Intent To Prepare Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Updated Water Control Manuals for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin, 9780-9781 [E8-3315]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 36 / Friday, February 22, 2008 / Notices
at each of the three alternative locations
that would occur as a result of
implementing the proposed action and
responds to public comments. Impacts
at alternative sites would result from
construction and training activities.
Each of the impacts can be mitigated.
The Army invited full public
participation to promote open
communication and better decision
making. All persons and organizations
that have an interest in the permanent
stationing of the 2/25th SBCT were
urged to participate in this NEPA
evaluation process. The public has
provided input and comments at
scoping meetings and public meetings
held at all potential alternative
stationing locations for the 2/25th. The
Army held scoping meetings in January
and February 2007 and Draft EIS
meetings in September and October
2007. Responses to the public comments
are addressed in this FEIS.
The FEIS is available for review at
https://www.aec.army.mil.
Dated: February 15, 1008.
Addison D. Davis, IV,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army,
(Environment, Safety and Occupational
Health).
[FR Doc. 08–793 Filed 2–21–08: 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3170–08–M
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
Intent To Prepare Draft Environmental
Impact Statement for Updated Water
Control Manuals for the ApalachicolaChattahoochee-Flint River Basin
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (Corps), Mobile District,
intends to prepare an update and
revision of the water control manuals
for the Apalachicola-ChattahoocheeFlint (ACF) River Basin. Concurrent
with that revision, a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
will be prepared, as required by the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). The Draft EIS will address
updated operating criteria and
guidelines for managing the water
storage and release actions of agency
water managers and associated
environmental impacts.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the manual update or
NEPA process can be answered by: Mr.
Brian Zettle, Inland Environment Team,
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:38 Feb 21, 2008
Jkt 214001
Environment and Resources Branch,
Planning and Environmental Division,
U.S. Army Engineer District-Mobile,
Post Office Box 2288, Mobile, AL
36628–0001; Telephone (251) 690–2115;
or delivered by electronic facsimile at
(251) 694–3815; or E-mail:
brian.a.zettle@usace.army.mil. You may
also request to be included on the
mailing list for public distribution of
notices, meeting announcements and
documents associated with the
preparation and review of the Draft EIS.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background. Water control manuals
are guidance documents that assist
Federal water managers in the operation
of individual and multiple
interdependent Federal reservoirs on
the same river system. They provide
technical, historical, hydrological,
geographic, demographic, policy and
other information that guide the proper
management of reservoirs during times
of high water, low water, and normal
conditions. The manuals contain water
control plans for each of the reservoirs
within the basin system and specify
how the various reservoir projects will
be operated as a balanced system. The
manuals also contain drought plans and
zones to assist Federal water managers
in knowing when to reduce or increase
reservoir releases and conserve storage
in the Federal reservoirs, and how to
ensure the safety of dams during
extreme conditions such as floods. The
authority and guidance for the Corps to
prepare and update these manuals may
be found in Section 7 of the 1944 Flood
Control Act, and the following Corps of
Engineer Regulations: ER 1110–2–240,
ER 1110–2–241, ER 1110–2–1941 and
ER 1110–2–8156.
The ACF Basin provides water
resources for multiple purposes from
northwestern GA down, along the
Alabama-Georgia border and then into
Florida and the Gulf Coast at
Apalachicola Bay, extending a distance
of approximately 540 miles along the
Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers
and an additional 350 miles on the Flint
River, and encompassing an area of
approximately 19,600 square miles. The
master operating manual for the ACF
River Basin dates to 1958, prior to the
completion of most of the reservoir
projects in the basin, and the individual
reservoir project water control manuals
were last updated at various dates as far
back as the 1970s and 1980s, with
primarily administrative updates
approved in the 1990s. There are 16
major dams and reservoirs (five Federal
and 11 non-Federal) located in the
basin. The Federal projects owned and
operated by the Corps include Buford
PO 00000
Frm 00024
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Dam and Lake Lanier, West Point Dam
and Lake, Walter F. George Dam and
Lake, George W. Andrews Dam and
Lake located on the Chattahoochee
River; and Jim Woodruff Dam and Lake
Seminole located on the Apalachicola
River at the confluence of the
Chattahoochee and Flint River. The
authorized project purposes at the Corps
lakes include flood control,
hydropower, navigation, water supply,
water quality, fish and wildlife
conservation, and recreation.
