[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 237 (Friday, December 11, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65760-65761]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29603]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the 
Proposed Mather Specific Plan, Sacramento County, CA, Permit 
Application number SPK-2002-561

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, Sacramento District, (Corps) 
will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Mather 
Specific Plan in Sacramento County, CA. The Sacramento County 
Department of Economic Development has applied for a Department of the 
Army permit to fill approximately 35.4 acres of waters of the United 
States, including wetlands, to construct the project.

ADDRESSES: Please send written comments to Kathleen Dadey, U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, 1325 J Street, Room 1480, 
Sacramento, CA, 95814-2922.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and EIS can be answered by Kathleen Dadey, (916) 557-7253, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Sacramento County Department of Economic 
Development has applied for Department of Army permits under Section 
404 of the Clean Water Act to develop public and private uses within 
the Mather Specific Plan area in eastern Sacramento County, CA. The 
Plan area encompasses approximately 5,716 acres of land, of which over 
2,000 acres are

[[Page 65761]]

currently developed. The project proposes to develop approximately 
1,870 acres, and set aside 1,274 acres of wetland preserve/open space. 
The proposed action includes approximately 584 acres of commercial uses 
associated with the adjacent Mather Airport, 201 acres of commercial, 
84 acres of aggregate extraction, 598 acres of university village/
residential, 102 acres of parks and recreation, 274 acres for a 
regional sports park, and 27.4 acres for utilities and infrastructure. 
Approximately 124 acres of waters of the United States have been 
identified in the proposed project area, including 69.8 acres of vernal 
wetlands (pools and swales), 27.3 acres of depressional seasonal 
wetlands, 1.9 acres of ditches, 5.7 acres of lake/pond and 19.1 acres 
of other waters of the United States. The applicant has applied for 
permits to fill 35.39 acres of these waters. The approximately 1,274 
acre open space and wetland preserve would contain approximately 47.3 
acres of waters not directly impacted by the project. In addition, 
approximately 4.9 acres of wetlands at the west end of the Mather 
Airport runway would be avoided and placed under some type of 
protective agreement, but not a conservation easement.
    The EIS will include an evaluation of a reasonable range of 
alternatives. Currently, at least four alternatives are expected to be 
analyzed in detail: (1) The no action alternative (no permit issued), 
(2) the applicant's preferred project (proposed action), (3) an offsite 
alternative, and (4) a reduced development footprint alternative. The 
no action alternative assumes limited development would occur in the 
Mather Specific Plan area with all waters of the United States avoided. 
The off-site alternative assumes the proposed project would be 
developed at a different but suitably-sized site in the region. A 
reduced development footprint alternative will have a smaller 
development footprint than the applicant's preferred project with less 
direct impacts to waters of the United States.
    The Corps' scoping process for the EIS includes a public 
involvement program with several opportunities to provide oral and 
written comments. In addition to public meetings and notifications in 
the Federal Register, the Corps will issue public notices when the 
draft and final EISs are available. Affected Federal, State, and local 
agencies, Native American tribes, and other interested organizations 
and parties are invited to participate.
    Potentially significant issues to be analyzed in the EIS include, 
but are not limited to: Hydrology, water supply, water quality, 
cultural resources, biological resources, traffic and transportation, 
and air quality.
    The Corps is the lead agency for preparation of the EIS under the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Corps 
will coordinate with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service and Central Valley Regional Water Quality 
Control Board.
    Other environmental review and consultation requirements for the 
proposed action include the need for the applicant to obtain water 
quality certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act from the 
Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. In addition, 
because the proposed project may affect federally-listed endangered 
species, the Corps will formally consult with the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service in accordance with Section 7 of the federal Endangered 
Species Act. The Corps will also be consulting with the State Historic 
Preservation Officer under Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act concerning properties listed, or potentially eligible 
for listing, on the National Register of Historic Places.
    One public scoping meeting for the EIS will be held on January 6, 
from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Conference Room 170 located at 10545 Armstrong 
Avenue, Mather CA, 95655. Interested parties can provide oral and 
written comments at the meeting. Interested parties may also submit 
written comments on this notice. Scoping comments should be submitted 
before January 31, 2010, but may be submitted at any time prior to 
publication of the Draft EIS.
    Interested parties may register for the Corps' public notice email 
notification lists at: http://www.spk.usace.army.mil/organizations/cespk-co/regulatory/pnlist.html.

    Dated: November 30, 2009.
Thomas C. Chapman,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. E9-29603 Filed 12-10-09; 8:45 am]
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