Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement To Study Mertarvik Community Infrastructure Development Project, Alaska, 12448-12449 [2017-04119]
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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 41 / Friday, March 3, 2017 / Notices
and operators in approaching the
Central Basin and Pier 70 Shipyard.
Pursuant to NEPA, USACE has
prepared a Draft DPR/EA analyzing the
potential environmental impacts of
planning, designing, constructing, and
maintaining a commercial navigation
project at the Central Basin. The
primary action areas for this analysis
include the proposed Central Basin
approach area dredge footprint, the
dredged material placement site (the
San Francisco Deep Ocean Disposal Site
as well as the alternative placement
sites evaluated), and waterways used for
vessel transit between the dredge and
placement sites. The Port of San
Francisco is the Non-Federal Sponsor
(NFS).
2. Alternatives. The study considers
both non-structural and structural
measures. Non-structural measures
include: Lightering, light loading, the
use of favorable tides, and daylight
transit only. Structural measures
proposed include dredging to various
depths in combination with dredged
material placement at a range of sites.
Three sets of alternative deepening
plans were evaluated based on three
different depths (30 feet mean lower low
water [MLLW], 32 feet MLLW, and 35
feet MLLW) and three alternative
sediment placement locations
(beneficial use, deep ocean disposal at
the San Francisco Deep Ocean Disposal
Site, and an in-bay site), which resulted
in a total of 16 alternatives considered
including the no-action plan. The final
array of four alternatives (including the
No Action Alternative) from the
alternative formulation process were
carried forward for analysis in the EA.
The recommended plan (Proposed
Action, Agency-Preferred Alternative) is
the National Economic Development
Plan (Alternative 6) to dredge the
Central Basin to 32 feet MLLW plus two
feet of overdepth and place all of the
material at the San Francisco Deep
Ocean Disposal Site. Approximately
237,700 cubic yards of material
(including the two feet of overdepth)
would be dredged.
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison.
[FR Doc. 2017–04123 Filed 3–2–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DENALI COMMISSION
Notice of Intent To Prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement To
Study Mertarvik Community
Infrastructure Development Project,
Alaska
Denali Commission.
Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The Denali Commission, in
cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers (USACE), announces its
intention to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) to study the
feasibility of relocating the threatened
Newtok Village from its current location
to Mertarvik, a site roughly nine miles
away on Nelson Island, which is across
the Ninglik River from mainland Alaska.
The EIS will address the potential for
positive and negative environmental
impacts associated with constructing all
required infrastructure at the new
village townsite of Mertarvik. The
Denali Commission, along with the
USACE, will hold a scoping meeting in
Newtok Village, Alaska, in an effort to
better define the issues associated with
permanently relocating village
residents. While the official scoping
period concludes 30 days following the
publication of this NOI, public input
will continue to be solicited throughout
the study process.
DATES: A scoping meeting will be held
in Newtok Village, AK at 6:00 p.m. on
Wednesday March 22 in the school
gymnasium. (Schedule updates will be
posted to the ‘‘Events’’ section of the
Denali Commission Web page found at
https://www.denali.gov/.) A summary of
the comments received will be
forwarded to meeting participants and
other public as requested. The scoping
meeting will be advertised as necessary.
ADDRESSES: Please direct comments or
suggestions on the scope of the EIS to:
Mr. Christopher Floyd, NEPA
Coordinator, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Alaska District, CEPOA–PM–
C–ER, P.O. Box 6898, Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson, AK 99506–0898;
Phone: 907–753–2700; email
christopher.b.floyd@usace.army.mil.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
information or questions concerning the
proposed project, please contact: CAPT
Donald Antrobus, Environmentally
Threatened Communities Program
Manager, Denali Commission, 510 L
Street, Suite 410, Anchorage, AK 99501;
907–271–3500; dantrobus@denali.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Background
The village of Newtok (population
354, 2010 census) is on the west coast
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16:42 Mar 02, 2017
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of Alaska in the broad, low-lying delta
between the Yukon and Kuskokwim
Rivers. The village is located on low
marshy terrain on the banks of a tidally
influenced slough of the Ninglik River.
The Ninglik River is eroding toward the
village of Newtok at an average rate of
72 feet per year. The maximum yearly
observed rate of erosion is 300 feet per
year. Based upon an average annual
riverbank loss resulting from fall storms,
the village has approximately four years
before critical village infrastructure will
be threatened and/or destroyed.
Changes in river channels
surrounding the village of Newtok have
also increased the frequency and
severity of flooding in the village. Lower
lying areas of the village flood almost
every year. Flooding events in 2005 and
2006 flooded the village water supply,
causing raw sewage to be spread
throughout the village, displacing
residents from homes, destroying
subsistence food storage and other
facilities, and shutting down essential
utilities.
