Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement in Cooperation With the North Carolina Department of Transportation for the Improvement of a 27.3 Mile Segment of US Highway 64 in Tyrrell and Dare Counties, NC, 9635-9637 [2012-3751]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 33 / Friday, February 17, 2012 / Notices
365, near the US 23/365 State Route
(SR) 52 intersection.
The proposed Glades Reservoir water
supply project would be comprised of a
new water supply reservoir, as well as
pipelines and pumping stations for
withdrawing water from the
Chattahoochee River and for
interconnecting with the existing Cedar
Creek Reservoir. Water would be
withdrawn from the Cedar Creek
Reservoir for treatment and distribution
to customers in Hall County.
The total system (Glades ReservoirCedar Creek Reservoir system) safe yield
is estimated to be 80 million gallons per
day (mgd) (on an annual average daily
basis), which includes 7.5 mgd of safe
yield from the existing Cedar Creek
Reservoir. The Glades Reservoir water
supply project is proposed to meet an
unmet projected water demand of 72.5
mgd in 2060.
When adequate flows are available in
the Chattahoochee River, water would
be withdrawn from the Chattahoochee
River and delivered to the Hall County
through the existing Cedar Creek
Reservoir.
When insufficient flow occurs, water
would be released from the Glades
Reservoir to meet water supply demand
while maintaining the minimum instream flow in the Chattahoochee River.
In May 2011, a Jurisdictional Waters
of the U.S. Delineation was conducted
by the Applicant on the reservoir site
using sub-meter global positioning
system (GPS). The delineation
determined that the impacts at elevation
1,180 feet msl would be 39.2 acres of
wetlands and approximately 95,000
linear feet of stream.
2. Scoping and Public Involvement
Process: The purpose of the public
scoping process is to determine relevant
issues that will affect the scope of the
environmental analysis and EIS
alternatives. Some areas of potential
significant impact have been identified,
but are not limited to the following:
a. Loss of aquatic resources, including
wetlands
b. Water quality
c. Water quantity, including
downstream impacts
d. Air quality
e. Secondary and cumulative impacts
f. Federal navigation
g. Federal projects
h. Socioeconomics, including
environmental justice
i. Cultural resources
j. Threatened and endangered species.
The EIS process is being implemented
so that the application can be fully
evaluated and a permit decision can be
made. The purpose of the EIS scoping
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19:08 Feb 16, 2012
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meetings is to gather information on the
subjects to be studied in detail in the
EIS.
3. Purpose and Need. The purpose of
the proposed action is to provide
sufficient water supply to meet
projected water demand in Hall County
through the year 2060.
4. Alternatives. An evaluation of
alternatives to the Applicant’s preferred
alternative initially being considered
includes a No Action alternative,
alternatives that would avoid, minimize
and compensate for impacts to the
aquatic environment, alternatives
utilizing alternative practices, and other
reasonable alternatives that will be
developed through the project scoping
process which may also meet the
identified purpose and need.
5. Additional Resources to be
Evaluated. Resource areas to be
evaluated that have been identified to
date include the following: potential
direct effects to waters of the U.S.
including aquatic species;
environmental justice; socioeconomic
environment; archaeological and
cultural resources; recreation and
recreational resources; energy supply
and natural resources; hazardous waste
and materials; aesthetics; public health
and safety; navigation; erosion and
accretion; cumulative impacts; public
benefit and needs of the people along
with potential effects on the human
environment. All parties who express
interest will be given an opportunity to
participate in the process.
6. Public Scoping Meetings. Three
public scoping meetings will be held at
the following locations/dates:
a. March 20, 2012, 4 to 8 p.m. at
Gainesville State College, 3820
Mundy Mill Road, Oakwood, GA
30566
b. March 21, 2012, 4 to 8 p.m. at
Lexington Auburn University
Convention Center, 1577 South
College Street, Auburn, AL 36832;
c. March 22, 2012, 4 to 8 p.m. at
Apalachicola National Estuarine
Research Reserve, 108 Island Drive,
Eastpoint, FL 32328
The USACE will announce the public
scoping meetings through local news
media and the Web page at least 15 days
prior to the first meeting. Comments are
encouraged from the public, federal,
state, and local agencies and officials,
Indian tribes, and other interested
parties so that the scope of the EIS may
be properly identified.
