[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 210 (Monday, November 1, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67084-67085]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-27496]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Mechanical Creation and Maintenance of 
Emergent Sandbar Habitat in the Riverine Segments of the Upper Missouri 
River, Missouri River Basin, United States

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

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1968, as amended, the U.S. Army Corps

[[Page 67085]]

of Engineers has prepared a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Mechanical Creation and Maintenance of Emergent 
Sandbar Habitat on the Riverine Segments of the Upper Missouri River 
and by this notice is announcing the opening of the comment period.

DATES: The comment period will be open from November 1, 2010 to January 
21, 2011. Public meetings will take place in December, 2010 and 
January, 2011; The specific schedule is provided under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to: Department of the Army; 
Corps of Engineers, Omaha District; CENWO-PM-AC; ATTN: Emergent Sandbar 
Habitat Programmatic EIS; 1616 Capitol Avenue; Omaha, NE 68102-4901. 
Comments can also be e-mailed to: [email protected]. 
Comments on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Mechanical Creation and Maintenance of Emergent Sandbar Habitat in 
the Riverine Segments of the Upper Missouri River must be postmarked, 
e-mailed, or otherwise submitted no later than January 21, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or 
questions about the Emergent Sandbar Habitat Programmatic EIS, please 
contact Ms. Cynthia Upah, Project Manager, by telephone: (402) 995-
2672, by mail: 1616 Capitol Avenue, Omaha, NE 68102-4901, or by e-mail: 
[email protected]. For inquires from the media, please 
contact the USACE Omaha District Public Affairs Officer (PAO), Ms. 
Monique Farmer by telephone: (402) 995-2416, by mail: 1616 Capitol 
Avenue, Omaha, NE 68102, or by e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

1. Background

    The Emergent Sandbar Habitat (ESH) program is being implemented by 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) for the benefit and recovery 
of the interior population of the Interior least tern (least tern) and 
the northern Great Plains piping plover (piping plover). This 
implementation program resulted from a Biological Opinion (BiOp) issued 
by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in which the Reasonable 
and Prudent Alternative called for the Corps to provide sufficient ESH 
acreage in order to meet biological metrics (fledge ratios) to avoid 
jeopardizing continued existence of the species, as defined by the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA).
    The Programmatic EIS (PEIS) is needed to provide National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) coverage for the mechanical 
construction of ESH. The purpose of the PEIS is to analyze the 
potential environmental consequences of implementing the ESH program on 
the Missouri River. The PEIS allows the public, cooperating agencies 
(USFWS and National Park Service), and Corps decision makers to compare 
impacts among a range of alternatives. The goal is to inform the 
selection of a preferred alternative that allows for the creation and 
replacement of sufficient habitat to support tern and plover 
populations on the Missouri River in a safe, efficient and cost-
effective manner that minimizes negative environmental consequences.

2. Document Availability

    The Emergent Sandbar Habitat Programmatic EIS is available online 
at http://www.moriverrecovery.org/mrrp/mrrp_pub_dev.download_documentation_esh, and at the following community libraries: Glasgow 
City-County Library, 408 Third Avenue South, Glasgow, MT; Bismarck 
Veterans Memorial Public Library, 515 N Fifth Street, Bismarck, ND; 
Rawlins Municipal Library, 1000 E. Church St., Pierre, SD; Yankton 
Community Library, 515 Walnut, Yankton, SD; Sioux City Public Library, 
529 Pierce Street, Sioux City, IA; W Dale Clark Library, 215 S. 15th 
Street, Omaha, NE; Kansas City Public Library, 14 West 10th Street, 
Kansas City, MO, or please contact Ms. Cynthia Upah, Project Manager, 
by telephone: (402) 995-2672, by mail: 1616 Capitol Avenue, Omaha, NE 
68102-4901, or by e-mail: [email protected].

3. Public Involvement Meetings

    The Omaha District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers invites all 
interested entities including Tribal governments, Federal agencies, 
state and local governments, and the general public to comment on the 
Emergent Sandbar Habitat Programmatic EIS. The public comment period 
began with the publication of this notice on November 1, 2010 and will 
continue until January 21, 2011.
    All public involvement meetings will use an open house format, 
followed by a presentation and the opportunity to make public comment. 
Informational materials about the Emergent Sandbar Habitat program and 
the Programmatic EIS will be located throughout the room for 
participant perusal throughout the evening. Corps representatives will 
be available to meet one-on-one with meeting participants. In addition 
to public comments being recorded, written comments will be collected 
on comment cards, and the opportunity to have formal verbal comments 
transcribed will be available. All forms of comment will be weighted 
equally. Input from the public involvement meetings, along with 
comments received by other means (regular mail or e-mail), will be used 
to refine the document before a Final Programmatic EIS is released.
    The Corps has scheduled public involvement meetings at the 
following locations:
    1. Tuesday, November 30: Bismarck, North Dakota, Best Western 
Doublewood Inn & Conference Center, 1400 E. Interchange Avenue, 
Bismarck, ND 58501.
    2. Thursday, December 2: Fort Peck, Montana, Fort Peck Interpretive 
Center & Museum, Lower Yellowstone Rd., Fort Peck, MT 59223.
    3. Tuesday, December 7: Pierre, South Dakota, Best Western Ramkota 
Hotel & Conference Center, 920 W. Sioux Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501.
    4. Wednesday, December 8: Yankton, South Dakota, Riverfront Event 
Center, 121 W. 3rd Street, Yankton, SD 57078.
    5. Thursday, December 9: Sioux City, Iowa, Stoney Creek Inn & 
Conference Center, 300 3rd Street, Sioux City, IA 51101.
    6. Wednesday, January 5, 2011: Omaha, Nebraska, Creighton 
University Mike & Josie Harper Center, 602 N. 20th Street, Omaha, NE 
68178.
    7. Thursday, January 6, 2011: Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas City 
Marriott Country Club Plaza, 4445 Main Street, Kansas City, MO 64111.
    If you require assistance under the Americans With Disabilities Act 
please send your name and phone via e-mail to [email protected] at least 
three days prior to the meeting you plan to attend. Persons who use a 
telecommunications service for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at (800) 877-8339, 24 hours a day, 
seven days a week to relay this same information. For more information 
about the Emergent Sandbar Habitat program, please visit http://www.moriverrecovery.org under ``BiOp/Mit Efforts.''

    Dated: October 19, 2010.
Kayla Eckert Uptmor,
Chief Planning Branch, Omaha District.
[FR Doc. 2010-27496 Filed 10-29-10; 8:45 am]
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