The closest high ground to the village
of Newtok that avoids damages from
both flooding and erosion is the
Mertarvik site on Nelson Island, a
10,943-acre site transferred to the
Newtok Native Corporation, from the
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, in
November 2003 by Public Law 108–129,
and designated as ‘‘Proposed Village
Site’’ on a map titled ‘‘Proposed Newtok
Exchange,’’ dated September 2002.
Additional information related to past
efforts to address erosion and relocate
the village can be found at: https://
www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/dcra/
PlanningLandManagement/
NewtokPlanningGroup.aspx.
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
The purpose and need for this study
is to identify a practicable and
environmentally responsible solution to
protect the village of Newtok from both
flooding and erosion damages and loss
of life.
This EIS will assess the potential
environmental impacts of reconstructing
all required village infrastructure at the
new village site of Mertarvik on Nelson
Island. This action is needed without
delay to avoid the potential loss of life
and/or the indefinite dislocation of
Newtok Village residents associated
with the relentless migration of the
Ninglik River.
Preliminary Alternatives
Consistent with National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
implementation requirements, this EIS
will assess the full range of reasonable
and practicable alternatives regarding
E:\FR\FM\03MRN1.SGM
03MRN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 41 / Friday, March 3, 2017 / Notices
• Potential impacts on health from
the village of Newtok remaining in its
current location.
• Potential impacts on health, both
positive and negative, as a result of
relocation.
• Potential impacts to workers during
the construction of the facilities.
• Potential impacts to surface water,
tidelands, flora and fauna including
turbidity from construction activities.
• Potential impacts on air quality
from emissions and from noise during
construction and operations.
• Potential cumulative impacts of the
past, present, and reasonably
foreseeable future actions.
• Potential impacts to historically
significant properties, if present, and on
access to traditional use areas.
• Potential impacts on local, regional,
or national resources from materials and
utilities required for construction.
• Potential impacts on ecological
resources, including threatened and
endangered species and water quality.
• Potential impacts on local
employment, income, population,
housing, and public services from
harbor construction and operations.
Identification of Environmental and
Other Issues
mstockstill on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
protecting the village of Newtok from
erosion and flooding.
Structural Alternatives: This set of
alternatives will investigate and
describe possible improvement
alternatives that would allow village
residents to stay in their current
location. Types of structural solutions
could include, but are not limited to,
constructing an earth-filled levee
surrounding the entire village, including
the airport, and/or raising the buildings
above the highest flood level.
Proposed Action: In collaboration
with the Newtok Village Council (NVC),
the Denali Commission has proposed to
complete comprehensive townsite
planning for the new Mertarvik village
site encompassing all infrastructure
projects necessary to support the entire
village of Newtok population, which
needs relocation from the endangered
village of Newtok site. The townsite
plan will include at a minimum the
following infrastructure projects:
Airport; solid waste landfill; wastewater
collection system and wastewater
treatment lagoon; bulk fuel farm and
fuel dispensing facility; power house
and power distribution system; water
treatment plan, water storage tank, and
water distribution lines; barge landing;
the town center consisting of housing,
school, public buildings, and
subdivision roads; and all associated
connecting roads. The final siting of
these proposed facilities will be
determined in the townsite planning
effort through a village engagement
process. The proposed Federal actions
to be covered by the EIS will consist of
all infrastructure identified and sited in
the final townsite plan.
No Action Alternative: Under the ‘‘no
action’’ alternative, the village of
Newtok would remain in its current
location as long as physically possible,
continue to experience severe damages
from flooding and erosion, and
eventually be forced to evacuate the site
when it succumbs to catastrophic
flooding and/or erosion.
EIS Schedule
The Draft EIS is scheduled to be
published no sooner than 1 July 2017.
A 45-day comment period on the Draft
EIS is planned, which will include
public meeting(s) to receive comments.
Availability of the Draft EIS, the dates
of the public comment period, and
information about public meeting(s) will
be announced in the Federal Register
and in the local news media.
The Final EIS for the Mertarvik
Infrastructure Development Project is
scheduled to be available no sooner
The Denali Commission intends to
address the following environmental
issues when assessing the potential
environmental impacts of the
alternatives in this EIS. Additional
issues may be identified as a result of
the scoping process. The Denali
Commission invites comment from
Federal agencies; state, local, and tribal
governments; and the general public on
these and any other issues that should
be considered in the EIS:
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16:42 Mar 02, 2017
Jkt 241001
NEPA Process
The EIS for the proposed project will
be prepared pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), Council
on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA
Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508),
and Denali Commission NEPA
Implementing Procedures (45 CFR part
900). Following publication of this
Notice of Intent, the Denali Commission
will continue the scoping process,
prepare and distribute the Draft EIS for
public review, hold public meeting(s) to
solicit public comment on the Draft EIS,
and publish a Final EIS. Not less than
30 days after the publication of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s
Notice of Availability of the Final EIS,
the Denali Commission may issue a
Record of Decision (ROD) documenting
its decision concerning the proposed
action.