7. Coordination. The proposed action
is being coordinated with a number of
Federal, state, regional and local
agencies including, but not limited to,
the U.S. Environmental Protection
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9635
Agency, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, and the Georgia Department of
Natural Resources Environmental
Protection Division. These agencies
were requested by the USACE Savannah
District to be cooperating agencies for
this EIS per Council on Environmental
Quality regulations at 40 CFR 1501.6.
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency and the Georgia Environmental
Protection Division have agreed to
participate in the EIS process as
cooperating agencies. Other agencies,
including the state resource protection
agencies of the States of Alabama and
Florida and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service may also comment during the
scoping process.
8. Availability of the Draft EIS. The
USACE currently expects the Draft EIS
to be made available to the public by
December 30, 2012.
Russell L. Kaiser,
Chief, Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2012–3359 Filed 2–16–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
Notice of Availability of a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement in
Cooperation With the North Carolina
Department of Transportation for the
Improvement of a 27.3 Mile Segment of
US Highway 64 in Tyrrell and Dare
Counties, NC
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (COE), Wilmington District,
Wilmington Regulatory Division is
issuing this notice to advise the public
that a State of North Carolina funded
Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS) has been prepared for the
improvement of US 64 to a multilane
facility, and replacement of the Lindsay
C. Warren bridge, in Tyrrell and Dare
Counties, North Carolina (TIP Projects
R–2544 and R–2545).
DATES: Written comments on the DEIS
will be received until April 2, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Bill Biddlecome, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Washington
Regulatory Field Office, 2407 West 5th
Street, Washington, NC 27889 or
Gregory J. Thorpe, Ph.D., Project
Development and Environmental
Analysis Unit, North Carolina
Department of Transportation, 1548
Mail Service Center, Raleigh, North
Carolina 27699–1548.
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 33 / Friday, February 17, 2012 / Notices
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions about the proposed action
and the DEIS can be directed to Mr. Bill
Biddlecome, COE—Regulatory Project
Manager, telephone: (910) 251–4558 or
Mr. Ted Devens, Project Development
Engineer, telephone: (919) 707–6018.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The COE
in cooperation with the North Carolina
Department of Transportation (NCDOT)
has prepared a Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DEIS) on a proposal
to make transportation improvements to
a 27.3 mile segment of existing US
Highway 64 in Tyrrell (TIP No. R–2545)
and Dare (TIP No. R–2544) Counties,
North Carolina, from a two-lane to a
multiple-lane roadway, including
replacement of the Lindsay C. Warren
Bridge over the Alligator River.
The purpose of the proposed project
is to reduce US 64 hurricane evacuation
time to better meet state clearance goals
in the project study area, to insure
consistency with North Carolina’s
Strategic Highway Corridor Plan (which
seeks long-term interconnectivity of
consistent transportation corridors in
North Carolina) and the Intrastate
Highway System, and to maintain a
bridge across the Alligator River that
meets the needs of highway users.
This project is being reviewed
through a Merger 01 process that is
designed to streamline the project
development and permitting processes;
the process was mutually developed by
NCDOT, COE, the North Carolina
Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (Division of Water Quality
and Division of Coastal Management),
the Federal Highway Administration
(not applicable for this project), and
supported by other stakeholder agencies
and local units of government. Other
partnering agencies on this project’s
Merger 01 team include the: U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency; U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service; National
Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Coast
Guard, N.C. Wildlife Resources
Commission; N.C. Department of
Cultural Resources, N.C. Division of
Marine Fisheries, and the Alligator
River National Wildlife Refuge. During
the NEPA/SEPA decision-making phase
of transportation projects, the Merger
process provides a forum for
appropriate agency representatives to
discuss and reach consensus on the
identification and selection of project
alternatives that meet project purpose
and need requirements, as well as the
regulatory requirements of Section 404
of the Clean Water Act.
In 1989, US 64 was designated as part
of the State’s Intrastate System under
Chapter 136 of the North Carolina
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19:08 Feb 16, 2012
Jkt 226001
General Statutes. In January 1999,
NCDOT initiated a study to improve US
64 to a multi-lane facility from
Columbia in Tyrrell County east to US
64/US 264 in Dare County. A series of
meetings were held with local officials
and residents of East Lake and Manns
Harbor. There was general support for
the project from local officials and
residents.
