[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 180 (Friday, September 16, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63804-63805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-22377]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[MMAA104000]


Use of Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Sand Resources for the 
Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP) Comprehensive Barrier 
Island Restoration in Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson Counties, 
Mississippi

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of the Record of Decision (ROD).

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SUMMARY: BOEM is announcing the availability of the ROD that documents 
BOEM's decision to authorize the use of OCS sand resources by the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Mobile District in the MsCIP 
Comprehensive Barrier Island Restoration Project (Project) in Hancock, 
Harrison, and Jackson Counties, Mississippi. The ROD is available at 
BOEM's Web site at http://www.boem.gov/Non-Energy-Minerals/Marine-Minerals-Program.aspx. BOEM will enter into a Memorandum of Agreement 
(MOA) with the USACE and make available OCS sand for use in the MsCIP 
Comprehensive Barrier Island Restoration Project.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Terri L. Thomas, Bureau of Ocean 
Energy Management, Gulf of Mexico Region, Regional Supervisor, Office 
of Environment, 1201 Elmwood Park Blvd., New Orleans, LA 70123, (504) 
736-2963, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2009, the USACE Mobile District developed 
the MsCIP Comprehensive Plan (Plan) and Integrated Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (2009 PEIS) to support the long-term 
recovery of Hancock, Harrison, and Jackson Counties, Mississippi from 
the severe erosion and storm damage caused by Hurricane Katrina and 
other storm events. The Plan includes a long-term strategy to make the 
Mississippi coast more resilient to damage from future storms and to 
compensate for historical navigational dredging and disposal activities 
that altered sediment availability and sediment transport along the 
barrier islands. The environmental impacts associated with the dredging 
of offshore sand resources and the placement of sand along East and 
West Ship Islands, and Cat Island located in Hancock, Harrison, and 
Jackson Counties, Mississippi, were evaluated in the MsCIP 
Comprehensive Barrier Island Restoration, Hancock, Harrison, and 
Jackson Counties, Mississippi, Final Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (2016 SEIS), which tiers directly from the 2009 PEIS. The 
USACE's Mobile District served as the lead agency during the 
preparation of the 2009 PEIS and 2016 SEIS. BOEM served as a 
cooperating agency given its jurisdiction over OCS sand resources that 
were being considered for use in the Project. The borrow option 
selected by USACE and evaluated in the 2016 SEIS to implement the Plan 
includes 10 OCS locations with a total volume of 19.6 million cubic 
yards (MCY) of OCS sand. The USACE signed its own ROD in June 2016 and 
requested BOEM to authorize use of OCS sand.
    BOEM and the USACE will enter into an MOA authorizing the use of up 
to 19.6 MCY of OCS sand from the identified OCS borrow areas. Under the 
OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1337(k)(2)), BOEM can convey, on a 
noncompetitive basis, the rights to use OCS sand, gravel, or shell 
resources for use in a program for shore protection, beach restoration, 
or coastal wetland restoration undertaken by a Federal, state, or local 
government agency (43 U.S.C. 1337(k)(2)).
    As a cooperating agency, BOEM has independently reviewed and 
adopted the comprehensive analysis presented in the USACE's 2009 PEIS 
and 2016 SEIS (43 CFR 46.120). The 2009 PEIS and 2016 SEIS assessed the 
physical, biological, and social/human impacts of

[[Page 63805]]

the proposed project and considered a range of alternatives, including 
a no-action alternative. The ROD discloses BOEM's decision, articulates 
the basis for the decision, summarizes the alternatives considered by 
BOEM, and identifies the environmentally preferable alternative and the 
mitigation measures BOEM is adopting. The USACE is committed to 
implementing the mitigation measures and monitoring requirements deemed 
practicable to avoid or minimize environmental harm. The mitigation 
measures and monitoring requirements are identified in BOEM's ROD and 
will be incorporated into the MOA between BOEM and the USACE. The 
Project will be constructed with the understanding that any proposed 
use of OCS sand in future coastal restoration activities will require 
an updated environmental analysis and new negotiated agreement.

    Authority: This Notice of Availability is published pursuant to 
the regulations (40 CFR 1506.6) implementing the provisions of the 
NEPA of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

    Dated: September 12, 2015.
Abigail Ross Hopper,
Director, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2016-22377 Filed 9-15-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P