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Public Buildings Service; Notice of Availability; Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, Warroad, MN

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[Federal Register: September 11, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 175)]
[Notices]
[Page 51822]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11se07-60]

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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

Public Buildings Service; Notice of Availability; Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, Warroad, MN

ACTION:  Notice.

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SUMMARY:  The General Services Administration (GSA), Public Buildings
Service (PBS), is publishing a final Environmental Assessment (EA) and
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the proposed construction
of a new border station, or Land Port of Entry (LPOE), in Warroad,
Minnesota.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Mr. Glenn Wittman, Regional
Environmental Quality Advisor, Knowledge Management and Advocacy
Branch, Expert Resources Division, US General Services Administration,
230 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60604, phone: 312-353-6871, or
e-mail: glenn.wittman@gsa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The US Border Station at Warroad, Minnesota,
is a 24-hour per day LPOE where the Federal government inspects
commercial and noncommercial traffic entering the United States from
Manitoba, Canada. Approximately 157,000 cars, commercial trucks, and
buses cross the border at this station annually. Constructed in 1962,
the facility was built to accommodate a staff of two people and a
traffic count only a fraction of the current total. Today, the station
must accommodate a staff of about 20 to handle the increased traffic
volume. The present facility is overcrowded, outdated, and functionally
obsolete.
    The GSA, at the request of the US Department of Homeland Security,
Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, proposes to construct a new,
larger, border station facility south of the existing site, which is
located about six miles northwest of the city of Warroad, Minnesota, at
the US-Canada border. Details of the Proposed Action are described in a
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document entitled
Environmental Assessment, Proposed New Border Station, Warroad,
Minnesota, Roseau County (US General Services Administration, August
2007). Comments received during a May 10, 2006, public scoping meeting and
subsequent comment period were considered by GSA in this final decision.
    This action includes mitigation measures to reduce impacts to
wetlands, soils, and site residents as identified in the EA to a level
that is less than significant. Mitigation will involve minimizing
impacts to the environment by limiting the degree of disturbance from
construction activities and by compensating for impacts to wetlands and
displaced residents.

Finding

    Pursuant to the provision of GSA Order ADM 1095.1F, the PBS NEPA
Desk Guide, and the regulations issued by the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) (40 CFR parts 1500 to 1508), this notice advises the
public of our finding that the action described above will not
significantly affect the quality of the human environment.

Basis for Finding

    The environmental impacts of constructing and operating the
proposed facility were considered in the final EA and FONSI pursuant to
the NEPA and the CEQ regulations implementing NEPA. The EA and FONSI
are available for review at the Warroad Public Library, 202 Main
Street, Warroad, MN 56763. Copies also are being distributed to local,
State, and Federal stakeholders as appropriate.
    The build alternative will result in temporary construction impacts
involving air quality (dust) and noise, minor loss of soil and vegetation,
and potential storm water runoff from the site. To mitigate long-term
impacts, GSA will implement the measures that are discussed in the EA.
    The FONSI will become final thirty (30) days after the publication
of this notice provided that no information leading to a contrary
finding is received or comes to light during this period.

    Dated: September 4, 2007.
James C. Handley,
Regional Administrator, GSA Region 5.
[FR Doc. E7-17875 Filed 9-10-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-A9-S

 
 

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