In 2002, the project was presented to
Federal and State Resource and
Regulatory Agencies to gain
concurrence on the purpose and need
for the project. Following the meeting,
it was agreed that further work on the
US 64 project would be postponed
pending completion of a revised
Hurricane Evacuation study. The
hurricane model revisions were
completed in 2005. Model development
was accomplished in conjunction with
an Oversight Committee consisting of
representatives from NCDOT, FHWA,
numerous state and federal
environmental resource and regulatory
agencies, and Emergency Management
officials from North Carolina’s coastal
counties. It was agreed that an 18-hour
standard for clearance times would be
applied to a Category 3 storm with 75
percent tourist occupancy of the Outer
Banks. The 18-hour goal was adopted by
the North Carolina Legislature in 2005.
Following the completion of the new
Hurricane Evacuation Study, the project
was reinitiated as a State funded
Environmental Impact Statement.
A scoping meeting was conducted on
February 6, 2007 followed by a Public
Officials Meeting and Citizens
Informational Workshop on March 14,
2007. Public officials from Tyrrell and
Dare Counties and the Towns of
Columbia and Manteo attended the
public officials meeting. There was
unanimous support for the project from
all local officials. A NEPA/404 Merger
01 Purpose and Need meeting was
conducted on June 14, 2007. The Merger
Team agreed that a suitable Purpose and
Need exists for the project.
NEPA/404 Merger 01 meetings to
determine Alternatives to be Studied
were held on June 19 and August 21,
2008. Concurrence was not reached by
the Merger Team. The Team provided
issue briefs to the next-level Merger
Management Team, which includes
representatives from COE, North
Carolina Department of Environment
and Natural Resources Division of Water
Quality, Federal Highway
Administration, and NCDOT. At a
meeting on October 16, 2008, the Merger
Management Team agreed on the
alternatives to be studied in detail in the
DEIS, including lane, shoulder, and
median widths; bridge navigation
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
height, and corridor locations. On
October 20, 2008, the full Merger Team
concurred on typical sections in Tyrrell
County and Tyrrell and Dare county
corridor locations. They further
concurred that additional
environmental analysis would be
conducted to determine alignments to
be evaluated in detail in the DEIS
within the selected corridors.
Upon completion of the DEIS, NCDOT
submitted a request to COE to solicit
comment from the public in order to
identify the Least Environmentally
Damaging Practicable Alternative
(LEDPA) for the project. The Merger
Team will meet again during late 2012
to select a LEDPA; however multiple
meetings are anticipated which results
in a concurrence expectation of late
2012 or early 2013.
Citizen public hearings are being
scheduled by NCDOT for early spring
2012, at which time citizens will be able
to voice their opinions on the current
alternatives under study. Citizen input
will be considered during LEDPA
deliberations by the Merger Team. After
a LEDPA decision is made, the
recommended alternative(s) will be
reported in a Final Environmental
Impact Statement (FEIS), along with any
supplementary studies or additional
information that is collected after the
DEIS.
The DEIS is electronically available
on the COE’s Web site at: https://
www.saw.usace.army.mil/Wetlands/
Projects/US 64Improvements and also
available on the NCDOT Web site at:
https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/
us64improvements/. Any person having
difficulty viewing the document online
can contact the COE project manager or
the NCDOT project manager for a CD
copy of the document. Hardcopies of the
DEIS are available at the NCDOT’s
Resident Engineer’s Office in Manteo,
public libraries in Manteo and
Columbia, and county offices in Manteo
and Columbia.
After distribution and review of the
DEIS and Final Environmental Impact
Statement, the Applicant (NCDOT)
understands that COE, in coordination
with NCDOT, will issue a Record of
Decision (ROD) for the project. The ROD
will document the completion of the EIS
process and will serve as a basis for
permitting decisions by federal and state
agencies.
To ensure that the full range of issues
related to this proposed action is
addressed and all significant issues are
identified, comments and suggestions
are invited from all interested parties.
Comments or questions concerning this
proposed action and the EIS should be
directed to COE at the address provided.
E:\FR\FM\17FEN1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 33 / Friday, February 17, 2012 / Notices
The Wilmington District will
periodically issue Public Notices
soliciting public and agency comment
on the proposed action and alternatives
to the proposed action as they are
developed.
