[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 26 (Wednesday, February 9, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6842-6843]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-2483]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Availability of Draft Tiered Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Baltimore Harbor and Channels Dredged Material Plan, MD

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirements of the National 
Environmental Policy Act, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), 
Baltimore District has prepared a Draft Tiered Environmental Impact 
statement (TEIS) and Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) to analyze 
dredged material placement for the Port of Baltimore for 20 years of 
maintenance and new work dredging. USACE is making the document 
available to the public for review and comment through a Notice of 
Availability published in the Federal Register. The overall goal of the 
DMMP is to develop a plan to maintain, in an economically and 
environmentally sound manner, channels necessary for navigation for the 
Port of Baltimore, conduct dredged material placement in the most 
environmentally sound manner, and maximize the use of dredged material 
as a beneficial resource. The recommendations which will provide a 
minimum of 20 years of dredged material placement capacity for the Port 
of Baltimore are:
     Continued use of open water placement in Virginia (Dam 
Neck Open Water Placement; Rappahannock Shoal Deep Alternate Open Water 
Placement; and Wolf Trap Alternate Open Water Placement).
     Optimized use of existing dredged material management 
sites in Maryland, including Pooles Island Open Water Site, Hart-Miller 
Island Dredged Material Containment Facility, Cox Creek Confined 
Disposal Facility and Poplar Island Environmental Restoration Project 
(PIERP).
     Multiple confined disposal facilities for harbor material 
in Patapsco River.
     Large Island Restoration-Middle Chesapeake Bay.
     PIERP Expansion.
     Wetland Restoration-Dorchester County.
    We are making the Draft TEIS available to the public for a 45-day 
review and comment period.

DATES: We must receive comments on or before March 28, 2005, to ensure 
consideration in final plan development. See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section for meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: Please send written comments concerning this proposed 
project to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Attn: Mr. 
Mark Mendelsohn, Planning Division, P.O. Box 1715, Baltimore, MD 21203-
1715. Please submit electronic comments to 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Mark Mendelsohn, Biologist, USACE 
Baltimore District, Planning Division, (410) 962-9499 or (800) 295-
1610.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A key mission of the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers is to provide safe, reliable, and efficient waterborne 
transportation systems (channels, harbors, and waterways) for movement 
of commerce, national security needs, and recreation. Accomplishing 
this successfully requires dredging of channels to adequately meet the 
needs of waterborne transportation. Operating and maintaining the 
nation's harbors and waterways, which includes the placement and/or 
management of dredged material, is an increasingly challenging task. 
USACE continues its priority mission to plan and implement sound 
management of dredged materials.
    The USACE Engineering Regulation (ER) 1105-100 mandates that the 
USACE Districts develop a DMMP for all federally maintained navigation 
harbor projects where there is an indication of insufficient placement 
capacity to accommodate maintenance dredging for the next 20 years.
    Two public meetings will be held for the Baltimore Harbor and 
Channels Dredged Material Management Plan. The first public meeting 
will be held at Queen Anne's Public Library, Stevensville Branch on 
March 7, 2005 beginning at 7 p.m. The second public meeting will be 
held at Essex Community College, in the Lecture Hall Building J on the 
first floor, on March 10, 2005 beginning at 7 p.m. Staff will be 
available one hour prior to meeting time. A map showing the location on 
the Essex Community College can be found at http://www.ccbcmd.edu/directory/essex/index.html. Both meetings will provide an opportunity 
for the public to present oral and/or written comments. All persons and 
organizations that have an interest in the DMMP are urged to attend the 
meeting and provide comments. Your comment must be contained in the 
body of your message; please do not send attached files. Please include 
your name and address in your message.
    You may view the Draft TEIS and related information on our Web page 
at http://www.nab.usace.army.mil/projects/DMMP/index.html. USACE has 
distributed copies of the Draft TEIS to appropriate members of 
Congress, State and local government officials, Federal agencies, and 
other interested parties. Copies are available for public review at the 
following locations:
    (1) Queen Anne's County Public Library, Stevensville Branch, 200 
Library Circle, Stevensville, MD 21666.
    (2) Essex County Public Library, 1110 Eastern Boulevard Baltimore, 
MD 21221.
    (3) Anne Arundel County Public Library, 1410 West Street, 
Annapolis, MD 21401.
    (4) St. Mary's County Public Library, 23250 Hollywood Road, 
Leonardtown, MD 20650.

[[Page 6843]]

    (5) Somerset County Public Library, 11767 Beachwood St, Princess 
Anne, MD 21853.
    (6) Dorchester County Public Library, 303 Gay St, Cambridge, MD 
21613.
    You may view the Draft TEIS and related information on our Web page 
at http://www.nab.usace.army.miml/projects.DMMP/index.html.
    After the public comment period ends on March 28, 2005, USACE will 
consider all comments received. The Draft TEIS will be revised as 
appropriate and a Final TEIS will be issued. The Draft TEIS has been 
prepared in accordance with (1) The National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) regulations of 
the Council on Environmental Quality for implementing the procedural 
provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and (3) USACE regulations 
implementing NEPA (ER-200-2-2).

Mark Mendelsohn,
Biologist, Baltimore District, USACE.
[FR Doc. 05-2483 Filed 2-8-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-41-M