Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Millennium Bulk Terminals-Longview Shipping Facility Project, 49484-49486 [2013-19738]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 157 (Wednesday, August 14, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49484-49486]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-19738]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Millennium Bulk Terminals--Longview Shipping 
Facility Project

AGENCY: U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: Millennium Bulk Terminals--Longview, LLC (MBTL) is proposing 
to construct and operate a shipping facility near Longview, Washington. 
MBTL currently intends to ship coal from the facility. Department of 
the Army (DA) authorization is required pursuant to Section 10 of the 
Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. 
The Corps has determined the proposed project may have significant 
individual and/or cumulative impacts on the human environment. The 
Corps has entered into an agreement with the Cowlitz County Building 
and Planning Department (County) and the Washington State Department of 
Ecology (WDOE), (together, the co-lead agencies) to prepare a joint 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with both the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the 
Washington State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA). The Corps will serve 
as the lead federal agency for purposes of NEPA, and the County and 
WDOE will serve as lead agencies under SEPA.

DATES: The scoping period for this EIS will begin August 16, 2013. 
Written comments regarding the scope of the EIS, including the 
environmental analysis, range of alternatives, and potential mitigation 
actions should be submitted to the address below or by email to 
comments@millenniumbulkeiswa.gov by the closing date of the EIS scoping 
period, November 18, 2013.

[[Page 49485]]


ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding issues to be addressed in the EIS 
and requests to be included on the EIS notification mailing list should 
be submitted to Ms. Danette L. Guy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
Seattle District in care of MBTL EIS Co-Lead Agencies, 710 Second 
Avenue, Suite 550, Seattle, Washington 98104.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Danette L. Guy by email at 
danette.l.guy@usace.army.mil, by regular mail at (see ADDRESSES), or by 
telephone at (206) 316-3048.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Preparation of an EIS will support the 
Corps' eventual decision to either issue, issue with conditions, or 
deny a DA permit for the proposed action. As part of the NEPA process, 
the Corps will gather and analyze information to compare the potential 
environmental effects of possible project alternatives and a ``no 
action'' alternative in the EIS. A single, joint EIS will be prepared 
to assess the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of 
the project, and will be sufficient in scope to address Federal, State, 
and local regulatory requirements and pertinent environmental and 
socio-economic issues. The EIS will disclose the extent to which 
information in the joint document is for NEPA analysis and/or SEPA 
analysis only. It is up to each co-lead agency to determine the 
relevance and weight the information in the EIS will be given by each 
co-lead agency when making its own agency determinations, based on each 
agency's respective statutes, responsibilities, and legal requirements.
    The federal EIS process begins with publication of this Notice of 
Intent. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with the Corps' 
procedures for implementing NEPA (33 CFR Part 325, Appendix B) and 
consistent with the Corps' policy to facilitate public understanding 
and review of agency proposals.
    1. Proposed Action. The decision to issue, issue with conditions, 
or to deny a permit for various activities within the Corps' 
jurisdiction associated with the proposed construction and operation of 
a shipping facility by Millennium Bulk Terminals--Longview (MBTL). 
Currently, MBTL intends to ship coal from the facility.
    2. Project Description. The project site is located in Cowlitz 
County, Washington, in an industrial area along the Columbia River just 
west of the city of Longview. MBTL proposes to construct the project on 
approximately 190 acres of a 536-acre site. The project includes 
construction of two piers in the Columbia River connected by a conveyor 
and access ramp. One pier would be up to 1,400 feet long and range from 
approximately 90 to 130 feet wide. The second pier would be 
approximately 900 feet long and 100 feet wide. Both would be connected 
to dry land by an access trestle approximately 800 feet long and range 
in width from up to 35 feet on the north end to up to 60 feet on the 
south end. The piers and trestle would support two ship loaders. MBTL 
proposes to dredge approximately 500,000 cubic yards of substrate from 
a 48-acre berthing area along the riverward side of the proposed piers. 
The dredged material would be disposed in the flow lane of the Columbia 
River. Periodic future maintenance dredging of the berthing area is 
also proposed. The shipping facility would include an open-air storage 
area approximately 75 acres in size serviced by an on-site balloon 
track system with parking capacity for eight trains. A system of rail-
mounted reclaimers would convey coal from the storage area to the 
loading facility. The terminal would also include rail car unloading 
facilities, roadways, service buildings, storm water treatment 
facilities, and utility infrastructure. Constructing the portion of the 
terminal adjacent to the Columbia River would impact approximately 38 
acres of waters of the U.S., including wetlands and drainage ditches. 
Any compensatory mitigation for impacts to waters of the U.S. would 
comply with the 2008 Compensatory Mitigation Rule for Losses of Aquatic 
Resources, 33 CFR parts 325 and 332; 73 FR 19594 (April 10, 2008).
    3. Alternatives. The EIS will address an array of alternatives for 
a facility to receive material by rail and load ships for ocean 
transport. Alternatives may include, but will not be limited to, no 
action, alternative sites, alternative methods for on-site handling, 
and alternative facility designs. Mitigation measures could include, 
but would not be limited to, avoidance of sensitive areas, creation or 
enhancement of riverine nearshore habitats, and creation, restoration, 
or enhancement of wetlands.
    4. Scope of Analysis. The scope of analysis identifies the federal 
action area under NEPA and, along with public input through the scoping 
process, informs the impacts (direct, indirect, and cumulative) 
analyzed in the EIS. In determining the scope of analysis for this EIS, 
the Corps must identify the scope of the activities under consideration 
and decide, for the purposes of NEPA, whether the agency has ``control 
and responsibility'' for activities outside of waters of the U.S. such 
that issuance of a permit would amount to approval of those activities 
(33 CFR Part 325 Appendix B, Par. 7(b)(1)). As a general rule, the 
Corps extends its scope of analysis beyond waters of the U.S. where the 
environmental consequences of upland elements of the project may be 
considered products of either the Corps permit action or the permit 
action in conjunction with other federal involvement (33 CFR Part 325 
Appendix B, Para. 7(b)(2)).
    For this EIS, the Corps' scope of analysis will include the entire 
MBTL project area and any offsite area that might be used for 
compensatory mitigation. The project area consists of the approximately 
190-acre shipping terminal project site, the area to be dredged, the 
dredged material disposal site(s), and any other area in or adjacent to 
the Columbia River that would be affected by, and integral to, the 
proposed project.
    5. Scoping Process. The scoping period will begin August 16, 2013 
and continue for 95 days until November 18, 2013. The Corps invites 
Federal agencies, state and local governments, Native American Tribes, 
and the public to participate in the scoping process by providing 
written comments and/or attending the public scoping meetings scheduled 
for the dates and locations listed below. Written comments will be 
considered during preparation of the Draft EIS. Comments postmarked or 
emailed after the closing date of the scoping period will be considered 
to the extent feasible.
    The purpose of scoping is to assist the Corps in identifying 
pertinent issues, public concerns, and alternatives, and the depth to 
which they should be evaluated in the EIS, consistent with the Corps' 
scope of analysis for this project, as stated above. The Corps has 
prepared project information documents to familiarize agencies, tribes, 
interested organizations, and the public with the proposed project and 
potential environmental impacts. Copies of these documents will be 
available at the public meetings and on the Internet Web site developed 
for this EIS, www.millenniumbulkeiswa.gov, or may be requested from 
Corps project manager, Ms. Danette L. Guy (see contact information 
above). Corps representatives will also answer scoping-related 
questions and accept comments at public scoping meetings.
    a. Public scoping meetings will be held to present an overview of 
the MBTL project and afford participants an opportunity to provide 
comments on the range of actions, alternatives, and

