Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Assessment and Notice of Public Scoping Period; Wildfire Mitigation Programmatic Environmental Assessment, 37758-37760 [2014-15486]

Agencies

• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 2, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37758-37760]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-15486]


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

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID FEMA 2014-0021]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental 
Assessment and Notice of Public Scoping Period; Wildfire Mitigation 
Programmatic Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is proposing to 
prepare a programmatic environmental assessment (PEA) to evaluate the 
potential beneficial and adverse impacts from eligible wildfire 
mitigation activities funded under the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program 
(HMGP) and Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Program. This PEA will 
evaluate the environmental impacts of continuing to fund eligible 
activities under these programs (Proposed Action). FEMA anticipates 
that this programmatic approach will result in better decision-making, 
and will improve the timeliness and efficiency of environmental 
reviews. The identification of specific activities that would not 
require additional environmental review, along with project-specific 
reviews informed by or ``tiered to'' the PEA, will improve efficiency 
by helping to streamline the process of environmental review.
    FEMA provides this notice to advise other Federal and State 
agencies, Territories, Indian Tribal Governments, local governments, 
private non-profit and other non-governmental organizations, and the 
public of our intent to prepare a PEA, to provide information on the 
nature of the analysis, and to invite public input on the scope of 
issues, proposed alternatives, potential effects and measures to lessen 
those effects that may be considered. Agencies, interested parties, and 
the public are invited to submit comments on the scope of the PEA at 
any time during the public comment period.

DATES: Comments must be received by August 18, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be identified by Docket ID FEMA-2014-0021 and 
may be submitted by the following method:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments. Please note that this notice of 
intent is not a rulemaking and that the Federal Rulemaking Portal is 
being utilized only as a mechanism for receiving comments.
    Mail: Regulatory Affairs Division, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, 8NE, 500 C Street SW., Washington, DC 
20472-3100.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cecelia Rosenberg, Chief, Grants 
Policy Branch, Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration, Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, 1800 South Bell Street Room 608, 
Arlington, VA 20598-3015, (202) 646-3321.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation

    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket ID. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or 
material, all submissions will be posted, without change, to the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov, and will 
include any personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting 
this information makes it public. You may wish to read the Privacy Act 
notice, which can be viewed by clicking on the ``Privacy Notice'' link 
in the footer of www.regulations.gov.
    You may submit your comments and material by the methods specified 
in the ADDRESSES section above. Please submit your comments and any 
supporting material by only one means to avoid the receipt and review 
of duplicate submissions.

II. Background

    The Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(Stafford Act), 42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq., authorizes FEMA to provide 
funding for the purpose of reducing or eliminating risks to human life 
and property from future hazard events, such as wildfire. Wildfires are 
defined as any uncontrolled fires occurring within natural landscapes 
such as forests and brush. FEMA funds wildfire mitigation activities 
through two programs: the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program 
(authorized by Section 203 of the Stafford Act, 42 U.S.C. 5133) and the 
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) (authorized by Section 404 of 
the Stafford Act, 42 U.S.C. 5170c). Through these programs, FEMA 
provides grants to local governments, private non-profit organizations, 
Territories, Indian Tribal Governments,

[[Page 37759]]

