operating Agreement for the Rio Grande Project, New Mexico and Texas
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 53 (March 18, 2016)
Bureau of Reclamation
Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 53 (March 18, 2016)
| Page Range | 14886-14888 | |
| FR Document | 2016-05889 |
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 53 (Friday, March 18, 2016)] [Notices] [Pages 14886-14888] From the Federal Register Online [www.thefederalregister.org] [FR Doc No: 2016-05889] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Reclamation [RR04310000, 16XR0680A1, RX002361010021000] Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Continued Implementation of the 2008 Operating Agreement for the Rio Grande Project, New Mexico and Texas AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior. ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation has made available for public review and comment the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on continuing to implement the 2008 Operating Agreement for the Rio Grande Project(Operating Agreement), and to implement long-term contracts for storage of San Juan-Chama Project water in Elephant Butte Reservoir. The Operating Agreement is a description of how Reclamation allocates, releases from storage, and delivers Rio Grande Project water to Mexico, the Elephant Butte Irrigation District in New Mexico, and the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 in Texas. DATES: Written comments on the Draft EIS should be submitted on or before Monday, May 9, 2016. Public hearings to receive oral or written comments will be held on:Thursday, April 7, 2016, from 4 to 7 p.m., Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Tuesday, April 12, 2016, from 6 to 9 p.m., Las Cruces, New Mexico. A court recorder will be available to take comments from the public before a hearing officer during this time. ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Ms. Rhea Graham, Bureau of Reclamation, Albuquerque Area Office, ALB-103, 555 Broadway Boulevard NE., Suite 100, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102; or via email to [email protected]. Public hearings will be held in the following locations: Albuquerque--Albuquerque Area Office, 555 Broadway Boulevard NE., Suite 100, Albuquerque, New Mexico. Las Cruces--Elephant Butte Irrigation District, 530 South Melendres Street, Las Cruces, New Mexico. To request a compact disc of the Draft EIS, please contact Ms. Rhea Graham as indicated above, or call (505) 462-3560. The Draft EIS may be viewed at the Bureau of Reclamation's Web site at http://www.usbr.gov/uc/envdocs/eis.html. For those without Internet access, copies of the EIS are available for public inspection at specified government and quasi-state offices. See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for specific locations where the Draft EIS is available for public review and inspection. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Rhea Graham, EIS Project Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, via email at [email protected], or at (505) 462- 3560. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Draft EIS examines whether to continue to implement the Operating Agreement provisions consisting of a diversion ratio adjustment provision and a carryover accounting provision when allocating, releasing from storage, and delivering Rio Grande Project water; as well as whether to store San Juan-Chama Project water in Elephant Butte Reservoir. The area of analysis for the Draft EIS extends from the San Marcial Railroad Bridge above Elephant Butte Reservoir in New Mexico to the El Paso/Hudspeth County Line in Texas; the diversion headings where Reclamation delivers Rio Grande Project allocations are located between Caballo Dam and International Dam. Reclamation allocates Rio Grande Project water supplies such that the diversion allocations to Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID) and El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 (EPCWID) are proportionate to each district's respective acreages. After annual calculation of Rio Grande Project [[Page 14887]] allocations, Reclamation delivers water to each district's diversion headings, and delivers to the International Boundary and Water Commission, in compliance with the Convention of 1906 with Mexico. The proposed Federal action analyzed in this Draft EIS is to continue to implement the Operating Agreement, which fulfills obligations in Reclamation contracts with the EBID and EPCWID, as well as resolves litigation in compliance with the legal settlement State of New Mexico ex rel. Office of the State Engineer v. Elephant Butte Irrigation District, et al. The Operating Agreement is a description of how Reclamation allocates, releases from storage, and delivers Rio Grande Project water. The provisions adopted in the Operating Agreement reflect the interest of Reclamation, EBID, and EPCWID in the long-term sustainability of the Rio Grande Project. The Draft EIS Analyzes Five Alternatives The Draft EIS describes a No-Action Alternative (Alternative 1) and examines four Action Alternatives (Alternatives 2, 3, 4, and 5). All five alternatives were simulated with an integrated surface water/ groundwater model developed from historical hydrology to simulate potential future hydrology through the terms of the Operating Agreement, and the simulations show the effect of current climate change scenarios on future hydrology. Reclamation consulted on effects to biological resources under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, and the biological opinion issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) may be viewed on the Service's Web site at http://www.fws.gov/southwest/es/NewMexico/ES_bio_op.cfm. Alternative 1: The No-Action Alternative Under Alternative 1, Reclamation would continue implementation through 2050 of the operating procedures defined in the Operating Agreement. Under these operating procedures, both provisions (diversion ratio and carryover allocation) of the Operating Agreement would continue. The implementation of the diversion ratio adjustment provision of the Operating Agreement in computing annual diversion allocations would continue. The