Dated: February 8, 2012.
Henry M. Wicker,
Acting Chief, Wilmington Regulatory District.
[FR Doc. 2012–3751 Filed 2–16–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of
Engineers
Process for Requesting a Variance
From Vegetation Standards for Levees
and Floodwalls; Additional Filings
United States Army Corps of
Engineers, Department of Defense.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE) is updating the
process for requesting a variance from
vegetation standards for levees and
floodwalls to reflect organizational
changes and incorporate current agencywide review processes.
DATES: Written comments must be
submitted on or before April 17, 2012.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by docket number COE–
2010–0007 by any of the following
methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Email:
tammy.conforti@usace.army.mil.
Include the docket number, COE–2010–
0007 in the subject line of the message.
Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
Attn: CECW–CE, Tammy Conforti, 441
G Street NW., Washington, DC 20314–
1000.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Due to
security requirements, we cannot
receive comments by hand delivery or
courier.
Instructions: Direct your comments to
docket number COE–2010–0007. All
comments received will be included in
the public docket without change and
may be made available on-line at
https://www.regulations.gov, including
any personal information provided,
unless the commenter indicates that the
comment includes information that is
Confidential Business Information (CBI)
or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Do not submit
information that you consider to be CBI,
or otherwise protected, through
regulations.gov or email. The
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SUMMARY:
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19:08 Feb 16, 2012
Jkt 226001
regulations.gov web site is an
anonymous access system, therefore, if
you wish to provide your identity or
contact information it must be included
in the text of your comment. If you send
an email directly to USACE, your email
address will be automatically captured
and included as part of the comment
that is placed in the public docket and
made available on the Internet. If you
submit an electronic comment, we
recommend that you include your name
and other contact information in the
body of your comment and with any
disk or CD–ROM you submit. If we
cannot read your comment because of
technical difficulties and cannot contact
you for clarification, we may not be able
to consider your comment. Electronic
comments should avoid the use of any
special characters, any form of
encryption, and be free of any defects or
viruses.
Docket: For access to the docket to
read background documents or
comments received, go to
www.regulations.gov. All documents in
the docket are listed. Although listed in
the index, some information is not
publicly available, such as CBI or other
information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute. Certain other
material, such as copyrighted material,
is not placed on the Internet and will be
publicly available only in hard copy
form.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Tammy Conforti, Levee Safety Program
Manager, Headquarters, USACE,
Washington, DC at 202–761–4649.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
variance request process was developed
to implement Section 202(g) of the
Water Resources Development Act
(WRDA) of 1996. Consistent with our
regulations for implementing NEPA for
our Civil Works programs, we have
included a Finding of No Significant
Impact (FONSI) for review.
To comply with the requirements of
the National Environmental Policy Act,
a draft environmental assessment (EA)
has been prepared. A copy of the draft
EA is available at www.regulations.gov
in docket number COE–2010–0007. If
you would like to submit comments on
the draft EA, you must do so before the
end of the comment period specified in
the DATES section above.
The current commenting period is the
second solicitation for comments on the
revised Process for Requesting a
Variance from Vegetation Standards for
Levees and Floodwalls. The first
comment period was open from 9
February 2010 to 26 April 2010. USACE
reviewed and considered 561 comments
from 110 separate organizations and
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Sfmt 4703
9637
individuals. The USACE response to
these comments received can be found
at https://www.nfrmp.us/guidance.cfm.
Authority: We are proposing to issue this
Policy Guidance Letter under the authority of
33 U.S.C. 701n.
Dated: February 7, 2012.
James C. Dalton,
Chief, Engineering and Construction,
Directorate of Civil Works.
Policy Guidance Letter (PGL)—Process
for Requesting a Variance From
Vegetation Standards for Levees and
Floodwalls
1. Purpose. This policy guidance
letter (PGL) revises the procedures for
obtaining a variance from U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (USACE) mandatory
vegetation-management standards
contained in Engineer Technical Letter
(ETL) 1110–2–571—‘‘Guidelines for
Landscape Planting and Vegetation
Management at Levees, Floodwalls,
Embankment Dams, and Appurtenant
Structures’’ pursuant to Section 202(g)
of the Water Resources Development
Act (WRDA) of 1996. This PGL also
includes timeframes and options for
existing variances. These procedures
align with the USACE Levee Safety
Program goals of ensuring life safety as
a top priority and applying consistent
processes to make well-informed
decisions. This PGL supersedes the
existing regional variance policy and
process contained in Engineer
Regulation (ER) 500–1–1 and Engineer
Pamphlet (EP) 500–1–1 (including
Appendix E), dated 30 September 2001,
and will serve as the applicable
guidance until this process is
incorporated into a USACE engineer
publication.
