Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Gateway Pacific Terminals Bulk Dry Goods Shipping Facility and the Custer Spur Rail Expansion Projects, 58531-58532 [2012-23301]
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pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 184 / Friday, September 21, 2012 / Notices
l. The compatibility of the material for
nourishment.
m. Potential impacts to cultural
resources.
n. Cumulative impacts of past,
present, and foreseeable future dredging
and nourishment activities.
3. Alternatives. Several alternatives
and sand sources are being considered
for the development of the protection
plan. These alternatives will be further
formulated and developed during the
scoping process and an appropriate
range of alternatives, including the no
federal action alternative, will be
considered in the EIS.
4. Scoping Process. A public scoping
meeting (see DATES) will be held to
receive public comment and assess
public concerns regarding the
appropriate scope and preparation of
the Draft EIS. Participation in the public
meeting by federal, state, and local
agencies and other interested
organizations and persons is
encouraged.
The USACE will consult with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service under the
Endangered Species Act and the Fish
and Wildlife Coordination Act; with the
National Marine Fisheries Service under
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act and
the Endangered Species Act; and with
the North Carolina State Historic
Preservation Office under the National
Historic Preservation Act. Additionally,
the USACE will coordinate the Draft EIS
with the North Carolina Division of
Water Quality (NCDWQ) to assess the
potential water quality impacts
pursuant to Section 401 of the Clean
Water Act, and with the North Carolina
Division of Coastal Management
(NCDCM) to determine the projects
consistency with the Coastal Zone
Management Act. The USACE will
closely work with NCDCM and NCDWQ
in the development of the EIS to ensure
the process complies with all State
Environmental Policy Act (SEPA)
requirements. It is the intention of both
the USACE and the State of North
Carolina to consolidate the NEPA and
SEPA processes thereby eliminating
duplication.
6. Availability of the Draft EIS. The
Draft EIS is expected to be published
and circulated by mid 2013. A public
hearing will be held after the
publication of the Draft EIS.
Dated: September 14, 2012.
Jean B. Gibby,
Acting Chief, Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2012–23300 Filed 9–20–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
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Department of the Army; United States
Corps of Engineers
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the Gateway Pacific Terminals Bulk
Dry Goods Shipping Facility and the
Custer Spur Rail Expansion Projects
Department of the Army (DA),
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps),
DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
The Corps, Seattle District,
received permit applications for Pacific
International Terminal, Inc.’s Gateway
Pacific Terminal (GPT) and Burlington
Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway’s
Custer Spur Rail Expansion projects. DA
permits are required for both projects
pursuant to either Section 10 of the
Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33
United States Code (U.S.C.) 403) and/or
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33
U.S.C. 1344). The Corps has determined
the proposed projects are interrelated
and may have significant individual
and/or cumulative impacts on the
human environment. An EIS will be
prepared in accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, 42 U.S.C.
4232(2)(c), and the Washington State
Environmental Policy Act (SEPA).
Preparation of the EIS will support the
Corps’ eventual decision to either issue,
issue with modification or deny DA
permits for the proposed actions. The
EIS will assess the potential social,
economic, and environmental impacts
of the projects and is intended to be
sufficient in scope to address Federal,
State, and local requirements,
environmental and socio-economic
issues concerning the proposed action,
and permit reviews. The EIS process
begins with the publication of this
Notice of Intent. The EIS will be
prepared according to the Corps’
procedures for implementing NEPA, 33
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part
325, Appendix B, 53 Federal
Regulations 3120 (February 3, 1988),
and consistent with the Corps’ policy to
facilitate public understanding and
review of agency proposals.
DATES: The scoping period will start on
September 24, 2012. Written comments
regarding the scope of the EIS—
including the environmental analysis,
range of alternatives, and potential
mitigation actions—should be received
at the address below or submitted by
email to:
comments@eisgatewaypacificwa.gov by
January 21, 2013.
SUMMARY:
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Written comments
concerning the project and requests to
be included on the EIS notification
mailing list should be submitted to: Mr.
