Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)-Louisiana, Maintain Landbridge Between Caillou Lake and the Gulf of Mexico Feasibility Study, 45834-45835 [E9-21374]
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srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
45834
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices
Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500–1508), the
U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy) has
prepared and filed with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency a
Draft Supplemental Environmental
Impact Statement (Draft SEIS) to
evaluate potential environmental effects
of significant new circumstances and
information not available at the time the
Final Environmental Impact Statement
for Renewal of Authorization to Use
Pinecastle Range, Ocala National Forest,
Florida, (January 2002) (2002 FEIS) was
completed.
The Navy will conduct three public
hearings to provide information and
receive oral and written comments on
the Draft SEIS. Federal, State, and local
agencies and interested individuals are
invited to be present or represented at
the public hearings. Navy
representatives will be available to
clarify information related to the Draft
SEIS. This notice announces the date
and location of the public hearings for
this Draft SEIS.
DATES AND ADDRESSES: Open
information sessions will precede
scheduled public hearings and will
allow individuals to review data
presented in the Draft SEIS. Navy
representatives will be available during
the information sessions to clarify
information related to the Draft SEIS.
The open information sessions are
scheduled from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.,
followed by the public hearing from
7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Public hearings will be held on the
following dates and at the following
locations in Florida:
1. September 22, 2009, at the Umatilla
Community Building, 1 South Central
Avenue, Umatilla, Florida;
2. September 23, 2009, at the Eustis
Community Center, 601 Northshore
Drive, Eustis, Florida;
3. September 24, 2009, at the Ocala
American Legion Building, 516 NE
Sanchez Avenue, Ocala, Florida.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Southeast (NAVFAC Southeast) P.O.
Box 30, Building 903, NAS Jacksonville,
Jacksonville, Florida 32212–0030; Attn:
SEIS Project Manager; Phone (904) 542–
6301; Facsimile (904) 542–6345.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SEIS
supplements the Final Environmental
Impact Statement for Renewal of
Authorization to Use Pinecastle Range,
Ocala National Forest, Florida, dated
January 2002. The Record of Decision
for the 2002 FEIS was dated March 29,
2002, and published in the Federal
Register on April 10, 2002, (67 FR
17418). A Notice of Intent to prepare
this Draft SEIS was published in the
VerDate Nov<24>2008
17:16 Sep 03, 2009
Jkt 217001
Federal Register on June 12, 2008. A
public scoping period was conducted
prior to the development of the Draft
SEIS. During this period, comments
were submitted via mail or
electronically through the project Web
site at https://www.pinecastleseis.com.
Pursuant to 40 CFR 1502.9, this Draft
SEIS was prepared for the limited
purpose of supplementing the 2002
FEIS to analyze new information
regarding range safety zones and assess
the effectiveness of existing mitigation
measures to determine if any additional
mitigation measures or a modification to
the range Operating Plan were
necessary. Following completion of the
2002 FEIS, the Navy adopted a new
safety modeling program. This new
modeling program, SAFE–RANGE,
when applied to current training
operations, indicates that range safety
zones, are larger than previously
modeled. Potential impacts associated
with this new information are the focus
of the Draft SEIS.
The Draft SEIS analyzes the potential
environmental effects resulting from the
revised range safety zones and the
effectiveness of existing mitigation
measures to determine if additional
actions or modifications to the range
Operating Plan are necessary to
maintain public safety and ensure range
sustainability. The Draft SEIS also
evaluates past, present, and reasonably
foreseeable future land use proposals
and forestry actions from a cumulative
impacts perspective. The Draft SEIS
does not propose any changes to targets,
method of delivery (air-to-ground),
types or volumes of ordnance used at
Pinecastle for military training and,
therefore, were not re-analyzed in the
Draft SEIS.
The Draft SEIS has been distributed to
various federal, state, and local
agencies, elected officials, and
interested parties, and is available for
public review at the Umatilla Public
Library, 412 Hatfield Drive, Umatilla,
Florida, 35784; and the Marion County
Public Library, 2720 East Silver Springs
Boulevard, Ocala, Florida, 34470. An
electronic copy of the Draft SEIS is also
available for public viewing at: https://
www.pinecastleseis.com. Oral
statements presented at the public
hearing will be recorded by a
stenographer; however, to ensure
accuracy of the record, all statements
should be submitted in writing. All
statements, both oral and written, will
become part of the public record on the
Draft SEIS and will be responded to in
the Final SEIS. Equal weight will be
given to both oral and written
statements.