carryover accounting provisions of the Operating Agreement allowing carryover of the unused allotment balance from one year to the next would continue. Under Alternative 1, Reclamation would execute a multi-year contract through 2050 for the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Authority to store up to 50,000 acre-feet per year of San Juan-Chama Project water in Elephant Butte Reservoir every year, if reservoir space is available. Alternative 2: No San Juan-Chama Project Storage Alternative 2 would continue to implement the diversion ratio adjustment provision of the Operating Agreement in computing annual diversion allocations, and continue to implement the carryover accounting provisions of the Operating Agreement, which allow carryover of unused allotment balance from one year to the next. However, there would be no storage of San Juan-Chama Project water in Elephant Butte Reservoir. San Juan Chama-Project repayment contractors receive their annual water allocations with no provisions for carryover; therefore, contractors can benefit by storing unused annual allocations in Elephant Butte Reservoir for future use. Alternative 3: No Carryover Provision Alternative 3 would continue to implement the diversion ratio adjustment provision of the Operating Agreement in computing annual diversion allocations, but would eliminate the carryover allocations, and each district would relinquish the unused allotment balance at the end of each calendar year. Alternative 3 would continue to store up to 50,000 acre-feet per year of San Juan-Chama Project water in Elephant Butte Reservoir. Alternative 3 is the same as Alternative 1 (No-Action Alternative), except Reclamation would not continue to implement the carryover allocation accounting provisions of the Operating Agreement. Using the hydrology model simulations, the effects of the carryover provision of the Operating Agreement can be determined. Alternative 4: No Diversion Ratio Adjustment Alternative 4 would compute the annual diversion allocations based only on the regression equations in the Operating Agreement, but without adjusting for variations in Rio Grande Project performance from the effects of losses and inflows on deliveries. Alternative 4 would continue to implement the carryover accounting provisions of the Operating Agreement, allowing carryover of unused allotment balance from one year to the next. Alternative 4 would continue to store up to 50,000 acre-feet per year of San Juan-Chama Project water in Elephant Butte Reservoir. Alternative 4 is the same as Alternative 1 (No-Action Alternative), except Reclamation would not implement the diversion ratio adjustment provision of the Operating Agreement. Using the hydrology model simulations, the effects of the diversion ratio adjustment provision of the Operating Agreement can be determined. Alternative 5: Prior Operating ``Ad Hoc'' Practices Alternative 5 would compute the annual diversion allocations based only on regression equations that reflect historical conditions and Rio Grande Project performance, without adjusting for variations in Rio Grande Project performance; and also, would eliminate the carryover allocations and each district would relinquish the unused allotment balance at the end of each calendar year. Alternative 5 would continue to store up to 50,000 acre-feet per year of San Juan-Chama Project water in Elephant Butte Reservoir. Alternative 5 allows comparison through 2050 of operations under the Operating Agreement and a simulation of procedures prior to the Operating Agreement, by eliminating the carryover and diversion ratio adjustment provisions. Alternative 5 is the best possible representation of prior operating practices in a modeling context, but is not the same as historical operations. Alternative 5 would not continue implementation of the Operating Agreement. Public Review and Where To Find Copies of the Draft EIS Copies of the Draft EIS are available for public review and inspection at the following locations: Bureau of Reclamation, Albuquerque Area Office, 555 Broadway NE., Suite 100, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87102. Bureau of Reclamation, El Paso Field Division, 10737 Gateway West, Suite 350, El Paso, Texas 79935. Natural Resources Library, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW., Main Interior Building, Washington, DC 20240-0001. Elephant Butte Irrigation District, 530 South Melendres Street, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88005. El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1, Main Office, 13247 Alameda Avenue, Clint, Texas 79836. El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1, Canutillo Office, 7254 La Junta Drive, Canutillo, Texas 79835. [[Page 14888]] Special Assistance for Public Hearings If special assistance is required to participate in the public hearing, please contact Ms. Tina Villegas at (505) 462-3542, or via email at [email protected]. Please contact Ms. Villegas at least 10 working days prior to the hearing. A telephone device for the hearing impaired (TTY) is available at 1-800-877-8339. Public Disclosure 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--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. Dated: February 17, 2016. Brent Rhees, Regional Director. [FR Doc. 2016-05889 Filed 3-17-16; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4332-90-P
![14886 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 53 / Friday, March 18, 2016 / Notices
Lewandowski at the address provided Æ March 31, 2016; R. James • Thursday, April 7, 2016, from 4 to
above. Comments delivered via mail Community Center, Wainwright, Alaska; 7 p.m., Albuquerque, New Mexico; and
should be labeled ‘‘Attn: 2017–2022 7–10 p.m. • Tuesday, April 12, 2016, from 6 to
OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program Draft Æ April 4, 2016; Morris Thompson 9 p.m., Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Programmatic EIS.’’ Cultural & Visitors Center, 101 Dunkel A court recorder will be available to
Before including your address, phone Street, Fairbanks, Alaska; 7–10 p.m. take comments from the public before a
number, email address, or other Æ April 5, 2016; Embassy Suites, 600 hearing officer during this time.
