Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), Mississippi Barrier Island Restoration, Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP) for Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson Counties, MS, 65005-65006 [2010-26493]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2010 / Notices
Authorization
As a result of these determinations,
NMFS proposes to issue an IHA to SIO
for conducting a marine geophysical
survey in the eastern tropical Pacific
Ocean, provided the previously
mentioned mitigation, monitoring, and
reporting requirements are incorporated.
The duration of the IHA would not
exceed one year from the date of its
issuance.
Dated: October 15, 2010.
Helen M. Golde,
Deputy Director, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010–26547 Filed 10–20–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
RIN 0648–XZ53
Taking and Importing of Marine
Mammals
National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; annual affirmative
finding renewal.
AGENCY:
The Assistant Administrator
for Fisheries, NMFS, (Assistant
Administrator) has renewed the
affirmative finding for the Government
of El Salvador under the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). This
affirmative finding will allow yellowfin
tuna harvested in the eastern tropical
Pacific Ocean (ETP) in compliance with
the International Dolphin Conservation
Program (IDCP) by El Salvadorian-flag
purse seine vessels or purse seine
vessels operating under El Salvadorian
jurisdiction to be imported into the
United States. The affirmative finding
was based on review of documentary
evidence submitted by the Government
of El Salvador and obtained from the
Inter-American Tropical Tuna
Commission (IATTC) and the U.S.
Department of State.
DATES: The affirmative finding renewal
is effective from April 1, 2010, through
March 31, 2011.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Sarah Wilkin, Southwest Region, NMFS,
501 West Ocean Boulevard, Suite 4200,
Long Beach, CA 90802–4213; phone
562–980–3230; fax 562–980–4027.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
MMPA, 16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq., allows
the entry into the United States of
yellowfin tuna harvested by purse seine
jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:24 Oct 20, 2010
Jkt 223001
vessels in the ETP under certain
conditions. If requested by the
harvesting nation, the Assistant
Administrator will determine whether
to make an affirmative finding based
upon documentary evidence provided
by the government of the harvesting
nation, the IATTC, or the Department of
State.
The affirmative finding process
requires that the harvesting nation is
meeting its obligations under the IDCP
and obligations of membership in the
IATTC. Every 5 years, the government of
the harvesting nation must request an
affirmative finding and submit the
required documentary evidence directly
to the Assistant Administrator. On an
annual basis, NMFS will review the
affirmative finding and determine
whether the harvesting nation continues
to meet the requirements. A nation may
provide information related to
compliance with IDCP and IATTC
measures directly to NMFS on an
annual basis or may authorize the
IATTC to release the information to
NMFS to annually renew an affirmative
finding determination without an
application from the harvesting nation.
An affirmative finding will be
terminated, in consultation with the
Secretary of State, if the Assistant
Administrator determines that the
requirements of 50 CFR 216.24(f) are no
longer being met or that a nation is
consistently failing to take enforcement
actions on violations, thereby
diminishing the effectiveness of the
IDCP.
As a part of the affirmative finding
process set forth in 50 CFR 216.24(f), the
Assistant Administrator considered
documentary evidence submitted by the
Republic of El Salvador or obtained
from the IATTC and the Department of
State and has determined that El
Salvador has met the MMPA’s
requirements to receive an annual
affirmative finding renewal.
After consultation with the
Department of State, the Assistant
Administrator issued the Republic of El
Salvador’s annual affirmative finding
renewal, allowing the continued
importation into the United States of
yellowfin tuna and products derived
from yellowfin tuna harvested in the
ETP by El Salvadorian-flag purse seine
vessels or purse seine vessels operating
under El Salvadorian jurisdiction. This
annual renewal of El Salvador’s
affirmative finding will remain valid
through March 31, 2011.
PO 00000
Frm 00022
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
65005
Dated: October 15, 2010.
Eric C. Schwaab,
Assistant Administrator for Fisheries,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2010–26652 Filed 10–20–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–22–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement
(SEIS), Mississippi Barrier Island
Restoration, Mississippi Coastal
Improvements Program (MsCIP) for
Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson
Counties, MS
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
The Mobile District, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (Corps),
intends to prepare a Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement
(DSEIS) to the MsCIP Comprehensive
Plan and Integrated Programmatic EIS,
prepared in June 2009, which evaluated
comprehensive water resource
improvements associated with
hurricane and storm damage risk
reduction, shoreline erosion, salt water
intrusion and fish and wildlife
preservation in three coastal counties of
Mississippi. As described in the
Comprehensive Plan, the SEIS will
address potential impacts associated
with the comprehensive restoration of
the Mississippi barrier islands. These
actions are related to the consequences
of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in
2005 and will be used as a basis for
ensuring compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
ADDRESSES: Questions about the
proposed action and the DSEIS should
be addressed to Mr. Larry Parson, or Dr.