PO 00000
Frm 00033
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
In the interest of available time and to
ensure that all who wish to give an oral
statement have the opportunity to do so,
each speaker’s comments will be limited
to three minutes. If a longer statement
is to be presented, it should be
summarized at the public hearing and
the full text submitted in writing either
at the hearing, or faxed or mailed to:
Pinecastle SEIS, c/o Naval Facilities
Engineering Command Southeast
(NAVFAC Southeast); Attn: SEIS Project
Manager; P.O. Box 30, Building 903,
NAS Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
32212–0030; Phone (904) 542–6301;
Facsimile (904) 542–6345.
All written comments received or
postmarked by October 19, 2009, will
become part of the official public record
and will be responded to in the Final
SEIS.
Dated: August 27, 2009.
A.M. Vallandingham,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge
Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Federal
Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9–21430 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)—
Louisiana, Maintain Landbridge
Between Caillou Lake and the Gulf of
Mexico Feasibility Study
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE), along with its local
sponsor the Louisiana Office of Coastal
Protection and Restoration, intends to
prepare a supplemental environmental
impact statement (SEIS) for the
Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)—
Louisiana, Maintain Land Bridge
between Caillou Lake and the Gulf of
Mexico restoration project. This
restoration project will examine
measures to increase the stability of the
land bridge separating Caillou (Sister)
Lake from the Gulf of Mexico. This SEIS
will tier from the programmatic EIS for
the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)—
Louisiana, Ecosystem Restoration Study,
November 2004. The Record of Decision
for the programmatic EIS was signed on
November 18, 2005.
DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section for scoping meeting dates.
E:\FR\FM\04SEN1.SGM
04SEN1
srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions concerning the draft SEIS
should be addressed to Dr. William P.
Klein, Jr., CEMVN–PM–RS, P.O. Box
60267, New Orleans, LA 70160–0267;
telephone: (504) 862–2540; fax: (504)
862–1583; or by e-mail:
william.p.klein.jr@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Authority. This SEIS will tier from
the programmatic EIS for the Louisiana
Coastal Area (LCA)—Louisiana,
Ecosystem Restoration Study, November
2004. The Record of Decision for the
Programmatic EIS was signed on
November 18, 2005. The Water
Resources Development Act of 2007
(WRDA 2007) authorized the LCA
ecosystem restoration program. The
authority includes requirements for
comprehensive planning, program
governance, implementation, and other
program components. The LCA
restoration program will facilitate the
implementation of critical restoration
features and essential science and
technology demonstration projects,
increase the beneficial use of dredged
material and determine the need for
modification of selected existing
projects to support coastal restoration
objectives. The LCA near-term plan
includes fifteen elements authorized for
implementation contingent upon
meeting certain reporting requirements.
Specifically, Section 7006(e) of WRDA
2007 authorizes the Secretary of the
Army to carry out additional projects
referred to in the restoration plan.
Section 7006(e)(1) authorizes the
following additional projects: Maintain
Land Bridge between Caillou Lake and
the Gulf of Mexico at a total cost of
$56,300,000; Stabilize the Gulf
Shoreline at Point Au Fer Island project
at a total cost of $43,400,000; the
Modification of Caernarvon Diversion
project at a total cost of $20,700,000;
and the Modification of Davis Pond
Diversion Project at a total cost of
$64,200,000; if the Secretary of the
Army determines such projects are
feasible.
2. Proposed Action. The LCA
Maintain Land Bridge between Caillou
(Sister) Lake and the Gulf of Mexico
restoration project would propose
measures to increase the stability of the
land bridge separating Caillou (Sister)
Lake from the Gulf of Mexico. The
objectives of the restoration project are
to stem shoreline retreat and prevent
further breaches that have allowed
increased water exchange between the
gulf and the interior water bodies (Bay
Junop and Caillou (Sister) Lake).
Prevention of increased marine
influence would reduce interior wetland
VerDate Nov<24>2008
17:16 Sep 03, 2009
Jkt 217001
loss as well as preserve the potential for
long-range restoration. Closure of newly
opened channels would restore historic
cross-sections of exchange points,
would reduce marine influences in
interior areas, and allow increased
freshwater influence from Four League
Bay to benefit area marshes.