2. Applicability. This PGL applies to
all Headquarters USACE (HQUSACE)
elements, Major Subordinate Commands
(MSCs), districts, and field operating
activities having responsibility for Civil
Works projects. This policy applies to
levees within the USACE Levee Safety
Program, including those (1) USACE
operated and/or maintained; (2)
federally authorized, typically USACE
constructed, and locally operated and
maintained; and (3) locally constructed
and locally operated and maintained,
but associated with the USACE
Rehabilitation and Inspection Program
(RIP) (also known as the Pub. L. 84–99
program).
3. References.
a. Engineer Regulation (ER) 500–1–1,
Emergency Employment of Army and
Other Resources, Civil Emergency
Management Program, 30 September
2001.
E:\FR\FM\17FEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 33 (Friday, February 17, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9635-9637]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3751]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
in Cooperation With the North Carolina Department of Transportation for
the Improvement of a 27.3 Mile Segment of US Highway 64 in Tyrrell and
Dare Counties, NC
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Wilmington District,
Wilmington Regulatory Division is issuing this notice to advise the
public that a State of North Carolina funded Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) has been prepared for the improvement of US 64 to a
multilane facility, and replacement of the Lindsay C. Warren bridge, in
Tyrrell and Dare Counties, North Carolina (TIP Projects R-2544 and R-
2545).
DATES: Written comments on the DEIS will be received until April 2,
2012.
ADDRESSES: Bill Biddlecome, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington
Regulatory Field Office, 2407 West 5th Street, Washington, NC 27889 or
Gregory J. Thorpe, Ph.D., Project Development and Environmental
Analysis Unit, North Carolina Department of Transportation, 1548 Mail
Service Center, Raleigh, North Carolina 27699-1548.
[[Page 9636]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action
and the DEIS can be directed to Mr. Bill Biddlecome, COE--Regulatory
Project Manager, telephone: (910) 251-4558 or Mr. Ted Devens, Project
Development Engineer, telephone: (919) 707-6018.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The COE in cooperation with the North
Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has prepared a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on a proposal to make
transportation improvements to a 27.3 mile segment of existing US
Highway 64 in Tyrrell (TIP No. R-2545) and Dare (TIP No. R-2544)
Counties, North Carolina, from a two-lane to a multiple-lane roadway,
including replacement of the Lindsay C. Warren Bridge over the
Alligator River.
The purpose of the proposed project is to reduce US 64 hurricane
evacuation time to better meet state clearance goals in the project
study area, to insure consistency with North Carolina's Strategic
Highway Corridor Plan (which seeks long-term interconnectivity of
consistent transportation corridors in North Carolina) and the
Intrastate Highway System, and to maintain a bridge across the
Alligator River that meets the needs of highway users.
This project is being reviewed through a Merger 01 process that is
designed to streamline the project development and permitting
processes; the process was mutually developed by NCDOT, COE, the North
Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (Division of
Water Quality and Division of Coastal Management), the Federal Highway
Administration (not applicable for this project), and supported by
other stakeholder agencies and local units of government. Other
partnering agencies on this project's Merger 01 team include the: U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service;
National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Coast Guard, N.C. Wildlife
Resources Commission; N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, N.C.
Division of Marine Fisheries, and the Alligator River National Wildlife
Refuge. During the NEPA/SEPA decision-making phase of transportation
projects, the Merger process provides a forum for appropriate agency
representatives to discuss and reach consensus on the identification
and selection of project alternatives that meet project purpose and
need requirements, as well as the regulatory requirements of Section
404 of the Clean Water Act.
