FEMA PUBLIC NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY
TIERED SITE-SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT (SEA)
MORA-SAN MIGUEL ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE
HERMIT’S PEAK/CALF CANYON POST-FIRE DEBRIS REMOVAL PLAN
MORA AND SAN MIGUEL COUNTIES, NEW MEXICO
PA-06-NM-4652-PW-00307/GM-737782
Interested persons are hereby notified that Mora-San Miguel Electric Cooperative (MSMEC) has applied to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), for Public Assistance (PA) funding through the New Mexico Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (NMDHSEM). FEMA’s PA program provides supplemental assistance to State, Local, Territorial, or Tribal (SLTT) governments and certain types of private nonprofit (PNP) organizations in the form of disaster grant assistance for debris removal, emergency protective measures, and the repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged, publicly owned facilities to better ensure that communities can quickly respond to and recover from Presidentially declared major disasters or emergencies. PA is authorized under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as Amended (“Stafford Act”), Title 42 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) § 5121 et seq. This notice also serves as FEMA’s final notice in compliance with Executive Order 11988 for Floodplain Management and Executive Order 11990 for Protection of Wetlands (44 CFR Part 9).
FEMA proposes to provide funding to MSMEC to remove hazardous tree debris from 176 miles of utility corridors and rights-of-way throughout the counties to reduce future wildfire risk and prevent loss of essential electrical services to local communities. Should a wildfire occur in the area, down trees and vegetation in the project area would contribute to the quick expansion of the wildfire to critical infrastructure and possibly into the neighboring properties/residences as well as designated critical habitat.
The Proposed Action Alternative would include conducting the removal of hazardous fuels and the implementation of erosion control measures along MSMEC power lines. The work would remove approximately 126,324 hazardous trees and woody debris, already down and damaged, that exist within the project area. Project activities would occur within approximately 6,400 acres and be limited to a maximum 300-foot-wide corridor along the MSMEC power lines, spanning private and non-federal lands within the HPCC burn scar. Portions of the project are located within the 100-year floodplain special flood hazard area and wetlands. The proposed action alternative would have short-term, mostly minor but in some cases up to moderate effects to resources, primarily relating to disturbances from equipment access and removal activities. These effects would be limited by conformance with applicable permits and project conditions. The reduction of fuels would mitigate the impact of wildfires on power distribution systems, minimizing long-term damage to system infrastructure and disruptions in service while also reducing the spread and intensity of wildfires along the wildland-urban interface. FEMA anticipates that the proposed action alternative will also have positive and long-term effects on the natural environment through a range of erosion mitigation actions and best management practices.
In accordance with FEMA’s Instruction 108-1-1, a Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the State of New Mexico Watershed Resiliency and Post-Wildfire Treatment Projects was prepared and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was issued on October 4, 2022. A draft tiered Site-Specific Environmental Assessment (SEA) has been prepared to assess the potential impacts of the proposed action and alternatives on the human and natural environment. The draft SEA evaluates alternatives that provide for compliance with applicable environmental laws. The alternatives evaluated include (1) no action; (2) the proposed action described above.
The draft SEA is available for review and comment at the following locations: for Mora County - Mora-San Miguel Electric Cooperative, 501 State Highway 518, Mora, NM 87032. The location will be open to the public Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For San Miguel County - Las Vegas Utilities Department 1335 1st Street, Las Vegas, NM 87701 (Monday-Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) and San Miguel County Offices, 500 W. National, Las Vegas, NM 87701. (Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.) An electronic version of the draft EA can be requested from Sean Doyle, FEMA Region 6, at fema-DR4652NM-EHP@fema.dhs.gov or viewed on FEMA’s website at https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/environmental-historic/nepa-repository.
The comment period will end 15 days from the initial notice publication date of May 28, 2025. Written comments on the draft SEA can be mailed or emailed to Sean Doyle, Environmental Protection Specialist, FEMA Region 6, 800 N Loop 288, Denton, TX 76209; Email: fema-DR4652NM-EHP@fema.dhs.gov. If no substantive comments are received, the draft SEA will become final and a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) will be issued for the project. Substantive comments will be addressed as appropriate in the final documents.
All other questions regarding disaster assistance should be directed to FEMA’s Helpline at 1-800-621-3362 or visit www.DisasterAssistance.gov.
MSMEC Sea_Final_Draft_20250515.pdf
APPX_A_PEA FONSI - NM Watershed Resiliency Post-Fire Treatments - October 2022
APPX_B1_Ortiz_TDSR-SHPO_TEMP_STAGING_CERT
APPX_B2_Buena_Vista_TDSR-SHPO_TEMP_STAGING_CERT
APPX_B3_ Ortiz_NMED_EM_DEBRIS_SHORT-TERM_STAGING_FORM
APPX_B4_Buena_Vista_NMED_EM_DEBRIS_SHORT-TERM_STAGING_FORM
APPX_B5_Prime_and_other_Important_Farmlands_MSMEC
APPX_C_8-STEP_MSMEC_SEA_FINAL_DRAFT_20250514
APPX_F_ FONSI_MSMEC_FINAL_DRAFT_20250516.pdf
Data Analysis compiled through May 5, 2024.
Project Completion Total (entire burn area): 79% completed
RFP Damage Assessment 5.9.2022.pdf