3. Public Involvement. Public
involvement, an essential part of the
SEIS process, is integral to assessing the
environmental consequences of the
proposed action and improving the
quality of the environmental decision
making process. The public includes
affected and interested Federal, state,
and local agencies, Indian tribes,
concerned citizens, stakeholders, and
other interested parties. Public
participation in the SEIS process will be
strongly encouraged, both formally and
informally, to enhance the probability of
a more technically accurate,
economically feasible, and socially and
politically acceptable SEIS. Public
involvement will include but is not
limited to: Information dissemination;
identification of problems, needs and
opportunities; idea generation; public
education; problem solving; providing
feedback on proposals; evaluation of
alternatives; public and scoping notices
and meetings; public, stakeholder and
advisory groups consultation and
meetings; and making the SEIS and
supporting information readily available
in conveniently located places, such as
libraries and on the World Wide Web.
4. Scoping. Scoping, an early and
open process for identifying the scope of
significant issues related to the
proposed action to be addressed in the
SEIS, will be used to: (a) Identify the
affected public and agency concerns; (b)
facilitate an efficient SEIS preparation
process; (c) define the issues and
alternatives that will be examined in
detail in the SEIS; and (d) save time in
the overall process by helping to ensure
that the draft SEIS adequately addresses
relevant issues. A Scoping Meeting
Notice announcing the locations, dates
and times for scoping meetings will be
mailed to all interested parties in
August 2009.
5. Coordination. The USACE and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
have formally committed to work
together to conserve, protect, and restore
fish and wildlife resources while
ensuring environmental sustainability of
our Nation’s water resources under the
January 22, 2003, Partnership
Agreement for Water Resources and
Fish and Wildlife. The USFWS will
provide a Fish and Wildlife
Coordination Act Report. Coordination
will be maintained with the USFWS and
the National Marine Fisheries Service
PO 00000
Frm 00034
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
45835
(NMFS) regarding threatened and
endangered species under their
respective jurisdictional
responsibilities. Coordination will be
maintained with the NMFS 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
Management Act. The Louisiana
Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
will be consulted concerning potential
impacts to Natural and Scenic Streams,
and fish and wildlife issues including
coordination regarding the Sister Lake
Public Oyster Seed Reservation.
5. Availability of Draft SEIS. The
earliest that the draft SEIS will be
available for public review would be in
spring of 2011. The draft SEIS or a
Notice of Availability will be distributed
to affected Federal, state, and local
agencies, Indian tribes, and other
interested parties.
Dated: August 25, 2009.
Alvin B. Lee,
Colonel, US Army, District Commander.
[FR Doc. E9–21374 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Army Science Board (ASB)
Department of the Army, DOD.
ACTION: Notice; correction.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: The notice of an open meeting
scheduled for Sep 15, 2009 published in
the Federal Register on August 31, 2009
(74 FR 44828) has a revised
classification and agenda. The
survivability and deployability study of
ground platforms session (1230–1330)
will be a classified session at the Secret
clearance level. A second unclassified
session (1345–1430) has been added to
adopt recommendations from the ASB
E:\FR\FM\04SEN1.SGM
04SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 171 (Friday, September 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45834-45835]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21374]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)--Louisiana, Maintain
Landbridge Between Caillou Lake and the Gulf of Mexico Feasibility
Study
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), along with its local
sponsor the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration,
intends to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS)
for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)--Louisiana, Maintain Land Bridge
between Caillou Lake and the Gulf of Mexico restoration project. This
restoration project will examine measures to increase the stability of
the land bridge separating Caillou (Sister) Lake from the Gulf of
Mexico. This SEIS will tier from the programmatic EIS for the Louisiana
Coastal Area (LCA)--Louisiana, Ecosystem Restoration Study, November
2004. The Record of Decision for the programmatic EIS was signed on
November 18, 2005.
DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for scoping meeting dates.
