[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 164 (Friday, August 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 54648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21308]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Boston Harbor Navigation Improvement Project

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), New England District 
is conducting a feasibility study and Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (SEIS) to determine the navigation-related needs of the 
harbor, port facilities, and harbor users of Boston Harbor. This study 
will analyze deepening various shipping channels in Boston Harbor, 
Massachusetts. These include the entrance channel, main ship channel, 
Presidents Roads anchorage area, and the lower Reserved Channel, all 
from -40 feet mean lower low water (MLLW) up to -50 feet MLLW, the 
Chelsea River from -38 feet to -40 feet MLLW, and a portion of the 
Mystic River channel from -35 to -40 feet MLLW. Without deepening 
portions of Boston Harbor, the ships and port of Boston will be 
affected in three ways. (1) Existing shippers and their vessels will 
continue to experience tidal related inefficiencies with the current 
channel depths, including negating the full advantage of Massport's 
deeper 45-foot berths at the Conley Terminal. (2) The port will be 
unable to accommodate the very large container vessels now beginning to 
serve the east coast of the United States from southern Asia via the 
Suez Canal. These vessels will not be able to use Boston efficiently 
with the current -40-foot channel depth. (3) As larger container and 
bulk vessels continue to come into service to replace existing vessels, 
Boston's lack of channel depth will erode its share of tonnage as New 
England cargo is redirected to the ports of New York-New Jersey and 
Halifax, Nova Scotia, and transported to New England by other means. 
Deepening the navigation channels in Boston Harbor would allow Boston 
to maintain a safe and efficient port.

DATES: September 5, 2002 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Black Falcon Cruise 
Ship Terminal in South Boston, MA.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to be placed on the mailing list for this 
project, contact Mr. Michael Keegan, Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers, New England District, Navigation Section, 696 Virginia 
Road, Concord, MA 01742.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about the 
proposed action and the Draft SEIS, contact Mr. Keegan at (978) 318-
8087.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps participation in this study is 
authorized by a resolution of the Senate Subcommittee on Public Works 
dated September 12, 1969. This study was initiated at the request of 
the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport), the study sponsor, using 
funds provided in the Fiscal Year 2000 Energy and Water Development 
Appropriations Bill.
    Major navigation channel improvements (deepening) were made in 1999 
through 2002 in the Reserved Channel, the Mystic River, Inner 
Confluence and the Chelsea River. A final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) was prepared for the previous navigation improvement 
project in June of 1995. The current study would investigate the 
feasibility of deepening the main shipping channels in the port of 
Boston to a depth greater than the current authorized depths. This 
study, which will include the preparation of SEIS to the 1995 Record of 
Decision, will examine the engineering feasibility, economic 
justification, social and cultural resource impacts, and environmental 
acceptability of the proposed channel deepening. The existing -40-foot 
MLLW main harbor entrance channel from Broad Sound, through President 
Roads, and up to the Marine Terminal just seaward of the Ted Williams 
Tunnel will be examined for depths up to -50 feet MLLW, as will the 
Reserved Channel. Deepening of a small area of the Mystic River Channel 
upstream of the Moran Terminal, from the current -35-foot depth to -40 
feet will also be examined, as will deepening the Chelsea River Channel 
from the current -38-foot depth to -40 feet.
    Alternatives: Dredging alternatives would examine the incremental 
depths from -40-feet to -50-feet MLLW (-38 feet in Chelsea River, and -
35 feet in portions of the Mystic River) to determine the optimum 
economic plan. In addition, disposal alternatives would be determined 
based on the suitability of the material for open water disposal. 
Material suitable for ocean disposal would likely be disposed at the 
Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site. Material unsuitable for ocean disposal 
would most likely be disposed within a confined aquatic disposal (CAD) 
cell within the federal navigation channels above the Ted Williams 
Tunnel. The draft and final EIS for the previous Boston Harbor 
navigation improvement project investigated other alternative disposal 
sites for the disposal of dredged material.
    The study will take about three years to complete and Massport and 
the Corps will share the study cost.
    Scoping: Full public participation by interested federal, state, 
and local agencies as well as other interested organizations and the 
general public is invited. All interested parties are encouraged to 
submit their names and addresses (see ADDRESSES), to be placed on the 
mailing list for reviewing any fact sheets, newsletters, and related 
public notices. Massport will host a public meeting on the study on 
September 5, 2002 (see DATES). The public is invited to attend and 
further identify issues that should be addressed in the SEIS.

    Dated: August 12, 2002.
Thomas L. Koning,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, New England District.
[FR Doc. 02-21308 Filed 8-22-02; 8:45 am]
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