Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers November 2022 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Baltimore District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), in partnership with the Maryland Department of Transportation's Maryland Port Administration, the non- federal sponsor, plans to prepare a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (sEIS) for the Mid-Chesapeake Bay Island Ecosystem Restoration Project at James Island (Mid-Bay Island Project). The Mid- Chesapeake Islands Restoration Project recommends remote island restoration at James Island and Barren Island, both on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and in Dorchester County, MD, through the beneficial use of dredged material. The project addresses two needs: (1) the restoration of remote island habitat to benefit wildlife including a diverse assemblage of birds, fish, herpetofauna, and invertebrates; and (2) the beneficial use of dredged material from the maintenance of the approach channels to Baltimore Harbor. Remote islands, a critical ecosystem component in the Chesapeake Bay, are offshore landforms that provide isolation, lack of human disturbance, and few predators. These conditions uniquely support isolated nesting and foraging habitat for a diverse assemblage of wildlife. Extensive island habitat loss has occurred within the Mid-Chesapeake Bay, and James Island has nearly vanished. Sea level rise and related erosion, as well as land subsidence and wave action are the primary drivers of island loss. The project provides an opportunity to utilize 30 to 70 million cubic yards of clean dredged material over a 20-year period to restore 2,072 acres of remote island habitat at James Island including uplands and wetlands. The project would convert over 2,000 acres of shallow water habitat in the waters surrounding James Island to external dikes and island habitat. There are expected to be long-term changes to the aesthetics of the project area as an effect of the restoration of James Island in the landscape. The sEIS will update documentation for NEPA focused on the James Island component of the project. USACE is requesting to be provided any supporting information, analyses, and alternative identification relevant to the action being evaluated by this sEIS.