and State governments to implement comprehensive, long-term, and cost-
effective hazard mitigation measures in conformance with State and 
local mitigation plans. The PDM program and HMGP are available to 
mitigate the risk to health and safety and risk of damage to clearly 
defined vulnerable buildings and structures from wildfires.
    In 2008, FEMA issued the Wildfire Mitigation Grant Policy for the 
Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) and Pre-Disaster Mitigation 
(PDM) Program (FEMA Policy MRR-2-08-1) which established funding 
eligibility criteria. The policy clarified the use of program funds for 
wildfire hazard reduction, the types of activities that would be 
eligible for grant assistance, and other conditions that would apply. 
FEMA substantively reviewed the policy three years later and found that 
revisions were not warranted. At that time, FEMA incorporated the 
policy into Part B of the Addendum to the Hazard Mitigation Assistance 
Unified Guidance (June 2013), found at https://www.fema.gov/media-library/assets/documents/33634?id=7851. Also at that time, FEMA decided 
it would be prudent to look at eligible wildfire mitigation activities 
programmatically because it had not previously done so. The nationwide 
PEA will assess the potential environmental impacts of wildfire 
mitigation activities for which subsequent actions will be implemented, 
based on either the PEA without requiring additional environmental 
review, or on subsequent project-specific reviews tiered to the PEA. In 
addition, environmental considerations may lead to identification of 
potential improvements to program operations.
    Eligible Activities: Following are three types of wildfire 
mitigation projects:
     Defensible space--The creation of perimeters around 
residential and non-residential buildings and structures through the 
removal or reduction of flammable vegetation;
     Structural Protection through Ignition-Resistant 
Construction--The application of non-combustible building envelope 
assemblies, the use of ignition-resistant materials, and the use of 
proper retrofit techniques in new and existing structures; and
     Hazardous Fuels Reduction--Vegetation management to 
decrease the amount of hazardous fuels; vegetation thinning; and 
reduction of flammable materials to protect life and property beyond 
defensible space perimeters but proximate to at-risk structures.
    Eligible wildfire mitigation projects must clearly demonstrate 
reduction or elimination of the threat of damages to buildings and 
structures from future wildfires.
    Area of Study: Eligible projects must be located within a Wildland-
Urban Interface (WUI), where wildland vegetation is adjacent to or 
intermingled with the built environment, or be located within two miles 
of a large contiguous block of wildland vegetation, and must provide 
protection to life and the built environment from future wildfires. The 
WUI is not a place, per se, but a set of conditions that can exist 
anywhere. The eligibility of wildfire mitigation projects located up to 
two miles from wildlands recognizes the danger from flaming embers to 
ignite structures even when they are not immediately adjacent to 
wildland vegetation. Eligible projects may be located anywhere in the 
United States. However, most past HMGP and PDM grant applications for 
wildfire hazard reduction projects have come from FEMA Regions V, VI, 
VIII, IX, and X, which correspond to areas of greatest wildfire 
frequency. These regions include the following States:
     Region V: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, 
and Wisconsin.
     Region VI: Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, and 
Louisiana.
     Region VIII: Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South 
Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
     Region IX: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and the 
Pacific Islands.
     Region X: Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Alaska.
    Duplication of Programs: FEMA mitigation grant programs target at-
risk structures and are for activities in areas outside of the primary 
focus of other Federal agencies' fire threat reduction programs. FEMA 
hazard mitigation assistance for wildfires is available only for long-
term and cost-effective actions that reduce the risk to specific 
property or structures from future wildfires. The FEMA goal of reducing 
the risk from wildfire hazards to human life and property, including 
loss of function of critical facilities, is intended to complement, and 
not duplicate, the programs of other Federal agencies such as the U.S. 
Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management, to address wildfire 
threat to the built human environment within or proximate to the WUI. 
FEMA does not have authority to fund projects on land owned by another 
Federal entity, or projects with the purpose of addressing forest 
health conditions or ecological or agricultural issues related to land 
and forest management.
    Proposed Scope of the PEA: This PEA will be used to evaluate the 
environmental impacts of continuing to fund eligible activities under 
the PDM program and HMGP as described in Part B of the Addendum to the 
Hazard Mitigation Assistance Unified Guidance (June 2013) (Proposed 
Action). FEMA will compare the Proposed Action with the No Action 
Alternative, which would consider the elimination of FEMA grant funding 
for wildfire hazard mitigation. Environmental effects of each 
alternative to be evaluated will include impacts on fish, wildlife, and 
vegetation; cultural and historic resources; visual resources and 
aesthetics; air quality and climate change; geology and soils; water 
quality; wetlands; floodplains; land use; and socioeconomic factors 
including environmental justice.
    Public Involvement and Comments: Public comment is invited on the 
scope of the PEA and specifically on the scope of issues, proposed 
alternatives, potential effects and measures to lessen effects that may 
be considered (40 CFR 1501.7). Public comments are being accepted 
during the scoping period as described under the DATES section of this 
Notice and comments may be submitted as described under the ADDRESSES 
section of the this Notice.
    FEMA specifically invites comments that relate to the environmental 
effects that may result from implementation of the Proposed Action. 
FEMA will consider these comments in developing the draft PEA. We 
particularly seek comments on the following:
    1. The direct, indirect, and cumulative effects that implementation 
of any reasonable alternative could have on the natural and cultural 
environment;
    2. Other reasonable alternatives for consideration and their 
associated effects;
    3. Any other environmental issues that should be considered with 
regard to the proposed wildfire hazard mitigation measures.
    After gathering public comments on the scope of the PEA, FEMA will 
develop a draft PEA that will be available for public review and 
comment according to 44 CFR part 10. FEMA will publish a notice of 
availability in the Federal Register when the draft PEA is available 
for public review, and will notify parties who provided comments during 
this scoping period.

    Authority:  42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.; 40 CFR part 1500; 44 CFR 
part 10.


[[Page 37760]]


    Dated: June 25, 2014.
W. Craig Fugate,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2014-15486 Filed 7-1-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-13-P