Other non-Federal reservoirs located
on the Chattahoochee River and Flint
River include power projects owned and
operated by the Georgia Power
Company and Crisp County, Georgia.
The non-Federal power lakes are
primarily run-of-river projects that do
not impact Federal project operations
significantly, but operations between
the Georgia Power projects and the
Federal projects are coordinated as
necessary to meet downstream water
quality and water supply demands.
In 1989, a draft master manual for the
ACF basin was proposed which
described operations current at that
time. This draft manual was never
finalized due to the initiation of
litigation by the State of Alabama,
which is still ongoing. However, since
that time, Corps operations have
continued to conform with the
operations described in the 1989 draft
manual and other more recently
updated water control manuals for the
various Federal projects. The new
manuals will eventually replace any
current ones and will address the basinwide management of those water
resources.
Public participation throughout the
water control manual revision process is
essential. The Corps invites full public
participation at all stages to promote
open communication and better
decision making. All persons,
stakeholders, and organizations that
have an interest in water-related
resources in the ACF basin, including
minority, low-income, disadvantaged
and Native American groups, are urged
to participate in this NEPA
environmental analysis process.
Assistance will be provided upon
request to anyone having difficulty
understanding how to participate. Dates
and locations for public scoping
meetings will be announced by future
publication in the Federal Register and
in the local news media. Tentative dates
for publication of the draft water control
manuals and EIS and other
opportunities for public involvement
will also be announced at that time.
Public comments are welcomed anytime
throughout the NEPA process.
E:\FR\FM\22FEN1.SGM
22FEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 36 / Friday, February 22, 2008 / Notices
Cooperating Agencies. The lead
responsibility for this action rests with
the Corps. The Corps intends to
coordinate and/or consult with an
interagency team of Federal and State
agencies during scoping and preparation
of the draft EIS. A decision will be made
during the scoping process whether
other agencies will serve in an official
role as cooperating agencies.
Scoping. The Alabama-CoosaTallapoosa Rivers (ACT)/ApalachicolaChattahoochee-Flint Rivers (ACF)
Comprehensive Study from 1990 to
1997 and ACF Compact negotiations
from 1997 to 2004 involved the States
(Alabama, Florida and Georgia),
stakeholders and the public in
identifying areas of concern; collecting
and developing water resource,
environmental, and socioeconomic data;
and developing tools to assist in
decisions affecting water resources
within the two basins. Development of
the updated water control manuals and
scoping for this EIS will continue to
build upon the knowledge and
information developed during the
Comprehensive Study and subsequent
Compact negotiations. Scoping meetings
were also held in the fall of 2006
associated with initiation of a draft EIS
for the Lake Lanier Interim Storage
Contracts associated with the
Southeastern Federal Power Customers,
Inc. vs. the Secretary of the Army
settlement agreement, and information
gathered during this scoping process
will also contribute to the information
base for the ACF water control manual
EIS. Additional scoping meetings or
workshops with agencies and
stakeholder groups will be scheduled to
identify significant issues and data gaps,
focus on the alternatives to be
evaluated, and to identify appropriate
tools to assist in the evaluation of
alternatives and analysis of impacts.
Dated: February 13, 2008.
R. Daren Payne,
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers,
Acting District Commander.
[FR Doc. E8–3315 Filed 2–21–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710–CR–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
mstockstill on PROD1PC66 with NOTICES
Inland Waterways Users Board
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with 10(a)(2) of
the Federal Advisory Committee Act
VerDate Aug<31>2005
16:38 Feb 21, 2008
Jkt 214001
(Pub. L. 92–463), announcement is
made of the forthcoming meeting.
Name of Committee: Inland
Waterways Users Board (Board).
Date: March 27, 2008.
Location: Baton Rouge Marriott Hotel,
5500 Hilton Avenue, Baton Rouge,
Louisiana 70808, (225–924–5000).
Time: Registration will begin at 8:30
a.m. and the meeting is scheduled to
adjourn at 1 p.m.
Agenda: The Board will consider its
project investment priorities for the next
fiscal year. The Board will also hear
briefings on the status of both the
funding for inland navigation projects
and studies, and the Inland Waterways
Trust Fund, and be provided updates of
various inland waterways projects.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Mark R. Pointon, Headquarters, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, CECW–IP,
441 G Street, NW., Washington, DC
20314–1000; Ph: 202–761–4258.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
meeting is open to the public. Any
interested person may attend, appear
before, or file statements with the
committee at the time and in the
manner permitted by the committee.
