Engineers Corps 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District (Corps), will prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Corps authorization actions for the proposed River Islands project. The overall project purpose is to construct a large-scale, mixed-use project consisting of residential development, a commercial complex, and which may include open space and recreational amenities, located in San Joaquin County or the south delta area. The DEIS will address impacts such as major changes in the operation and maintenance of a Federal flood control project, navigation, hydrology, water quality, wetlands, endangered species, agricultural resources, transportation, cultural resources, and air quality.

Congress has appropriated limited funds to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to implement 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://restoration.nos.noaa.gov/pdfs/act s835.pdf). On behalf of the Estuary Habitat Restoration Council (Council), the Corps is soliciting proposals for estuary habitat restoration projects. This document describes project criteria and evaluation criteria the Council will use to determine which projects to recommend. Recommended projects must provide ecosystem benefits, have scientific merit, be technically feasible, and be cost-effective. Proposals selected for Estuary Habitat Restoration Program funding will be implemented in accordance with a cost-share agreement with the Corps. This is not a grants program.

In accordance with 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), announcement is made of the forthcoming meeting. The meeting is open to the public. Name of Committee: Chief of Engineers Environmental Advisory Board (EAB). Date: June 17, 2005. Location: Radisson Hotel Old Town Alexandria, 901 N. Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA 22314-1501, (703) 683-6000. Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, is initiating this study authorized by a July 23, 1997 resolution of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Representatives. The resolution reads: ``Resolved by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Representatives, that the Secretary of the Army is required to review the report of the Chief of Engineers on the Mississippi River and Tributaries Project, published as House Document 308, Eighty-eighth Congress, Second Session, and other pertinent reports, to determine whether modifications of the recommendations contained therein are advisable at the present time in the interest of flood control, navigation, wetlands, conservation restoration, wildlife habitat, commercial and recreational fishing, saltwater intrusion, freshwater and sediment diversion, and other purposes in the area drained by the West Atchafalaya Basin Protection Levee, from Alexandria, Louisiana, to the Gulf of Mexico.''

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proposing to establish a procedure for modifying scheduled operational hours at the Lake Washington Ship Canal, Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Seattle, Washington. This procedure would allow the district engineer to change the scheduled operational hours of the locks after issuing a public notice and providing a 30-day comment period for any proposed change. Corrections are also made to two citations.

The Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes (KCOL) portion of the Kissimmee River Restoration (KRR) project. This project involves the establishment of a coordinated schedule of water level drawdowns throughout the seventeen lakes comprising the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes (KCOL), for the ultimate purpose of facilitating environmental restoration throughout those water bodies. The local sponsor is the South Florida Water Management District.

In accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District has prepared a Draft Integrated Feasibility Report & Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the flood damage reduction project for the Town of Bloomsburg, in Columbia County, PA. The integrated report investigates the potential environmental effects of an array of alternative plans based on reducing flood damages in Bloomsburg. The preferred alternative includes 16,555 linear feet of levee/floodwall systems with fourteen drainage structures, and nine closure structures, six of which incorporate limited road raisings. We are making the integrated report and EIS available to the public for a 45-day review and comment period.

The Corps of Engineers (Corps) published a Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in the Federal Register (Vol. 66, No. 76, pages 20135-20136) on April 19, 2001, for a Special Area Management Plan (SAMP) within the San Juan Creek and western San Mateo Creek Watersheds. The Notice of Intent stated that the eventual document would be a joint state and federal document in coordination with the California Department of Fish and Game (Department). The Department intended to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act for the Department's proposed Master Streambed Alteration Agreement (MSAA), a proposed state program analogous to the SAMP. It is now necessary to revise the Notice of Intent to reflect that the doucment will now be a federal document and not a joint federal and state document. Scoping commenced on April 19, 2001 with the publication of the original Notice of Intent in the Federal Register. In addition, the Corps issued a special public notice on the SAMP dated April 18, 2001, to the general public. A public scoping meeting was held on May 8, 2001, in San Juan Capistrano, California. All comments received during the special public notice comment period between April 19, 2001, and May 18, 2001, and during the public meetings are being considered in this process. A new scoping period is not being started with the revised NOI.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District have developed the six guidance memoranda required by the programmatic regulations for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan for approval by the Secretary of the Army. The public is invited to review and comment on the final draft of the guidance memoranda prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, intends to prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for the Brevard County (Mid-Reach) Shore Protection Feasibility Study. The study will focus on 7.6 miles of developed shoreline, also referred to as the ``Mid-Reach'', from the south end of Patrick Air Force Base to just north of Indialantic. Ongoing erosion problems are endangering the shoreline infrastructure within the study area. In cooperation with Brevard County, the study will evaluate alternative solutions that will maximize shore protection while minimizing environmental impacts.

