[Federal Register: December 12, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 238)]
[Notices]
[Page 74490-74492]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12de06-33]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the
Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, Louisiana, Navigation Project--Bank
Stabilization
AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, New Orleans District (Corps) intends to prepare a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Mississippi River--Gulf
Outlet, Louisiana, Navigation Project--Bank Stabilization. In 2006,
Congress authorized the Corps to provide foreshore bank protection in
the form of revetment and/or rock to protect endangered wetlands and
[[Page 74491]]
provide erosion protection for hurricane protection projects along the
Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MRGO) channel. The expenditure of funds
will be limited to those activities necessary for the protection of
existing wetlands, navigation, and flood and storm damage reduction
projects along the MRGO channel. Funds shall not be expended on any
project that would otherwise preclude or foreclose any final
disposition of the navigation channel. The DEIS will analyze potential
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of implementing bank
stabilization features along the MRGO and associated areas of Lake
Borgne. The study area, located in the vicinity of St. Bernard Parish,
LA, encompasses the entire navigation channel from Breton Sound to the
Port of New Orleans, St. Bernard and Orleans Parishes, LA.
DATES: Submit comments on or before January 4, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments to Dr. William P. Klein, Jr., U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, CEMVN-PM-RS, PO Box 60267,
New Orleans, LA 70160-0267.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. William P. Klein, Jr., Telephone:
(504) 862-2540.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. Authority:
House Report 109-359 of the Fiscal Year 2006 Supplemental
Appropriations Act directed the Corps to restore navigation channels
and harbors to prestorm conditions and to repair flood damage reduction
and other projects in states affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita,
Ophelia, and Wilma. Funds totaling $75,000,000 are provided for
authorized operation and maintenance activities to enhance estuarine
habitats through monitoring and control of marine and river flow and
reef building initiatives and providing foreshore bank protection in
the form of revetment and rock placement to protect endangered wetlands
and provide erosion protection for hurricane protection projects along
the MRGO Channel. The expenditure of funds shall be limited to those
activities necessary for the protection of existing wetlands,
navigation, and flood and storm damage reduction projects along the
MRGO Channel. Funds shall not be expended on any project that would
otherwise preclude for foreclose any final disposition of the
navigation channel; funds are not available to conduct dredging of the
MRGO Channel.
2. Proposed Action
The proposed action would provide foreshore bank protection in the
form of revetment and/or rock to protect endangered wetlands and
provide erosion protection for flood and storm damage reduction
projects along the MRGO Channel.
3. Need for Proposed Action
Construction and maintenance of the MRGO caused widespread wetland
loss and damage to estuarine habitats from the outer barrier islands in
the lower Chandeleur chain to the cypress forests and tidal fresh
mashes in the western reaches of the Lake Borgne basin. During
construction of the MRGO, dredging and filling destroyed more than
19,000 acres of wetlands and breached an important hydrologic boundary
when the channel cut through Bayou La Loutre. Continued operation of
the MRGO results in high rates of shoreline erosion from ship wakes,
which destroys wetlands and threatens the integrity of the Lake Borgne
shoreline, adjacent communities, infrastructure, and cultural resources
in the area. In addition, severe erosion of the MRGO channel continues
to facilitate the transition of the upper Pontchartrain Basin estuary
toward a more saline system. Land loss in the project area is due to
both natural and man-made factors. Since 1932, over 51,000 acres have
been lost from the project area. From 1964 to 1996, the shoreline
erosion rate along the north bank varied from 8.7 feet per year (ft/yr)
to more than 38 ft/yr, depending on the particular reach. The average
erosion rate on the south bank is about 12.8 ft/yr. Erosion along the
north bank of the MRGO results in the direct loss of approximately 100
acres of shoreline brackish marsh every year as well as causing
additional losses of interior wetlands and shallow ponds as a result of
high tidal ranges and rapid water exchange through the modified
watercourse system.
4. Study Alternatives
Based upon preliminary analysis, alternatives recommended for
consideration and more detailed analysis include: the No Action
alternative; construction of foreshore dikes for bank stabilization;
and various configurations of rock, earth, shell, aggregate, sheet
pile, or some combination. Flotation access channels may be required to
provide access to construction sites in the shallow open water zone
adjacent to exposed banklines.
The decision whether and where to install the bank stabilization
features will be based on evaluation of the potential direct, indirect,
and cumulative impacts of the proposed action. That decision will
reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of
important resources. The benefits that reasonably may be expected to
accrue from the proposal must be balanced against any reasonably
foreseeable detriments.
5. Scoping Process
The Council on Environmental quality (CEQ) regulations implementing
the NEPA process directs federal agencies that have made a decision to
prepare an environmental impact statement to engage in a public scoping
process. The scoping process is designed to provide an early and open
means of determining the scope of issues (problems, needs, and
opportunities) to be identified and addressed in the DEIS. Scoping is
the process used to: (a) Identify the affected public and agency
concerns; (b) facilitate an efficient DEIS preparation process; (c)
define the issues and alternatives that will be examined in detail in
the DEIS; and (d) save time in the overall process by helping to ensure
that the draft statements adequately address relevant issues. Scoping
is a process, not an event or a meeting. Scoping continues throughout
the DEIS preparation process and may involve meetings, telephone
conversations, and/or written comments (Council on Environmental
Quality, Memorandum for General Counsel, April 30, 1981).
6. Request for Scoping Comments
A separate public notice will be mailed to affected and interested
parties requesting comments regarding the scope of issues to be
addressed and for identifying the significant issues related to the
proposed action. See DATES for the scoping comment period. Affected and
interested parties may submit written comments to Dr. Klein (see
ADDRESSES) or to the following e-mail address:
mrgobks@mvn02.usace.army.mil. Comments received as a result of the
scoping process will be compiled into a scoping report and will be
available to all scoping participants and interested parties. Scoping
comments will be considered in the plan formulation process.
7. Public Involvement
Scoping is a critical component of the overall public involvement
program. A public involvement program will be initiated and maintained
to solicit input
[[Page 74492]]
from affected Federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, and
other interested parties.
8. Interagency Coordination
Coordination will be maintained with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding threatened
and endangered species under their respective jurisdictional
responsibilities. Coordination will be maintained with the Advisory
Counsel on Historic Preservation and the Louisiana State Historic
Preservation Officer. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources
will be consulted regarding consistency with the Coastal Zone
Management Act. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will
be contacted concerning potential impacts to Natural and Scenic
Streams.
9. Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement
It is anticipated that the DEIS will be available for public review
mid-2007. Interested parties will have an opportunity to comment on the
DEIS during the 45-day comment period following publication of the
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.
Dated: December 4, 2006.
Richard P. Wagenaar,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Commander.
[FR Doc. 06-9636 Filed 12-11-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-84-M