personal identifying information in your East Benson Boulevard, Anchorage, ADDRESSES: Send written comments to
comment, you should be aware that Alaska; 3–7 p.m.; free parking. Ms. Rhea Graham, Bureau of
your entire comment—including your Æ April 6, 2016, Ninilchik School, Reclamation, Albuquerque Area Office,
personal identifying information—may 15735 Sterling Highway, Ninilchik, ALB–103, 555 Broadway Boulevard NE.,
be made publicly available at any time. Alaska; 7–10 p.m. Suite 100, Albuquerque, New Mexico
While you can ask us in your comment Gulf of Mexico 87102; or via email to rgraham@
to withhold your personal identifying usbr.gov.
information from public review, we Æ April 12, 2016; Hyatt Regency Public hearings will be held in the
cannot guarantee that we will be able to Houston, 1200 Louisiana Street, following locations:
do so. We will not consider anonymous Houston, Texas; 3–7 p.m.; validated • Albuquerque—Albuquerque Area
comments. valet parking at hotel. Office, 555 Broadway Boulevard NE.,
Public Meetings: Thirteen public Æ April 14, 2016; 1201 Elmwood Park Suite 100, Albuquerque, New Mexico.
meetings will be held from March 29, Boulevard, New Orleans, Louisiana; • Las Cruces—Elephant Butte
2016, through April 14, 2016, to obtain 2–6 p.m.; free parking. Irrigation District, 530 South Melendres
comments on the 2017–2022 OCS Oil Dated: March 8, 2016. Street, Las Cruces, New Mexico.
To request a compact disc of the Draft
and Gas Leasing Program Draft Abigail Ross Hopper,
EIS, please contact Ms. Rhea Graham as
Programmatic EIS. Meetings in Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy
indicated above, or call (505) 462–3560.
Washington, DC, Houston, TX, New Management.
The Draft EIS may be viewed at the
Orleans, LA and Anchorage, AK, will be [FR Doc. 2016–06110 Filed 3–17–16; 8:45 am]
Bureau of Reclamation’s Web site at
open house style meetings and will be BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P
http://www.usbr.gov/uc/envdocs/
held from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. local time,
eis.html. For those without Internet
except for New Orleans where the
access, copies of the EIS are available
meeting will be held from 2:00 to 6:00 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
for public inspection at specified
p.m. local time. At most of the other
Bureau of Reclamation government and quasi-state offices.
Alaska locations, meetings will be held See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. local time in a section for specific locations where the
[RR04310000, 16XR0680A1,
facilitated group format, except for Point RX002361010021000] Draft EIS is available for public review
Lay which will occur from 3:00 to 6:00 and inspection.
