Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Renewal of Authorization To Use Pinecastle Range, Ocala National Forest, FL, 45833-45834 [E9-21430]

Download as PDF srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices This restoration project will examine measures to increase the stability of the Gulf of Mexico shoreline on Point Au Fer Island. This SEIS will be tiered off of 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. 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 Gulf Shoreline Stabilization at Point Au Fer Island restoration project proposes the VerDate Nov<24>2008 17:16 Sep 03, 2009 Jkt 217001 construction of measures to increase the stability of the gulf shoreline of Point Au Fer Island. The purpose is to prevent direct connections from forming between the Gulf and interior water bodies as the barrier island is eroded. In addition to Gulf shoreline protection, this project would prevent the fresher bay side water circulation patterns from being influenced directly by the Gulf, thus protecting the estuarine habitat, which has higher quality wetland habitats, from conversion to marine habitat. 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. 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 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 45833 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. 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. E9–21370 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3720–58–P DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Navy Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Renewal of Authorization To Use Pinecastle Range, Ocala National Forest, FL Department of the Navy, DoD. Notice. AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 Code of Federal E:\FR\FM\04SEN1.SGM 04SEN1 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

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 171 (Friday, September 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45833-45834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21430]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement for Renewal of Authorization To Use Pinecastle Range, 
Ocala National Forest, FL

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental 
Quality Regulations (40 Code of Federal

[[Page 45834]]

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 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.
    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
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