[Federal Register: August 8, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 153)]
[Notices]
[Page 47298-47299]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08au03-48]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Notice of Availability, Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS)
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
[[Page 47299]]
ACTION: Announcement of DEIS Availability, King Cove Access Project,
and Notice of Public Hearings.
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SUMMARY: The King Cove Health and Safety Act (Section 353) of the
Omnibus Consolidated and Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of
1999 (Public Law 105-277) provided the Aleutians East Borough (AEB)
with $20 million to construct a year-round marine-road transportation
system between the Cities of King Cove and Cold Bay, Alaska, on the
Alaska Peninsula. AEB proposes a 152-acre project consisting of a 17.2-
mile access road, two hovercraft ramps, and terminals located on the
Northeast Corner of Cold Bay and Cross Wind Cove, on the west side of
Cold Bay, and a hovercraft. The Corps of Engineers, Alaska District,
has evaluated the AEB's permit application under the authority of
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act and Section 404 of the Clean
Air Act. The EIS describes five alternatives that satisfy the purpose
and needs for the proposed project. The alternatives are: (1) Northeast
Corner Cold Bay--Hovercraft; (3) Lenard Harbor--Hovercraft; (4) Lenard
Harbor--Ferry; (5) Lenard Harbor--Helicopter; and (6) the Isthmus Road
alternative. Alternative 2 is the No-Action Alternative. Alternative 6
is included for comparison purposes only and cannot be selected for
authorization by the decision-maker. Alternatives 1, 3, 4, and 5 would
be constructed primarily on King Cove Corporation surface lands.
Alternative 1 requires a USFWS compatibility determination on Native
corporation owned lands within the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge,
and no construction or operations would occur within the
Congressionally designated Wilderness Area. Currently, Alternatives 3
and 4 are designated as the Environmentally Preferable Alternatives.
The Corps of Engineers will use the EIS, public review process and
consideration of comments received as a basis for the permit decision.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska
District, is the lead Federal agency with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) as a cooperating agency for this DEIS. During the
Scoping process (February 16 to June 22, 2001) over 12,331 comments
were received, with over 12,000 comments and opinions provided by e-
mail. Many of these scoping comments expressed an objection to a road
through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness Area. Twenty-
eight alternatives were preliminarily considered during the scoping and
the alternative development phase of the EIS process. Six alternatives
were selected for further evaluation. The proposed action (Alternative
1, Northeast Corner Cold Bay / Hovercraft) and two alternatives
(Alternative 3, Lenard Harbor / Hovercraft; and Alternative 4, Lenard
Harbor / Ferry) were selected for detailed evaluation that incorporates
a marine-road link design in compliance with Section 353 cited above.
The required ``no action'' alternative is presented as Alternative 2.
The two remaining alternatives are not in compliance with section 353;
hence, the $20 million Federal appropriations would not be available
for project construction. These are an air-road link alternative
(Alternative 5, Lenard Harbor / Helicopter) and an all-road alternative
(Alternative 6, Isthmus Road). The all-road alternative (Alternative 6)
is not a practicable alternative for evaluation under the Section
404(b)(1) Guidelines (40 CFR 230) for the Clean Water Act and cannot be
authorized by the District Engineer. If an application is received by
the USFWS under Title XI of ANCSA, a separate EIS would be required,
with approval required by the Secretary of Interior, The President, and
Congress. No significant adverse impacts were identified for
Alternatives 1, 3, 4, and 5. Significant beneficial impacts were noted
for each action alternative centering on human and social resources
with the ability to enhance safe, reliable, and efficient emergency
medical transport for King Cove residents and seasonal workers. For
Alternatives 1, 3, 4, and 5 with the incorporation and implementation
of mitigation measure, impacts to threatened and endangered or listed
species (Steller's eider, Steller sea lion, and Northern sea otter)
were preliminarily determined not likely to adversely affect these
species. For the same alternatives and incorporation of mitigation
measures, determinations of ``would not likely impact Essential Fish
Habitat'', and Habitats of Particular Concern were concluded.
Public Workshops and Public Hearings: August 25, 2003, Cold Bay,
Alaska, Community Building. Public Workshop: 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Public
Hearing: 8 p.m. to 9 p.m
August 26, 2003; King Cove, Alaska, Community Center. Public
Workshop: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Public Hearing: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
September 9, 2003; Anchorage, Alaska University of Alaska, Commons
Room 107, 3700 Sharon Gagnon Lane. Public Workshop: 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Public Hearing: 7 p.m. to 9 p.m
Comment Period: Comments should be received by the Corps of
Engineers, Alaska District (address above) by September 23, 2003, or 45
days from the publication date within the Federal Register, whichever
is later.
David S. Hobbie,
Assistant Branch Chief, Regulatory Branch, Alaska District.
[FR Doc. 03-20226 Filed 8-7-03; 8:45 am]