[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 9, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45537-45539]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-6794]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for 
Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program, Hancock, Harrison, and 
Jackson Counties, MS

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Mobile District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), 
intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to 
address the potential impacts associated with actions to 
comprehensively address hurricane and storm damage reduction, 
prevention of saltwater intrusion, preservation of fish and wildlife, 
prevention of erosion, and other related water resource purposes in 
coastal Mississippi. These actions are related to the consequences of 
hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in 2005. The Corps will forward 
recommendations to Congress

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authorized by the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2006 (Pub. 
L. 109-148) dated December 30, 2005. The EIS will be used as a basis 
for ensuring compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA).

ADDRESSES: Questions about the proposed action and the DEIS should be 
addressed to Dr. Susan Ivester Rees, Planning and Environmental 
Division, Mobile District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 2288, 
Mobile, AL 36628-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Susan Ivester Rees, (251) 694-4141 
or e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in Mississippi on August 29,2005 
causing catastrophic damage to lives, property, and natural resources 
throughout coastal Mississippi. In response, the U.S. Congress has 
directed the Secretary of the Army through the Corps to conduct an 
analysis and design for comprehensive improvements or modifications to 
existing improvements in the coastal area of Mississippi in the 
interest of hurricane and storm damage reduction, prevention of 
saltwater intrusion, preservation of fish and wildlife, prevention of 
erosion, and other related water resources purposes. Further, the Corps 
was directed to provide interim recommendations for near term 
improvements by June 30, 2006, with final recommendations provided by 
December 30, 2007. This activity has been named the Mississippi Coastal 
Improvements Program (MsCIP) and the required interim recommendations 
for near term improvements have been submitted through Corps 
Headquarters to the Assistant Secretary of the Army for submission to 
Congress. Environmental impacts associated with implementation of 15 
identified near term improvements were addressed in an Environmental 
Assessment and a Finding of No Significant Impact was signed to Mobile 
District Commander, Colonel Peter F. Taylor, Jr., on June 29, 2006.
    2. The EIS will address potential impacts associated with MsCIP 
proposed actions as part of the development of the comprehensive plan 
of improvements to provide increased levels of protection within the 
coastal area of Mississippi as directed by Congress. Alternatives to be 
considered in the DEIS will include a comprehensive array of measures 
to promote the recovery of coastal Mississippi from the hurricanes of 
2005 and to provide for a reduction of future damages to the maximum 
extent practicable. The EIS will evaluate multiple natural and 
engineered alternatives to provide various measures for various levels 
of protection for the Mississippi mainland coast. Development of this 
overall damage reduction system will involve identifying potential 
``Lines of Defense'' moving from offshore to nearshore, shoreline, and 
along existing elevated features inland, to effectively reduce damage 
from large hurricane and storm events. This will require analysis of 
the barrier islands, nearshore features such as rubble and movable wall 
breakwaters, beachfront measures such as dunes, berms, and seawalls, 
coastal roadways and beach front property barriers such as elevation of 
roadways and property, and various other inland features such as 
installation of levees, elevated highway-topped levee systems, and 
surge protection gates, for potential inclusion in the overall damage 
reduction system. Additionally, consideration of ``non-structural 
measures'', such as development of a ``Probable Maximum Hurricane 
Inundation Boundary'' or other maximum event planning boundaries will 
serve to identify hurricane and storm damage reduction planning 
features. Other alternatives to be considered include restoration of 
storm damaged habitats such as coastal marshes, beaches, forests, 
oyster reefs, and submerged aquatic vegetation in Mississippi Sound; 
restoration of historical water flows to coastal watersheds including 
freshwater diversion from Louisiana; and watershed based drainage 
modifications for flood damage reduction. The DEIS will identify, 
screen, evaluate, prioritize, and ultimately optimize an array of 
alternatives.
    Combinations of the alternatives will be used to develop 
recommendations for cost effective measures to reduce hurricane and 
storm damages, interior flooding damages, and provide environmental 
benefits while fully considering the environmental consequences of the 
recommended actions. It is anticipated that alternatives will be 
developed during scoping and evaluated during development of the DEIS. 
Combinations of the alternatives will be used to maximize benefits 
while reducing impacts.
    3. Scoping: a. The Corps invites full public participation to 
promote open communication on the issues surrounding the proposal. All 
Federal, State, and local agencies, and other persons or organizations 
that have an interest are urged to participate in the NEPA scoping 
process. In order to develop near-term recommendations for the interim 
report, the Corps met with local government officials, Federal, State, 
and local agencies, and interested members of the public to discuss 
first hand, impacts of the storm, ongoing recovery efforts, conditions 
on the coast, and present and future needs and opportunities for 
improvements. A facilitated two-step public involvement process was 
used that included ten workshop opportunities (2 in each coastal county 
and 2 web casts) held between April 7 and May 4, 2006, and a Web site 
was maintained as a repository of information and a vehicle to allow 
public input while providing public information during the project 
planning period. With this public input, the Corps began development of 
a conceptual comprehensive plan of action that will serve as the basis 
for development of an overall balanced natural and engineered solution 
for hurricane and storm damage reduction. The Corps anticipates future 
public meetings to gain further public input regarding information 
gathered from ongoing modeling efforts to collaboratively identify 
significant issues, associated risks, present and future needs, and 
opportunities in development of the comprehensive plan. A Web site will 
be established and used to disseminate information, receive public 
input, and facilitate participation by persons interested in 
development of the comprehensive plan including those still displaced 
as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
    b. The DEIS will analyze potential social, economic, and 
environmental impacts and benefits associated with proposed projects 
and alternatives. Specifically, the following major issues will be 
analyzed in the DEIS: Hydrologic and hydraulic regimes, threatened and 
endangered species, essential fish habitat and other marine habitat, 
air quality, cultural resources, parks and protected lands, recreation, 
watersheds, wetlands, transportation systems, alternatives, secondary 
and cumulative impacts, socioeconomic impacts including effects on 
children, minorities, and economically disadvantaged groups per 
Executive Order 12898 (Environmental Justice) and Executive Order 13045 
(Protection of Children).
    c. The Corps will serve as the lead Federal agency during 
preparation of the DEIS. The following agencies will be invited to 
participate as cooperating agencies: U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency; U.S. Department of Interior--Fish and Wildlife Service, 
National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of 
Transportation--Federal Highway Administration; U.S.

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Department of Commerce--National Marine Fisheries Service; U.S. 
Department of Homeland Security--Federal Emergency Management Agency; 
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and Department of 
Environmental Quality, and Mississippi Department of Archives and 
History. Participation from other agencies, interest groups, and 
individual citizens is being encouraged and sought.
    5. The first scoping meeting is expected to be held in mid-
September in Biloxi, MS.
    6. It is anticipated that the DEIS will be made available for 
public review in April 2007.

Curtis M. Flakes,
Chief, Planning and Environmental Division.
[FR Doc. 06-6794 Filed 8-8-06; 8:45 am]
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