National Environmental Policy Act; Wallops Flight Facility Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection Program, 12387-12390 [E9-6317]

Agencies

• National Aeronautics and Space Administration

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12387-12390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6317]


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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[Notice (09-031)]


National Environmental Policy Act; Wallops Flight Facility 
Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection Program

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) and to conduct scoping for the Wallops Flight Facility Shoreline 
Restoration and Infrastructure Protection Program (SRIPP).

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, as amended, 
(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 
Parts 1500-1508), and NASA's NEPA policy and procedures (14 CFR Part 
1216, subpart 1216.3), NASA intends to prepare an EIS for the 
implementation of a long-term SRIPP at Wallops Flight Facility (WFF). 
The U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Norfolk District, have been asked to participate as 
Cooperating Agencies as they possess both regulatory authority and 
specialized expertise pertaining to the Proposed Action. MMS has 
recently accepted NASA's request and will serve as a Cooperating Agency 
in the preparation of this EIS.
    In May 2007, NASA released for public comment a Draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment for Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops 
Flight Facility, Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection 
Program. Since that time, NASA's Proposed Action has changed and NASA 
will now prepare an EIS for the Proposed Action currently under 
consideration.
    The SRIPP would be implemented to restore the Wallops Island 
shoreline and to protect the over $800 million in Federal and state 
assets on Wallops Island that are increasingly at risk from larger than 
normal storm events, storm waves, and flooding damage. The design and 
implementation of a solution to provide Wallops Island infrastructure 
with the necessary protection from both storm energy and flooding form 
the basis of the Proposed Action and alternatives to be analyzed in the 
WFF SRIPP EIS. The project's design lifespan would be fifty (50) years. 
The No Action Alternative is to not implement the WFF SRIPP, but to 
continue making emergency repairs to the Wallops Island shoreline as 
necessary.
    NASA will hold a public scoping meeting as part of the NEPA process 
associated with the development of the EIS. The public meeting location 
and date identified at this time are provided under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION below.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments on 
environmental issues and concerns, preferably in writing, on or before 
May 11, 2009, to assure full consideration during the scoping process.

ADDRESSES: Comments submitted by mail should be addressed to 250/NEPA 
Manager, WFF Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection 
Program, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, 
Wallops Island, Virginia 23337. Comments may be submitted via e-mail to 
wff_shoreline_eis@majordomo.gsfc.nasa.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: WFF Shoreline Restoration and 
Infrastructure Protection Program EIS by e-mail addressed to wff_shoreline_eis@majordomo.gsfc.nasa.gov or by mail addressed to 250/NEPA 
Manager, WFF Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection 
Program, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility, 
Wallops Island, Virginia 23337. Additional information about the WFF 
Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection Program and NASA's 
NEPA process may be found on the internet at https://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code250/shoreline_eis.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: WFF is a NASA Goddard Space Flight Center 
field installation located in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore of 
Virginia. As the oldest active launch range in the continental United 
States and the only range completely under NASA management, WFF has 
launched over 15,000 orbital and suborbital rockets since its 
operations began in the early 1940s.
    WFF consists of three distinct landmasses totaling nearly 2,630 
hectares (6,500 acres)--the Main Base, Wallops Mainland, and Wallops 
Island. To meet the safety and technical requirements of its various 
missions, many of WFF's primary launch support facilities reside on 
Wallops Island (island) which is located directly on the Atlantic 
Ocean. Even prior to NASA's presence on the island, the landmass has 
been subject to the effects of shoreline retreat, with measured losses 
averaging approximately 3.7 meters (12.2 feet) per year since 1857. 
Since the early 1960s, NASA has implemented several shoreline 
protection projects on the island that have included construction of 
wooden groins perpendicular to its shoreline, construction of a rock 
armor seawall parallel to its shoreline, and placement of dredged 
material along its shorefront. Despite these efforts, the ocean has 
continued to encroach substantially toward launch pads, infrastructure, 
and test and training facilities belonging to NASA, the U.S. Navy, and 
the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. In calendar years 2006 and 2007, 
NASA prepared a Draft SRIPP Programmatic Environmental Assessment to 
assess a wide variety of shoreline protection and flood control 
measures on the island. After receiving public comment and carefully 
considering the objectives of the project, NASA has since modified

[[Page 12388]]

its Proposed Action and is now preparing an EIS.
    At present, the severity of the island's shoreline retreat could 
cause the interruption of missions supported by the facility and/or 
permanent loss of capabilities. The SRIPP would help reduce the risk to 
infrastructure on Wallops Island by restoring the shoreline or 
providing flood protection for infrastructure on the island.
    NASA's Proposed Action would involve an initial construction phase 
with follow-on maintenance cycles. The initial construction phase would 
include three distinct elements:
    1. Extending its existing rock seawall a maximum of 1,372 meters 
(4,500 feet) south of its southernmost point;
    2. Constructing a rock groin perpendicular to the shoreline in the 
vicinity of the island's southernmost property boundary; and
    3. Placing approximately 2,293,664 cubic meters (three (3) million 
cubic yards [MCY]) of fill material dredged from either of two shoals 
located offshore in Federal waters.
    The seawall extension would likely be implemented first and would 
consist of the placement of 1.8-3.6 metric ton (two (2) to four (4) 
ton) rocks parallel to the island shoreline. Groin construction would 
likely follow seawall extension and would involve the placement of 
like-sized rocks perpendicular to the shoreline at approximately the 
point where Wallops Island meets Assawoman Island. Sand placement would 
be the final stage of the project and would likely involve removing 
sand from one of two shoals by hopper dredge and pumping the material 
onto the beach. Fill placement would likely occur in a south to north 
direction and could extend as far north as 6.8 kilometers (4.2 miles). 
Sources of sand under consideration are two shoals, Blackfish Bank and 
an unnamed shoal, located approximately eight (8) and sixteen (16) 
kilometers (five (5) and ten (10) miles) offshore, respectively (see 
Figure).
    Subsequent beach renourishment cycles would vary throughout the 
lifecycle of the Proposed Action. Factors dictating the frequency and 
magnitude of such actions would include storm severity and frequency as 
well as availability of funding. Given the dynamic nature of the ocean 
environment and that exact locations and magnitude of renourishment 
cycles may fluctuate, additional NEPA documentation for renourishment 
actions may be prepared in the future as appropriate. For the purpose 
of this EIS, the renourishment cycle is anticipated to be 764,554 cubic 
meters (one (1) MCY) every five years.
    Alternatives to be considered in this EIS will include, but not 
necessarily be limited to construction of hard structures only, beach 
fill only, and various combinations of hard structures and beach fill. 
The effects of dredging fill material from feasible offshore shoals 
will also be considered.
    NASA anticipates that the areas of potential environmental impact 
from each alternative of most interest to the public would be: The 
physical effects on both the seafloor and nearby landmasses, the 
effects on plants, animals, and their habitat (including threatened and 
endangered species), the effects on commercial and recreational 
fisheries, the effects on cultural and historic resources, and the 
effects on water quality.
    NASA plans to hold a public meeting to provide information on the 
WFF SRIPP EIS and to solicit public comments. The public meeting is 
scheduled as follows:

--Tuesday, April 21, 2009, at the WFF Visitor Information Center, Route 
175, Wallops Island, Virginia, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

    Written public input on alternatives and environmental issues and 
concerns associated with the WFF SRIPP that should be addressed in the 
EIS are hereby requested.

Olga M. Dominguez,
Assistant Administrator for Infrastructure.

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[FR Doc. E9-6317 Filed 3-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7510-13-P