[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 131 (Friday, July 9, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39555-39556]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-16721]



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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2010-0455]


Environmental Impact Statement; Fort Hamer Bridge, Manatee 
County, FL

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS); request for comments; 
notice of public scoping meeting.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard announces its intent to prepare an EIS 
for a proposed new bridge (Fort Hamer Bridge) crossing over the Manatee 
River in Manatee County, Florida. The proposed location for the Fort 
Hamer Bridge is in northeast Manatee County adjacent to Fort Hamer Park 
and will connect Fort Hamer Road and Upper Manatee River Road.
    We request your comments on environmental concerns related to a new 
bridge over the Manatee River in Manatee County, Florida. This includes 
suggesting analyses, methodologies and possible sources of data or 
information related to a new bridge.
    The Coast Guard will hold a public scoping meeting for citizens to 
provide oral and written comments relating to the proposed Fort Hamer 
Bridge and the preparation of an EIS. This meeting will be open to the 
public.

DATES: Comment period: Comments and related material must either be 
submitted to our online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or 
before August 23, 2010, or reach the Docket Management Facility by that 
date.
    Public meeting: A public scoping meeting will be held on Tuesday, 
August 17, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. to provide an opportunity for oral 
comments. If you would like to make an oral presentation at the meeting 
or submit written materials as part of the meeting record please 
provide your information identified by docket number USCG-2010-0455 to 
either the online docket via http://www.regulations.gov or the Docket 
Management Facility no later than August 3, 2010 using any one of the 
four methods listed under addresses. Requests to make oral comments or 
to submit written comments and related material may also be submitted 
to Coast Guard personnel specified at that meeting.

ADDRESSES: The public scoping meeting will be held at the Carlos E. 
Haile Middle School, 9501 E. State Road 64, Bradenton, Florida 34212-
7240 and can be contacted at (941) 714-7240.
    You may submit written comments identified by docket number USCG-
2010-0455 using any one of the following methods:
    (1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    (2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
    (3) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (4) Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone 
number is 202-366-9329.
    To avoid duplication, please use only one of these methods. For 
instructions on submitting comments, see the ``Public Participation and 
Request for Comments'' portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section 
below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions regarding this 
notice, please contact Mr. Randall Overton, U.S. Coast Guard, telephone 
305-415-6749, e-mail [email protected]. If you have questions 
on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Ms. Renee V. 
Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to participate in the scoping process by 
submitting comments and related material. The purpose of the scoping 
process is to ensure that the full range of issues related to the 
proposed action are addressed, and all significant issues identified, 
comments and suggestions are invited from all interested parties. All 
comments received will be posted, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information you have 
provided.
    Submitting comments: If you submit a comment, please include the 
docket number for this notice (USCG-2010-0455) and provide a reason for 
each suggestion or recommendation. We recommend that you include your 
name and a mailing address, an e-mail address, or a telephone number in 
the body of your document so that we can contact you if we have 
questions regarding your submission. You may submit your comments and 
material online, or by fax, mail or hand delivery, but please use only 
one of these means.
    To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov, 
click on the ``submit a comment'' box, which will then become 
highlighted in blue. In the ``Document Type'' drop down menu select 
``Notices'' and insert ``USCG-2010-0455'' in the ``Keyword'' box. Click 
``Search'' then click on the balloon shape in the Actions column. If 
you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an 
unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing. If you submit them by mail and would 
like to know that they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, 
self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and 
material received during the comment period.
    Viewing the comments: To view the comments as well as documents 
submitted to the docket go to http://www.regulations.gov, click on the 
``read comments'' box, which will then become highlighted in blue. In 
the ``Keyword'' box insert USCG-2010-0455 and click ``Search.'' Click 
the ``Open Docket Folder'' in the ``Actions'' column. You may also view 
the docket online by visiting the Docket Management Facility in Room 
W12-140 on the ground floor of the Department of Transportation West 
Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. We 
have an agreement with the Department of Transportation to use the 
Docket Management Facility.
    Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of comments 
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review a 
Privacy Act, system of records notice regarding our public dockets in 
the January 17, 2008 issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).
    Information on service for individuals with disabilities: For 
information on facilities or services for individuals with disabilities 
or to request special assistance at the public meeting contact Mr. 
Randall Overton, U.S. Coast Guard, telephone 305-415-6749, e-mail 
[email protected].

