[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79868-79869]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32117]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement To Evaluate Improvements to the Mobile Harbor Federal 
Navigation Channel, Mobile, Alabama

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Mobile District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) 
intends to prepare a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 
(DSEIS) to address the potential impacts associated with improving the 
Mobile Harbor Federal Navigation Channel in Mobile County, AL. The 
DSEIS will be used as a basis for ensuring compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and evaluating alternative plans 
including the ``No Action.'' The proposed alternatives identified in 
the Alternatives Milestone analysis will be evaluated including 
widening and deepening of selected areas of the navigation channel 
within the currently authorized dimensions.

DATES: The scoping meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 12, 2015 
from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The scoping meeting will be held at the Mobile Alabama 
Cruise Terminal, 201 S. Water Street, Mobile, AL 36602.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the DSEIS should be 
addressed to Mr. Larry Parson, Coastal Environment Team, Mobile 
District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, P.O. Box 2288, Mobile, AL 36628 
by telephone (251) 690-3139 or email him at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    1. As Authorized in the Water Resources Development Act of 1986 and 
per the 1981 Chief's Report for Mobile Harbor, Alabama, the major 
components of the project are as follows: (a) Deepen and widen entrance 
channel over the bar to 57 by 700 feet, a distance of about 7.4 miles, 
(b) deepen and widen Mobile Bay Channel from mouth of bay to south of 
Mobile River, 55 by 550 feet, a distance of about 27.0 miles, (c) 
deepen and widen an additional 4.2 miles of Mobile Bay Channel to 55 by 
650 feet, (d) provide 55[hyphen]foot deep anchorage area and turning 
basin in vicinity of Little Sand Island, and (e) deepening the Mobile 
River channel to 55 feet to a point about 1 mile below the Interstate 
10 and U.S. 90 highway tunnels. Also, per the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015

[[Page 79869]]

CROmnibus (Pub. L. 113[hyphen]235): Sec. 110, the Limited Reevaluation 
Report (LRR) initiated in FY 2012 for the Mobile Harbor, Alabama 
navigation project shall include evaluation of the full depth of the 
project as authorized under section 201 of Public Law 99[hyphen]662 
(110 Stat. 4090) at the same non[hyphen]Federal share of the cost as in 
the design agreement executed on August 14, 2012.
    2. The evaluation will examine the costs and benefits as well as 
the environmental impacts of modifying the maintained dimensions of the 
existing Federal project within its authorized limits. The purpose of 
the study will be to determine improvements for safety and efficiency 
of harbor users. Vessels are experiencing delays leaving and arriving 
at port facilities and inefficiencies have increased as the volume of 
cargo has grown and larger vessels call on the port to handle the 
increased cargo. Construction of Mobile Harbor to 45[hyphen]foot depth 
was completed in FY 1994. The construction depth was limited to 45 feet 
because the sponsor did not have the funds to construct to the fully 
authorized depth. A 1300[hyphen]foot extension in the river channel was 
a separable element new start with the Project Partnership Agreement 
(PPA) signed in FY 98 and construction completed in FY 2000. A 
1200[hyphen]foot and a 2100[hyphen]foot extension in the river channel 
were also separable element new starts with the PPA signed in FY 2004 
and work completed in FY 2008. The Turning Basin was also a separable 
element new start with the PPA signed in FY 2009 and construction 
completed in August 2010. Due to traffic changes, vessel delays began 
being experienced into and out of the port as traffic was limited to 
one[hyphen]way as larger ships transited the channel. The Alabama State 
Port Authority (ASPA) requested that the Corps consider widening a 
portion of the authorized channel to allow two[hyphen]way traffic to 
reduce delays. Subsequently, the Corps initiated an LRR to consider 
widening a portion of the upper bay channel. The design agreement for 
the LRR was executed on August 14, 2012. After initial analysis and 
coordination with the ASPA and its users, the design agreement for the 
LRR was amended on April 14, 2014 to account for a change in location 
for the proposed widening to include an approximate 5-mile section of 
the lower bay channel up to the authorized width of 550 feet and to 
widen an approximate 2-mile section of the bar channel to its 
authorized width of 700 feet (all work within the existing project 
authorization). On June 12, 2014, the ASPA requested that the Corps 
undertake additional studies to determine the feasibility of deepening 
and widening the channel to its full authorized depths and widths. Per 
letter dated October 20, 2014, the Assistant Secretary of the Army 
(ASA) approved the direction of General Investigation funds to complete 
Preconstruction Engineering and Design for the channel widening for 
Mobile Harbor to initiate a General Reevaluation Report (GRR) to 
evaluate deepening and widening of the channel to its full authorized 
dimensions. This letter also directed the Corps to halt all work on the 
LRR being prepared for the widening project.
    3. Scoping:
    a. The Corps invites full public participation to promote open 
communication on the issues surrounding the proposal. All Federal, 
State, and local agencies, and other persons or organizations that have 
an interest are urged to participate in the NEPA scoping process. 
Public meetings will be held to help identify significant issues and to 
receive public input and comment.
    b. The DSEIS will analyze the potential social, economic, and 
environmental impacts to the local area resulting from improvements to 
the Mobile Harbor Navigation Project. Specifically, the following major 
issues will be analyzed in depth in the DSEIS: Hydrologic and hydraulic 
regimes, water quality, effects on natural resources, sediment 
transport, threatened and endangered species, essential fish habitat 
and other marine habitat, air quality, cultural resources, 
transportation systems, alternatives, secondary and cumulative impacts, 
socioeconomic impacts, environmental justice (effect on minorities and 
low-income groups) (Executive Order 12898), and protection of children 
(Executive Order 13045).
    c. The Corps will serve as the lead Federal agency in the 
preparation of the DSEIS. It is anticipated that the following agencies 
will be invited and will accept cooperating agency status for the 
preparation of the DSEIS: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, 
Department of Interior, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Emergency 
Management Agency, U.S. Department of Transportation, Alabama 
Department of Environmental Management, Alabama Department of 
Conservation and Natural Resources, Alabama State Port Authority, 
Alabama Secretary of State, and Alabama State Historic Preservation 
Office.
    4. The scoping meeting will be held on (see DATES and ADDRESSES). 
Actual time(s) and place(s) for subsequent meetings or workshops will 
be announced by the Corps by issuance of a public notice and/or notices 
in the local media.
    5. It is anticipated that the DSEIS will be made available for 
public review in July 2018.

Curtis M. Flakes,
Chief, Planning and Environmental Division.
[FR Doc. 2015-32117 Filed 12-22-15; 8:45 am]
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