[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 176 (Friday, September 11, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48691-48693]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-24409]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Natural Resources Conservation Service


Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program

AGENCY: Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation 
Service.

ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a programmatic environmental 
impact statement.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Natural Resources 
Conservation Service (NRCS) announces its intention to prepare a 
programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS), pursuant to the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.) for the Emergency Watershed Protection (EWP) Program. The draft 
PEIS will assess the potential environmental impacts of alternatives 
for administration of the EWP program. This program which provides 
funding and assistance to localities requesting EWP assistance to 
address watershed impairments, caused by a natural disaster, which pose 
an immediate threat to life and property.
    A PEIS for the current EWP program was prepared in 1975. NRCS is 
now conducting a comprehensive review of the program which may result 
in substantive changes to improve the environmental, economic and 
technical soundness of activities conducted under the program. This 
draft PEIS will support management decisions on how best to revise the 
EWP program to

[[Page 48692]]

continue to effectively and efficiently meet EWP statutory 
requirements. NRCS and its cooperating agencies will analyze a range of 
reasonable alternatives to ensure compliance with all applicable laws 
and regulations while minimizing, to the greatest extent practicable, 
any potential adverse environmental or socioeconomic impacts. The draft 
PEIS also provides the public a substantive opportunity to voice their 
concerns and ideas for improving the program. This notice informs the 
public of the proposal, and announces the dates, times, and places for 
public scoping meetings. It also, solicits public comment, and 
describes in general the preliminary draft PEIS proposed action and 
alternatives.

SCOPING MEETINGS: Six public scoping meetings will be held to provide 
information on the EWP program and to discuss the issues and 
alternatives relating to the program. Written and oral comments will be 
received. The meetings will be held on the following dates and 
locations:

September 29, 1998
    Kansas City, Missouri--Holiday Inn-Airport, 11832 Plaza Circle, 
Kansas City, MO 64153, (816) 464-2345
October 6, 1998
    College Park, GA--Georgia Int'l Convention Center, 1902 Sullivan 
Road, College Park, GA 30337, (770) 907-3074
October 8, 1998
    Sacramento, California--The Hawthorne Suites Hotel, 321 Bercut 
Drive, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 441-1444
October 20, 1998
    Bloomington, Minneapolis--Doubletree Guest Suites-Airport, 2800 W 
80th Street, Bloomington, MN 55431-1205, (612) 884-4811
October 22, 1998
    Albany, New York--Howard Johnson-Albany Center, 1375 Washington 
Avenue, Albany, NY 12206-1009, (518) 459-3100
October 26, 1998
    Washington, D.C.--USDA, Jefferson Auditorium, 14th & Independence 
Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20013

    Each scoping meeting will be conducted in two sessions--the first 
in the afternoon from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and the second in the 
evening from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. (except Washington, D.C., where 
only an afternoon session will be held).

COMMENTS INVITED: To ensure that the full range of issues and 
alternatives related to the EWP program are addressed, NRCS invites 
comments on the scope of this proposed draft PEIS. Written comments 
should be postmarked by close of business on October 30, 1998, to 
ensure consideration. Comments postmarked after this date will be 
considered to the extent practicable.

WHERE TO COMMENT: Written comments on the scope of the draft PEIS and 
requests for copies of the draft PEIS information packages should be 
directed to: EWP--PEIS, Post Office Box 745, Falls Church, Virginia 
22040-0745, telephone (toll free) 1-877-534-8692, or e-mail at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For matters relating to the EWP 
Program, please contact Warren M. Lee, Director, Watersheds and 
Wetlands Division, USDA-NRCS, Post Office Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 
20013-2890; telephone: (202) 720-3527.
    For matters relating to USDA/ NRCS compliance with NEPA please 
contact: Andree DuVarney, National Environmental Specialist, Ecological 
Sciences Division, USDA-NRCS, Post Office Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 
20013-2890; telephone: (202) 720-4925.
    Information may also be obtained from the NRCS Worldwide website 
at: http://www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/BCS/enviro/nepa.htm (general NEPA 
compliance information) http://www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/programs.html (EWP 
program).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EWP program funds and provides technical 
assistance to sponsoring organizations (entities of government) to 
implement emergency measures for runoff retardation and soil erosion 
prevention to assist in relieving imminent hazards to life and property 
from floods, drought, and the products of erosion created by natural 
disasters that have caused or are causing sudden impairment of a 
watershed. The program is authorized by Section 216 of the Flood 
Control Act of May 17, 1950 (P.L. 81-516; 33 U.S.C. 701b-1) and by 
Section 403 of Title IV of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978, (Pub. 
L. 95-334), as amended by Section 382 of the Federal Agricultural 
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (Pub. L. 104-127) 16 U.S.C. 2204. 
NRCS regulations implementing the EWP program are set forth in 7 CFR 
624.
    NEPA only requires an PEIS be prepared for major Federal actions 
significantly affecting the environment. It is NRCS's preliminary 
opinion that the programmatic decisions being made about the EWP 
program do not constitute such action, particularly when considered on 
a nation-wide basis. Nonetheless, NRCS considers NEPA and the PEIS 
process to be a useful tool to assist decision makers under certain 
circumstances. Therefore, the agency has made the decision to prepare a 
PEIS in this case to take full advantage of NEPA's public participation 
provisions as a means of considering the concerns of individual members 
of the public and the state and local government sponsors who play a 
critical role in EWP and to fully consider the impacts of alternative 
EWP program policies and activities.
    The final PEIS on the EWP program will supersede the PEIS prepared 
on the program in 1975. The purpose of the draft PEIS is to assess the 
impacts of a range of EWP programmatic alternatives. It will also 
factor in changes that are being proposed to the administrative rule 
such as the use of floodplain easements to address recurring hazards. 
NRCS expects that states may desire to tier to the national 
programmatic NEPA analysis to facilitate rapid response to EWP program 
emergency requirements in the future while maintaining adequate 
environmental review coverage for the necessary decision making.
    The draft PEIS will begin to define the criteria to be used to 
approve projects for EWP funding. The Record of Decision resulting from 
the final PEIS would serve as guidance to NRCS state offices. The draft 
PEIS will likely use scenarios to evaluate the environmental and 
socioeconomic impacts of EWP measures in relation to their 
effectiveness in removing the immediate threat to loss of life and 
property. Tiering to the PEIS would allow NRCS decision makers to move 
forward quickly with project review.
    At the same time that NRCS is preparing the draft PEIS, it is also 
revising the administrative rule for the EWP program (7 CFR 624), as 
well as revising the National EWP Manual, and the National EWP 
Handbook.

