[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 171 (Friday, September 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45834-45835]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21374]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)--Louisiana, Maintain 
Landbridge Between Caillou Lake and the Gulf of Mexico Feasibility 
Study

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), along with its local 
sponsor the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration, 
intends to prepare a supplemental environmental impact statement (SEIS) 
for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)--Louisiana, Maintain Land Bridge 
between Caillou Lake and the Gulf of Mexico restoration project. This 
restoration project will examine measures to increase the stability of 
the land bridge separating Caillou (Sister) Lake from the Gulf of 
Mexico. This SEIS will tier from the programmatic EIS for the Louisiana 
Coastal Area (LCA)--Louisiana, Ecosystem Restoration Study, November 
2004. The Record of Decision for the programmatic EIS was signed on 
November 18, 2005.

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for scoping meeting dates.

[[Page 45835]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions concerning the draft SEIS 
should be addressed to Dr. William P. Klein, Jr., CEMVN-PM-RS, P.O. Box 
60267, New Orleans, LA 70160-0267; telephone: (504) 862-2540; fax: 
(504) 862-1583; or by e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    1. Authority. This SEIS will tier from the programmatic EIS for the 
Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)--Louisiana, Ecosystem Restoration Study, 
November 2004. The Record of Decision for the Programmatic EIS was 
signed on November 18, 2005. The Water Resources Development Act of 
2007 (WRDA 2007) authorized the LCA ecosystem restoration program. The 
authority includes requirements for comprehensive planning, program 
governance, implementation, and other program components. The LCA 
restoration program will facilitate the implementation of critical 
restoration features and essential science and technology demonstration 
projects, increase the beneficial use of dredged material and determine 
the need for modification of selected existing projects to support 
coastal restoration objectives. The LCA near-term plan includes fifteen 
elements authorized for implementation contingent upon meeting certain 
reporting requirements. Specifically, Section 7006(e) of WRDA 2007 
authorizes the Secretary of the Army to carry out additional projects 
referred to in the restoration plan. Section 7006(e)(1) authorizes the 
following additional projects: Maintain Land Bridge between Caillou 
Lake and the Gulf of Mexico at a total cost of $56,300,000; Stabilize 
the Gulf Shoreline at Point Au Fer Island project at a total cost of 
$43,400,000; the Modification of Caernarvon Diversion project at a 
total cost of $20,700,000; and the Modification of Davis Pond Diversion 
Project at a total cost of $64,200,000; if the Secretary of the Army 
determines such projects are feasible.
    2. Proposed Action. The LCA Maintain Land Bridge between Caillou 
(Sister) Lake and the Gulf of Mexico restoration project would propose 
measures to increase the stability of the land bridge separating 
Caillou (Sister) Lake from the Gulf of Mexico. The objectives of the 
restoration project are to stem shoreline retreat and prevent further 
breaches that have allowed increased water exchange between the gulf 
and the interior water bodies (Bay Junop and Caillou (Sister) Lake). 
Prevention of increased marine influence would reduce interior wetland 
loss as well as preserve the potential for long-range restoration. 
Closure of newly opened channels would restore historic cross-sections 
of exchange points, would reduce marine influences in interior areas, 
and allow increased freshwater influence from Four League Bay to 
benefit area marshes.
    3. Public Involvement. Public involvement, an essential part of the 
SEIS process, is integral to assessing the environmental consequences 
of the proposed action and improving the quality of the environmental 
decision making process. The public includes affected and interested 
Federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, concerned citizens, 
stakeholders, and other interested parties. Public participation in the 
SEIS process will be strongly encouraged, both formally and informally, 
to enhance the probability of a more technically accurate, economically 
feasible, and socially and politically acceptable SEIS. Public 
involvement will include but is not limited to: Information 
dissemination; identification of problems, needs and opportunities; 
idea generation; public education; problem solving; providing feedback 
on proposals; evaluation of alternatives; public and scoping notices 
and meetings; public, stakeholder and advisory groups consultation and 
meetings; and making the SEIS and supporting information readily 
available in conveniently located places, such as libraries and on the 
World Wide Web.
    4. Scoping. Scoping, an early and open process for identifying the 
scope of significant issues related to the proposed action to be 
addressed in the SEIS, will be used to: (a) Identify the affected 
public and agency concerns; (b) facilitate an efficient SEIS 
preparation process; (c) define the issues and alternatives that will 
be examined in detail in the SEIS; and (d) save time in the overall 
process by helping to ensure that the draft SEIS adequately addresses 
relevant issues. A Scoping Meeting Notice announcing the locations, 
dates and times for scoping meetings will be mailed to all interested 
parties in August 2009.
    5. Coordination. The USACE and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(USFWS) have formally committed to work together to conserve, protect, 
and restore fish and wildlife resources while ensuring environmental 
sustainability of our Nation's water resources under the January 22, 
2003, Partnership Agreement for Water Resources and Fish and Wildlife. 
The USFWS will provide a Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act Report. 
Coordination will be maintained with the USFWS and the National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS) regarding threatened and endangered species 
under their respective jurisdictional responsibilities. Coordination 
will be maintained with the NMFS regarding essential fish habitat. 
Coordination will be maintained with the Natural Resources Conservation 
Service regarding prime and unique farmlands. The U.S. Department of 
Agriculture will be consulted regarding the ``Swampbuster'' provisions 
of the Food Security Act. Coordination will be maintained with the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency concerning compliance with Executive 
Order 12898, ``Federal Action to Address Environmental Justice in 
Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations.'' Coordination will be 
maintained with the Advisory Counsel on Historic Preservation and the 
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 consulted concerning potential impacts to Natural and 
Scenic Streams, and fish and wildlife issues including coordination 
regarding the Sister Lake Public Oyster Seed Reservation.
    5. Availability of Draft SEIS. The earliest that the draft SEIS 
will be available for public review would be in spring of 2011. The 
draft SEIS or a Notice of Availability will be distributed to affected 
Federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, and other interested 
parties.

    Dated: August 25, 2009.
Alvin B. Lee,
Colonel, US Army, District Commander.
[FR Doc. E9-21374 Filed 9-3-09; 8:45 am]
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