Randel Perry, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Seattle District, Care of: GPT/
BNSF Custer Spur EIS Co-Lead
Agencies, 1100 112th Avenue Northeast,
Suite 400, Bellevue, Washington 98004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.
Randel Perry via email at:
randel.j.perry@usace.army.mil, by
regular mail at (see ADDRESSES), or at
(360) 734–3156.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Proposed Action. The construction
of a new pier in marine waters and
associated rail and cargo handling
facilities in adjacent wetlands and
uplands and the expansion of an
existing rail spur line into wetlands and
across streams. The Corps is preparing
an EIS to analyze the potential social,
economic, and environmental impacts
associated with authorizing the actions.
2. Project Description. The project
sites are located in Whatcom County,
Washington, northwest of Ferndale and
south of Birch Bay in an area called
Cherry Point.
Pacific International Terminals, Inc.,
is proposing the GPT project to be
developed on approximately 350 acres
and would include a three-berth, deepwater wharf. The proposed wharf would
be 3,000 feet long and 105 feet wide,
with access to suitably deep water
provided by an approximately 1,100
foot-long by 50 foot-wide trestle. Upland
facilities will include open air and
covered commodity storage, each
serviced by an on-site rail loop. A
system of conveyors would connect the
commodity storage areas to the trestle
and wharf. The upland facilities would
also contain rail unloading facilities,
roadways, service buildings, storm
water treatment facilities, and utility
infrastructure. Development of these
facilities will result in impacts to
approximately 145 acres of wetlands
and numerous drainage features
(ditches). Mitigation for proposed
unavoidable impacts to waters of the
U.S. will be required to comply with the
Corps’ 2008 mitigation rule (33 CFR
322.1). Commodities would be delivered
to the GPT by rail via the existing BNSF
Railway’s Custer Spur line from the
Bellingham subdivision main line.
BNSF Railway is proposing to upgrade
its existing Custer Spur line with
additional tracks and sidings, which
will impact approximately 17 acres of
wetlands and involve modifications to
two creek crossings and several ditches.
Mitigation for proposed unavoidable
impacts to waters of the U.S. will be
ADDRESSES:
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
58531
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pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
58532
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 184 / Friday, September 21, 2012 / Notices
required to comply with applicable
Corps requirements.
3. Alternatives. The EIS will address
an array of alternatives for providing
facilities suitable for the shipping and
receiving of dry bulk goods (grains, ore,
coal, etc.) and for handling rail traffic to
the new facility. Alternatives analyzed
during the investigation may include
but are not limited to no-action,
alternative sites, alternative methods for
shipping and handling bulk goods,
alternative facility designs, and
alternatives for the railroad spur
upgrades. Mitigation measures may
include but are not limited to avoidance
of sensitive areas, creation or
enhancement of marine macroalgae
beds, and creation, restoration, or
enhancement of wetlands.
4. Scoping Process. The scoping
period will continue for 120 days after
publication of this Notice of Intent and
will close on January 21, 2013. During
the scoping period, the Corps invites
Federal agencies, State and local
governments, Native American Tribes,
and the public to participate in the
scoping process either by providing
written comments or by attending the
public scoping meetings scheduled at
the time and location indicated below.
Written comments will be considered in
the preparation of the Draft EIS.
Comments postmarked or received by
email after the specified date will be
considered to the extent feasible.
The purpose of scoping is to assist the
Corps in defining issues, public
concerns, and alternatives and the depth
to which they will be evaluated in the
EIS. The Corps has prepared project
information documents to familiarize
agencies, Tribes, the public, and
interested organizations with the
proposed projects and potential
environmental issues. Copies of the
documents will be available at the
public meeting and at the Web site
www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov or can be
requested by contacting the Corps,
Seattle District, as described above.
Corps’ representatives will answer
scope-related questions and accept
comments at public scoping meetings.
a. Public scoping meetings will be
held to present an overview of the GPT
and Custer Spur projects and to afford
all parties an opportunity to provide
comments regarding the range of
actions, alternatives, and potential
impacts. The public scoping meetings
will be held as follows:
At Squalicum High School, 3773 East
McLeod Road, Bellingham,
Washington 98226–7728 on Saturday,
October 27, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 3
p.m.
