Maritime Administration January 9, 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Maritime Administration announces that the Coast Guard, in coordination with the Maritime Administration, will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) as part of the environmental review of this license application. The application describes a project that would be located approximately 13.5 miles south of the City of Long Beach, New York, 19 miles east of Highlands, New Jersey, and 23 miles southeast of the Ports of New York and New Jersey. The proposed port would consist of a 60.5 acre island at the surface, 116 to 140 acres at its base and constructed in approximately 60 to 70 feet of water covering the area known as Cholera Bank. The EIS will be prepared with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) as a cooperating agency in the environmental review with the Coast Guard. The EIS will meet the requirements of both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). In addition, the Coast Guard and the Maritime Administration will be working with appropriate state agency representatives from New Jersey to ensure potential impacts and concerns of New Jersey are addressed in the EIS. Publication of this notice begins a 30 day scoping process that will assist in the identification and determination of the environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS. This notice requests public participation in the scoping process and provides information regarding how to participate in the process. It announces a public meeting to be held in connection with the EIS; requests for public comment on the scope of the EIS; and also serves as a notice of public scoping sessions as provided for under SEQRA, 6 NYCRR Sec. 617.8. At least one public meeting will take place in each adjacent coastal state. For purposes of the Deepwater Port Act (Act), New York and New Jersey are adjacent coastal states for this application.