PO 00000
Frm 00023
Fmt 4703
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12449
than 30 September 2017. A Record of
Decision would be issued no sooner
than 30 days after the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency’s
notice of availability of the Final EIS is
published in the Federal Register.
Joel Neimeyer,
Federal Co-Chair, Denali Commission.
[FR Doc. 2017–04119 Filed 3–2–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3300–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No. ED–2016–ICCD–0138]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Comment Request;
International Early Learning Study
(IELS) 2018 Field Test Recruitment
National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES), Department of
Education (ED).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is
proposing a new information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before April 3,
2017.
ADDRESSES: To access and review all the
documents related to the information
collection listed in this notice, please
use https://www.regulations.gov by
searching the Docket ID number ED–
2016–ICCD–0138. Comments submitted
in response to this notice should be
submitted electronically through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov by selecting the
Docket ID number or via postal mail,
commercial delivery, or hand delivery.
Please note that comments submitted by
fax or email and those submitted after
the comment period will not be
accepted. Written requests for
information or comments submitted by
postal mail or delivery should be
addressed to the Director of the
Information Collection Clearance
Division, U.S. Department of Education,
400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ, Room
224–84, Washington, DC 20202–4537.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For
specific questions related to collection
activities, please contact NCES
Information Collections at
NCES.Information.Collections@ed.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Department of Education (ED), in
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C.
3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\03MRN1.SGM
03MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 41 (Friday, March 3, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12448-12449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-04119]
=======================================================================
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DENALI COMMISSION
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement To
Study Mertarvik Community Infrastructure Development Project, Alaska
AGENCY: Denali Commission.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Denali Commission, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers (USACE), announces its intention to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to study the feasibility of
relocating the threatened Newtok Village from its current location to
Mertarvik, a site roughly nine miles away on Nelson Island, which is
across the Ninglik River from mainland Alaska. The EIS will address the
potential for positive and negative environmental impacts associated
with constructing all required infrastructure at the new village
townsite of Mertarvik. The Denali Commission, along with the USACE,
will hold a scoping meeting in Newtok Village, Alaska, in an effort to
better define the issues associated with permanently relocating village
residents. While the official scoping period concludes 30 days
following the publication of this NOI, public input will continue to be
solicited throughout the study process.
DATES: A scoping meeting will be held in Newtok Village, AK at 6:00
p.m. on Wednesday March 22 in the school gymnasium. (Schedule updates
will be posted to the ``Events'' section of the Denali Commission Web
page found at https://www.denali.gov/.) A summary of the comments
received will be forwarded to meeting participants and other public as
requested. The scoping meeting will be advertised as necessary.
ADDRESSES: Please direct comments or suggestions on the scope of the
EIS to: Mr. Christopher Floyd, NEPA Coordinator, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Alaska District, CEPOA-PM-C-ER, P.O. Box 6898, Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson, AK 99506-0898; Phone: 907-753-2700; email
christopher.b.floyd@usace.army.mil.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information or questions
concerning the proposed project, please contact: CAPT Donald Antrobus,
Environmentally Threatened Communities Program Manager, Denali
Commission, 510 L Street, Suite 410, Anchorage, AK 99501; 907-271-3500;
dantrobus@denali.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The village of Newtok (population 354, 2010 census) is on the west
coast of Alaska in the broad, low-lying delta between the Yukon and
Kuskokwim Rivers. The village is located on low marshy terrain on the
banks of a tidally influenced slough of the Ninglik River. The Ninglik
River is eroding toward the village of Newtok at an average rate of 72
feet per year. The maximum yearly observed rate of erosion is 300 feet
per year. Based upon an average annual riverbank loss resulting from
fall storms, the village has approximately four years before critical
village infrastructure will be threatened and/or destroyed.
Changes in river channels surrounding the village of Newtok have
also increased the frequency and severity of flooding in the village.
Lower lying areas of the village flood almost every year. Flooding
events in 2005 and 2006 flooded the village water supply, causing raw
sewage to be spread throughout the village, displacing residents from
homes, destroying subsistence food storage and other facilities, and
shutting down essential utilities.
The closest high ground to the village of Newtok that avoids
damages from both flooding and erosion is the Mertarvik site on Nelson
Island, a 10,943-acre site transferred to the Newtok Native
Corporation, from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, in November 2003 by
Public Law 108-129, and designated as ``Proposed Village Site'' on a
map titled ``Proposed Newtok Exchange,'' dated September 2002.
