[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74490-74492]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-9636]


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

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, Louisiana, Navigation Project--Bank 
Stabilization

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, New Orleans District (Corps) intends to prepare a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Mississippi River--Gulf 
Outlet, Louisiana, Navigation Project--Bank Stabilization. In 2006, 
Congress authorized the Corps to provide foreshore bank protection in 
the form of revetment and/or rock to protect endangered wetlands and

[[Page 74491]]

provide erosion protection for hurricane protection projects along the 
Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet (MRGO) channel. The expenditure of funds 
will be limited to those activities necessary for the protection of 
existing wetlands, navigation, and flood and storm damage reduction 
projects along the MRGO channel. Funds shall not be expended on any 
project that would otherwise preclude or foreclose any final 
disposition of the navigation channel. The DEIS will analyze potential 
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of implementing bank 
stabilization features along the MRGO and associated areas of Lake 
Borgne. The study area, located in the vicinity of St. Bernard Parish, 
LA, encompasses the entire navigation channel from Breton Sound to the 
Port of New Orleans, St. Bernard and Orleans Parishes, LA.

DATES: Submit comments on or before January 4, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to Dr. William P. Klein, Jr., U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, CEMVN-PM-RS, PO Box 60267, 
New Orleans, LA 70160-0267.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. William P. Klein, Jr., Telephone: 
(504) 862-2540.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Authority:

    House Report 109-359 of the Fiscal Year 2006 Supplemental 
Appropriations Act directed the Corps to restore navigation channels 
and harbors to prestorm conditions and to repair flood damage reduction 
and other projects in states affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, 
Ophelia, and Wilma. Funds totaling $75,000,000 are provided for 
authorized operation and maintenance activities to enhance estuarine 
habitats through monitoring and control of marine and river flow and 
reef building initiatives and providing foreshore bank protection in 
the form of revetment and rock placement to protect endangered wetlands 
and provide erosion protection for hurricane protection projects along 
the MRGO Channel. The expenditure of funds shall be limited to those 
activities necessary for the protection of existing wetlands, 
navigation, and flood and storm damage reduction projects along the 
MRGO Channel. Funds shall not be expended on any project that would 
otherwise preclude for foreclose any final disposition of the 
navigation channel; funds are not available to conduct dredging of the 
MRGO Channel.

2. Proposed Action

    The proposed action would provide foreshore bank protection in the 
form of revetment and/or rock to protect endangered wetlands and 
provide erosion protection for flood and storm damage reduction 
projects along the MRGO Channel.

3. Need for Proposed Action

    Construction and maintenance of the MRGO caused widespread wetland 
loss and damage to estuarine habitats from the outer barrier islands in 
the lower Chandeleur chain to the cypress forests and tidal fresh 
mashes in the western reaches of the Lake Borgne basin. During 
construction of the MRGO, dredging and filling destroyed more than 
19,000 acres of wetlands and breached an important hydrologic boundary 
when the channel cut through Bayou La Loutre. Continued operation of 
the MRGO results in high rates of shoreline erosion from ship wakes, 
which destroys wetlands and threatens the integrity of the Lake Borgne 
shoreline, adjacent communities, infrastructure, and cultural resources 
in the area. In addition, severe erosion of the MRGO channel continues 
to facilitate the transition of the upper Pontchartrain Basin estuary 
toward a more saline system. Land loss in the project area is due to 
both natural and man-made factors. Since 1932, over 51,000 acres have 
been lost from the project area. From 1964 to 1996, the shoreline 
erosion rate along the north bank varied from 8.7 feet per year (ft/yr) 
to more than 38 ft/yr, depending on the particular reach. The average 
erosion rate on the south bank is about 12.8 ft/yr. Erosion along the 
north bank of the MRGO results in the direct loss of approximately 100 
acres of shoreline brackish marsh every year as well as causing 
additional losses of interior wetlands and shallow ponds as a result of 
high tidal ranges and rapid water exchange through the modified 
watercourse system.

4. Study Alternatives

    Based upon preliminary analysis, alternatives recommended for 
consideration and more detailed analysis include: the No Action 
alternative; construction of foreshore dikes for bank stabilization; 
and various configurations of rock, earth, shell, aggregate, sheet 
pile, or some combination. Flotation access channels may be required to 
provide access to construction sites in the shallow open water zone 
adjacent to exposed banklines.
    The decision whether and where to install the bank stabilization 
features will be based on evaluation of the potential direct, indirect, 
and cumulative impacts of the proposed action. That decision will 
reflect the national concern for both protection and utilization of 
important resources. The benefits that reasonably may be expected to 
accrue from the proposal must be balanced against any reasonably 
foreseeable detriments.

5. Scoping Process

    The Council on Environmental quality (CEQ) regulations implementing 
the NEPA process directs federal agencies that have made a decision to 
prepare an environmental impact statement to engage in a public scoping 
process. The scoping process is designed to provide an early and open 
means of determining the scope of issues (problems, needs, and 
opportunities) to be identified and addressed in the DEIS. Scoping is 
the process used to: (a) Identify the affected public and agency 
concerns; (b) facilitate an efficient DEIS preparation process; (c) 
define the issues and alternatives that will be examined in detail in 
the DEIS; and (d) save time in the overall process by helping to ensure 
that the draft statements adequately address relevant issues. Scoping 
is a process, not an event or a meeting. Scoping continues throughout 
the DEIS preparation process and may involve meetings, telephone 
conversations, and/or written comments (Council on Environmental 
Quality, Memorandum for General Counsel, April 30, 1981).

6. Request for Scoping Comments

    A separate public notice will be mailed to affected and interested 
parties requesting comments regarding the scope of issues to be 
addressed and for identifying the significant issues related to the 
proposed action. See DATES for the scoping comment period. Affected and 
interested parties may submit written comments to Dr. Klein (see 
ADDRESSES) or to the following e-mail address: 
[email protected]. Comments received as a result of the 
scoping process will be compiled into a scoping report and will be 
available to all scoping participants and interested parties. Scoping 
comments will be considered in the plan formulation process.

7. Public Involvement

    Scoping is a critical component of the overall public involvement 
program. A public involvement program will be initiated and maintained 
to solicit input

[[Page 74492]]

from affected Federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, and 
other interested parties.

8. Interagency Coordination

    Coordination will be maintained with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service regarding threatened 
and endangered species under their respective jurisdictional 
responsibilities. Coordination will be maintained with the Advisory 
Counsel on Historic Preservation and the Louisiana State Historic 
Preservation Officer. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources 
will be consulted regarding consistency with the Coastal Zone 
Management Act. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries will 
be contacted concerning potential impacts to Natural and Scenic 
Streams.

9. Availability of Draft Environmental Impact Statement

    It is anticipated that the DEIS will be available for public review 
mid-2007. Interested parties will have an opportunity to comment on the 
DEIS during the 45-day comment period following publication of the 
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register.

    Dated: December 4, 2006.
Richard P. Wagenaar,
Colonel, U.S. Army, District Commander.
[FR Doc. 06-9636 Filed 12-11-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-84-M