Termination of Environmental Impact Statement for Baryonyx Corporation, Inc.'s Proposed Wind Farm, Offshore, Willacy and Cameron Counties, TX, 47442 [2014-19127]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
47442
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 156 / Wednesday, August 13, 2014 / Notices
Solid Waste Sustainability Initiatives,
including comments provided during
formal comment and review periods. As
a result of comments made on the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS),
changes in the FEIS included the
removal of site-specific locations for a
proposed waste-to-energy plant, with
analysis of the alternative now from a
programmatic perspective only. The
ROD contains a commitment to identify
new potential sites and conduct further
analysis, should the Army consider
pursuing this type of technology in the
future.
Implementation of this decision is
expected to result in direct, indirect,
and cumulative impacts to Fort Bliss.
Environmental impacts are expected as
a result of construction and operation of
renewable energy technologies and
conservation policies and procedures.
The potential for significant
environmental impacts is greatest for air
quality, vegetation, archeological sites,
soils, land use, and traffic. Of these, all
but land use (as a result of converting
training land to developed land) and
soils (disturbance of up to 300 acres for
construction of concentrating solar
power arrays) are anticipated to be
mitigable to less than significant.
Potentially beneficial impacts are
projected for air quality, energy demand
and generation, socioeconomics, water
supply sources, water demand, and
wastewater reuse. To minimize the
potential adverse impacts from
implementation of the Proposed Action,
the Army will mitigate these potential
effects through a variety of strategies, as
described in the ROD. All practicable
means to avoid or minimize
environmental harm from the selected
alternatives have been adopted.
The selected alternative provides the
necessary policies, procedures, and
infrastructure upgrades to meet DoD
requirements. The decision provides the
proper balance of initiatives for the
protection of the environment and
supports the U.S. Army’s Net Zero
initiatives in concert with supporting
on-going and future mission
requirements.
The ROD contains a summary of the
environmental impacts and rationale for
the Army’s decision.
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014–19125 Filed 8–12–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710–08–P
VerDate Mar<15>2010
18:15 Aug 12, 2014
Jkt 232001
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of
Engineers
Termination of Environmental Impact
Statement for Baryonyx Corporation,
Inc.’s Proposed Wind Farm, Offshore,
Willacy and Cameron Counties, TX
Department of the Army, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Galveston District,
Regulatory Branch is notifying
interested parties that it has terminated
the process to develop an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
and has withdrawn the Section 10 of the
Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33
U.S.C. 403) and Section 404 of the Clean
Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) permit
application for the proposed Baryonyx
Corporation, Inc. 300-turbine offshore
wind farm located in the Gulf of Mexico
state waters, offshore Willacy and
Cameron Counties in state tracts: 1068,
1069, 1085, 1086, 1087, 1088, 1089,
1090, 1126, 1127, 1129, 1130 and 1131.
The original Notice of Intent to Prepare
and EIS was published in the Federal
Register on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
(77 FR 15088).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions regarding the termination of
this EIS process should be addressed to:
Jayson M. Hudson, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Regulatory Branch, P.O. Box
1229, Galveston, TX 77553–1229; (409)
766–3108; or Email: SWG2011511@
usace.army.mil. Emailed question,
including attachments, should be
provided in .doc, .docx, .pdf or .txt
formats.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Galveston District published the original
Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for the
proposed Baryonyx offshore wind farm
(SWG–2011–00511) in the Federal
Register on Wednesday, March 14, 2012
(77 FR 15088). After the initial public
scoping process in March 2012, the
Corps received 1156 substantive
comments related to the applicant’s
proposal construction of approximately
300 offshore turbines in the Gulf of
Mexico offshore Willacy and Cameron
Counties, TX. Common concerns with
the proposed project included potential
impacts to migratory birds/bats,
threatened and endangered species,
marine resources (including essential
fish habitat), navigation/transportation,
terrestrial wildlife, socioeconomics,
wetlands/submerged aquatic vegetation
(SAV), other, including viewshed, water
and sediment quality, terrestrial and
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00027
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
marine cultural, resources, offshore and
onshore corridor analysis, coastal
processes, recreation, storm surge,
hazardous materials, air quality, noise,
land use, geology, and coastal zone
management. Based on comments
submitted during this scoping process,
the Corps began drafting an EIS in
cooperation with the Environmental
Protection Agency, National Park
Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard;
however, a draft EIS has not been
published. By letter dated May 12, 2014,
Baryonyx Corporation, Inc. requested
withdrawal of their Department of the
Army permit application. The applicant
stated that their intent is to redefine the
project and resubmit at a future date.