Background and Purpose

    The proposed bridge crossing is a priority project in the 
Financially Feasible Plan of the Sarasota-Manatee Metropolitan Planning 
Organization's (SMMPO) 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan. The 
project's Web site is http://www.forthamerbridge.com. According to the 
SMMPO, the proposed bridge is needed to provide an alternate

[[Page 39556]]

north/south route to the east of Interstate Highway 75 (I-75) and 
enhance emergency service access to northeast Manatee County. Further, 
a new bridge will serve to improve the level of service to the existing 
network of north Manatee County roadways as development expands through 
the Parrish area and northward in Manatee County. The proposed location 
for the Fort Hamer Bridge is in northeast Manatee County adjacent to 
Fort Hamer Park and will connect Fort Hamer Road and Upper Manatee 
River Road.
    Alternatives under consideration include: (1) Taking no action; and 
(2) various build alternatives that satisfy the purpose and need. Build 
alternatives may include low, mid, and high-level fixed bridges, 
alternatives to the east, west and center of the project corridor, and 
other alternatives that may result from the scoping process. We are 
requesting your comments on environmental concerns that you may have 
related to a new bridge in northeast Manatee County. This includes 
suggesting analyses and methodologies for use in the EIS or possible 
sources of data or information we should consider.

Public Scoping Meeting

    The Public Scoping Meeting is open to the public and will start 
with an informal open house, followed by an overview presentation and a 
formal public comment period.
    At the open house, Coast Guard personnel will be available to 
provide more information about the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), EIS process, and the Fort Hamer Bridge design project. Project 
graphics providing basic information about the project and the NEPA EIS 
process will be on display during the informal portion of the meeting.
    Attendees at the meeting, who wish to present testimony and have 
not previously made a request to do so, will follow those having 
submitted a request, as time permits. If a large number of persons wish 
to speak, the presiding officer may limit the time allotted to each 
speaker. Conversely, the public meeting may end early if all present 
wishing to speak have done so.
    A court reporter will be present during both the informal open 
house and the formal public comment period to record verbal comments 
from the public. The public can submit written comments related to the 
EIS and the proposed action at any time during the meeting. Verbal 
comments will be recorded and transcribed, and the transcription will 
be placed in the public docket along with any written statements that 
may be submitted during the meeting. These comments and statements will 
be addressed by the Coast Guard as part of the EIS.

Scoping Process

    Public scoping is an early and open process for determining the 
scope of issues to be addressed in this EIS and for identifying the 
issues related to the proposed action that may have a significant 
effect on the project environment. The scoping process begins with 
publication of this notice and ends after the Coast Guard has:
     Invited the participation of Federal, State, and local 
agencies, any affected Indian tribe, and other interested persons;
     Requested the Environmental Protection Agency, the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries 
Service, the Federal Highway Administration, and the United States Army 
Corps of Engineers to serve as cooperating agencies in the preparation 
of this EIS. With this Notice of Intent, we are asking Federal, State, 
and local agencies with jurisdiction or special expertise with respect 
to environmental issues in the project area, in addition to those we 
have already contacted, to formally cooperate with us in the 
preparation of this EIS;
     Determined the scope and the issues to be analyzed in 
depth in the EIS;
     Allocated responsibility for preparing the EIS components;
     Indicated any related environmental assessments or 
environmental impact statements that are not part of this EIS;
     Identified other relevant environmental review and 
consultation requirements, such as Coastal Zone Management Act 
consistency determinations, and threatened and endangered species and 
habitat impacts;
     Indicated the relationship between timing of the 
environmental review and other aspects of the application process; and
     Exercised our option under 40 CFR 1501.7(b) to hold the 
public scoping meeting announced in this notice.
    Once the scoping process is complete, the Coast Guard will prepare 
a draft EIS, and we will publish a Federal Register notice announcing 
its public availability. If you wish to be mailed or e-mailed the 
announcement of the EIS's notice of availability, please contact the 
person named in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT or send a request to be 
added to our contact mailing list along with your name and mailing 
address or an e-mail address online, by fax, mail, or hand delivery 
according to the ``Submitting comments'' instructions above. Please 
include the docket number for this notice (USCG-2010-0455) in your 
request. If you provide comments on this notice, we will automatically 
add your contact information to our contact mailing list and you will 
automatically be sent an announcement of the draft EIS's notice of 
availability. We will provide the public with an opportunity to review 
and comment on the draft EIS. After the Coast Guard considers those 
comments, we will prepare the final EIS and similarly announce its 
availability and solicit public review and comment.

    Dated: July 2, 2010.
Dana A. Goward,
Director, Office of Assessment, Integration and Risk Management.
[FR Doc. 2010-16721 Filed 7-8-10; 8:45 am]
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