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Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement By this notice the Bureau of Reclamation announces the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement analyzing the continued implementation of the 2008 Rio Grande Project Operating Agreement through 2050. The document was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act. The Operating Agreement is a written agreement describing how Reclamation allocates, releases from storage, and delivers Rio Grande Project water to the Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID) in New Mexico, the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 (EPCWID) in Texas, and to Mexico. The FEIS also evaluates the environmental effects of a proposal to renew a contract to store San Juan-Chama Project water in Elephant Butte Reservoir. Reclamation will not issue a final decision on the proposed action for a minimum of 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability of Weekly Receipt of Environmental Impact Statements in the Federal Register. After the 30-day public review period, Reclamation will complete a Record of Decision (ROD). The ROD will state the action that will be implemented and discuss all factors leading to that decision. Copies of the document are available for public 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. Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Regional Office, 125 South State Street, Room 8100, Salt Lake City, Utah 84138. New Mexico State University Branson Library, 1305 Frenger Street, Las Cruces, New Mexico 88003. University of Texas at El Paso, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, Texas 79968. Electronic copies of the FEIS are available at: http://www.usbr.gov/uc/envdocs/eis.html. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Carlson, telephone: (505) 462-3576 or mcarlson@usbr.gov. Journal: October 3, 2016
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