Susan Ivester Rees, Planning and
Environmental Division, Mobile
District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
P.O. Box 2288, Mobile, AL 36628–0001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Larry Parson, (251) 694–3139 or e-mail
at larry.e.parson@usace.army.mil or Dr.
Susan Ivester Rees, (251) 694–414, or email at susan.i.rees@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in
Mississippi on August 29, 2005 causing
catastrophic damage to lives, property,
and natural resources throughout
coastal Mississippi. In response, the
U.S. Congress directed the Secretary of
the Army through the Corps of
Engineers (the Corps) to conduct an
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\21OCN1.SGM
21OCN1
jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
65006
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 203 / Thursday, October 21, 2010 / Notices
analysis and design for comprehensive
improvements or modifications to
existing improvements in the coastal
area of Mississippi in the interest of
hurricane and storm damage reduction,
prevention of saltwater intrusion,
preservation of fish and wildlife,
prevention of erosion, barrier island
restoration, and other related water
resources purposes. Further, the Corps
was directed to provide interim
recommendations for near term
improvements by June 30, 2006, with
final recommendations provided by
December 30, 2007. Environmental
impacts associated with implementation
of 15 interim projects were addressed in
an Environmental Assessment and a
Finding of No Significant Impact signed
on June 29, 2006.
2. The MsCIP Comprehensive Plan
evaluated an array of measures to
promote the recovery of coastal
Mississippi from the hurricanes of 2005
and to provide for a coast resilient to
future storm events. The Integrated
Programmatic EIS evaluated multiple
natural and engineered alternatives to
provide various measures for various
levels of risk reduction and restoration
for the Mississippi coast. Formulation of
the comprehensive plan involved
identifying potential ‘‘Lines of Defense’’
moving from offshore to nearshore,
shoreline, and along existing natural
features inland, to possibly reduce
damage from hurricane and storm
events. This analysis included
restoration of the barrier islands,
nearshore features such as rubble and
movable wall breakwaters, beachfront
measures such as dunes, berms, and
seawalls, coastal roadways and beach
front property barriers such as elevation
of roadways and property, and various
other inland features such as
installation of levees, elevated highwaytopped levee systems, and surge
protection gates, for potential inclusion
in the overall damage reduction system.
Consideration of ‘‘non-structural
measures’’, such as acquisition and
relocation of structures, hurricane
evaluation, floodplain management,
building codes and other event planning
activities also serve as important
hurricane and storm damage reduction
planning features. Other alternatives
considered restoration of storm
damaged habitats such as coastal
marshes, beaches, forests, oyster reefs,
and submerged aquatic vegetation in
Mississippi Sound and on the
Mississippi mainland; restoration of
historical water flows to coastal
watersheds including freshwater
diversion from Louisiana; and
watershed based drainage modifications
VerDate Mar<15>2010
17:24 Oct 20, 2010
Jkt 223001
for flood damage reduction. The EIS
identified, screened, evaluated,
prioritized, and optimized an array of
alternatives.
3. The Draft SEIS. As discussed in the
Integrated Programmatic EIS, a
supplement would be prepared to
address the borrow sources and
placement areas for the Mississippi
Barrier Islands Restoration. This is
phase II of the plan described in the
Programmatic EIS. Under phase I, the
general plan of the barrier islands
restoration was addressed; however the
final design was not completed because
the borrow sources were not identified.
The Comprehensive Barrier Island
Restoration consists of the placement of
approximately 22 million cubic yards of
sand within the National Park Service’s
Gulf Islands National Seashore,
Mississippi unit. Between 13–16 million
cubic yards of sand would be used to
close Camille Cut between East Ship
Island and West Ship Island, which
originally was opened by Hurricane
Camille, through the construction of a
low level dune system. The remaining
sand would be placed in the littoral
zones at the eastern ends of Ship and
Petit Bois Islands. This would result in
the restoration of 1,150 acres of critical
coastal zone habitats and improvement
to the water quality of the Mississippi
Sound and provide incidental
protection to two cultural sites on Ship
Island listed on the National Register of
Historic Places. In addition, the project
would include the restoration of Cat
Island using 1–2 million cubic yards of
sand which are not included in the 22
million cubic yards of sand.