[[Page 49486]]

potential impacts. The following public scoping meetings have been 
scheduled:
    Cowlitz Expo Center, 1900 7th Avenue, Longview, Washington 98632 on 
Tuesday, September 17, 2013, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
    Spokane Convention Center, 334 West Spokane Falls Boulevard, 
Spokane, Washington 99201 on Wednesday, September 25, 2013, from 5:00 
p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
    The Trac Center, 6600 Burden Boulevard, Pasco, Washington 99301 on 
Tuesday, October 1, 2013, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
    Clark County Fairgrounds, 17402 Northeast Delfel Road, Ridgefield, 
Washington 98642 on Wednesday, October 9, 2013, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 
p.m.
    Tacoma Convention Center, 1500 Broadway, Tacoma, Washington 98402 
on Thursday, October 17, 2013, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
    In addition, an ``online scoping meeting'' will be continuously 
hosted on the EIS Internet Web site at www.millenniumbulkeiswa.gov for 
the duration of the scoping period.
    b. Potentially significant issues to be analyzed in the EIS 
include, but are not limited to direct, indirect, and cumulative 
effects of the project-specific activities proposed within the NEPA 
scope of analysis as described above on navigation (e.g., vessel 
traffic and navigational safety); aquatic habitats; aquatic species, 
including Endangered Species Act-listed species and Washington State 
species of concern; Tribal treaty rights; wetland and riparian habitat; 
wildlife; vehicle traffic; cultural, historic, and archeological 
resources; air and water quality; noise; recreation; land use; and 
aesthetics.
    c. 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 reserved 
treaty 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 by June 2015.
    e. A 90-day public review period will be provided for interested 
parties to review and comment on the draft EIS. Interested parties are 
encouraged to contact the Corps if they wish to be notified when the 
draft EIS is issued.
    f. All comments received will become part of the administrative 
record for this project and subject to public release to third-parties, 
including any personally identifiable information such as name, phone 
number, and address, included in the comment.

    Dated: July 29, 2013.
Bruce A. Estok,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 2013-19738 Filed 8-13-13; 8:45 am]
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