[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 172 (Wednesday, September 7, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53170-53172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-17691]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army


Intent to Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (EIS/EIR) for a Permit Application for 
Navigation Modifications and Improvements as Part of the San Pedro 
Waterfront and Promenade Development, 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 various waterside navigation improvements 
as part of the Port's proposed San Pedro Waterfront and Promenade 
redevelopment proposal 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 various navigation 
improvements
    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 136-147 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 2003-0-1142-JLB P.O. 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. Background. The EIS/EIR will assess a master development plan 
for specific development projects and

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associated infrastructure improvements for approximately 418 acres, 
from the Vincent Thomas Bridge to the federal breakwater within the 
property of the City of Los Angeles, Harbor Department. The proposed 
project would be developed over multiple phases throughout the next 
approximately 30 years. The EIS/EIR will analyze the master development 
plan at a programmatic (general overview) level to focus on the 
cumulative impacts associated with the entire proposed plan. Where 
information is available, project elements proposed during Phase 1 
(Years 1--5) and Phase 2 (Years 6--10) will be studied at a project-
specific level of detail. Project elements proposed for construction in 
Phase 3 (Years 11+) of the master development plan and other project 
elements for which data are not available will require an additional 
CEQA and NEPA evaluation, where appropriate, before construction could 
occur.
    2. Clean Water Act Project Purpose. The overall project purpose 
relevant to the Clean Water Act Section 404 is to:
    (a) Perform modifications to the existing shorefront, including 
water cutouts to increase water area (up to 9.64 acres maximum) and 
fills, as needed, to reconfigure the site to provide for a variety of 
waterfront uses, including berthing for visiting tall ships and other 
vessels, additional marinas for pleasure craft, water taxi and ferry 
service, tugboats, and other recreational, commercial, and port-related 
uses, without impeding the public's right to free navigation;
    (b) preserve or enhance natural systems that are already within the 
Port complex (i.e., beaches, salt marsh, wetlands, shallow and deep 
water habitat, and bluffs);
    (c) utilize and enhance the value of existing deep water in the 
Outer Harbor and Main Channel by upgrading two existing cruise vessel 
berths and constructing up to two new cruise vessel berths, each 
approximately 1,250 linear feet, to accommodate projected future growth 
in the cruise ship industry (one of the new cruise vessel berths would 
operate 120 days per year);
    (d) create a permanent berth for Catalina Express and Island 
Express; and
    (e) provide for a variety of waterfront uses, including berthing 
for visiting tall ships and other vessels, additional marinas for 
pleasure crafts, water taxi and ferry service, tugboats, and other 
recreational, commercial, and port-related uses.
    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) Geological issues, including dredging and stabilization of fill 
areas in an area of known seismic activity;
    (b) Impacts to hydrology;
    (c) Impacts to air quality;
    (d) Impacts to traffic, including marine navigation and ground 
transportation;
    (e) Potential for noise impacts;
    (f) Impacts to public utilities and services;
    (g) Potential impacts to aesthetic resources, including light and 
glare;
    (h) Potential impacts on public health and safety;
    (i) Cumulative impacts; and
    (j) Disposal of dredged materials.
    4. Alternatives. Alternatives initially being considered for the 
proposed improvement project include the following:
    (a) No Project/No Action. This alternative would not implement any 
of the elements presented in the project description.
    (b) No Federal Action Baseline. This alternative is the proposed 
project without any activity requiring a Corps permit. This alternative 
represents Corps' environmental baseline.
    (c) No Federal Action Baseline with Cruise Ship Expansion. This 
alternative represents an additional Corps environmental baseline 
wherein LAHD would only receive Corps permits for the Cruise Ship 
Expansion/Modification features of the proposed project. This 
evaluation would allow Corps and LAHD to separately weigh the impact of 
the cruise ship facilities.
    (d) Reduced Density Alternative. This alternative would reduce the 
density or amount of development as presented in the project 
description. Results from LAHD-sponsored June 4, 2005 Reduced 
Development Alternative workshop, held in conjunction with the Port 
Community Advisory Committee and the San Pedro Neighborhood Councils, 
along with comments received by the public, would define the project 
elements included in this alternative.
    (e) Maximum Density Alternative. This alternative would increase 
the density, amount of development, or timing of development as 
presented in the project description. Comments received by the public 
and LAHD's Engineering and Project Design Team would influence the 
project elements included in this alternative.
    5. Scoping Process. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Los 
Angeles Harbor Department (LAHD) will jointly conduct a public scoping 
meeting for the proposed From Bridge to Breakwater Master Development 
Plan for the San Pedro Waterfront and Promenade Project--Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Environmental Impact Report (EIR) 
to receive public comment and assess public concerns regarding the 
appropriate scope and preparation of the Draft EIS/EIR. Participation 
in the public meeting by Federal, state, and local agencies and other 
interested organizations and persons are encouraged. This meeting will 
be conducted in both English and Spanish. Members of the public who 
wish to communicate and listen entirely in Spanish are encouraged to 
attend this meeting. The meeting will be held on October 11, 2005 from 
6 p.m.--8:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles Harbor Hotel, located at 601 South 
Palos Verdes Street. 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.
    During the public scoping hearing, anyone wishing to make a 
statement will be allocated a certain amount of time to provide 
information on the proposed project. The amount of time each person is 
allowed will be directly dependent on the number of people who sign up 
to speak at the public hearing. At this time, we estimate that 
individuals will be given 3 minutes to provide their comments verbally. 
We would like to encourage interest groups to designate an official 
spokesperson to present the group's views. We will allocate a larger 
amount of time to official representatives of such groups upon request. 
Groups wishing to designate an official representative must notify the 
Corps in writing prior to, but no later than October 4, 2005. The 
determination of this extended speaking time will be based on the 
number of responses received by the Corps. This rule will be strictly 
enforced at the discretion of the Corps' hearing officer. Written and 
email comments to the Corps and LAHD will be received until October 28, 
2005. Written comments should be sent to the address below: U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles District, Regulatory Branch, c/o Dr. 
Joshua Burnam, 915 Wilshire, Los Angeles, California 90017-3401, e-
mail: [email protected].
    6. Availability of the Draft EIS/EIR. The joint lead agencies 
expect the Draft

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EIS/EIR to be made available to the public in June 2006. A public 
hearing will be held during the public comment period for the Draft 
EIS/EIR.

    Dated: August 22, 2005.
Mark R. Blackburn,
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army, Acting District Engineer.
[FR Doc. 05-17691 Filed 9-6-05; 8:45 am]
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