Background

    The EWP program was created by Congress to respond to emergencies 
resulting from natural disasters. USDA, NRCS administers the EWP 
program, providing technical and financial assistance for runoff 
retardation and soil erosion control to relieve imminent hazards to 
life and property caused by floods, fires, windstorms, and other 
natural occurrences. Individuals are not eligible for EWP assistance 
unless represented by a project sponsor--a State government or a 
political subdivision of a State, such as a city, county, tribal 
organization, general improvement district, or a conservation district.
    All EWP work is designed exclusively to reduce threats to life and 
property

[[Page 48693]]

while being economically, environmentally, and socially defensible and 
technically sound. EWP work can include removing debris from stream 
channels, road culverts, and bridges; reshaping and protecting eroded 
banks; correcting damaged drainage facilities; repairing levees and 
flood control structures; reseeding damaged areas; and purchasing 
floodplain easements. EWP work is not limited to any one set of 
prescribed measures. A case by case investigation of the needed work is 
made by NRCS. Under current provisions, the work can be done either 
through Federal or local contracts. NRCS may bear up to 75 percent of 
the construction cost of the emergency measures. The remaining 25 
percent must come from local sponsors and can be in the form of cash or 
in-kind services. Sponsors are responsible for providing landrights to 
do repair work, for securing the necessary permits, for furnishing the 
local cost share, and for operation and maintenance of the work 
installed.
    Because the statutory authorities allow funding only for activities 
required to relieve imminent hazards to life and property caused by 
natural disasters, EWP funds cannot be used to install measures not 
essential to the reduction of hazards or to solve problems that existed 
before the disaster. EWP funds cannot be used to improve the level of 
protection above that which existed prior to the disaster, unless 
required by current technical standards. In addition, EWP cannot fund 
operation and maintenance work, repair private or public transportation 
facilities or utilities. EWP work also cannot affect downstream water 
rights. Work will not be performed on measures installed by another 
Federal agency, though EWP funds may be used to perform work on 
measures installed by a state or local agency.

Description of Preliminary PEIS Alternatives

    NRCS has developed a ``Proposed Action'' alternative and the ``No 
Action'' alternative for the draft PEIS to initiate the NEPA process. 
The proposed action is not necessarily the final alternative, but it 
may be amended, refined, or supplemented, as appropriate, based on 
input by the public and agencies during the public scoping process. 
Additional alternatives also may emerge as well.

Proposed Action Alternative

    The proposed action is for NRCS to continue administering the EWP 
program but with substantial revision for improvement, by providing 
funding and technical assistance to aid appropriately sponsored 
entities in restoring watershed components to pre-disaster conditions.
    Some of the changes NRCS is considering as part of the proposed 
action, and on which comments are requested, include:
    1. Use floodplain easements in lieu of recovery work.
    2. Dedicate 15 percent of the monies appropriated by Congress for 
floodplain easements.
    3. Eliminate of the use of the terms ``Exigency'' and 
``Nonexigency''.
    4. Establish the cost-share rate at up to 75 percent for all but 
limited resource sponsors who may receive up to 90 percent.
    5. Stipulate that measures must be economically, socially, and 
environmentally defensible to be installed and identify criteria to 
meet those requirements.
    6. Stipulate that urgent and compelling situations should be 
handled immediately after discovery.
    7. Allow organizations certified by the Internal Revenue Service as 
501c organizations to become sponsors of floodplain easements.
    8. Use of Disaster Assistance Recovery Teams to train NRCS 
employees.
    9. Evaluate ways to better coordinate EWP with other available 
emergency programs.

No Action Alternative

    This alternative would continue NRCS administration of the EWP 
program as it is now carried out. Under this alternative, NRCS will not 
make any substantive changes in its role, the mechanisms for review of 
projects before funding or follow-up after completion, and with no 
changes in monitoring of exigency and non-exigency situations.
    These alternatives are beginning points for discussion and, based 
upon comments received, modifications may be made to them and others 
may be added.

    Signed in Washington, D.C., on September 3, 1998.
Lawrence E. Clark,
Deputy Chief for Programs.
[FR Doc. 98-24409 Filed 9-10-98; 8:45am]
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