4. Public Involvement: a. The Corps
has conducted extensive public
involvement during the Comprehensive
Plan and Integrated Programmatic EIS of
June 2009. Since April 2006, the Corps
Mobile District has hosted over 90
public involvement events, including 12
formal public and agency meetings, a 2day Regional coordination meeting, a
Public Scoping workshop, 3 online
meetings, a Public Hearing workshop,
and numerous internal meetings, which
the agencies were invited to participate.
The Corps also launched a project
website enabling user downloads,
project team collaboration, and
communication among agencies and the
public. This Web site will be updated
with information on the SEIS for the
Mississippi Barrier Island Restoration
Project throughout the NEPA process:
https://www.mscip.usace.army.mil.
b. The SEIS will analyze potential
environmental impacts and benefits
associated with proposed borrow and
placement sites. Specifically, the
following major issues will be analyzed
PO 00000
Frm 00023
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
in the SEIS: Water quality, threatened
and endangered species, essential fish
habitat and other marine habitat,
cultural resources, parks and protected
lands, wetlands, and cumulative
impacts.
c. The Corps will serve as the lead
Federal agency during preparation of
the SEIS. The following agencies have
been invited to participate as
cooperating agencies: U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency; U.S.
Department of the Interior—Fish and
Wildlife Service, National Park Service,
U.S. Geological Survey, U.S.
Department of Transportation—Federal
Highway Administration; U.S.
Department of Commerce—National
Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and the National Marine
Fisheries Service; U.S. Department of
Homeland Security—Federal Emergency
Management Agency; U.S. Department
of Agriculture—Natural Resources
Conservation Service; Mississippi
Department of Marine Resources;
Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality, and Mississippi
Department of Archives and History;
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science;
Mississippi Department of
Transportation; Mississippi Emergency
Management Agency and the Gulf
Regional Planning Commission.
Participation from other agencies,
interest groups, and individual citizens
is being encouraged and sought.
5. It is anticipated that the SEIS will
be made available for public review in
December 2010.
Curtis M. Flakes,
Chief, Planning and Environmental Division.
[FR Doc. 2010–26493 Filed 10–20–10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Board of Visitors, United States
Military Academy (USMA)
Department of the Army, DoD.
Meeting notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Under the provisions of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act of
1972, the Government in the Sunshine
Act of 1976, and Federal regulations
governing advisory committee meetings,
the Department of Defense announces a
Federal advisory committee meeting for
the United States Military Academy
Board of Visitors. This is the 2010
Annual Meeting of the USMA Board of
Visitors. Members of the Board will be
provided updates on Academy issues.
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\21OCN1.SGM
21OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 203 (Thursday, October 21, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65005-65006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-26493]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (SEIS), Mississippi Barrier Island Restoration, Mississippi
Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP) for Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson
Counties, MS
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Mobile District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps),
intends to prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
(DSEIS) to the MsCIP Comprehensive Plan and Integrated Programmatic
EIS, prepared in June 2009, which evaluated comprehensive water
resource improvements associated with hurricane and storm damage risk
reduction, shoreline erosion, salt water intrusion and fish and
wildlife preservation in three coastal counties of Mississippi. As
described in the Comprehensive Plan, the SEIS will address potential
impacts associated with the comprehensive restoration of the
Mississippi barrier islands. These actions are related to the
consequences of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005 and will be
used as a basis for ensuring compliance with the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA).
ADDRESSES: Questions about the proposed action and the DSEIS should be
addressed to Mr. Larry Parson, or Dr. Susan Ivester Rees, Planning and
Environmental Division, Mobile District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
P.O. Box 2288, Mobile, AL 36628-0001.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Larry Parson, (251) 694-3139 or e-
mail at larry.e.parson@usace.army.mil or Dr. Susan Ivester Rees, (251)
694-414, or e-mail at susan.i.rees@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Mississippi on August 29,
2005 causing catastrophic damage to lives, property, and natural
resources throughout coastal Mississippi. In response, the U.S.
Congress directed the Secretary of the Army through the Corps of
Engineers (the Corps) to conduct an
[[Page 65006]]
analysis and design for comprehensive improvements or modifications to
existing improvements in the coastal area of Mississippi in the
interest of hurricane and storm damage reduction, prevention of
saltwater intrusion, preservation of fish and wildlife, prevention of
erosion, barrier island restoration, and other related water resources
purposes. Further, the Corps was directed to provide interim
recommendations for near term improvements by June 30, 2006, with final
recommendations provided by December 30, 2007. Environmental impacts
associated with implementation of 15 interim projects were addressed in
an Environmental Assessment and a Finding of No Significant Impact
signed on June 29, 2006.
