[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 165 (Friday, August 24, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 51527]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-20942]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Notice of Availability for the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Widening of the Pascagoula Lower Sound/Bayou 
Casotte Channel, Jackson County, MS

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: On April 6, 2011, the Jackson County Port Authority (JCPA) 
submitted a joint application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(Corps), Mobile District, Mississippi Department of Environmental 
Quality (MDEQ) and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources 
(MDMR) for authorization to impact wetlands and other waters of the 
United States associated with the proposed widening of the Pascagoula 
Lower Sound/Bayou Casotte Channel (the proposed project). The proposed 
project is located in the Pascagoula Lower Sound/Bayou Casotte, 
Pascagoula, Jackson County, Mississippi (Latitude 30.365[deg] North, 
Longitude 88.556[deg] West). The Corps prepared a Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (DEIS) to assess the potential environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed project and to promote informed decision-
making by appropriate agencies; the DEIS was released April 13, 2012. 
The Corps is now publishing a Final Environmental Impact Statement 
(FEIS) to assess the potential environmental impacts associated with 
the proposed project. The proposed project is the dredging of 
approximately 38,200 feet (7.2 miles) of the existing Pascagoula Lower 
Sound/Bayou Casotte Channel segment to widen the channel from the 
Federally authorized width of 350 feet and depth of -42 feet mean lower 
low water (MLLW) (with 2 feet of allowable over-depth and 2 feet of 
advanced maintenance) to a width of 450 feet, parallel to the existing 
channel centerline and to the existing Federally authorized depth of -
42 feet MLLW. The proposed project would include the placement of 
approximately 3.4 million cubic yards of dredged material resulting 
from the channel modification.

DATES: The Corps invites the public to comment on the Final EIS during 
the public comment period, which ends September 25, 2012. The Corps 
will consider all comments postmarked or received during the public 
comment period in preparing the Record of Decision and will consider 
late comments to the extent practicable.
    Additional information on how to submit comments is included below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Written and emailed comments to the 
Corps will be received until September 25, 2012. Correspondence 
concerning this Notice should refer to Public Notice Number SAM-2011-
00389-PAH and should be directed to the U.S. Army Engineer District, 
RD-C-M Attention: Mr. Philip Hegji, Post Office Box 2288, Mobile, 
Alabama 36628-0001, via email at [email protected] or by 
phone at (251) 690-3222. We encourage any additional comments from 
interested public, agencies and local officials. For additional 
information about our Regulatory Program, please visit our Web site at 
www.sam.usace.army.mil/rd/reg/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The JCPA requested a Department of the Army 
permit pursuant to Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, 
Section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act and 
Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, including a Section 404(b)(1) 
analysis to help ensure compliance. The Corps is the lead Federal 
agency for the preparation of this FEIS in compliance with the 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the 
President's Council on Environmental Quality regulations for 
implementing NEPA. The National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. 
Coast Guard are cooperating agencies for the preparation of the EIS.

    Dated: August 15, 2012.
Craig J. Litteken,
Chief, Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-20942 Filed 8-23-12; 8:45 am]
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