VerDate Mar<15>2010
15:05 Sep 20, 2012
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At Friday Harbor High School, 45 Blair
Avenue, Friday Harbor, Washington
98250 on Saturday, November 3,
2012, from 12 a.m. to 3 p.m.
At McIntyre Hall, 2501 East College
Way, Mount Vernon, Washington
98273 on Monday, November 5, 2012,
from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
At North Seattle Community College,
9600 College Way North, Seattle,
Washington 98103 on Tuesday,
November 13, 2012, from 4 p.m. to 7
p.m.
At Ferndale Events Center, 5715 Barrett
Road, Ferndale, Washington 98248 on
Thursday, November 29, 2012, from 3
p.m. to 7 p.m.
At Spokane County Fairgrounds, 404
North Havana Street, Spokane Valley,
Washington 99202 on Tuesday,
December 4, 2012, from 4 p.m. to 7
p.m.
At Clark College, Graiser Student
Center, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way,
Vancouver, Washington 98663 on
Wednesday, December 12, 2012, from
4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
During the scoping period, a
continuous ‘‘on-line scoping meeting’’
will be hosted on the EIS Web site at
www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov.
b. Potentially significant issues to be
analyzed in the EIS include but are not
limited to project-specific and
cumulative effects on navigation (e.g.,
vessel traffic and navigational safety);
marine aquatic habitats, including Statedesignated aquatic reserves; marine
aquatic species, including Endangered
Species Act listed species and
Washington State species of concern;
Tribal treaty rights; wetland and
riparian habitat and wildlife; railroad
and vehicle traffic; cultural, historic,
and archeological resources; air and
water quality; noise; recreation; land
use; and aesthetics.
c. The Corps will serve as the lead
agency for compliance with NEPA, and
Whatcom County Planning and
Development Services (the County) and
the Washington State Department of
Ecology (Ecology) will serve as the lead
agencies for compliance with SEPA. The
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
and U.S. Coast Guard will serve as
cooperating agencies under NEPA. The
Corps will consult with the Washington
State Historic Preservation Officer and
applicable Tribes to comply with the
National Historic Preservation Act; the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
National Marine Fisheries Service to
comply with the Endangered Species
Act; the National Marine Fisheries
Service to comply with the Essential
Fish Habitat provisions of the
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Conservation and Management Act; and
applicable Tribes to comply with treaty
provisions on fishing rights.
d. Development of the draft EIS will
begin after the close of the scoping
period. The draft EIS is currently
scheduled to be available for public
review and comment in January 2014.
e. A 120-day public review period
will be provided for all interested
parties, individuals, and agencies to
review and comment on the draft EIS.
All interested parties are encouraged to
respond to this notice and provide a
current address if they wish to be
notified when the draft EIS is issued.
f. All comments received will become
part of the administrative record and are
subject to public release, as appropriate,
in their entirety, including any
personally identifiable information such
as names, phone numbers, and
addresses if included in the comment.
Dated: September 4, 2012.
Bruce A. Estok,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 2012–23301 Filed 9–20–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of
Engineers
RIN 0710–AA71
Reissuance of Nationwide Permits
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
Final notice; correction.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers published a document in the
Federal Register of February 21, 2012,
a final notice concerning the reissuance
of nationwide permits. On March 19,
2012, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
published a correction to that final
notice. This document contains
additional corrections to the February
21, 2012, final notice.
ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Attn: CECW–CO–R, 441 G
Street NW., Washington, DC 20314–
1000.
SUMMARY:
Mr.