2. The MsCIP Comprehensive Plan evaluated an array of measures to
promote the recovery of coastal Mississippi from the hurricanes of 2005
and to provide for a coast resilient to future storm events. The
Integrated Programmatic EIS evaluated multiple natural and engineered
alternatives to provide various measures for various levels of risk
reduction and restoration for the Mississippi coast. Formulation of the
comprehensive plan involved identifying potential ``Lines of Defense''
moving from offshore to nearshore, shoreline, and along existing
natural features inland, to possibly reduce damage from hurricane and
storm events. This analysis included restoration of the barrier
islands, nearshore features such as rubble and movable wall
breakwaters, beachfront measures such as dunes, berms, and seawalls,
coastal roadways and beach front property barriers such as elevation of
roadways and property, and various other inland features such as
installation of levees, elevated highway-topped levee systems, and
surge protection gates, for potential inclusion in the overall damage
reduction system. Consideration of ``non-structural measures'', such as
acquisition and relocation of structures, hurricane evaluation,
floodplain management, building codes and other event planning
activities also serve as important hurricane and storm damage reduction
planning features. Other alternatives considered restoration of storm
damaged habitats such as coastal marshes, beaches, forests, oyster
reefs, and submerged aquatic vegetation in Mississippi Sound and on the
Mississippi mainland; restoration of historical water flows to coastal
watersheds including freshwater diversion from Louisiana; and watershed
based drainage modifications for flood damage reduction. The EIS
identified, screened, evaluated, prioritized, and optimized an array of
alternatives.
3. The Draft SEIS. As discussed in the Integrated Programmatic EIS,
a supplement would be prepared to address the borrow sources and
placement areas for the Mississippi Barrier Islands Restoration. This
is phase II of the plan described in the Programmatic EIS. Under phase
I, the general plan of the barrier islands restoration was addressed;
however the final design was not completed because the borrow sources
were not identified.
The Comprehensive Barrier Island Restoration consists of the
placement of approximately 22 million cubic yards of sand within the
National Park Service's Gulf Islands National Seashore, Mississippi
unit. Between 13-16 million cubic yards of sand would be used to close
Camille Cut between East Ship Island and West Ship Island, which
originally was opened by Hurricane Camille, through the construction of
a low level dune system. The remaining sand would be placed in the
littoral zones at the eastern ends of Ship and Petit Bois Islands. This
would result in the restoration of 1,150 acres of critical coastal zone
habitats and improvement to the water quality of the Mississippi Sound
and provide incidental protection to two cultural sites on Ship Island
listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, the
project would include the restoration of Cat Island using 1-2 million
cubic yards of sand which are not included in the 22 million cubic
yards of sand.
4. Public Involvement: a. The Corps has conducted extensive public
involvement during the Comprehensive Plan and Integrated Programmatic
EIS of June 2009. Since April 2006, the Corps Mobile District has
hosted over 90 public involvement events, including 12 formal public
and agency meetings, a 2-day Regional coordination meeting, a Public
Scoping workshop, 3 online meetings, a Public Hearing workshop, and
numerous internal meetings, which the agencies were invited to
participate. The Corps also launched a project website enabling user
downloads, project team collaboration, and communication among agencies
and the public. This Web site will be updated with information on the
SEIS for the Mississippi Barrier Island Restoration Project throughout
the NEPA process: https://www.mscip.usace.army.mil.
b. The SEIS will analyze potential environmental impacts and
benefits associated with proposed borrow and placement sites.
Specifically, the following major issues will be analyzed in the SEIS:
Water quality, threatened and endangered species, essential fish
habitat and other marine habitat, cultural resources, parks and
protected lands, wetlands, and cumulative impacts.
c. The Corps will serve as the lead Federal agency during
preparation of the SEIS. The following agencies have been invited to
participate as cooperating agencies: U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency; U.S. Department of the Interior--Fish and Wildlife Service,
National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of
Transportation--Federal Highway Administration; U.S. Department of
Commerce--National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the
National Marine Fisheries Service; U.S. Department of Homeland
Security--Federal Emergency Management Agency; U.S. Department of
Agriculture--Natural Resources Conservation Service; Mississippi
Department of Marine Resources; Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality, and Mississippi Department of Archives and History;
Mississippi Museum of Natural Science; Mississippi Department of
Transportation; Mississippi Emergency Management Agency and the Gulf
Regional Planning Commission. Participation from other agencies,
interest groups, and individual citizens is being encouraged and
sought.
5. It is anticipated that the SEIS will be made available for
public review in December 2010.
Curtis M. Flakes,
Chief, Planning and Environmental Division.
[FR Doc. 2010-26493 Filed 10-20-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
