[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 161 (Monday, August 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Page 48938]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-16538]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Hudson-Raritan Estuary, Liberty State Park Ecosystem 
Restoration Study, Hudson County, NJ

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: This announces the availability of the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (DEIS) which assesses the potential environmental 
impacts of the proposed ecosystem restoration at Liberty State Park, 
Hudson County, NJ. This DEIS has been prepared in accordance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (USACE) regulations for implementing NEPA.

DATES: The comment period for the DEIS will end 45 days after 
publication of the notice in the Federal Register by the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency. The end date falls within the first 
week of October 2005.

ADDRESSES: To obtain copies of the DEIS or submit comments, contact Mr. 
Robert Will, Environmental Coordinator, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
New York District, Planning Division--Environmental Analysis Branch, 26 
Federal Plaza, Room 2151, New York, NY 10278-0090.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Will, Planning Division--
Environmental Analysis Branch, at (917) 790-8635, or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of this DEIS is to analyze 
significant issues and information relevant to environmental concerns 
regarding the proposed ecosystem restoration at Liberty State Park, 
Hudson County, NJ. The restoration of the 234 acre interior section, 
currently fenced off and inaccessible, will provide substantial benefit 
to all 1,121 acres of Liberty State Park by linking previously 
developed and restored, but isolated, components of the park into one 
cohesive whole. The study was conducted under the authority of a 
resolution adopted by the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure of the U.S. House of Representatives on April 15, 1999, 
Docket 2596:

Resolved by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of 
the United States House of Representatives, That, the Secretary of 
the Army is requested to review the reports of the Chief of 
Engineers on the New York and New Jersey Channels, published as 
House Document 133, 74th Congress, 1st Session; the New York and New 
Jersey Harbor Entrance Channels and Anchorage Areas, published as 
Senate Document 45, 84th Congress, 1st Session; and the New York 
Harbor, NY Anchorage Channel, published as House Document 18, 71st 
Congress, 2nd Session, as well as other related reports with a view 
to determining the feasibility of environmental restoration and 
protection relating to water resources and sediment quality within 
the New York and New Jersey Port District, including but not limited 
to creation, enhancement, and restoration of aquatic, wetland, and 
adjacent upland habitats.

    The purpose of this DEIS is to analyze significant issues and 
information relevant to environmental concerns bearing on the proposed 
action or its anticipated impacts. The analysis indicates that short-
term adverse environmental impacts, such as construction effects, would 
be balanced by long-term beneficial impacts. Monitoring for Cultural 
and Biological resources will be coordinated with the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and the New 
Jersey Historic Preservation Office. All activity associated with the 
project would be undertaken in a way to minimize adverse impacts to 
sensitive habitats and threatened and endangered species, and adjacent 
shorelines, as well as to minimize cumulative impacts.
    The Notice of Intent (NOI) was filed in June of 2004. A Public 
Scoping Meeting was held in October 2002 and the results were collected 
in a Public Scoping Document. Results from public and agency scoping 
coordination are addressed in the DEIS. Copies of the DEIS are also 
available at the Jersey City Free Public Library, Main Library and 
Pavonia Branch Library.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-16538 Filed 8-19-05; 8:45 am]
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