[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 15 (Tuesday, January 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7471-7472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-2013]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report for a Permit Application for a Proposed 
Marine Terminal Expansion at Pier J South in the Port of Long Beach, 
Los Angeles County, California

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is considering an 
application for section 404 and section 10 permits to conduct dredge 
and fill activities to construct a 385-acre marine terminal including 
development of 270 acres of existing land and the placement of dredged 
material in open water to create 115 acres of new land.
    The primary Federal concern is the dredging and discharging of 
materials within waters of the United States and potential impacts on 
the human environment. Therefore, in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Corps is requiring the preparation 
of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prior to consideration of 
any permit action. The Corps may ultimately make a determination to 
permit or deny the above project, or permit or deny modified versions 
of the above project.
    Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the 
Port of Long Beach will serve as Lead Agency for the preparation of an 
Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for its consideration of development 
approvals within its jurisdiction. The Corps and the Port of Long Beach 
have agreed to jointly prepare a Draft EIS/EIR in order to optimize 
efficiency and avoid duplication. The Draft EIS/EIR is intended to be 
sufficient in scope to address both the Federal and the state and local 
requirements and environmental issues concerning the proposed 
activities and permit approvals.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of comments and questions 
regarding scoping of the Draft EIS/EIR may be addressed to: U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, Regulatory Branch, ATTN: File 
Number 2001-00262-AOA, P.O. Box 532711, Los Angeles, California 90053-
2325. Copies should also be sent to Stacey Crouch, Port of Long Beach, 
P.O. Box 570, Long Beach, CA 90801-0570. Phone messages or questions 
will be handled by Dr. Aaron O. Allen at 213-452-3413.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Project Site

    The proposed project is located in the southern portion of the Port 
of Long Beach, California. the proposed dredge and fill activities 
would take place at Pier J South and would involve consolidating the 
existing Pacific Container Terminal and the Maersk Terminal to create a 
single 385-acre marine terminal to accommodate increasing cargo volumes 
being generated by the new generation of larger container vessels.

Proposed Action

    The project applicant, the Port of Long Beach, proposes to 
permanently impact approximately 115 acres of open-water habitat for 
dredge and fill activities for the construction of a new 385-acre 
marine terminal in the Port of Long Beach. The proposed project would 
take place in three phases over an 8.5-year period. Phase 1 would 
require dredging approximately 2.5 million cubic yards of sediment from 
other areas in the Port of Long Beach, placement of the dredged 
material to create 31 acres of new land southwest and adjacent to Pier 
J, construction of a 3,000-foot-long rock dike and dredging a 100-foot 
by 2,000-foot area of the main channel from -66 MLLW to -76 MLLW to 
allow for deep-draft vessels to navigate safely past the proposed 31-
acre fill area. Phase 2 would require dredging 2.7 million cubic yards 
from other areas in the Port of Long Beach, dredging and excavating 1.8 
million cubic yards of material to remove 15 acres of existing land at 
Pier F, placement of the dredged and excavated material to create 35 
acres of new land west of and adjacent to Pier J, construction of a 
4,600-foot-long rock dike and construction of a 1,750-foot-long pile-
supported concrete wharf extension. Phase 3 would include dredging 
approximately 4.5 million cubic yards from other areas in the Port of 
Long Beach, placement of the dredged material to create 49 acres of new 
land on the east side of Pier J and construction of 900-foot-long rock 
dike. All of the above construction phases would include the demolition 
of existing terminal facilities including berths F-203, F-204 and an 
existing wharf at berths J-266 and J-270 as well as existing buildings 
and infrastructure in upland areas. As part of the proposed 385-acre 
project, new terminal facilities would be constructed including 10,000 
linear feet of additional rail loading tracks, 20,000 linear feet of 
storage tracks, storm drain system, pavement, lighting, utilities, 
administrative buildings, fire protection, parking lots, roads, 
communications and maintenance buildings.

Issues

    There are several potential environmental issues that will be 
addressed in the EIS/EIR. Additional issues may be identified during 
the scoping process. Issues initially identified as potentially 
significant include:
    1. Geological issues including dredging and stabilization of fill 
areas.

[[Page 7472]]

    2. Potential impacts to marine biological resources.
    3. Impacts to air quality.
    4. Traffic, including navigation issues, and transportation related 
impacts.
    5. Potential to noise impacts.
    6. Impacts to public utilities and services.
    7. Impact to aesthetic resources.
    8. Potential impacts on public health and safety.
    9. Cumulative impacts.

Alternatives

    Several alternatives are being considered for the proposed marine 
terminal. These alternatives will be further formulated and developed 
during the scoping process and an appropriate range of alternatives, 
including the no federal action alternative, will be considered in the 
EIS/EIR.

Scoping Process

    A public meeting will be held to receive public comment and assess 
public concerns regarding the appropriate scope and preparation of the 
Draft EIS/EIR. Participation in the public meeting by federal, state 
and local agencies and other interested organizations and persons is 
encouraged.
    The Corps of Engineers will also be consulting with the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service under the Endangered Species Act and Fish and 
Wildlife Coordination Act, and with the National Marine Fisheries 
Service under the Magnuson-Stevens Act. Additionally, the EIS/EIR will 
assess the consistency of the proposed Action with the Coastal Zone 
Management Act and potential water quality impacts pursuant to Section 
401 of the Clean Water Act.
    The public scoping meeting for the Draft EIS/EIR will be held at 
the Port of Long Beach on February 7, 2001, and will start at 7:00 p.m. 
Written comments will be received until February 28, 2001.

Availability of the Draft EIS

    The Draft EIS/EIR is expected to be published and circulated in 
April of 2001, and a Public Hearing will be held after its publication.

    Dated: January 8, 2001.
John P. Carroll,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 01-2013 Filed 1-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-KF-M