[Federal Register: March 3, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 42)]
[Notices]
[Page 10960-10962]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03mr06-37]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Project
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: This notice of intent (NOI) is for the Louisiana Coastal
Protection and Restoration (LACPR) Project. This notice of intent
addresses the coastal area of southern Louisiana from the state
boundary of Louisiana and Mississippi at the Pearl River in the east to
the state boundary of Louisiana and Texas at the Sabine River in the
west as identified in the Coast 2050 coastal Louisiana restoration
plan.
ADDRESSES: Scoping meeting comments regarding the draft Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (DPEIS) for the LACPR may be provided
http://www.lacpr.usace.army.mil/; or sent via letter postmarked not later than
the close of the scoping comment period to the LACPR EIS Environmental
Manager, CEMVN-PM-R, P.O. Box 60267, New Orleans, LA 70160-0267.
Comments will not be accepted if submitted by facsimile (fax).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LACPR EIS Environmental Manager, Bruce
Baird, (504) 862-2526.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Background: On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, a major
hurricane (sixth strongest Atlantic basin cyclone on record), made
landfall in southeast Louisiana and left in its path the costliest
natural disaster recorded in the relatively young history of the United
States of America. On September 24, 2005, Hurricane Rita (fourth
strongest Atlantic basin cyclone on record), made landfall in southwest
Louisiana leaving in its path a trail of severely impacted communities
and infrastructure.
Congress has directed the Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District,
in
[[Page 10961]]
close coordination with the State of Louisiana, to begin a six-month
endeavor, titled the South Louisiana Comprehensive Coastal Protection
and Restoration Report, also referred to as the LACPR Report, to
identify, describe and propose a full range of flood control, coastal
restoration, and hurricane protection measures for south Louisiana. A
preliminary technical report for comprehensive Category 5 protection is
due within six months from December 30, 2005, while a final technical
report for Category 5 protection is due within 24 months from December
30, 2005. A final PEIS, without a Record of Decision, will be submitted
in conjunction with the 24-month final technical report.
Applicable legislation includes Corps of Engineers--Civil
Investigations, The Energy and Water Appropriations Act, 2006 (Pub. L.
109-103), November 19, 2005, Section 5009, The Department of Defense
Appropriations Act, 2006 (Pub. L. 109-148), December 30, 2005, and
Chapter 3, The Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2006 (Pub. L.
109-148), December 30, 2005, for assessment of Louisiana Coastal
Protection and Restoration.
The DPEIS will document the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969) process identifying and assessing reasonable alternatives to
proposed actions that will avoid or minimize adverse effects of these
actions upon the quality of the human environment. Specifically, the
DPEIS will analyze the potential direct, indirect, and cumulative
impacts of implementing flood control, coastal restoration, and
hurricane protection measures for south Louisiana.
2. Proposed Action and Reasonable Alternatives. Four alternatives,
including the no-action alternative, have been preliminarily proposed
for further evaluation in the six and 24-month technical reports. Those
alternatives are as follows: (1) A structural alternative, which is
flood protection consisting of a continuous line of earthen or concrete
walls, along southern coastal Louisiana connected at various locations,
as needed, by floodgates and other devices to provide protection
against a storm surge originating from the Gulf of Mexico produced by a
catastrophic Category 5 hurricane; (2) a structural alternative with
coastal restoration commensurate to the level of structural
fortification to provide protection against a storm surge originating
from the Gulf of Mexico produced by a catastrophic Category 5
hurricane; (3) and a non-structural alternative consisting of
environmental or coastal restoration measures only to provide
protection against a storm surge originating from the Gulf of Mexico
produced by a Category 5 hurricane. Other non-structural measures such
as, raising or moving structures to meet existing or revised flood
plain base elevations, would be a part of any proposed action
alternative. The no-action alternative would maintain current levels of
flooding protection against a major Category 3 hurricane.
3. Scoping Process. The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations implementing the NEPA process directs federal agencies that
have made a decision to prepare an environmental impact statement to
engage in a public scoping process. The scoping process is designed to
provide an early and open means of determining the scope of issues
(problems, needs, and opportunities) to be identified and addressed in
the draft environmental impact assessment. Scoping is the process used
to: (a) Identify the affected public and agency concerns; (b)
facilitate an efficient EIS preparation process; (c) define the issues
and alternatives that will be examined in detail in the EIS; and (d)
save time in the overall process by helping to ensure that the draft
statements adequately address relevant issues. Scoping is a process,
not an event or a meeting. It continues throughout the planning for a
draft EIS and may involve meetings, telephone conversations, and/or
written comments. Public scoping meetings will be conducted during a
two-week scoping meeting comment period. Locations for public scoping
meetings are as follows: New Orleans, Thibodaux, Lafayette, and Lake
Charles, Louisiana. Dates, times, and physical locations of the public
scoping meetings are to be determined. Public scoping meeting comments
will be accepted up to seven business days following the final scoping
meeting.
4. Request for Scoping Comments. The Corps will conduct scoping
meetings to determine the scope of issues to be addressed and for
identifying the significant issues related to the DPEIS for the LACPR
project. Notices will be mailed to the affected and interested public
once the dates and locations of the scoping meetings have been
established. The Corps invites scoping input concerning the following
scoping focus questions: Question 1: What are the critical
natural and human environmental problems and needs that should be
addressed in the DPEIS? Question 2: What are the significant
resources that should be considered in the DPEIS? Question 3:
What are the reasonable restoration alternatives that should be
considered in the DPEIS? Interested parties are encouraged to provide
their input and recommendations for all significant issues of the
study.
Scoping comments will be compiled, analyzed, and utilized in the
plan formulation process. A Scoping Report, summarizing the comments,
will be made available to all scoping participants and published on the
LACPR Web site (http://www.lacpr.usace.army.mil/). Scoping comments
will be accepted throughout the scoping comment period.
5. Public Involvement. Scoping is a critical component of the
overall public involvement program. An intensive public involvement
program will continue throughout the study to solicit input from
affected Federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, and other
interested parties.
6. Interagency Coordination and Cooperation. Pursuant to section
1501.6 of the NEPA (30 CFR parts 1500-1508), the following agencies
have been invited to participate in the study as cooperating agencies
on the EIS: Minerals Management Service, National Marine Fisheries
Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological
Service, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, Louisiana
Department of Natural Resources, and the Louisiana Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will provide
a Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report. Coordination will be
maintained with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National
Marine Fisheries Service regarding threatened and endangered species
under their respective jurisdictional responsibilities. Coordination
will be maintained with the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding
essential fish habitat. Coordination will be maintained with the
Natural Resources Conservation Service regarding prime and unique
farmlands. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be consulted
regarding the ``Swampbuster'' provisions of the Food Security Act.
Coordination will be maintained with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency concerning compliance with Executive Order 12898, ``Federal
Action to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and
Low-Income Populations.'' Coordination will be maintained with the
Advisory Counsel on Historic Preservation and the State Historic
Preservation Officer. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
will be consulted regarding consistency with the Coastal Zone
[[Page 10962]]
Management Act. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will
be contacted concerning potential impacts to Natural and Scenic
Streams.
7. Availability of DPEIS. It is anticipated that the DPEIS will be
available for public review May 2007. A 45-day review period will be
provided so that all interested agencies, groups and individuals will
have an opportunity to comment on the DPEIS. In addition, public
meetings will be held during the review period to receive comments and
address questions concerning the DPEIS.
Dated: February 21, 2006.
Richard P. Wagenaar,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Commander.
[FR Doc. E6-3050 Filed 3-2-06; 8:45 am]
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