Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers is the lead Federal agency for an evaluation of the maintenance dredging of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) from Port Royal Sound, South Carolina, southward to the Georgia-Florida state line. The Corps' Savannah District intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to analyze the impacts of the maintenance dredging of this portion of the AIWW, including disposal of dredged materials. The DEIS will update the project's 1976 EIS and will analyze the impacts that have occurred from periodic dredging events since 1976 to provide a baseline for evaluating projected impacts from implementing a new Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) over the next 20 years. The DEIS will evaluate the anticipated 20-year dredging needs and alternative disposal options, including using existing upland confined disposal areas and Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Sites (ODMDS), establishing new ODMDS, constructing new upland confined disposal areas, constructing confining structures on existing marsh disposal areas, and using open water disposal areas. In accordance with requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Corps of Engineers hereby notifies the public that it is beginning preparation of a DEIS.

The U.S. Navy requested that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) disestablish the naval restricted area located in the waters of Rhode Island Sound, 4 nautical miles due south of Lands End in Newport, Rhode Island. The restricted area was established on August 31, 1987. The purpose of the restricted area was to establish a practice minefield and conduct mine detection and mine sweeping exercises. As a result of the discontinued use of this area by Naval Station Newport, the Navy has requested the restricted area be disestablished.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)Louisiana, Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and Delta Management restoration study. This study will identify and evaluate a combination of large-scale management and restoration features to address the long- term sustainability of the lower Mississippi River Deltaic Plain. Hydrodynamic models and other forecast methods will be used to determine existing water and sediment resources in the Mississippi River available to restore and sustain delta growth in the Mississippi River Delta and assess benefits and impacts of large-scale strategies that balance the interests of ecosystem restoration, flood risk reduction, and navigation. This EIS will be tiered off of the November 2004, programmatic EIS for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA), Louisiana, Ecosystem Restoration Study (LCA Study). The record of decision for the programmatic EIS was signed on November 18, 2005. This notice announces the USACE's intent to host six (6) public scoping meetings.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District, has received a permit application for a Department of the Army (DA) Permit pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403) and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) from Baryonyx Corporation, Inc. (SWG-2011-00511) for the proposed approximately 300-turbine offshore wind farm located in the Gulf of Mexico state waters, offshore Willacy and Cameron Counties in state tracts: 1068, 1069, 1085, 1086, 1087, 1088, 1089, 1090, 1126, 1127, 1129, 1130 and 1131. The primary Federal involvement associated with the proposed action is the discharge or dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, and the construction of structures that may affect navigable waters. Federal authorizations for the proposed project would constitute a ``major federal action.'' Based on the potential impacts, both individually and cumulatively, the Corps intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act to render a final decision on the permit applications. The Corps' decision will be to issue, issue with modification or deny DA permits for the proposed action. The EIS will assess the potential social, economic and environmental impacts of the construction and operation of the offshore wind farm, associated facilities, and appurtenances and is intended to be sufficient in scope to address Federal, State and local requirements, environmental and socio-economic issues concerning the proposed action, and permit reviews.

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New Orleans District has prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for a project proposed by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) to construct a new highway between 1-12 and Bush, Louisiana, in St. Tammany Parish. On September 9, 2011, USACE published a notice in the Federal Register (76 FR 55887), informing the public of the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that analyzes the potential effects of implementing each of four build and the ``no-build'' alternative scenarios for a four-lane arterial highway from the southern terminus of the current, modern four-lane arterial portion of LA 21 in Bush, Louisiana, to I-12, a distance between 17.4 and 21 miles. The FEIS has been prepared to respond to comments received from agencies, organizations, and members of the public on the DEIS. The USACE is the lead Federal agency responsible for the FEIS and information contained in the FEIS serves as the basis for a Department of the Army permit decision under section 404 of the Clean Water Act. The FEIS also provides information for Federal, State and local agencies having jurisdictional responsibility for affected resources. Any comments on the FEIS will be considered by USACE and responses will be provided for substantive issues raised which have not been addressed in the DEIS or FEIS.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) has been completed and is available for review and comment.

The Los Angeles District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and Cambria Community Services District (CCSD), the non-Federal sponsor under a Project Cooperation Agreement dated March 27, 2006, intend to jointly prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/ Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) to study, plan, and implement a project to provide for a reliable water supply for the community of Cambria in San Luis Obispo County. The relatively remote location of Cambria has resulted in the area relying solely upon local groundwater for its current water supply. The groundwater supplies from the Santa Rosa and San Simeon groundwater basins no longer are adequate to meet existing demand under extreme drought conditions or to meet projected future demand in most years.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Wilmington District, Wilmington Regulatory Field Office has received a request for Department of the Army authorization, pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbor Act, from the Town of Holden Beach to develop and implement a shoreline protection plan that includes the installation of a terminal groin structure on the west side of Lockwood Folly Inlet (a federally maintained navigational channel) and the nourishment of the oceanfront shoreline along the eastern end of Holden Beach.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE), Wilmington District, Wilmington Regulatory Division is issuing this notice to advise the public that a State of North Carolina funded Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) has been prepared for the improvement of US 64 to a multilane facility, and replacement of the Lindsay C. Warren bridge, in Tyrrell and Dare Counties, North Carolina (TIP Projects R-2544 and R- 2545).

On November 16, 2011, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) issued a Notice of Intent and Request for Comments on its plan to retrospectively review its Regulations implementing the USACE Regulatory Program at 33 CFR 320-332 and 334 in accordance with Executive Order 13563, ``Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review'' (E.O.), issued on January 18, 2011, directs federal agencies to review existing significant regulations and identify those that can be made more effective or less burdensome in achieving regulatory objectives. The Regulations are essential for implementation of the Regulatory mission; thus, USACE believes they are a significant rule warranting review pursuant to E.O. 13563. The E.O. further directs each agency to periodically review its existing significant regulations to determine whether any such regulations should be modified, streamlined, expanded, or repealed so as to make the agency's regulatory program more effective or less burdensome in achieving the regulatory objectives. The original comment period ended on January 17, 2012. As a result of the request for time extensions, we have extended the comment period 45 days.

In accordance with Section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), announcement is made of the following committee meeting: Name of Committee: Board on Coastal Engineering Research.