[[Page 45835]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning the draft SEIS
should be addressed to Dr. William P. Klein, Jr., CEMVN-PM-RS, P.O. Box
60267, New Orleans, LA 70160-0267; telephone: (504) 862-2540; fax:
(504) 862-1583; or by e-mail: william.p.klein.jr@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Authority. This SEIS will tier from the programmatic EIS for the
Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)--Louisiana, Ecosystem Restoration Study,
November 2004. The Record of Decision for the Programmatic EIS was
signed on November 18, 2005. The Water Resources Development Act of
2007 (WRDA 2007) authorized the LCA ecosystem restoration program. The
authority includes requirements for comprehensive planning, program
governance, implementation, and other program components. The LCA
restoration program will facilitate the implementation of critical
restoration features and essential science and technology demonstration
projects, increase the beneficial use of dredged material and determine
the need for modification of selected existing projects to support
coastal restoration objectives. The LCA near-term plan includes fifteen
elements authorized for implementation contingent upon meeting certain
reporting requirements. Specifically, Section 7006(e) of WRDA 2007
authorizes the Secretary of the Army to carry out additional projects
referred to in the restoration plan. Section 7006(e)(1) authorizes the
following additional projects: Maintain Land Bridge between Caillou
Lake and the Gulf of Mexico at a total cost of $56,300,000; Stabilize
the Gulf Shoreline at Point Au Fer Island project at a total cost of
$43,400,000; the Modification of Caernarvon Diversion project at a
total cost of $20,700,000; and the Modification of Davis Pond Diversion
Project at a total cost of $64,200,000; if the Secretary of the Army
determines such projects are feasible.
2. Proposed Action. The LCA Maintain Land Bridge between Caillou
(Sister) Lake and the Gulf of Mexico restoration project would propose
measures to increase the stability of the land bridge separating
Caillou (Sister) Lake from the Gulf of Mexico. The objectives of the
restoration project are to stem shoreline retreat and prevent further
breaches that have allowed increased water exchange between the gulf
and the interior water bodies (Bay Junop and Caillou (Sister) Lake).
Prevention of increased marine influence would reduce interior wetland
loss as well as preserve the potential for long-range restoration.
Closure of newly opened channels would restore historic cross-sections
of exchange points, would reduce marine influences in interior areas,
and allow increased freshwater influence from Four League Bay to
benefit area marshes.
3. Public Involvement. Public involvement, an essential part of the
SEIS process, is integral to assessing the environmental consequences
of the proposed action and improving the quality of the environmental
decision making process. The public includes affected and interested
Federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, concerned citizens,
stakeholders, and other interested parties. Public participation in the
SEIS process will be strongly encouraged, both formally and informally,
to enhance the probability of a more technically accurate, economically
feasible, and socially and politically acceptable SEIS. Public
involvement will include but is not limited to: Information
dissemination; identification of problems, needs and opportunities;
idea generation; public education; problem solving; providing feedback
on proposals; evaluation of alternatives; public and scoping notices
and meetings; public, stakeholder and advisory groups consultation and
meetings; and making the SEIS and supporting information readily
available in conveniently located places, such as libraries and on the
World Wide Web.
4. Scoping. Scoping, an early and open process for identifying the
scope of significant issues related to the proposed action to be
addressed in the SEIS, will be used to: (a) Identify the affected
public and agency concerns; (b) facilitate an efficient SEIS
preparation process; (c) define the issues and alternatives that will
be examined in detail in the SEIS; and (d) save time in the overall
process by helping to ensure that the draft SEIS adequately addresses
relevant issues. A Scoping Meeting Notice announcing the locations,
dates and times for scoping meetings will be mailed to all interested
parties in August 2009.
5. Coordination. The USACE and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(USFWS) have formally committed to work together to conserve, protect,
and restore fish and wildlife resources while ensuring environmental
sustainability of our Nation's water resources under the January 22,
2003, Partnership Agreement for Water Resources and Fish and Wildlife.
The USFWS will provide a Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report.
Coordination will be maintained with the USFWS and the National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS) regarding threatened and endangered species
under their respective jurisdictional responsibilities. Coordination
will be maintained with the NMFS 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 Management Act. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and
Fisheries will be consulted concerning potential impacts to Natural and
Scenic Streams, and fish and wildlife issues including coordination
regarding the Sister Lake Public Oyster Seed Reservation.
5. Availability of Draft SEIS. The earliest that the draft SEIS
will be available for public review would be in spring of 2011. The
draft SEIS or a Notice of Availability will be distributed to affected
Federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, and other interested
parties.
Dated: August 25, 2009.
Alvin B. Lee,
Colonel, US Army, District Commander.
[FR Doc. E9-21374 Filed 9-3-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
