Army Department 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is proposing to revise its regulations to establish a new restricted area in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The KSC is the main launch facility for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and they need to have the capability to secure their shoreline at KSC. This amendment to the existing regulations is necessary to enhance KSC's ability to secure their shoreline to counter postulated threats to their facilities and to provide for safe launch operations.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District (USACE) intends to prepare a joint environmental impact statement/environmental impact report (EIS/EIR) for the Lower Walnut Creek General Reevaluation Report (LWCGRR). USACE will serve as lead agency for compliance with NEPA, and the Contra Costa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District (CCCFCWCD) will serve as lead agency for compliance with CEQA. The LWCGRR will evaluate alternatives, including a locally preferred plan, for providing flood risk management and ecosystem restoration along the northern portion of the Walnut Creek watershed in the Central Coast of California. The approximate drainage area of the proposed action and analysis is 180 square miles.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Omaha District is announcing a 16-day extension of the public comment period for the Moffat Collection System Project (Moffat Project) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS). The originally announced comment period ends on March 1, 2010, but has been extended until March 17, 2010. The original Notice of Availability of the Draft EIS was published in the Federal Register on Friday, October 30, 2009 (74 FR 56186) and included an initial 90-day comment period (October 30, 2009 to January 27, 2010). A second Notice of Availability announcing an extension of 32 days (January 27, 2010 to March 1, 2010) was issued on December 18, 2009 (74 FR 67180).

In November 2008, the Los Angeles Harbor Department (LAHD) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, Regulatory Division (Corps) published a joint Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIS/SEIR) for the development of a marine oil terminal at Berth 408 on Pier 400 in the Port of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California (Project). The Corps is currently processing a permit application submitted by the LAHD to undertake various activities and construct structures in and over navigable waters of the U.S. associated with the Project. Issuance of a Corps permit is a Federal action, which must comply with the air quality general conformity requirements specified in Section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act.

Pursuant to the Federal Advisory Committee Act of 1972 (5 U.S.C., Appendix, as amended), the Sunshine in the Government Act of 1976 (5 U.S.C. Sec. 552b, as amended), and 41 CFR 102-3.150, the following meeting notice is announced:

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District (Corps), in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service, Sequoia National Forest, intends to prepare a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Federal action to remediate seismic, seepage, and hydrologic dam safety concerns at the Isabella Lake main and auxiliary dams. Isabella Lake is located on the Kern River approximately 45 miles northeast of Bakersfield, Kern County, California. The proposed action is being conducted through the Corps' Dam Safety Assurance Program (DSAP) for the evaluation of existing dams.

The Army intends to prepare a PEIS for the proposed stationing and operation of up to 12 JHSVs. The JHSV is a strategic transport vessel that is designed to support the rapid transport of Army Soldiers, other military personnel and equipment in the U.S. and abroad. The PEIS will assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed stationing of JHSVs at the following military port locations: Virginia Tidewater area; San Diego, CA area; Seattle-Tacoma, WA area; Pearl Harbor, HI area; and Guam. These locations were selected based on the following criteria: sites have existing military port facilities that do not require new infrastructure construction or improvements; sites have existing maintenance facilities for up to, but not including, depot level facilities for major JHSV repairs and maintenance; and sites are capable of supporting the strategic needs of the nation's Combatant Commanders. Not all of the proposed ports will receive JHSVs and other viable locations raised during public scoping may be considered as stationing sites. The Army's Record of Decision will make the determination as to which of the potential sites will serve as home port locations.

Section 302 of Public Law 99-662 established the Inland Waterways Users Board. The Board is an independent Federal advisory committee. The Secretary of the Army appoints its 11 members. This notice is to solicit nominations for appointments or reappointments to two-year terms that will begin after July 1, 2010.

In accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) Wilmington District, Wilmington Regulatory Field Office announces the availability of a Regulatory Program Final EIS for the North Topsail Beach Shoreline Protection Project. The applicant, The Town of North Topsail Beach, is requesting Department of the Army authorization, pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbor Act, to protect residential homes and town infrastructures by nourishing approximately 11.1 miles of beachfront via repositioning the New River Inlet channel, implementing an inlet management plan to control the positioning of the new inlet channel, and utilizing an offshore borrow area. The new channel will be centrally located and the proposal will be to maintain that position, which essentially will be located perpendicular to the adjacent shorelines of North Topsail Beach and Onslow Beach. The proposed sources of the material for the beach nourishment will come from the repositioning of the inlet and an identified offshore borrow area. The projected amount of material needed to initially nourish the oceanfront shoreline is approximately 3.11 million cubic yards. The placement of beach fill along the Town's shoreline would result in the initial widening of the beach by 50 to 100 feet. The widened beach would be maintained through a program of periodic beach nourishment events with the material extracted from the maintenance of the newly relocated channel. All work will be accomplished using a hydraulic cutterhead dredge. The proposed project construction will be conducted in a five phase approach to correspond with the Town's anticipated annual generation of funds.

Announcement is made of the availability for licensing of the invention set forth in U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/290,725 entitled ``Monoclonal Antibodies Against Glycoprotein of Ebola Sudan Boniface Virus,'' filed December 29, 2009. The United States Government, as represented by the Secretary of the Army, has rights to this invention.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is proposing to revise the existing regulations for a restricted area and establish a danger zone in the waters adjacent to and within the boundaries of Naval Station (NAVSTA) Mayport in Florida. The NAVSTA is the third largest naval facility in the continental United States and is unique in that it is home to a busy seaport as well as an air facility which conducts more than 135,000 flight operations each year. This amendment to the existing regulation is necessary to enhance the safety of the local community by ensuring safe navigation of the adjacent waterways, to preserve military security force protection measures, and adhere to military munitions regulations.

Congress has appropriated limited funds to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for implementation of the Estuary Habitat Restoration Program as authorized in Section 104 of the Estuary Restoration Act of 2000, Title I of the Estuaries and Clean Waters Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-457) (accessible at https://www.usace.army.mil/ CECW/ERA/Pages/home.aspx). On behalf of the Estuary Habitat Restoration Council (Council) the Corps is soliciting proposals for estuary habitat

The comment period for the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed construction of the Western Wake Regional Wastewater Management Facilities, in Wake and Chatham Counties, NC published in the Federal Register on Friday, December 18, 2009 (74 FR 67180), required comments be submitted 33 days (January 19, 2010) following publication in the Federal Register. The comment period has been extended to 54 days (February 9, 2010). This is because the initial Web version of the Final Environmental Impact Statement had problems with the Web links. The web version was corrected on December 28, 2009.