[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 51 (Wednesday, March 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13956-13957]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-6341]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Cancellation of the Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft 
Supplement to the Environmental Impact Statement (D-SEIS) for the 
Kennedy Bechara Segment of the Rio Puerto Nuevo Flood Control Project 
in Guaynabo and San Juan, Puerto Rico

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Cancellation notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hereby 
cancels its Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft Supplement to the 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Rio Puerto Nuevo Flood Control 
Project, Kennedy-Bechara segment, as published in the Federal Register 
(Vol. 64, No. 174), Thursday, September 9, 1999, page 48995. Additional 
information concerning the cancellation is contained in the 
Supplementary Information paragraph indicated below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions can be forwarded to Mr. 
Elmar G. Kurzbach, Environmental Branch, Planning Division, 
Jacksonville District, Corps of Engineers, Post Office Box 4970, 
Jacksonville, Florida 32232-0019, Phone: (904)-232-2325.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Notice is cancelled because, after 
scoping for the proposed Supplement was completed, no new issues were 
raised; no request was received for public meetings, and comments were 
received only from environmental and resource agencies. All substantive 
comments made reference primarily to adverse impacts on wetlands of the 
flood mitigation alternatives then under consideration, all of which 
would have used a wetland (mangrove) parcel for disposal of excavated 
material to a greater or lesser degree. Federal and Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico resource agencies, including the project co-sponsor, 
Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, stated that using 
remnant wetlands for disposal of excavated material was unacceptable. 
Consequently, the preferred alternative

[[Page 13957]]

has been revised to allow excavated material to be deposited upon 
uplands. With the resolution of this issue, the remaining wetlands 
footprint of the preferred alternative is less than that of the base 
plan previously coordinated under the National Environmental Policy Act 
in 1984 and 1993.
    An Environmental Assessment will be prepared and coordinated for 
the proposed action. This document is expected to be available in 
approximately one month.

Gregory D. Showalter,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-6341 Filed 3-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-AJ-M