Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Oregon; Extension of Comment Period, 33901-33902 [2023-11192]

Agencies

• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33901-33902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-11192]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID FEMA-2023-0007]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Oregon; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement; 
extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is extending 
the public comment period for its notice of intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement for Oregon, which published March 6, 
2023. In this notice, FEMA announced its intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the implementation of the plan 
for National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP)--Endangered Species Act 
(ESA) Integration in Oregon.

DATES: Written comments on the notice of intent published at 88 FR 
13841 (March 6, 2023) must be received by FEMA on or before June 26, 
2023. Comments already submitted do not need to be resubmitted. FEMA 
will hold at least two virtual public scoping meetings and at least two 
in-person public scoping meetings in Oregon at the times, dates, and 
locations listed on the project EIS website (see ADDRESSES section of 
this document). Reasonable accommodations are available for people with 
disabilities. To request a reasonable accommodation, contact the person 
listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section below as soon as 
possible. Last minute requests will be accepted but may not be possible 
to fulfill.

ADDRESSES: The project EIS website with the draft plan and public 
meeting information is at https://www.fema.gov/about/organization/region-10/oregon/nfip-esa-integration. You may provide oral or written 
comments at either the in-person or virtual public scoping meetings. 
You may also provide written comments via the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. Search for FEMA-2023-0007 and 
follow the instructions for submitting comments.
    All submissions must include the agency name and Docket ID for this 
notice. All comments received will be posted without change to 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 and Security notice, which can be viewed 
by clicking on the ``Privacy and Security Notice'' link on the homepage 
of www.regulations.gov. Commenters are encouraged to identify the 
number of the specific question or questions to which they are 
responding. For access to the docket and to read comments received by 
FEMA, go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID FEMA-
2023-0007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Science Kilner, Regional 
Environmental

[[Page 33902]]

Officer, FEMA Region 10, [email protected], 425-487-
4713, or visit the EIS website (see ADDRESSES above).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 6, 2023, FEMA published a notice 
announcing its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the implementation of the plan for National Flood Insurance 
Program (NFIP)--Endangered Species Act (ESA) Integration in Oregon.\1\ 
FEMA gave notice that the public scoping process had begun for the 
preparation of an EIS for the proposed action. The purpose of the 
scoping process is to solicit public comments regarding the range of 
issues, information, and analyses relevant to the proposed action, 
including potential environmental impacts and reasonable alternatives 
to address in the EIS. FEMA also notified the public of its intent to 
host in-person and virtual public scoping meetings to provide 
additional information to the public, and solicit comments on potential 
issues, concerns, and reasonable alternatives that FEMA should 
consider. FEMA is preparing this EIS in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and the NEPA regulations 
implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality as of the date of 
this Notice.
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    \1\ 88 FR 13841. Commenters may reference the Notice of Intent 
for a general description of the NFIP and the EIS process.
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Public Scoping Process, Including Scoping Meetings

    This NEPA scoping process is in addition to previous opportunities 
available to the public to understand and influence FEMA's draft 
Implementation Plan. The purpose of the EIS scoping process is to 
gather input on the issues, concerns, possible alternatives, and 
potential significant impacts to the quality of the human environment 
that FEMA should consider in the EIS. Participants are anticipated to 
include, and are not limited to, agencies (Federal, state, county, and 
local), Tribes, public interest groups, nongovernmental organizations, 
businesses, trade associations, and individual members of the public.
    As described under the DATES section of this notice, FEMA is 
facilitating virtual and in-person meetings to accommodate and 
encourage public participation. At these meetings, the public will have 
the opportunity to present comments on the scope of the EIS. FEMA 
representatives will be available to answer questions and provide 
additional information to meeting attendees. In addition to providing 
comments at the public scoping meetings, stakeholders may submit 
written comments as described in the ADDRESSES section. Comments may be 
broad in nature or restricted to specific areas of concern, but they 
should be directly relevant to the NEPA process or potential 
environmental impacts as described in the Comments section below. 
Comments already submitted do not need to be resubmitted.

Comments

    FEMA is seeking input on relevant information, studies, or analyses 
of any kind concerning impacts that result from the proposed action or 
alternatives. Specifically:
    1. Potential effects (adverse or beneficial) that the proposed 
action could have on biological resources, including species and their 
habitat.
    2. Potential effects that the proposed action could have on 
physical resources and natural floodplain functions.
    3. Potential effects that the proposed action could have on 
socioeconomics, including demographics, employment, economics, 
minority, low-income populations, and Tribes, land use, zoning, 
housing, commerce, transportation, community growth, and community 
infrastructure.
    4. Other possible reasonable alternatives to the proposed action 
that FEMA should consider, including additional or alternative 
avoidance, minimization, and mitigation measures that achieve the 
performance standard of no-net loss of three key natural floodplain 
functions.
    FEMA regulation, at 40 CFR 1502.17, requires that FEMA append to 
the draft EIS or otherwise publish all comments received during the 
scoping process that identifies alternatives, information, and analysis 
for FEMA's consideration. FEMA respects each commentor's desire to 
withhold sensitive information (such as the costs associated with 
development in the floodplain) but, at the same time, recognizes that 
one set of impacts that may be associated with the implementation of 
the draft plan is the economic, social, and equity burden that 
individuals, businesses, and communities may face.
    To promote informed decision-making, comments should be as specific 
as possible and should provide as much detail as necessary to 
meaningfully and fully inform FEMA of the commenter's position. 
Comments should explain why the issues raised are important to the 
consideration of potential environmental impacts and possible 
alternatives to the proposed action as well as to economic, employment, 
and other impacts affecting the quality of the human environment.
    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq., and 40 CFR 1501.9.

Donna Defrancesco,
Assistant Administrator for Environmental Planning and Historic 
Preservation, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2023-11192 Filed 5-24-23; 8:45 am]
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