[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 107 (Wednesday, June 4, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33530-33531]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-13957]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Minerals Management Service


Preparation of a Multi-Project Environmental Assessment To 
Evaluate the Potential Environmental Impacts Associated With the 
Removal of Sand Resources From Ship Shoal, Offshore Central Louisiana

AGENCY: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Interior.

[[Page 33531]]


ACTION: Preparation of an environmental assessment.

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SUMMARY: MMS is preparing an environmental assessment (EA) to examine 
the potential effects on the marine and coastal environments of using 
sand from Ship Shoal, a sand shoal located approximately 10 miles south 
of Isle Dernieres, offshore the central coast of Louisiana. Geological 
and geophysical studies of Ship Shoal have determined that the shoal's 
sand is an ideal source of material to place on the rapidly eroding 
Louisiana barrier islands. Several coastal restoration and storm 
protection projects that propose to use sand from Ship Shoal are 
already in the planning stages. The Louisiana Department of Natural 
Resources (LDNR), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) are assisting during 
development of the EA. We will publish an announcement in the Federal 
Register when the EA has been completed and is available to the public.
    Public Comment: MMS requests interested parties to submit comments 
specific to the environmental issues related to the removal of sand 
resources from Ship Shoal. Comments should be sent to Chief, Leasing 
Division, Minerals Management Service, 381 Elden Street, Mail Stop 
4030, Herndon, Virginia 20170. In addition, comments may be sent by e-
mail to [email protected]. Your comments should be submitted on or 
before July 1, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Minerals Management Service, Leasing 
Division, Sand and Gravel Unit, 381 Elden Street, Mail Stop 4030, 
Herndon, Virginia 20170, Mr. Barry Drucker, telephone (703) 787-1296, 
e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Louisiana's coastal land loss problem 
continues at a rate of more than 30 square miles per year severely 
affecting the storm buffering capacity and the protection that 
nearshore barrier islands provide to human populations, oil and gas 
infrastructure, inland bays, estuaries, and wetlands. The bays inshore 
of the islands are huge estuaries where freshwater and saltwater mix 
and most of Louisiana's commercial and recreational fish depend on them 
during parts of their life cycle. Without barrier islands, coastal 
fisheries will experience significant adverse impacts. The entire Isle 
Dernieres chain in offshore central Louisiana, a critical component of 
the Louisiana barrier island system, is projected to be lost by the 
year 2010. A study by the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and 
Restoration Act task force recommended returning Isles Dernieres and 
the Timbalier Islands to 1992 conditions (pre-Hurricane Andrew), which 
would require adding sand to build them to a width of about 1,230 feet 
wide and 8-9 feet above sea level. The current overall strategy is to 
restore the island chains to a condition suitable for providing coastal 
protection and for maintaining the integrity of the estuarine system.
    Geological and geophysical studies of Ship Shoal indicate that very 
significant similarities exist among the properties of Ship Shoal and 
the nearby barrier islands. Ship Shoal sand is considered ideal 
material for use in restoration and nourishment projects along the 
Louisiana coast within the Terrebonne and Barataria Basins. Resource 
estimates for the volumes of sand comprising the Ship Shoal structure 
are 1.2 billion cubic meters.
    MMS has already been notified by LDNR and EPA that they will seek 
leases for the use of Ship Shoal sand for planned projects at Whiskey 
Island and New Cut, Louisiana. In addition, USACE is considering using 
Ship Shoal sand as a base for the levee system for the Morganza to the 
Gulf Hurricane Protection Project. Besides these efforts, MMS 
anticipates that Ship Shoal will serve as a long-term source of 
material for further Louisiana coastal restoration efforts well into 
the future.
    Public Law 103-426, enacted October 31, 1994, gave MMS the 
authority to convey, on a noncompetitive basis, the rights to Federal 
sand, gravel, or shell resources for shore protection, beach or 
wetlands restoration projects, or for use in construction projects 
funded in whole or in part by or authorized by the Federal Government.

    Dated: May 12, 2003.
Thomas A. Readinger,
Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 03-13957 Filed 6-3-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P