[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 175 (Monday, September 10, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 47035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-22601]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment for the Mandalay 
Bank Protection Project (Demo) Terrebonne Parish, LA

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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    The Service announces the availability of the draft EA for the 
Mandalay Bank Protection Project. A more detailed description of the 
project is outlined in the supplementary information section below. A 
Copy of the draft EA may be obtained by sending a written request to 
the Service's Louisiana Field Office (see addresses). Requests must be 
made in writing to be processed. This notice is provided pursuant to 
NEPA regulations (40 CFR 1506.6).
    The Service specifically requests information, views, and opinions 
from the public via this Notice on the Federal action, including the 
identification of any other aspects of the human environment not 
already identified in the Service's EA.
    If you wish to comment, you may submit comments by any one of 
several methods. You may mail comments to the Service's Louisiana Field 
Office (see addresses). You also may comment via the internet to 
``[email protected]''. Please submit comments over the internet as 
an ASCII file avoiding the use of special characters and any form of 
encryption. Please also include your name and return address in your 
internet message. If you do not receive a confirmation from the Service 
that we have received your internet message, contact us directly at the 
telephone numbers listed below (see for further information). Finally, 
you may hand deliver comments to the Service office listed below (see 
addresses). Our practice is to make comments, including names and home 
addresses of respondents, available for public review during regular 
business hours. Individual respondents may request that we withhold 
their home address from the administrative record. We will honor such 
requests to the extent allowable by law. There may also be 
circumstances in which we would withhold from the administrative record 
a respondent's identity, as allowable by law. If you wish us to 
withhold your name and address, you must state this prominently at the 
beginning of your comments. We will not, however, consider anonymous 
comments. We will make all submissions from organizations or 
businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as 
representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available 
for public inspection in their entirety.

DATES: Written comments on the draft EA should be sent to the Service's 
Louisiana Field Office (see addresses) and should be received on or 
before October 10, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the draft EA may obtain a copy by 
writing to the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 646 
Cajundome Boulevard, Suite 400, Lafayette, Louisiana 70506. Documents 
will be available for public inspection by appointment during normal 
business hours at the Service's Louisiana Field Station (Attn: Martha 
Segura), or Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, 3599 Bayou Black Drive, 
Houma, Louisiana 70360 (Attn: Paul Yakupzack). Written data or comments 
regarding the draft EA should be submitted to the Service's Louisiana 
Field Office. The data and comments must be submitted in writing to be 
adequately considered in the Service's decision-making process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Martha Segura, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, (see ADDRESSES above), telephone: 337/291-3110 or 337/291-
3100, facsimile: 337/291-3139.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Mandalay Bank Protection Project (Demo), 
is being funded through the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and 
Restoration Act on the Ninth Priority Project List as a Demonstration 
Project. The project purpose is to evaluate less-costly, effective 
alternatives to traditional rock rip-rap for protecting and restoring 
highly erodible banks along waterways traversing coastal wetlands.
    The project is located in Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge along 
the southern bank of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW). The banks 
of the GIWW are severely eroded and there are many locations where the 
bank has ``blown out'', exposing the fragile interior marshes to 
erosion from the wakes and surges of passing boat and barge traffic. 
The preferred alternative is to install and evaluate four alternatives 
to rock rip-rap which would protect and restore these easily erodible 
banks.

    Dated: August 30, 2001.
H. Dale Hall,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 01-22601 Filed 9-7-01; 8:45 am]
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