David Olson at 202–761–4922 or by
email at david.b.olson@usace.army.mil
or access the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers Regulatory Home Page at
https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/
CivilWorks/
RegulatoryProgramandPermits.aspx.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Corrections
In the Federal Register of February
21, 2012, in FR Doc. 2012–3687, the
following corrections are made:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 184 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58531-58532]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-23301]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; United States Corps of Engineers
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the Gateway Pacific Terminals Bulk Dry Goods
Shipping Facility and the Custer Spur Rail Expansion Projects
AGENCY: Department of the Army (DA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(Corps), DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Corps, Seattle District, received permit applications for
Pacific International Terminal, Inc.'s Gateway Pacific Terminal (GPT)
and Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway's Custer Spur Rail
Expansion projects. DA permits are required for both projects pursuant
to either Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 United
States Code (U.S.C.) 403) and/or Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33
U.S.C. 1344). The Corps has determined the proposed projects are
interrelated and may have significant individual and/or cumulative
impacts on the human environment. An EIS will be prepared in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended,
42 U.S.C. 4232(2)(c), and the Washington State Environmental Policy Act
(SEPA). Preparation of the EIS will support the Corps' eventual
decision to either issue, issue with modification or deny DA permits
for the proposed actions. The EIS will assess the potential social,
economic, and environmental impacts of the projects and is intended to
be sufficient in scope to address Federal, State, and local
requirements, environmental and socio-economic issues concerning the
proposed action, and permit reviews. The EIS process begins with the
publication of this Notice of Intent. The EIS will be prepared
according to the Corps' procedures for implementing NEPA, 33 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 325, Appendix B, 53 Federal Regulations
3120 (February 3, 1988), and consistent with the Corps' policy to
facilitate public understanding and review of agency proposals.
DATES: The scoping period will start on September 24, 2012. Written
comments regarding the scope of the EIS--including the environmental
analysis, range of alternatives, and potential mitigation actions--
should be received at the address below or submitted by email to:
comments@eisgatewaypacificwa.gov by January 21, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Written comments concerning the project and requests to be
included on the EIS notification mailing list should be submitted to:
Mr. Randel Perry, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Seattle District, Care
of: GPT/BNSF Custer Spur EIS Co-Lead Agencies, 1100 112th Avenue
Northeast, Suite 400, Bellevue, Washington 98004.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Randel Perry via email at:
randel.j.perry@usace.army.mil, by regular mail at (see ADDRESSES), or
at (360) 734-3156.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Proposed Action. The construction of a new pier in marine waters
and associated rail and cargo handling facilities in adjacent wetlands
and uplands and the expansion of an existing rail spur line into
wetlands and across streams. The Corps is preparing an EIS to analyze
the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts associated
with authorizing the actions.
2. Project Description. The project sites are located in Whatcom
County, Washington, northwest of Ferndale and south of Birch Bay in an
area called Cherry Point.
Pacific International Terminals, Inc., is proposing the GPT project
to be developed on approximately 350 acres and would include a three-
berth, deep-water wharf. The proposed wharf would be 3,000 feet long
and 105 feet wide, with access to suitably deep water provided by an
approximately 1,100 foot-long by 50 foot-wide trestle. Upland
facilities will include open air and covered commodity storage, each
serviced by an on-site rail loop. A system of conveyors would connect
the commodity storage areas to the trestle and wharf. The upland
facilities would also contain rail unloading facilities, roadways,
service buildings, storm water treatment facilities, and utility
infrastructure. Development of these facilities will result in impacts
to approximately 145 acres of wetlands and numerous drainage features
(ditches). Mitigation for proposed unavoidable impacts to waters of the
U.S. will be required to comply with the Corps' 2008 mitigation rule
(33 CFR 322.1). Commodities would be delivered to the GPT by rail via
the existing BNSF Railway's Custer Spur line from the Bellingham
subdivision main line. BNSF Railway is proposing to upgrade its
existing Custer Spur line with additional tracks and sidings, which
will impact approximately 17 acres of wetlands and involve
modifications to two creek crossings and several ditches. Mitigation
for proposed unavoidable impacts to waters of the U.S. will be
[[Page 58532]]
required to comply with applicable Corps requirements.
3. Alternatives. The EIS will address an array of alternatives for
providing facilities suitable for the shipping and receiving of dry
bulk goods (grains, ore, coal, etc.) and for handling rail traffic to
the new facility. Alternatives analyzed during the investigation may
include but are not limited to no-action, alternative sites,
alternative methods for shipping and handling bulk goods, alternative
facility designs, and alternatives for the railroad spur upgrades.
Mitigation measures may include but are not limited to avoidance of
sensitive areas, creation or enhancement of marine macroalgae beds, and
creation, restoration, or enhancement of wetlands.
