Availability of Draft General Reevaluation Report and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project, Talbot County, MD, 36129 [05-12307]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
• Engineers Corps

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 119 (Wednesday, June 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 36129]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-12307]



[[Page 36129]]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Availability of Draft General Reevaluation Report and 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Poplar Island 
Environmental Restoration Project, Talbot County, MD

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(USACE), Baltimore District has prepared a Draft General Reevaluation 
Report (GRR) and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for 
the Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project (PIERP) to evaluate 
the vertical and/or lateral expansion of the PIERP, design 
modifications to the existing project, the addition of recreational/
educational opportunities to the existing project, and the potential to 
accept dredged material from additional channels not specified in the 
1996 EIS for the existing project.
    The preferred alternative includes a northern lateral expansion 
consisting of approximately 575 acres, of which 60% will be wetland 
habitat and 40% upland habitat; construction of a 5-ft vertical raising 
of the existing upland Cells 2 and 6 at the PIERP; amending the 
existing project authorization and Project Cooperation Agreement (PCA) 
to include the placement of dredged material from the southern approach 
channels to the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal and other small 
Federal navigation projects; incorporation of design modifications 
required for the completion of the existing project, and development of 
recreational and educational enhancements for the PIERP. The Corps is 
making the Draft integrated GRR/SEIS available to the public for a 45-
day review and comment period.

DATES: Comments need to be received on or before August 8, 2005, to 
ensure consideration in final plan development. Two public meetings 
will be held for the PIERP integrated Draft BRR/SEIS. See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section for meeting dates and addresses.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments concerning this proposed project to 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Attn: Mr. Mark 
Mendelsohn, CCENAB-PL-P, P.O. Box 1715, Baltimore, MD 21203-1715. 
Submit electronic comments to mark.mendelsohn@usace.army.mil. See 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for electronic comment guidance.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Mark Mendelsohn, (410) 962-9499 or 
(800) 295-1610.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PIERP is located in the Chesapeake Bay; 
approximately 39 miles south-southeast of the Port of Baltimore, and 
two miles northwest of Tilghman Island in Talbot County, MD. 
Approximately 10,000 acres of remote island habitat has been lost 
throughout the Chesapeake Bay in the last 150 years. Dredged material 
from the Upper Chesapeake bay Approach Channels to the Port of 
Baltimore is being beneficially used to restore 1,140 acres of wetland 
and upland habitat (approximately 570 acres of wetland habitat and 570 
acres of upland habitat), and it is estimated that by 2014 the PIERP 
will provide up to 40 million cubic yards (mcy) of dredged material 
placement capacity. To date, approximately 12 mcy of dredged material 
have been placed at the site. Construction and site operation at the 
PIERP is a collaborative effort that is cost shared between the Federal 
sponsor, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers--Baltimore District (USACE-
Baltimore) and the non-Federal sponsor, Maryland Port Administration 
(MPA).
    To address the predicted dredged material placement capacity 
shortfall, USACE-Baltimore and MPA initiated the Poplar Island 
Expansion Study (PIES) under the existing PIERP Congressional 
Authorization, Section 537 of the Water Resources Development Act 
(WRDA) of 1996. authorization for ecosystem restoration projects using 
dredged material is included in Section 204 of the WRDA of 1992, as 
amended by Section 207 of the WRDA of 1996. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to 
initiate the integrated General Reevaluation Report (GRR)/Supplemental 
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) was published in the Federal 
Register in June 2003 (68 FR 33685). The USACE-Baltimore District, and 
a non-Federal sponsor, MPA, under the auspices of the Maryland 
Department of Transportation (MDOT), are the sponsors for the PIERP 
GRR/SEIS.
    This Draft integrated GRR/SEIS documents the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) compliance for the proposed expansion of the PIERP, 
provides information specific to the actions of the GRR, and 
supplements the Poplar Island Restoration Study, Maryland: Integrated 
Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement (ERP No. D-COE-
D350557-MD) (USACE/MPA, 1996).
    The first public meeting will be held at the Talbot County Public 
Library, Easton Branch, 100 West Dover Street, Easton, Maryland 21601, 
in the conference room on Tuesday, July 19, 2005 beginning at 6 p.m. 
The second public meeting will be held at Tilghman Elementary School, 
21374 Foster Avenue, Tilghman, Maryland 21617, in the cafeteria on 
Wednesday, Jul6 20, 2005 beginning at 7 p.m. Staff will be available 
one hour prior to the meeting start time. Both meetings will provide an 
opportunity for the public to present oral and/or written comments. If 
you submit your comments electronically, please provide them in body of 
your message; do not send attached files. Please include your name an 
address in your message.
    All persons and organizations that have an interest in the PIERP 
integrated GRR/SEIS are urged to participate in one or both meetings.
    You may view the Draft integrated GRR/SEIS and related information 
on our Web page at http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/projects/Maryland/
PoplarIsland/expansion.html
    After the public comment period ends on August 8, 2005, USACE will 
consider all comments received. The Draft integrated GRR/SEIS will be 
revised as appropriate and a Final integrated GRR/SEIS will be issued.
    The Draft integrated GRR/SEIS has been prepared in accordance with 
(1) The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) regulations of the Council on 
Environmental Quality for implementing the procedural provisions of 
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and (3) USACE regulations implementing 
NEPA (ER-200-2-2).

Mark Mendelsohn,
Study Manager.
[FR Doc. 05-12307 Filed 6-21-05; 8:45 am]
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