Therefore, the Corps officially
determined that it is appropriate to
terminate the EIS. The Corps’ neutral
role in the EIS process was to evaluate
the environmental consequences of the
proposed project under the authority of
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act
of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean
Water Act. The preparation of the EIS
was being conducted by a third-party
contractor directed by the Corps, and
funded by the applicant, which is
typical of the Corps Regulatory EIS
studies. Withdrawal of the permit
application and termination of the EIS
process will not prevent Baryonyx
Corporation, Inc. from reapplying at a
later date.
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014–19127 Filed 8–12–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No. ED–2014–ICCD–0114]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Comment Request; State
Plan of Assistive Technology
Office of Special Education and
Rehabilitative Services (OSERS),
Department of Education (ED).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. chapter 3501 et seq.), ED is
proposing an extension of an existing
information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before October
14, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in
response to this notice should be
submitted electronically through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov by selecting
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\13AUN1.SGM
13AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 156 (Wednesday, August 13, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Page 47442]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19127]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Termination of Environmental Impact Statement for Baryonyx
Corporation, Inc.'s Proposed Wind Farm, Offshore, Willacy and Cameron
Counties, TX
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District,
Regulatory Branch is notifying interested parties that it has
terminated the process to develop an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) and has withdrawn the Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of
1899 (33 U.S.C. 403) and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C.
1344) permit application for the proposed Baryonyx Corporation, Inc.
300-turbine offshore wind farm located in the Gulf of Mexico state
waters, offshore Willacy and Cameron Counties in state tracts: 1068,
1069, 1085, 1086, 1087, 1088, 1089, 1090, 1126, 1127, 1129, 1130 and
1131. The original Notice of Intent to Prepare and EIS was published in
the Federal Register on Wednesday, March 14, 2012 (77 FR 15088).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding the termination of
this EIS process should be addressed to: Jayson M. Hudson, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, Regulatory Branch, P.O. Box 1229, Galveston, TX
77553-1229; (409) 766-3108; or Email: SWG2011511@usace.army.mil.
Emailed question, including attachments, should be provided in .doc,
.docx, .pdf or .txt formats.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Galveston District published the
original Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for the proposed Baryonyx
offshore wind farm (SWG-2011-00511) in the Federal Register on
Wednesday, March 14, 2012 (77 FR 15088). After the initial public
scoping process in March 2012, the Corps received 1156 substantive
comments related to the applicant's proposal construction of
approximately 300 offshore turbines in the Gulf of Mexico offshore
Willacy and Cameron Counties, TX. Common concerns with the proposed
project included potential impacts to migratory birds/bats, threatened
and endangered species, marine resources (including essential fish
habitat), navigation/transportation, terrestrial wildlife,
socioeconomics, wetlands/submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), other,
including viewshed, water and sediment quality, terrestrial and marine
cultural, resources, offshore and onshore corridor analysis, coastal
processes, recreation, storm surge, hazardous materials, air quality,
noise, land use, geology, and coastal zone management. Based on
comments submitted during this scoping process, the Corps began
drafting an EIS in cooperation with the Environmental Protection
Agency, National Park Service, and the U.S. Coast Guard; however, a
draft EIS has not been published. By letter dated May 12, 2014,
Baryonyx Corporation, Inc. requested withdrawal of their Department of
the Army permit application. The applicant stated that their intent is
to redefine the project and resubmit at a future date. Therefore, the
Corps officially determined that it is appropriate to terminate the
EIS. The Corps' neutral role in the EIS process was to evaluate the
environmental consequences of the proposed project under the authority
of Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 and Section 404 of
the Clean Water Act. The preparation of the EIS was being conducted by
a third-party contractor directed by the Corps, and funded by the
applicant, which is typical of the Corps Regulatory EIS studies.
Withdrawal of the permit application and termination of the EIS process
will not prevent Baryonyx Corporation, Inc. from reapplying at a later
date.
Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-19127 Filed 8-12-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