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E8–3317 Filed 2–21–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710–92–P
9781
period until March 10, 2008 to give
stakeholders more time to comment on
the proposed priority.
We must receive your comments
on or before March 10, 2008.
DATES:
All comments concerning
the proposed priority should be
addressed to: Teresa Cahalan, U.S.
Department of Education, 400 Maryland
Avenue, SW., room 5W218,
Washington, DC 20202–8245. If you
prefer to send your comments through
the Internet, use the following address:
jacobk.javits@ed.gov.
You must include the term
‘‘Comments on FY 2008 Javits Priority’’
in the subject line of your electronic
message.
ADDRESSES:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Teresa Cahalan. Telephone: (202) 401–
3947.
If you use a telecommunications
device for the deaf (TDD), you may call
the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1–
800–877–8339.
Individuals with disabilities can
obtain this document in an alternative
format (e.g., Braille, large print,
audiotape, or computer diskette) on
request to the contact person listed
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access to This Document
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented
Students Education Program
Office of Elementary and
Secondary Education, Department of
Education.
ACTION: Notice of proposed priority:
reopening of comment period.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This document reopens the
comment period for the proposed
priority under the Jacob K. Javits Gifted
and Talented Students Education
Program that was published in the
Federal Register (73 FR 2228) on
January 14, 2008. The proposed priority
would support the implementation of
models with demonstrated effectiveness
in identifying and serving gifted and
talented students who are economically
disadvantaged or limited English
proficient, or who have disabilities, and
who may not be identified and served
through typical strategies for identifying
gifted children. The original deadline
for comments on the proposed priority
was February 13, 2008. Due to
administrative problems with the e-mail
address listed in the notice of proposed
priority, we are reopening the comment
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You may view this document, as well
as all other Department of Education
documents published in the Federal
Register, in text or Adobe Portable
Document Format (PDF) on the Internet
at the following site: https://www.ed.gov/
news/fedregister. To use PDF you must
have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is
available free at this site. If you have
questions about using PDF, call the U.S.
Government Printing Office (GPO), toll
free, at 1–888–293–6498; or in the
Washington, DC, area at (202) 512–1530.
Note: The official version of this document
is the document published in the Federal
Register. Free Internet access to the official
edition of the Federal Register and the Code
of Federal Regulations is available on GPO
Access at: https://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/
index.html.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
Number 84.206A Jacob K. Javits Gifted and
Talented Students Education Program).
Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 7253.
Dated: February 19, 2008.
Kerri L. Briggs,
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and
Secondary Education.
[FR Doc. E8–3383 Filed 2–21–08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4000–01–P
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 36 (Friday, February 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9780-9781]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3315]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare Draft Environmental Impact Statement for
Updated Water Control Manuals for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint
River Basin
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Mobile District,
intends to prepare an update and revision of the water control manuals
for the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint (ACF) River Basin. Concurrent
with that revision, a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will
be prepared, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA). The Draft EIS will address updated operating criteria and
guidelines for managing the water storage and release actions of agency
water managers and associated environmental impacts.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the manual update or
NEPA process can be answered by: Mr. Brian Zettle, Inland Environment
Team, Environment and Resources Branch, Planning and Environmental
Division, U.S. Army Engineer District-Mobile, Post Office Box 2288,
Mobile, AL 36628-0001; Telephone (251) 690-2115; or delivered by
electronic facsimile at (251) 694-3815; or E-mail:
brian.a.zettle@usace.army.mil. You may also request to be included on
the mailing list for public distribution of notices, meeting
announcements and documents associated with the preparation and review
of the Draft EIS.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background. Water control manuals are guidance documents that
assist Federal water managers in the operation of individual and
multiple interdependent Federal reservoirs on the same river system.
They provide technical, historical, hydrological, geographic,
demographic, policy and other information that guide the proper
management of reservoirs during times of high water, low water, and
normal conditions. The manuals contain water control plans for each of
the reservoirs within the basin system and specify how the various
reservoir projects will be operated as a balanced system. The manuals
also contain drought plans and zones to assist Federal water managers
in knowing when to reduce or increase reservoir releases and conserve
storage in the Federal reservoirs, and how to ensure the safety of dams
during extreme conditions such as floods. The authority and guidance
for the Corps to prepare and update these manuals may be found in
Section 7 of the 1944 Flood Control Act, and the following Corps of
Engineer Regulations: ER 1110-2-240, ER 1110-2-241, ER 1110-2-1941 and
ER 1110-2-8156.