4. Scoping Process. The scoping period will continue for 120 days
after publication of this Notice of Intent and will close on January
21, 2013. During the scoping period, the Corps invites Federal
agencies, State and local governments, Native American Tribes, and the
public to participate in the scoping process either by providing
written comments or by attending the public scoping meetings scheduled
at the time and location indicated below. Written comments will be
considered in the preparation of the Draft EIS. Comments postmarked or
received by email after the specified date will be considered to the
extent feasible.
The purpose of scoping is to assist the Corps in defining issues,
public concerns, and alternatives and the depth to which they will be
evaluated in the EIS. The Corps has prepared project information
documents to familiarize agencies, Tribes, the public, and interested
organizations with the proposed projects and potential environmental
issues. Copies of the documents will be available at the public meeting
and at the Web site www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov or can be requested by
contacting the Corps, Seattle District, as described above. Corps'
representatives will answer scope-related questions and accept comments
at public scoping meetings.
a. Public scoping meetings will be held to present an overview of
the GPT and Custer Spur projects and to afford all parties an
opportunity to provide comments regarding the range of actions,
alternatives, and potential impacts. The public scoping meetings will
be held as follows:
At Squalicum High School, 3773 East McLeod Road, Bellingham, Washington
98226-7728 on Saturday, October 27, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
At Friday Harbor High School, 45 Blair Avenue, Friday Harbor,
Washington 98250 on Saturday, November 3, 2012, from 12 a.m. to 3 p.m.
At McIntyre Hall, 2501 East College Way, Mount Vernon, Washington 98273
on Monday, November 5, 2012, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
At North Seattle Community College, 9600 College Way North, Seattle,
Washington 98103 on Tuesday, November 13, 2012, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
At Ferndale Events Center, 5715 Barrett Road, Ferndale, Washington
98248 on Thursday, November 29, 2012, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
At Spokane County Fairgrounds, 404 North Havana Street, Spokane Valley,
Washington 99202 on Tuesday, December 4, 2012, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
At Clark College, Graiser Student Center, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way,
Vancouver, Washington 98663 on Wednesday, December 12, 2012, from 4
p.m. to 7 p.m.
During the scoping period, a continuous ``on-line scoping meeting''
will be hosted on the EIS Web site at www.eisgatewaypacificwa.gov.
b. Potentially significant issues to be analyzed in the EIS include
but are not limited to project-specific and cumulative effects on
navigation (e.g., vessel traffic and navigational safety); marine
aquatic habitats, including State-designated aquatic reserves; marine
aquatic species, including Endangered Species Act listed species and
Washington State species of concern; Tribal treaty rights; wetland and
riparian habitat and wildlife; railroad and vehicle traffic; cultural,
historic, and archeological resources; air and water quality; noise;
recreation; land use; and aesthetics.
c. The Corps will serve as the lead agency for compliance with
NEPA, and Whatcom County Planning and Development Services (the County)
and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) will serve as
the lead agencies for compliance with SEPA. The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and U.S. Coast Guard will serve as cooperating
agencies under NEPA. The Corps will consult with the Washington State
Historic Preservation Officer and applicable Tribes to comply with the
National Historic Preservation Act; the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and National Marine Fisheries Service to comply with the Endangered
Species Act; the National Marine Fisheries Service to comply with the
Essential Fish Habitat provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act; and applicable Tribes to comply with
treaty provisions on fishing rights.
d. Development of the draft EIS will begin after the close of the
scoping period. The draft EIS is currently scheduled to be available
for public review and comment in January 2014.
e. A 120-day public review period will be provided for all
interested parties, individuals, and agencies to review and comment on
the draft EIS. All interested parties are encouraged to respond to this
notice and provide a current address if they wish to be notified when
the draft EIS is issued.
f. All comments received will become part of the administrative
record and are subject to public release, as appropriate, in their
entirety, including any personally identifiable information such as
names, phone numbers, and addresses if included in the comment.
Dated: September 4, 2012.
Bruce A. Estok,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 2012-23301 Filed 9-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
