Location

46.523119° N, 114.691375° W

No Assigned Address
Idaho County, ID 59847
United States

Description

AT&T Mobility, LLC (AT&T) proposes the construction of a new telecommunications facility in Idaho County, Idaho. The facility will include a 150-foot self-support lattice tower and support equipment within a 50-foot by 50-foot lease area.  Utility connections will be made on location at a proposed transformer and fiber vault to be constructed immediately adjacent to the northwest corner of the compound. The facility will be accessed via an existing gravel and dirt logging road that extends roughly 1.75 miles to Highway 12.

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority), as both an independent federal authority and a licensee of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), must satisfy its own National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements as well as comply with FCC-promulgated NHPA and NEPA procedures. Since the primary purpose for the construction of this tower is to establish adequate coverage of the nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN) in this area, the FirstNet Authority has assumed the role of lead agency for NHPA and NEPA compliance. 

With concurrence from the Idaho State Historic Preservation Office (IDSHPO), the FirstNet Authority has determined that the proposed project will have an Adverse Effect (cumulative) on a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) – Lochsa River Corridor. The public was initially notified of this proposed project on April 28 and 29, 2022 in The Montana Standard, and public comments were requested. The FCC Tower Construction Notification System (TCNS) was used to identify federally-recognized tribes that may have an interest in consulting on the proposed project. Tribes were consulted at the beginning of the Section 106 of NHPA process and then again when the adverse effect to this historic property was identified.  Local government and other potentially interested parties were also consulted. Consulting parties involved in the Section 106 of NHPA process include the FCC, IDSHPO, and the Nez Perce Tribe.

The consulting parties reviewed alternatives that would eliminate or reduce the effects of the proposed tower on the Lochsa River Corridor TCP, and no reasonable alternatives were identified due to coverage requirements, use incompatibility of federal lands, and lack of other appropriate privately owned land. The consulting parties considered potential measures to mitigate the potential adverse effects to the TCP. The mitigation option that was chosen by the consulting parties consists of AT&T making a one-time lump sum payment in the amount of $75,000 to the Nez Perce Tribe Cultural Resource Program (CRP). These funds will be used by the CRP for its tribal youth internship program. The program operates to reinvest and provide educational opportunities for its youth to study landscapes that are integral to its culture and identity. The actions funded through this program will help mitigate cumulative losses that are incurred by the Nez Perce community in the area associated with the historic properties of religious and cultural significance within the Lochsa River Corridor TCP. The consulting parties negotiated a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) to commit AT&T to carry out the undertaking in accordance with the terms of the agreement in satisfaction with their responsibilities under Section 106 of NHPA.  The MOA would serve as both the FirstNet Authority and FCC compliance with NHPA.

NEPA provides a framework to evaluate the impact of major federal actions on the environment and allows the public the opportunity to provide input on implementation alternatives. NEPA requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision-making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions. The FirstNet Authority is required to examine the environmental, social, historic, and cultural impacts of its proposed actions before it irretrievably commits resources to undertake them. Through AT&T, the FirstNet Authority has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) that analyzes the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the alternative approaches to the deployment, operation, and maintenance of the proposed project on natural, cultural, and social resources. Please see AT&T’s consultant’s EA for additional detailed environmental analysis. A project notification has been posted locally, and this information serves as the FirstNet Authority’s national notification. All members of the public are encouraged to submit written comments, suggestions, and questions related to potential project impacts, the need for further information on the proposed project, or any specific concerns that need to be considered. Comments, suggestions, and questions on the proposed project or the document can be emailed to: Andrew.Bielakowski@firstnet.gov.