The U.S. Army Engineer District, Alaska, intends to prepare a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to evaluate the feasibility of erosion protection measures for the community of Newtok, Alaska. Newtok, population 284 (2000 census), is a coastal community situated on the west bank of the Newtok River, just north of the Ninglick River and approximately 9 miles northwest of Nelson island, The Ninglick River connects the Bering Sea with the Baird Inlet, located farther upstream from Newtok. The village is located 94 miles northwest of Bethel, in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region of Western Alaska. The north, east, and south boundaries of the community are contiguous with the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. The Newtok community is approximately 735 feet to the south of the encroaching Ninglick River, which is eroding toward the village at an average rate of 64 feet per year. Thermal degradation of the riverbank is causing shoreline sloughing. A typical soil profile has deep-frozen silts layered with peat at the surface. Permafrost continuously underlies a 2-foot active layer (sometimes thicker when a greater layer of peat is present). The shoreline is highly vulnerable to flooding, especially during spring ice jams in the river or during severe westerly windstorms on the Bering Sea. The programmatic DEIS will determine whether Federal action is warranted and will define alternative actions for Congressional consideration. Site specific alternatives will be addressed in more detail in a second tier of the EIS process.

The Onondaga Lake Watershed Management Plan (OLWMP) project has been initiated through the Onondaga Lake Partnership (OLP) to help coordinate and implement various improvement projects in the watershed to benefit the public. The project entails developing a multi-purpose/ multi-objective evaluation of the Onondaga Lake watershed to (1) integrate existing projects/plans/studies; (2) assess program/project progress; and (3) plan future lake and watershed revitalization programs and projects into a comprehensive Onondaga Lake Watershed Management Plan. The final product will be used as a tool for the OLP to move toward the rehabilitation of the Onondaga Lake watershed. Projects shall be consistent with the 1993 Onondaga Lake Management Plan and comply with the Amended Consent Judgment (ACJ) and the Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the environmental restoration, conservation, and management of Onondaga Lake. Within the framework of the OLWMP project, an integrated rehabilitation approach will be applied to recognize Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and National Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) activities within the lake and watershed. While CERCLA and NRDA are pursued under those authorities (Superfund) and are not subject to NEPA, per se, processes are similar. The Onondaga Lake Watershed Management Plan reports will discuss and provide an overview of all pertinent on-going watershed programs and projects in appropriate relative detail. Study efforts will include: Identification of various study/project authorities; identification of existing and anticipated lake and watershed conditions (including completed and ongoing projects); identification of lake and watershed water resources problems, needs, goals, and objectives; identification of considered alternatives; assessment of impacts of considered alternatives; evaluation (trade-off analyses) of alternatives and associated impacts (including required planning and environmental coordination and compliance, and consideration of agency and public views); and selection and pursuit of appropriate lake and watershed water resources alternatives/projects. Studies shall also provide tools, as appropriate, for continued study/ project development, management, and monitoring purposes.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is proposing to amend its regulations by modifying seven existing restricted areas and one danger zone to incorporate changes to the types of restriction, the area affected by the restriction, and/or the administration of the restricted area and to disestablish one existing restricted area. Additionally, the Corps is proposing to establish two new restricted areas. The restricted areas and danger zone are located within the State of Florida. The proposed regulations will enable the affected units of the U.S. Military to enhance safety and security around active military establishments. These regulations are necessary to safeguard military vessels and United States Government facilities from sabotage and other subversive acts, accidents, or incidents of similar nature. These regulations are also necessary to protect the public from potentially hazardous conditions that may exist as a result of military use of the area.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) has been prepared for the San Luis Obispo Creek Watershed Waterway Management Plan within the City and County of San Luis Obispo, California and is available for review and comment.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are issuing this notice to advise the public that we intend to gather information necessary to prepare, in cooperation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA) and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the proposed Placer County Conservation Plan (PCCP). The Service is the lead agency for this EIS, and NOAA and the Corps are cooperating agencies. Placer County Planning Department, the Resource Conservation District, the City of Lincoln, the Placer County Water Agency, and the South Placer Regional Transportation Authority (Applicants) intend to apply to the Service and NOAA for 50-year Endangered Species Act (ESA) permits. The permits are needed to authorize the incidental take of species that could occur as a result of implementation activities proposed to be covered under the PCCP. The Service, in cooperation with NOAA and the Corps, provides this notice to: (1) Describe the proposed action and possible alternatives; (2) advise other Federal and State agencies, affected Tribes, and the public of our intent to prepare an EIS/EIR; (3) announce the initiation of a public scoping period; and (4) obtain suggestions and information on the scope of issues and alternatives to be included in the EIS/EIR.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and City of Oceanside amends the notice published in the Federal Register on June 8, 1999 (64 FR 30496), which announced the Corps' intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed reauthorization study of the on-going flood control project on the San Luis Rey River, City of Oceanside, San Diego County, California. This amendment to the notice revises the June 8, 1999, notice to announce the Corps' intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (SEIS/EIR) to address changes to the operation and maintenance (O&M) plan for the on-going flood control project on the San Luis Rey River. The study area is located in the City of Oceanside, in the northwest portion of San Diego County, California. The study area is comprised of the lower 7.2 miles of the river, from the Pacific Ocean to the College Boulevard Bridge. The original Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) was dated September 25, 1970.

In accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Baltimore District has prepared a Draft Tiered Environmental Impact statement (TEIS) and Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) to analyze dredged material placement for the Port of Baltimore for 20 years of maintenance and new work dredging. USACE is making the document available to the public for review and comment through a Notice of Availability published in the Federal Register. The overall goal of the DMMP is to develop a plan to maintain, in an economically and environmentally sound manner, channels necessary for navigation for the Port of Baltimore, conduct dredged material placement in the most environmentally sound manner, and maximize the use of dredged material as a beneficial resource. The recommendations which will provide a minimum of 20 years of dredged material placement capacity for the Port of Baltimore are: Continued use of open water placement in Virginia (Dam Neck Open Water Placement; Rappahannock Shoal Deep Alternate Open Water Placement; and Wolf Trap Alternate Open Water Placement). Optimized use of existing dredged material management sites in Maryland, including Pooles Island Open Water Site, Hart-Miller Island Dredged Material Containment Facility, Cox Creek Confined Disposal Facility and Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project (PIERP). Multiple confined disposal facilities for harbor material in Patapsco River. Large Island Restoration-Middle Chesapeake Bay. PIERP Expansion. Wetland Restoration-Dorchester County. We are making the Draft TEIS available to the public for a 45-day review and comment period.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Port Authority of Guam and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hereby give notice of intent to prepare a Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed wharf improvements and fill at Apra Harbor, Guam. Under a Federal grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, the Port Authority of Guam is proposing modifications to Apra Harbor for the purpose of improving maritime access and services to the island of Guam. The harbor is in need of improvements to meet anticipated future demands of the island's commercial port operations by providing additional cargo container storage area, and berthing facilities capable of accommodating the newest generation of large deep draft container vessels, and cruise ships. The proposed improvements would also provide contingency berthing facilities for U.S. Navy military vessels. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will be the lead agency in preparing the EIS. The EIS will provide an analysis of potential impacts to the environment from the proposed modifications to Apra Harbor, in compliance with NEPA and CEQ regulations.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), and Public Law 102-484 section 2834, as amended by Public Law 104-106 section 2867, the Department of the Army and the California State Coastal Conservancy (SCC) hereby give notice of intent to prepare a joint Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (SEIS/EIR) for the Hamilton Wetland Restoration Project (HWRP), Marin County, California to consider alternative methods to transfer dredged material collected from various navigational dredging projects within San Francisco Bay to the HWRP site for beneficial re-use in the construction of tidal and seasonal wetlands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is the lead agency for this project under NEPA. The SCC is the lead agency for this project under CEQA. A pubic scoping meeting will be held to solicit comments on the environmental scope of the project and the appropriate scope of the SEIS/EIR.