Department of Defense October 31, 2014 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New Orleans District intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to inform a decision on a Department of the Army (DA) permit application pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, and permissions request under 33 U.S.C. 408, submitted by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA) for the Mississippi River Reintroduction into the Maurepas Swamp (MRRMS) freshwater diversion project (proposed project). The USACE has determined the proposed project will result in significant impacts to the human environment, therefore an EIS is necessary to ensure compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and as a basis for both the permit decision and the Section 408 permissions. The DA permit and the 408 permissions are two separate processes with different authorities analyzed by different mission areas (including Regulatory and Civil Works) inside the USACE. Under Section 404 of the CWA and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, the District Engineer permits the discharge of dredged or fill material into the waters of the United States as well as work, to include the installation and maintenance of structures, in navigable waters of the U.S., if the discharge meets the requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency's 404(b)(1) guidelines, and the proposal is determined to not be contrary to the overall public interest. Under 33 U.S.C. 408, the Chief of Engineers grants permission to alter, modify, or impair an existing USACE project if it is not injurious to the public interest and does not impair the usefulness of such work. The proposed project involves structural crossings of the Federal Mississippi River and Tributaries (MR&T) Levee and could potentially impact the Mississippi River Navigation Channel, the future footprint of the Federal West Shore Lake Pontchartrain Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System levee project as well as other Federal projects. USACE Regulatory and Civil Works will coordinate on all aspects of the production of the EIS.

The Department of the Army announces the availability of the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed training and operations at Pi[ntilde]on Canyon Maneuver Site (PCMS), CO. PCMS is the maneuver site for Fort Carson and is located near Trinidad, CO, approximately 150 miles southeast of Fort Carson. The draft EIS evaluates the environmental impacts associated with the proposed action, which is to conduct realistic, coordinated, large-scale training that integrates the ground and air resources of Fort Carson's mechanized, infantry, support, and combat aviation units. In addition to the No Action Alternative, the draft EIS considers the two alternatives: Alternative 1Awould establish and use new brigade-level training intensity measures; update brigade training period equipment compositions and training methods relative to the 1980 Final EIS for the PCMS Training Land Acquisition; and enable the Stryker family of vehicles to train at PCMS. Alternative 1Bwould include Alternative 1A and add enhanced readiness training using new training activity and infrastructure components at PCMS. Alternative 1B infrastructure components include airspace reclassification and drop zone development. The proposed action is composed of numerous components and the decision-maker may elect not to select every component. The proposed action does not include, nor would it require, expansion of PCMS.