p.m. local time. The Fairbanks and Notice of Availability and Notice of FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Barrow meetings will be held in a Public Hearings for the Draft
hybrid open house/facilitated group Rhea Graham, EIS Project Manager,
Environmental Impact Statement for Bureau of Reclamation, via email at
format. Meetings will be held on the the Continued Implementation of the
following dates and at the following rgraham@usbr.gov, or at (505) 462–
2008 Operating Agreement for the Rio 3560.
locations. Grande Project, New Mexico and Texas
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Draft
Washington, DC AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, EIS examines whether to continue to
• April 4, 2016; Marriott Metro Interior. implement the Operating Agreement
Center, 775 12th St. NW., Washington, ACTION: Notice. provisions consisting of a diversion
DC 3–7 p.m.; valet parking at no charge ratio adjustment provision and a
to meeting attendees up to 8 hours. SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation carryover accounting provision when
has made available for public review allocating, releasing from storage, and
Alaska and comment the Draft Environmental delivering Rio Grande Project water; as
• March 29, 2016; Kaktovik Impact Statement (EIS) on continuing to well as whether to store San Juan-
Community Center, 2051 Barter Avenue, implement the 2008 Operating Chama Project water in Elephant Butte
Kaktovik, Alaska; 7–10 p.m. Agreement for the Rio Grande Reservoir. The area of analysis for the
Project(Operating Agreement), and to Draft EIS extends from the San Marcial
Æ March 29, 2016; Northwest Arctic implement long-term contracts for
Borough Assembly Chambers, 163 Railroad Bridge above Elephant Butte
storage of San Juan-Chama Project water Reservoir in New Mexico to the El Paso/
Lagoon Street, Kotzebue, Alaska; 7–10 in Elephant Butte Reservoir. The
p.m. Hudspeth County Line in Texas; the
Operating Agreement is a description of diversion headings where Reclamation
Æ March 30, 2016, Inupiat Heritage how Reclamation allocates, releases delivers Rio Grande Project allocations
Center, 5421 North Star Street, Barrow, from storage, and delivers Rio Grande are located between Caballo Dam and
Alaska; 7–10 p.m. Project water to Mexico, the Elephant International Dam.
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Æ March 30, 2016; Kisik Community Butte Irrigation District in New Mexico, Reclamation allocates Rio Grande
Center, 2230 2nd Avenue, Nuiqsut, and the El Paso County Water Project water supplies such that the
Alaska; 7–10 p.m. Improvement District No. 1 in Texas. diversion allocations to Elephant Butte
Æ March 31, 2016; Kali School, 1029 DATES: Written comments on the Draft Irrigation District (EBID) and El Paso
Qasigiakik Street, Point Lay, Alaska; EIS should be submitted on or before County Water Improvement District No.
3–6 p.m. Monday, May 9, 2016. 1 (EPCWID) are proportionate to each
Æ March 31, 2016; City Qalgi Center, Public hearings to receive oral or district’s respective acreages. After
Point Hope, Alaska; 7–10 p.m. written comments will be held on: annual calculation of Rio Grande Project
VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:50 Mar 17, 2016 Jkt 238001 PO 00000 Frm 00065 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\18MRN1.SGM 18MRN1](https://thefederalregister.org/doc/81_FR_14939/page/1.svg)
![14888 Federal Register / Vol. 81, No. 53 / Friday, March 18, 2016 / Notices
Special Assistance for Public Hearings ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to company, their compliance status and
If special assistance is required to John Trelease, Office of Surface Mining history, and authority to mine the
participate in the public hearing, please Reclamation and Enforcement, 1951 property. This information is used to
contact Ms. Tina Villegas at (505) 462– Constitution Ave. NW., Room 203–SIB, insure all legal, financial and
3542, or via email at tvillegas@usbr.gov. Washington, DC 20240. Comments may compliance requirements are satisfied
Please contact Ms. Villegas at least 10 also be submitted electronically to prior to issuance or denial of a permit.
jtrelease@osmre.gov. Bureau Form Number: None.
working days prior to the hearing. A
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To Frequency of Collection: Once.
telephone device for the hearing Description of Respondents: Surface
impaired (TTY) is available at 1–800– receive a copy of the information
collection request contact John Trelease, coal mining permit applicants and State
877–8339. regulatory authorities.
at (202) 208–2783 or by email at
Public Disclosure jtrelease@osmre.gov. Total Annual Responses: 1,091 permit
applicants and 448 State regulatory
Before including your address, phone SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB
authorities.
number, email address, or other regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,512.
personal identifying information in your implement provisions of the Paperwork Total Non-labor Costs: $0.
comment, you should be aware that Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13), Obligation to Respond: Required in
your entire comment—including your require that interested members of the order to obtain or retain benefits.
personal identifying information—may public and affected agencies have an Before including your address, phone
be made publicly available at any time. opportunity to comment on information number, email address, or other
While you can ask us in your comment collection and recordkeeping activities personal identifying information in your
to withhold your personal identifying [see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)]. This notice comment, you should be aware that
information from public review, we identifies an information collection that your entire comment—including your
cannot guarantee that we will be able to OSMRE will be submitting to OMB for personal identifying information—may
do so. extension. This collection is contained be made publicly available at any time.
