[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 108 (Thursday, June 5, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33684-33685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-14157]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement to the July 2002 Final Dredged Material Management Plan and 
Environmental Impact Statement, McNary Reservoir and Lower Snake River 
Reservoirs, in the States of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Walla Walla 
District, intends to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (SEIS) to the July 2002 Final Dredged Material Management 
Plan (DMMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS): McNary Reservoir 
and Lower Snake River Reservoirs. The DMMP/EIS addressed a 20-year, 
programmatic approach the Corps would use to maintain the navigation 
channel within the Walla Walla District. The study reach considered 
includes Lake Wallula above McNary Dam on the Columbia River in Oregon 
and Washington; the four lower Snake River reservoirs extending from 
the mouth of the Snake River upstream to the communities of Lewiston, 
Idaho, and Clarkston, Washington; and the lower 2 miles of the 
Clearwater River from its confluence with the Snake River at Lewiston 
upstream to the U.S. Highway 12 Bridge. This supplement will reorganize 
and clarify information already included in the DMMP/EIS, expand the 
discussions and evaluations of measures considered in the DMMP/EIS, 
incorporate new information and data collected subsequent to the 
issuance of the DMMP/EIS, and modify alternatives, as needed, including 
the preferred alternative. When completed and approved, this SEIS, 
along with the DMMP/EIS, will constitute the Corps'

[[Page 33685]]

long-term programmatic plan for maintaining the congressionally-
authorized channel within the Walla Walla District.
    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 10, was a 
cooperating agency for the DMMP/EIS, and will also be a cooperating 
agency for this SEIS. The Corps will work with EPA during development 
of the SEIS to consider and incorporate, as appropriate, the policies 
and procedures currently evolving for the Northwest Regional Dredging 
Team (RDT), as referred to in the April 26, 2002, policy letter jointly 
signed by Brigadier General David A. Fastabend, Corps of Engineers, 
Northwestern Division Commander, and L. John Iani, EPA Region 10 
Administrator.

DATES: Submit comments by July 7, 2003.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jack Sands, Project Manager, Walla 
Walla District, Corps of Engineers, CENWW-PM-PPM, 201 North Third 
Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362, phone (509) 527-7287, or Ms. Sandra 
Simmons, NEPA Coordinator, Walla Walla District, Corps of Engineers, 
CENWW-PD-EC, 201 North Third Avenue, Walla Walla, WA 99362, phone (509) 
527-7265.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DMMP/EIS defined the programmatic 
approach the Corps planned to follow for the next 20 years for 
maintaining the congressionally authorized navigation channel by 
managing sediment deposition, dredging, and disposing of dredged 
material removed from those reaches of the Columbia, Snake, and 
Clearwater Rivers that make up that portion of the Columbia/Snake 
Rivers Inland Navigation Waterway within the Walla Walla District 
boundaries. The DMMP/EIS also addressed the need to provide flow 
conveyance at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers at 
Lewiston, Idaho, as dredging has been used to maintain adequate flow 
conveyance in this area. The DMMP/EIS considered four alternatives: (1) 
No Action (No Change), Maintenance Dredging With In-Water Disposal; (2) 
Maintenance Dredging With In-Water Disposal to Create Fish Habitat and 
a 3-Foot Levee Raise; (3) Maintenance Dredging With Upland Disposal and 
a 3-Foot Levee Raise; and (4) Maintenance Dredging With Beneficial Use 
of Dredged Material and a 3-Foot Levee Raise.
    The DMMP/EIS and September 2002 Record of Decision (ROD) were 
challenged in court and have not been implemented. Information 
regarding the case, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the 
Western District of Washington, can be viewed on the Walla Walla 
District Web site at http://www.nww.usace.army.mil/dmmp/hot_topics_dmmp.htm.
    In response to the court challenge, the Corps decided to withdraw 
the ROD for the Final DMMP/EIS and prepare an SEIS. The SEIS will 
reorganize and clarify information already included in the DMMP/EIS, 
expand the discussions and evaluations of measures considered in the 
DMMP/EIS, incorporate new information and data collected subsequent to 
the issuance of the DMMP/EIS, and modify alternatives, as needed, 
including the preferred alternative. Additional measures and 
alternatives identified during the evaluation will also be considered. 
The SEIS will address measures, alternatives, and impacts on a 
programmatic level, but will not address site-specific actions. 
However, the SEIS will present the coordination and environmental 
review steps the Corps will take with regard to subsequent site-
specific actions. The SEIS will also continue to include input from a 
local, interagency sediment management group formed under the Northwest 
RDT. After public review of the final SEIS, the Corps intends to sign a 
new ROD for the programmatic plan.
    As per 40 CFR 1502.20 and 1508.28 of the Council on Environmental 
Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Corps intends to use a 
tiered approach for addressing site-specific activities performed 
subsequent to the SEIS and ROD. For each activity, the Corps plans to 
prepare the compliance documentation necessary to tier off of the 
programmatic plan.
    The site-specific documentation will address details of the 
proposed activity and the impacts of that activity.
    As per 40 CFR section 1502.9(c)(4) of the Council on Environmental 
Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the 
National Environmental Policy Act, the Corps does not plan to conduct 
scoping for this SEIS. However, affected Federal, state, and local 
agencies; Indian tribes; and other interested organizations and parties 
are invited to provide input to the Corps on the scope of this SEIS. To 
ensure consideration, input on the scope should be provided to the 
Corps by comment date (See Dates). Additional opportunities for public 
input on the SEIS will be provided during the normal review periods for 
the draft and final SEIS.
    The draft SEIS is currently scheduled to be available for public 
review in late 2003. The final SEIS is currently scheduled to be 
available for public review in early 2004.

Edward Kertis, Jr.,
LTC, EN, Commanding.
[FR Doc. 03-14157 Filed 6-4-03; 8:45 am]
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