Rescission Notice; West Fork Battle Creek Watershed Plan, Carbon County, Wyoming
The NRCS Wyoming State Office, in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is rescinding the notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an ...
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION:
Notice; rescission.
SUMMARY:
The NRCS Wyoming State Office, in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), is rescinding the notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the West Fork Battle Creek Watershed Project in Carbon County, Wyoming, which was published in the
Federal Register
on December 28, 2022. NRCS has determined that the NOI was issued prior to confirming viable alternatives and need for an EIS.
DATES:
Effective upon publication, this notice rescinds the NOI to prepare an EIS (87 FR 79850), which was published in the
Federal Register
on December 28, 2022.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Shawn Follum, Wyoming State Conservation Engineer; telephone: (307) 233-6748; email:
shawn.follum@usda.gov.
Individuals who require alternative means for communication should contact the USDA Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and text telephone (TTY)) or dial 711 for Telecommunications Relay service (both voice and text telephone users can initiate this call from any telephone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The NRCS Wyoming State Office, in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service and the USACE, and consistent with the requirements of 7 CFR 1b.7, is issuing this notice to advise Federal, State, and local government agencies and the public that NRCS will continue the planning process to determine whether an EIS is needed for the West Fork Battle Creek Watershed Project. The project area is located along the Little Snake River Basin in southern Wyoming, in proximity to the town of Baggs, Wyoming. This notice rescinds the NOI to prepare an EIS (87 FR 79850), published on December 28, 2022.
During the watershed planning process, NRCS evaluated several alternatives and determined that the NOI (87 FR 79850) was issued prematurely, and that additional modeling and planning work must be completed to identify all reasonable alternatives and assess whether an EIS is needed. If the planning process indicates that an EIS is appropriate, NRCS will publish a new NOI. The watershed planning process is continuing and will comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Any public comment received from the original NOI and scoping period will be considered during Watershed Plan development. Watershed planning is authorized by the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (Pub. L. 83-566), as amended, and the Flood Control Act of 1944 (Pub. L. 78-534).
Jacqueline Byam,
Wyoming State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
7 CFR 1b.7