Dated: February 17, 2016. in 30 CFR part 778—Permit While you can ask us in your comment
Brent Rhees, Applications—Minimum Requirements to withhold your personal identifying
for Legal, Financial, Compliance, and information from public review, we
Regional Director.
Related Information. cannot guarantee that we will be able to
[FR Doc. 2016–05889 Filed 3–17–16; 8:45 am]
OSMRE has revised burden estimates, do so.
BILLING CODE 4332–90–P
where appropriate, to reflect current
Dated: March 15, 2016.
reporting levels or adjustments based on
reestimates of burden or respondents. Harry J. Payne,
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Chief, Division of Regulatory Support.
OSMRE will request a 3-year term of
approval for each information collection [FR Doc. 2016–06132 Filed 3–17–16; 8:45 am]
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement activity. BILLING CODE 4310–05–P
An agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
[S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000
respond to, a collection of information INTERNATIONAL TRADE
167S180110; S2D2S SS08011000
SX064A000 16XS501520] unless it displays a currently valid OMB COMMISSION
control number. The OMB control
[Investigation Nos. 701–TA–556 and 731–
Notice of Proposed Information number for this collection of TA–1311 (Preliminary)]
Collection; Request for Comments for information is 1029–0117 and is
1029–0117 displayed at 30 CFR 778.8. Truck and Bus Tires From China;
Comments are invited on: (1) The Determinations
AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining need for the collection of information
Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior. for the performance of the functions of On the basis of the record 1 developed
ACTION: Notice and request for the agency; (2) the accuracy of the in the subject investigations, the United
comments. agency’s burden estimates; (3) ways to States International Trade Commission
enhance the quality, utility and clarity (‘‘Commission’’) determines, pursuant
SUMMARY: In compliance with the of the information collection; and (4) to the Tariff Act of 1930 (‘‘the Act’’),
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the ways to minimize the information that there is a reasonable indication that
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation collection burden on respondents, such an industry in the United States is
and Enforcement (OSMRE) is as use of automated means of collection materially injured or threatened with
announcing its intention to request of the information. A summary of the material injury by reason of imports of
renewed approval from the Office of public comments will be included in truck and bus tires from China,
Management and Budget (OMB) to OSM’s submissions of the information provided for in statistical reporting
continue collecting information for collection request to OMB. numbers 4011.20.1015 and
Permit Applications—Minimum Title: 30 CFR part 778—Permit 4011.20.5020 of the Harmonized Tariff
Requirements for Legal, Financial, Applications—Minimum Requirements Schedule of the United States, that are
Compliance, and Related Information. for Legal, Financial, Compliance, and alleged to be sold in the United States
asabaliauskas on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
The information collection request Related Information. at less than fair value (‘‘LTFV’’), that are
describes the nature of the information OMB Control Number: 1029–0117. allegedly subsidized by the government
collection and its expected burden and Summary: Section 507(b) of Public of China.2 3 4
cost. Law 95–87 provides that persons
1 The record is defined in sec. 207.2(f) of the
DATES: Comments on the proposed conducting coal mining activities
Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (19
information collection must be received submit to the regulatory authority all CFR 207.2(f)).
by May 17, 2016, to be assured of relevant information regarding 2 Vice Chairman Dean A. Pinkert, and
consideration. ownership and control of the mining Commissioners Irving A. Williamson, and Rhonda
VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:50 Mar 17, 2016 Jkt 238001 PO 00000 Frm 00067 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\18MRN1.SGM 18MRN1](https://thefederalregister.org/doc/81_FR_14939/page/3.svg)
Document Created: 2018-02-02 15:14:10
Document Modified: 2018-02-02 15:14:10
| Category | Regulatory Information | |
| Collection | Federal Register | |
| sudoc Class | AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106: | |
| Publisher | Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration | |
| Section | Notices | |
| Action | Notice. | |
| Dates | Written comments on the Draft EIS should be submitted on or before Monday, May 9, 2016. | |
| Contact | Ms. Rhea Graham, EIS Project Manager, Bureau of Reclamation, via email at [email protected], or at (505) 462- 3560. | |
| FR Citation | 81 FR 14886 |
2025 Federal Register | Disclaimer | Privacy Policy
USC | CFR | eCFR