In 1989, US 64 was designated as part of the State's Intrastate
System under Chapter 136 of the North Carolina General Statutes. In
January 1999, NCDOT initiated a study to improve US 64 to a multi-lane
facility from Columbia in Tyrrell County east to US 64/US 264 in Dare
County. A series of meetings were held with local officials and
residents of East Lake and Manns Harbor. There was general support for
the project from local officials and residents.
In 2002, the project was presented to Federal and State Resource
and Regulatory Agencies to gain concurrence on the purpose and need for
the project. Following the meeting, it was agreed that further work on
the US 64 project would be postponed pending completion of a revised
Hurricane Evacuation study. The hurricane model revisions were
completed in 2005. Model development was accomplished in conjunction
with an Oversight Committee consisting of representatives from NCDOT,
FHWA, numerous state and federal environmental resource and regulatory
agencies, and Emergency Management officials from North Carolina's
coastal counties. It was agreed that an 18-hour standard for clearance
times would be applied to a Category 3 storm with 75 percent tourist
occupancy of the Outer Banks. The 18-hour goal was adopted by the North
Carolina Legislature in 2005. Following the completion of the new
Hurricane Evacuation Study, the project was reinitiated as a State
funded Environmental Impact Statement.
A scoping meeting was conducted on February 6, 2007 followed by a
Public Officials Meeting and Citizens Informational Workshop on March
14, 2007. Public officials from Tyrrell and Dare Counties and the Towns
of Columbia and Manteo attended the public officials meeting. There was
unanimous support for the project from all local officials. A NEPA/404
Merger 01 Purpose and Need meeting was conducted on June 14, 2007. The
Merger Team agreed that a suitable Purpose and Need exists for the
project.
NEPA/404 Merger 01 meetings to determine Alternatives to be Studied
were held on June 19 and August 21, 2008. Concurrence was not reached
by the Merger Team. The Team provided issue briefs to the next-level
Merger Management Team, which includes representatives from COE, North
Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of
Water Quality, Federal Highway Administration, and NCDOT. At a meeting
on October 16, 2008, the Merger Management Team agreed on the
alternatives to be studied in detail in the DEIS, including lane,
shoulder, and median widths; bridge navigation height, and corridor
locations. On October 20, 2008, the full Merger Team concurred on
typical sections in Tyrrell County and Tyrrell and Dare county corridor
locations. They further concurred that additional environmental
analysis would be conducted to determine alignments to be evaluated in
detail in the DEIS within the selected corridors.
Upon completion of the DEIS, NCDOT submitted a request to COE to
solicit comment from the public in order to identify the Least
Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative (LEDPA) for the
project. The Merger Team will meet again during late 2012 to select a
LEDPA; however multiple meetings are anticipated which results in a
concurrence expectation of late 2012 or early 2013.
Citizen public hearings are being scheduled by NCDOT for early
spring 2012, at which time citizens will be able to voice their
opinions on the current alternatives under study. Citizen input will be
considered during LEDPA deliberations by the Merger Team. After a LEDPA
decision is made, the recommended alternative(s) will be reported in a
Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), along with any
supplementary studies or additional information that is collected after
the DEIS.
The DEIS is electronically available on the COE's Web site at:
https://www.saw.usace.army.mil/Wetlands/Projects/US 64Improvements and
also available on the NCDOT Web site at: https://www.ncdot.gov/projects/us64improvements/. Any person having difficulty viewing the document
online can contact the COE project manager or the NCDOT project manager
for a CD copy of the document. Hardcopies of the DEIS are available at
the NCDOT's Resident Engineer's Office in Manteo, public libraries in
Manteo and Columbia, and county offices in Manteo and Columbia.
After distribution and review of the DEIS and Final Environmental
Impact Statement, the Applicant (NCDOT) understands that COE, in
coordination with NCDOT, will issue a Record of Decision (ROD) for the
project. The ROD will document the completion of the EIS process and
will serve as a basis for permitting decisions by federal and state
agencies.
To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed
action is addressed and all significant issues are identified, comments
and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. Comments or
questions concerning this proposed action and the EIS should be
directed to COE at the address provided.
[[Page 9637]]
The Wilmington District will periodically issue Public Notices
soliciting public and agency comment on the proposed action and
alternatives to the proposed action as they are developed.
Dated: February 8, 2012.
Henry M. Wicker,
Acting Chief, Wilmington Regulatory District.
[FR Doc. 2012-3751 Filed 2-16-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
