[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23613-23614]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10096]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management Agency
[Docket ID FEMA-2011-0010]
Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Hazard Mitigation
Safe Room Construction
AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: Under the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Program and the Hazard
Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), the Federal Emergency Management
Agency (FEMA) may provide funding to eligible applicants for eligible,
feasible, and cost-effective activities that have the purpose of
reducing or eliminating risks to life and property from hazards and
their effects. One such activity is the construction and installation
of safe rooms to protect populations from extreme wind events (e.g.,
hurricane, tornado). FEMA has prepared a draft Programmatic
Environmental Assessment (PEA) to address the potential impacts to the
human environment resulting from the installation and construction of
safe rooms. The purpose of the PEA is to facilitate FEMA's compliance
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by providing a
framework to address the potential environmental impacts of this
project type.
DATES: Comments on the draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment may
be submitted on or before May 27, 2011.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket ID FEMA-2011-
0010, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for
docket ID FEMA-2011-0010 and follow the instructions for submitting
comments.
E-mail: [email protected]. Include Docket ID FEMA-2011-0010 in
the subject line of the message.
Fax: 703-483-2999.
Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Legislation, Regulations, & Policy
Division, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Emergency Management Agency,
500 C Street, SW., Room 835, Washington, DC 20472-3100.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name
and docket ID. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or
material, all submissions will be posted, without change, to the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, and will
include any personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting
this information makes it public. You may wish to read the Privacy Act
notice that is available via the Privacy Notice link in the footer of
http://www.regulations.gov.
Docket: For access to the docket to read the draft Programmatic
Environmental Assessment or comments submitted by the public on this
document, go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov and search for docket ID FEMA-2011-0010. These
documents may also be inspected at FEMA, Office of Chief Counsel, Room
835, 500 C Street, SW., Washington, DC 20472-3100. In addition, the
draft and final Programmatic Environmental Assessment and related
documents will be accessible on FEMA's environmental documents page at
http://www.fema.gov/plan/envdocuments.shtm.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jomar Maldonado, Environmental
Officer, Office of Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation,
FEMA, at [email protected] or phone (202) 646-2741.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Hazard Mitigation Safe
Room Construction
The purpose of the draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment
(PEA) is to facilitate FEMA's compliance with the National
[[Page 23614]]
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by providing a framework to address the
potential environmental impacts of safe room construction projects. The
following five alternatives are considered in the PEA: No Action;
Retrofit or Renovation of an Existing or Proposed Facility; Safe Room
Connected to an Existing Building and Beyond Original Footprint; New
Stand-Alone Construction in Previously Disturbed Areas; and New Stand-
Alone Construction in Previously Undisturbed Areas.
The PEA also provides the public and decision-makers with the
information required to understand and evaluate the potential
environmental consequences of actions funded by FEMA. In addition to
meeting the goals of impact identification and disclosure, the PEA
addresses the need to streamline the NEPA review process in order to
provide timely delivery of hazard mitigation assistance to communities
in areas at risk of wind events.
The analysis presented in the PEA relies on FEMA's experience
regarding environmental impacts that can be expected with activities
involving construction, ground disturbance, removal of vegetation, and
modification/retrofitting of existing structures. It is also based on a
review of scientific literature, consultation with regulatory and
resource agencies, and expert opinion. FEMA will consider the analysis
in the PEA to determine whether a Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) or a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement is appropriate for the action alternatives described and
assessed in the PEA.
FEMA will use the PEA to evaluate the environmental impacts of
grant-funded safe rooms. The PEA will also assist in determining when
more site-specific information is needed and what level of
environmental analysis and documentation is required for more complex
projects to comply with NEPA.
Authority: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as
amended, 42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.; 40 CFR 1500.1 et seq.; 44 CFR 10.1
et seq.
Dated: April 19, 2011.
W. Craig Fugate,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2011-10096 Filed 4-26-11; 8:45 am]
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