Nassau Back Bays Coastal Storm Risk Management Study-NEPA Scoping Meetings and Public Comment Period, 18746-18747 [2017-08095]

Agencies

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

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 76 (Friday, April 21, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18746-18747]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-08095]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Nassau Back Bays Coastal Storm Risk Management Study--NEPA 
Scoping Meetings and Public Comment Period

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent/NEPA Scoping meeting and public comment 
period.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental 
Policy Act, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) plans to prepare a 
Feasibility Study with an integrated Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) to evaluate environmental impacts from reasonable project 
alternatives and to determine the potential for significant impacts 
related to reduce future flood risk in ways that support the 
long[hyphen]term resilience and

[[Page 18747]]

sustainability of the coastal ecosystem and surrounding communities due 
to sea level rise, local subsidence and storms, and to reduce the 
economic costs and risks associated with largescale flood and storm 
events in the area known as the Atlantic Coast of New York, the Nassau 
County Back Bays.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments and suggestions concerning the scope 
of issues to be evaluated within the EIS to Robert Smith, Project 
Biologist/NEPA Coordinator, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York 
District, Planning Division, Environmental, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, 
NY 10279-0090; Phone: (917) 790-8729; email: 
robert.j.smith@usace.army.mil.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the overall Nassau 
County Back Bays Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study should 
be directed to Mark Lulka, Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, New York District, Programs and Project Management Division, 
Civil Works Programs Branch, 26 Federal Plaza, Room 2145, New York, NY 
10279-0090; Phone: (917) 790-8205; email: mark.f.lulka@usace.army.mil.

DATES: Scoping meetings will be held on May 2 and 3, 2017. For further 
information on these scoping meetings, please read the SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION section.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    As a result of Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, Congress passed 
Public Law 113-2, which authorized supplemental appropriations to 
Federal agencies for expenses related to the consequences of Hurricane 
Sandy. The Corps is investigating measures to reduce future flood risk 
in ways that support the long[hyphen]term resilience and sustainability 
of the coastal ecosystem and surrounding communities, and reduce the 
economic costs and risks associated with flood and storm events. In 
support of this goal, the Corps completed the North Atlantic Coast 
Comprehensive Study (NAACS), which identified nine high risk areas on 
the Atlantic Coast for further analysis based on preliminary findings. 
The Nassau County Back Bays area was identified as one of the nine 
areas of high risk, or Focus Areas, that warrants an in-depth 
investigation into potential coastal storm risk management measures.
    During Hurricane Sandy, the study area communities were severely 
affected with large areas subjected to erosion, storm surge, and wave 
damage along the Atlantic Ocean shoreline, and flooding of communities 
within and surrounding Bays. Along the Atlantic Ocean, surge and waves 
inundated low lying areas, and contributed to the flooding along the 
shoreline of the interior of the Bays. Hurricane Sandy illustrated the 
need to re-evaluate the entire back-bay area as a system, when 
considering risk-management measures. Acknowledging the amount of 
analyses required to comprehensively reevaluate the study area 
considering the influence of the Atlantic Ocean shorefront conditions 
on the back-bay system, an EIS will be prepared. The EIS will build 
upon the extensive Atlantic shoreline alternatives analysis and 
environmental and technical studies and outreach conducted to date. The 
scope of analysis will be appropriate to the level of detail necessary 
for an EIS and will receive input from the public and reviewing 
agencies. The analysis will provide the basis for the alternatives to 
problems associated with storm surge and wave damage along the back-
bays.

2. Study Area

    The study area includes all of the tidally influenced bays and 
estuaries located in and hydraulically connected to the south shore of 
Nassau County, New York, located on Long Island, NY, directly east of 
Queens County and west of Suffolk County for approximately 98 square 
miles.

3. Corps Decision Making

    As required by Council on Environmental Quality's Principles, 
Requirements and Guidelines for Water and Land Related Resources 
Implementation Studies all reasonable alternatives to the proposed 
Federal action that meet the purpose and need will be considered in the 
EIS. These alternatives will include no action and a range of 
reasonable alternatives for managing flood risk within the Nassau 
County Back Bays Area. The measures to be evaluated will be the subject 
of additional public stakeholders and agency coordination. The result 
of this coordination early on in the process will identify any 
concerns, potential impacts, relevant effects of past actions and 
possible alternative actions which will aid in the Corps developing an 
EIS for the entire study area. This decision making approach will allow 
time to address agency policy issues and build consensus among 
cooperating agencies and the public.

4. Scoping/Public Participation

    The Corps has scheduled meeting to invite the public to come and 
comment on the scope of the issues and alternatives to be addressed in 
the draft EIS. The Nassau County Back Bay, NEPA Scoping Meeting will be 
held:

When: Tuesday, May 02, 2017 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Where: Seaford High School Auditorium, Seaford, NY
When: Wednesday, May 03, 2017 6:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.
Where: Freeport Village Hall, Freeport, NY

    Each of the public meetings will begin with an informal open house 
followed by the formal presentation. Input will also be received 
through written comments, comments may be submitted during the scoping 
meetings, or via mail or email at any time.

5. Lead and Cooperating Agencies

    The Corps is the lead federal agency and the New York Department of 
Environmental Conservation will be the nonfederal sponsor for the study 
and the preparation of the EIS and meeting the requirements of the NEPA 
and its Implementing Regulations of the President's Council on 
Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1500-1508). Federal agencies interested 
in participating as a Cooperating Agency are requested to submit a 
letter of intent to Colonel David A. Caldwell, District Engineer (see 
ADDRESSES). The preparation of the EIS will be coordinated with New 
York State and Nassau County offices with discretionary authority 
relative to the proposed actions. The Draft Integrated Feasibility 
Report/EIS is currently scheduled for distribution to the public in 
2019.

    Dated: April 12, 2017.
Peter M. Weppler,
Chief, Environmental Analysis Branch, Planning Division, New York 
District.
[FR Doc. 2017-08095 Filed 4-20-17; 8:45 am]
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