[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 122 (Wednesday, June 25, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37803-37805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-16015]


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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 (EIS/EIR) for a Permit Application for the 
Berths 97-109 Terminal Improvement Project, Also Known as the China 
Shipping Line (CSL) Phases I, II, and III in the Port of Los Angeles, 
Los Angeles County, CA

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

ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI).

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Los Angeles District 
in conjunction with the Los Angeles Harbor Department (Port) is 
examining the feasibility of waterside, terminal and transportation 
improvements at Berths 97-109 in the Port of Los Angeles. The Corps is 
considering the Port's application for a Department of the Army permit 
under Clean Water Act section 404 and River and Harbor Act section 10 
to conduct dredge and fill activities and construct two wharves 
associated with the proposed project. Some of the project elements are 
completed and others, previously approved by the Corps and the Port, 
such as the Channel Deepening Project, are presently under 
construction.
    Major project elements to be covered in the Draft EIS/EIR include: 
wharf construction and landside improvements. The landside developments 
will include expansion, redevelopment and construction of marine 
terminal facilities, and transportation infrastructure improvements 
including construction of bridge structures, and potential realignment 
of road and railways.
    The primary Federal involvement is the discharge of dredge and/or 
fill materials within waters of the United States, work (e.g., 
dredging) and structures in or affecting navigable waters of the United 
States, and potential impacts on the human environment from such 
activities. Therefore, in accordance with the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), the Corps is requiring the preparation of an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prior to rendering a final 
decision on the Port's permit application. 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 will serve as Lead Agency for the Preparation of an Environmental 
Impact Report (EIR). The Corps and the Port have agreed to jointly 
prepare a Draft EIS/EIR for the improvements at Berth 97-109 (CSL 
Phases I, II and III) 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: Questions about the proposed action 
and Draft EIS/EIR can be answered by Mr. Joshua Burnam, Corps Project 
Manager, at (213) 452-3294. Comments shall be addressed to: U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, Regulatory Branch. ATTN: File 
Number 2003-0-1029-JLB PO Box 532711, Los Angeles, CA 90053-2325, and 
Dr. Ralph Appy, Director of Environmental Management, Port of Los 
Angeles, 425 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro, CA 90731.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    1. Project Site and Background Information. The proposed project is 
located in the northwestern portion of the Port of Los Angeles, 
adjacent to the San Pedro District of the City of Los Angeles, CA. The 
proposed project involves dredge and fill operations, new wharf 
construction, coupled with terminal expansion on adjacent areas of 
existing and newly created land, and

[[Page 37804]]

improvement of transportation infrastructure at Berths 97-109.
    The project's overall goals are to optimize the container cargo 
handling efficiency in the Berths 97-109 Terminal, increase its cargo 
handling capacity, and to improve transportation infrastructure in 
order to accommodate forecasted and planned increases in the volume of 
containerized goods shipped through the Port. In order to meet these 
goals, the following objectives must be met:
    [sbull] Establish needed container facilities that would maximize 
the use of existing waterways and integrate into the Port's overall 
utilization of available shoreline, while maintaining opportunities for 
the future integration with adjacent terminals;
    [sbull] Construct sufficient container berthing and infrastructure 
capacity to accommodate foreseeable increases in containerized cargo 
volumes entering the Port;
    [sbull] Create sufficient backland area for optimal container 
terminal operations including, storage, transport, and on/offloading of 
container ships in a safe and efficient manner;
    [sbull] Provide access to rail and truck infrastructure locations 
in order to minimize surface transportation congestion or delays and 
promote transport to both local and distant cargo destinations; and
    [sbull] Provide needed container terminal accessory buildings and 
structures to support containerized cargo handling requirements.
    2. Proposed Action. Wharf and backland construction elements 
include: (1) Construction of the Berth 100 wharf and associated 
backlands (CSL Phase I), including associated dredging and filling 
activities, and the placement of piles, rock dike, and construction of 
concrete wharf deck, (2) Construction of the Berth 102 wharf and 
development of a marine terminal, including all associated 
infrastructure and backlands improvements on the Channel Deepening 
fill, (3) Construction of a 376 linear-foot southern extension of Berth 
100 (CSL Phase III), including the placement of rock dike, piles, and 
construction of concrete wharf deck, and (4) Realignment of rail and 
roads to create additional backland acreage. Upon completion of all 
project elements, there will be 2500 linear-feet of continuous concrete 
wharf deck at Berths 97-109. In addition, project elements that may 
arise from the public scoping process will also be evaluated in the 
EIS/EIR.
    The proposed improvement project includes the following elements:

Phase I Berth 100-102

    [sbull] Construction Stage I (2003) \1\
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    \1\ The Port anticipates completion of all Construction Phase I 
elements by August 15th, 2003.
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    (1) Discharge of fill material in 1.3 acres of waters of the U.S. 
associated with the construction and operation of a new 1,200-foot 
wharf (134,000 square feet) at Berth 100.
    (2) Dredging of 41,000 cubic yards (cy) of material along the 
waterfront at Berths 100-102 to match approved ``53 MLLW channel 
depths, with material to be placed at the Anchorage Road Soil Storage 
Site.
    (3) Construction of 88,000 cy of rock dike, placement of 14,000 cy 
of fill behind the dike, and placement of 652 concrete piles and 950 
pin-piles at Berth 100.
    (4) Construction and development of a 75-acre container terminal 
adjacent to the Berth 100 wharf (35 acres added to the 40 acres that 
were operating in 2001-2002).
    (5) Construction of a bridge from the Berth 100-102 terminal to the 
Berth 121-131 terminal to facilitate cargo movement between the 
terminals.
    (6) Installation of 4 shore-side gantry cranes (each 243-feet tall) 
at Berth 100.
    (7) Construction of accessory terminal buildings and structures.

Phase II Berth 100-102

    [sbull] Construction Stage II (2005)
    (1) Construction and operation a new 924 linear-foot wharf (114,000 
square feet) at Berth 102. Direct impacts to waters of the U.S. 
associated with the discharge of dredge or fill materials at Berth 102, 
with the exception of the placement of 560 concrete piles at Berth 102, 
are associated with the 43-acre landfill in the Southwest Slip that is 
assessed in the USACE Channel Deepening Project.
    (2) Discharge of fill in 1.2 acres of waters of the U.S. associated 
with the construction and operation of a new 376 linear-foot extension 
(43,000 square feet) at the southern end of the Phase I wharf.
    (3) Construction of 91,000 cy of rock dike and placement of 19,000 
cy of fill behind the dike at the Berth 100 extension.
    (4) Placement of 560 concrete piles at Berth 102 and placement of 
215 concrete piles at the Berth 100 extension.
    (5) Development of 35 acres of container terminal backlands on the 
43-acre sediment disposal area.
    (6) Construction of a second bridge from the Berth 100-102 terminal 
to the Berth 121-131 terminal to facilitate cargo movement between the 
terminals.
    (7) Installation of 6 shore-side gantry cranes (each 243-feet tall) 
at Berth 102.
    (8) Construction of additional accessory terminal buildings and 
structures.

Phase III (2010)

    Expansion of backland container storage capacity by an additional 
24 acres by realigning Front Street and redeveloping the Catalina 
Terminal area and the former Todd Shipyard parking lot.
    3. 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:
    (a) Land use and planning impacts;
    (b) Geological issues, including dredging and stabilization of fill 
areas in an area of known seismic activity;
    (c) Impacts to water quality;
    (d) Potential impacts to marine biological resources and endangered 
species of birds;
    (e) Impacts to air quality;
    (f) Impacts to traffic, including marine navigation and ground 
transportation;
    (g) Potential for noise impacts;
    (h) Impacts to public utilities and services;
    (i) Potential impacts to aesthetic resources, including cranes, 
light and glare;
    (j) Potential impacts on public health and safety;
    (k) Potential impacts to recreation;
    (l) Cumulative impacts.
    4. Alternatives. Alternatives initially being considered for the 
proposed improvement project include the following:
    (a) Alternate location(s) for the Terminal Improvements (within the 
State or within the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach).
    (b) Non-containerized use of terminal (lumber, autos).
    (c) Non-shipping use--park, cruise terminal, commercial 
development, empty container storage.
    (d) No Federal action (Construction of only backlands developments 
at Phases II and III).
    (e) Larger facility (consolidation of joint facilities).
    5. Scoping Process. The Corps and the Port will jointly conduct 
separate, simultaneous English and Spanish language public scoping 
meetings on July 10, 2003 at 6:30 P.M., to receive public comment and 
assess public concerns regarding the appropriate scope and preparation 
of the Draft EIS/EIR. The Spanish language meeting will be held in 
Wilmington, and the English

[[Page 37805]]

language meeting will be held in San Pedro, specific locations TBD. 
Parties interested in being added to the Corps' electronic mail 
notification list for the Port of Los Angeles can register at: http://www.spl.usace.army.mil/regulatory/register.html. This list will be 
used in the future to notify the public about scheduled hearings and 
availability of future public notices. Participation in the public 
meeting by Federal, state and local agencies and other interested 
organizations and persons are encouraged. The Corps and the Port will 
make location information available in both English and Spanish once 
the specific locations are determined.
    6. Availability of the Draft EIS/EIR. The joint lead agencies 
expect the Draft EIS/EIR to be made available to the public in November 
2003. A public hearing will be held during the public comment period 
for the Draft EIS/EIR.

Richard G. Thompson,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 03-16015 Filed 6-24-03; 8:45 am]
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