The ACF Basin provides water resources for multiple purposes from
northwestern GA down, along the Alabama-Georgia border and then into
Florida and the Gulf Coast at Apalachicola Bay, extending a distance of
approximately 540 miles along the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers
and an additional 350 miles on the Flint River, and encompassing an
area of approximately 19,600 square miles. The master operating manual
for the ACF River Basin dates to 1958, prior to the completion of most
of the reservoir projects in the basin, and the individual reservoir
project water control manuals were last updated at various dates as far
back as the 1970s and 1980s, with primarily administrative updates
approved in the 1990s. There are 16 major dams and reservoirs (five
Federal and 11 non-Federal) located in the basin. The Federal projects
owned and operated by the Corps include Buford Dam and Lake Lanier,
West Point Dam and Lake, Walter F. George Dam and Lake, George W.
Andrews Dam and Lake located on the Chattahoochee River; and Jim
Woodruff Dam and Lake Seminole located on the Apalachicola River at the
confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint River. The authorized project
purposes at the Corps lakes include flood control, hydropower,
navigation, water supply, water quality, fish and wildlife
conservation, and recreation.
Other non-Federal reservoirs located on the Chattahoochee River and
Flint River include power projects owned and operated by the Georgia
Power Company and Crisp County, Georgia. The non-Federal power lakes
are primarily run-of-river projects that do not impact Federal project
operations significantly, but operations between the Georgia Power
projects and the Federal projects are coordinated as necessary to meet
downstream water quality and water supply demands.
In 1989, a draft master manual for the ACF basin was proposed which
described operations current at that time. This draft manual was never
finalized due to the initiation of litigation by the State of Alabama,
which is still ongoing. However, since that time, Corps operations have
continued to conform with the operations described in the 1989 draft
manual and other more recently updated water control manuals for the
various Federal projects. The new manuals will eventually replace any
current ones and will address the basin-wide management of those water
resources.
Public participation throughout the water control manual revision
process is essential. The Corps invites full public participation at
all stages to promote open communication and better decision making.
All persons, stakeholders, and organizations that have an interest in
water-related resources in the ACF basin, including minority, low-
income, disadvantaged and Native American groups, are urged to
participate in this NEPA environmental analysis process. Assistance
will be provided upon request to anyone having difficulty understanding
how to participate. Dates and locations for public scoping meetings
will be announced by future publication in the Federal Register and in
the local news media. Tentative dates for publication of the draft
water control manuals and EIS and other opportunities for public
involvement will also be announced at that time. Public comments are
welcomed anytime throughout the NEPA process.
[[Page 9781]]
Cooperating Agencies. The lead responsibility for this action rests
with the Corps. The Corps intends to coordinate and/or consult with an
interagency team of Federal and State agencies during scoping and
preparation of the draft EIS. A decision will be made during the
scoping process whether other agencies will serve in an official role
as cooperating agencies.
Scoping. The Alabama-Coosa-Tallapoosa Rivers (ACT)/Apalachicola-
Chattahoochee-Flint Rivers (ACF) Comprehensive Study from 1990 to 1997
and ACF Compact negotiations from 1997 to 2004 involved the States
(Alabama, Florida and Georgia), stakeholders and the public in
identifying areas of concern; collecting and developing water resource,
environmental, and socioeconomic data; and developing tools to assist
in decisions affecting water resources within the two basins.
Development of the updated water control manuals and scoping for this
EIS will continue to build upon the knowledge and information developed
during the Comprehensive Study and subsequent Compact negotiations.
Scoping meetings were also held in the fall of 2006 associated with
initiation of a draft EIS for the Lake Lanier Interim Storage Contracts
associated with the Southeastern Federal Power Customers, Inc. vs. the
Secretary of the Army settlement agreement, and information gathered
during this scoping process will also contribute to the information
base for the ACF water control manual EIS. Additional scoping meetings
or workshops with agencies and stakeholder groups will be scheduled to
identify significant issues and data gaps, focus on the alternatives to
be evaluated, and to identify appropriate tools to assist in the
evaluation of alternatives and analysis of impacts.
Dated: February 13, 2008.
R. Daren Payne,
Lieutenant Colonel, Corps of Engineers, Acting District Commander.
[FR Doc. E8-3315 Filed 2-21-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-CR-P