Natural Resources Conservation Service October 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Withdraw from publication the Notice of Intent dated Thursday, March 22, 2007, Federal Register/Vol. 72. No. 55, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced its intention to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act for the Manoa Watershed Plan to mitigate residential and commercial flooding in Manoa Valley, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii. The Manoa Watershed Plan and joint EIS would be prepared by NRCS, State of Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, and the City and County of Honolulu. The federal authority for the project was the Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Act (Pub. L. 83-566, as amended). The EIS would evaluate the full range of alternatives to mitigate flooding of the magnitude experienced on October 30, 2004, when an intense rainstorm hit the upper Manoa Valley, causing nearly $100 million in flood damage to residences, businesses, and facilities at the University of Hawaii. The Manoa Watershed project has not received funding in the 2007 and 2008 fiscal years. The Manoa Watershed area will be incorporated into the Ala Wai Canal Project, administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers which will continue to pursue a flood protection plan for Manoa Valley. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Ala Wai Canal Project in the Federal Register on October 2, 2008. Therefore, NRCS is withdrawing its Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS.

The Agricultural Air Quality Task Force (AAQTF) will meet to continue discussions on air quality issues relating to agriculture.