[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 205 (Wednesday, October 23, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63169-63170]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-24736]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 
for the Navy Base Intermodal Facility at the former Charleston Naval 
Complex (CNC) in North Charleston, South Carolina

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

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), Charleston District 
intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to 
assess the potential social, economic, and environmental effects of the 
proposed construction and operation of an intermodal container transfer 
facility (ICTF) by the South Carolina Department of Commerce Division 
of Public Railways d/b/a Palmetto Railways (Palmetto Railways). The 
DEIS will assess potential effects of a range of alternatives, 
including the proposed alternative.

DATES: Public Scoping Meeting: A public scoping meeting is planned for 
Thursday, November 14, 2013 beginning at 5:30 p.m. EDT at the Chicora 
School of Communications, 3795 Spruill Avenue, North Charleston, South 
Carolina, 29405. An open house will be held from 5:30-7 p.m. The formal 
scoping meeting will be held from 7-9 p.m. Individuals and 
organizations that are interested in the proposed activity or whose 
interests may be affected by the proposed work are encouraged to attend 
the Scoping Meeting and to submit written comments to the Corps.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or 
questions about the proposed project and DEIS, please contact Mr. 
Nathaniel Ball, Corps Project Manager, by telephone: 843-329-8044 or 
toll-free 1-866-329-8187, or by mail: Mr. Nathaniel I. Ball, U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers, 69-A Hagood Avenue, Charleston, South Carolina 
29403. For inquiries from the media, please contact the Corps, 
Charleston District Corporate Communication

[[Page 63170]]

Officer (CCO), Ms. Glenn Jeffries by telephone: 843-329-8123.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps is evaluating a proposal from 
Palmetto Railways in accordance with Corps regulations and the policies 
and procedures that are established in the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA). Based on the available information, the Corps has 
determined that the Proposed Navy Base Intermodal Facility has the 
potential to significantly affect the quality of the human environment 
and therefore warrants the preparation of an EIS. Additional 
information about the proposed project and the NEPA process is 
available on the project Web site at: www.navybaseictf.com.
    1. Description of the Proposed Project. Palmetto Railways currently 
provides rail services to Union Pier Terminal, Columbus Street 
Terminal, Veterans Terminal, and North Charleston Terminal and various 
private industries in the region. Palmetto Railways has proposed to 
construct and operate an ICTF on a 90-acre site at the former CNC. The 
proposed ICTF would provide equal access to both Class I railroads 
serving Charleston, South Carolina: CSX Transportation (CSX) and 
Norfolk Southern Railway (NS). The ICTF would be a state-of-the-art 
intermodal terminal that would utilize sustainable intermodal terminal 
technologies. The proposed ICTF is being designed to accommodate 
existing intermodal rail traffic and anticipated future growth 
associated with the Port of Charleston. Components of the ICTF would 
include conventional terminal components such as high-mast lighting, 
rail or rubber-tired mounted container cranes, and terminal hostlers. 
Further, it is anticipated that the development of the ICTF will 
encourage the development of freight-related facilities adjacent to the 
ICTF that would include warehousing and distribution facilities, as 
well as transloading and other freight-related industrial facilities.
    2. Alternatives. A range of alternatives to the proposed action 
will be identified, and those found to be reasonable alternatives will 
be fully evaluated in the DEIS, including: the no-action alternative, 
the applicant's proposed alternative, alternatives that may result in 
avoidance and minimization of impacts, and mitigation measures not in 
the proposed action; however, this list in not exclusive and additional 
alternatives may be considered for inclusion.
    3. Scoping and Public Involvement Process. A scoping meeting will 
be conducted to gather information on the scope of the project and 
alternatives to be addressed in the DEIS. Additional public and agency 
involvement will be sought through the implementation of a public 
involvement plan and through an agency coordination team.
    4. Significant issues. Issues and potential impacts associated with 
the proposed project that are likely to be given detailed analysis in 
the DEIS include, but are not necessarily limited to,: existing 
transportation infrastructure (roadways and railways), waters of the 
United States, air quality, noise, light, environmental justice, 
economics, visual resources/aesthetics, general environmental concerns, 
historic properties, fish and wildlife values, Federally-listed 
threatened or endangered species, flood hazards, flood plain values, 
land use, recreation, water quality, hazardous waste and materials, 
socioeconomics, safety, and in general, the needs and welfare of the 
people.
    5. Additional Review and Consultation. Additional review and 
consultation, which will be incorporated into the preparation of this 
DEIS, will include, but will not necessarily be limited to, Section 401 
of the Clean Water Act; Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) consultation 
requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and 
Management Act; the National Environmental Policy Act; the Endangered 
Species Act; and the National Historic Preservation Act.
    6. Availability of the Draft EIS. The Corps expects the DEIS to be 
made available to the public in late fall/winter 2014. A Public Hearing 
will be held during the public comment period for the DEIS.

 John T. Litz,
Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Charleston District.
[FR Doc. 2013-24736 Filed 10-22-13; 8:45 am]
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