Additional information related to past efforts to address erosion
and relocate the village can be found at: https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/dcra/PlanningLandManagement/NewtokPlanningGroup.aspx.
Purpose and Need for Agency Action
The purpose and need for this study is to identify a practicable
and environmentally responsible solution to protect the village of
Newtok from both flooding and erosion damages and loss of life.
This EIS will assess the potential environmental impacts of
reconstructing all required village infrastructure at the new village
site of Mertarvik on Nelson Island. This action is needed without delay
to avoid the potential loss of life and/or the indefinite dislocation
of Newtok Village residents associated with the relentless migration of
the Ninglik River.
Preliminary Alternatives
Consistent with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
implementation requirements, this EIS will assess the full range of
reasonable and practicable alternatives regarding
[[Page 12449]]
protecting the village of Newtok from erosion and flooding.
Structural Alternatives: This set of alternatives will investigate
and describe possible improvement alternatives that would allow village
residents to stay in their current location. Types of structural
solutions could include, but are not limited to, constructing an earth-
filled levee surrounding the entire village, including the airport,
and/or raising the buildings above the highest flood level.
Proposed Action: In collaboration with the Newtok Village Council
(NVC), the Denali Commission has proposed to complete comprehensive
townsite planning for the new Mertarvik village site encompassing all
infrastructure projects necessary to support the entire village of
Newtok population, which needs relocation from the endangered village
of Newtok site. The townsite plan will include at a minimum the
following infrastructure projects: Airport; solid waste landfill;
wastewater collection system and wastewater treatment lagoon; bulk fuel
farm and fuel dispensing facility; power house and power distribution
system; water treatment plan, water storage tank, and water
distribution lines; barge landing; the town center consisting of
housing, school, public buildings, and subdivision roads; and all
associated connecting roads. The final siting of these proposed
facilities will be determined in the townsite planning effort through a
village engagement process. The proposed Federal actions to be covered
by the EIS will consist of all infrastructure identified and sited in
the final townsite plan.
No Action Alternative: Under the ``no action'' alternative, the
village of Newtok would remain in its current location as long as
physically possible, continue to experience severe damages from
flooding and erosion, and eventually be forced to evacuate the site
when it succumbs to catastrophic flooding and/or erosion.
Identification of Environmental and Other Issues
The Denali Commission intends to address the following
environmental issues when assessing the potential environmental impacts
of the alternatives in this EIS. Additional issues may be identified as
a result of the scoping process. The Denali Commission invites comment
from Federal agencies; state, local, and tribal governments; and the
general public on these and any other issues that should be considered
in the EIS:
Potential impacts on health from the village of Newtok
remaining in its current location.
Potential impacts on health, both positive and negative,
as a result of relocation.
Potential impacts to workers during the construction of
the facilities.
Potential impacts to surface water, tidelands, flora and
fauna including turbidity from construction activities.
Potential impacts on air quality from emissions and from
noise during construction and operations.
Potential cumulative impacts of the past, present, and
reasonably foreseeable future actions.
Potential impacts to historically significant properties,
if present, and on access to traditional use areas.
Potential impacts on local, regional, or national
resources from materials and utilities required for construction.
Potential impacts on ecological resources, including
threatened and endangered species and water quality.
Potential impacts on local employment, income, population,
housing, and public services from harbor construction and operations.
NEPA Process
The EIS for the proposed project will be prepared pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA Regulations (40 CFR
parts 1500-1508), and Denali Commission NEPA Implementing Procedures
(45 CFR part 900). Following publication of this Notice of Intent, the
Denali Commission will continue the scoping process, prepare and
distribute the Draft EIS for public review, hold public meeting(s) to
solicit public comment on the Draft EIS, and publish a Final EIS. Not
less than 30 days after the publication of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's Notice of Availability of the Final EIS, the Denali
Commission may issue a Record of Decision (ROD) documenting its
decision concerning the proposed action.
EIS Schedule
The Draft EIS is scheduled to be published no sooner than 1 July
2017. A 45-day comment period on the Draft EIS is planned, which will
include public meeting(s) to receive comments. Availability of the
Draft EIS, the dates of the public comment period, and information
about public meeting(s) will be announced in the Federal Register and
in the local news media.
The Final EIS for the Mertarvik Infrastructure Development Project
is scheduled to be available no sooner than 30 September 2017. A Record
of Decision would be issued no sooner than 30 days after the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency's notice of availability of the Final
EIS is published in the Federal Register.
Joel Neimeyer,
Federal Co-Chair, Denali Commission.
[FR Doc. 2017-04119 Filed 3-2-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3300-01-P