[Federal Register: May 1, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 84)]
[Notices]
[Page 21713-21714]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01my02-107]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CACA-44014]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) on the Proposed Expansion/Modernization of an Existing Wallboard
Manufacturing Facility and Associated Quarry Operation
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: United States Gypsum (USG) has proposed the expansion and
modernization of USG's Plaster City wallboard manufacturing operations
and Fish Creek Quarry operations located in Imperial County,
California. Although USG's facilities are primarily on private land,
several appurtenances cross public land. Using the U.S. government
survey method, the areas within which the existing and proposed
facilities are located are generally described as follows: SBBM,
T.16S., R.11E. (Plaster City wallboard plant and portion of Interstate
rail line; T.13S., R.9E. (Fish Creek quarry); T.13S., R.9E.; T.13S.,
R.10E.; T.14S., R.10E.; T.15E., R.10E., T.15S., R.11E.; T.16S., R.11E.
(narrow gauge rail line between quarry and plant); T.16S., R.10E.;
T.16S, R.11E. (water pipeline between Ocotillo and plant).
Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, the BLM will direct the preparation of an environmental
impact statement (EIS) by a third-party contractor on the impacts of
this proposed project. Interested members of the public are encouraged
to identify significant issues or concerns related to the proposed
action to determine the scope of the issues (including alternatives)
that need to be analyzed and to eliminate from detailed study those
issues that are not significant. One public scoping meeting will be
held. The location and time of the meeting will be announced in local
newspapers or may be obtained by contacting Nicole Riven at 760-337-
4426 or e-mail nriven@ca.blm.gov. Comments recommending that the EIS
address specific environmental issues should include supporting
documentation. Written comments must be received at the El Centro Field
Office no later than June 10, 2002. Comments, including names and
street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at
the El Centro Field Office during regular business hours and may be
published as part of the EIS. Individual respondents may request
confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street address
from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information
Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your written
comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law.
All submissions from organizations and businesses, and from individuals
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations
or businesses, will be available for public inspection in their
entirety.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed to Greg Thomsen, Field
Manager, Bureau of Land Management, El Centro Field Office, 1661 South
4th Street, El Centro, CA 92243.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda Self (760) 337-4426.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: USG's Plaster City wallboard plant has been
in operation for over 55 years and is located adjacent to Evan Hewes
Highway in Plaster City approximately 18 miles west of El Centro and 2
miles north of Interstate 8. The Fish Creek Quarry operations are
located on Split Mountain Road approximately 26 miles north by
northwest of Plaster City. The quarry operations are located within
designated critical habitat for the Peninsular bighorn sheep (Ovis
canadensis). Water for the facility is delivered via pipeline from the
Ocotillo-Coyote Wells Groundwater Basin. Generally, the overall
expansion/modernization project consists of construction of new
buildings, a
[[Page 21714]]
doubling in wallboard production by removing one operating production
wallboard line, and installing a new state-of-the-art high speed line
and increased mining of gypsum from 1.1 million tons per year (mty) to
approximately 1.9 mty on land reserves owned and mined by USG. The
project also includes expanding existing and planned quarry areas. The
accumulated inert materials associated with the expanded manufacturing
activities at the Plaster City site will be recycled or transferred to
a landfill. To accommodate the expanded operations, water usage will
increase from 400 acre-feet per year (AF/Yr) to a maximum of 767 AF/Yr.
The project will include modernizing the existing warehouses, storage
structures, and rail loading facility; upgrading electrical
transmission lines (by Imperial Irrigation District); maintaining the
narrow gauge rail line which runs between the plant and the quarry;
replacing the existing pipeline that runs between Ocotillo and the
plant and relocating a short portion of the Interstate rail line that
runs through the Plaster City facility. Some of these facilities may be
located within habitat for the Flat-tailed horned lizard (Phrynosoma
mcalli). Although certain aspects of the project have already been
implemented pursuant to Imperial County's previous decision to adopt a
Negative Declaration for portions of the project, for purposes of this
EIS, the `` baseline'' for evaluating the potential impacts of the
project on the environment shall be the physical conditions that
existed prior to project implementation.
Dated: April 25, 2002.
Greg Thomsen,
Field Manager.
[FR Doc. 02-10687 Filed 4-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P
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