[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 240 (Wednesday, December 14, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 90375-90377]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30050]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-ES-2016-N202; FF09E15000-FXES111609B0000-178]


John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System; Availability of 
Final Revised Maps for Louisiana, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin 
Islands

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) requires the 
Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to review the maps of the John H. 
Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) at least once every 5 
years and make any minor and technical modifications to the boundaries 
of the CBRS as are necessary to reflect changes that have occurred in 
the size or location of any CBRS unit as a result of natural forces. 
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has conducted this review 
and has prepared final revised maps for 14 CBRS units in Louisiana, all 
units in Puerto Rico, and all units in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The 
maps were produced by the Service in partnership with the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and in consultation with the 
appropriate Federal, State, and local officials. This notice announces 
the findings of the Service's review and the availability of final 
revised maps for 121 CBRS units. The final revised maps for these CBRS 
units, dated November 15, 2016, are the official controlling CBRS maps 
for these areas.

DATES: Changes to the CBRS depicted on the final revised maps, dated 
November 15, 2016, become effective on December 14, 2016.

ADDRESSES: For information about how to get copies of the maps or where 
to go to view them, see the Availability of Final Maps and Related 
Information section below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katie Niemi, Coastal Barriers 
Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services 
Program, 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: ES, Falls Church, VA 22041; (703) 358-
2071 (telephone); or [email protected] (email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Background information on the CBRA (16 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and the 
CBRS, as well as information on the digital conversion effort and the 
methodology used to produce the revised maps, can be found in a notice 
the Service published in the Federal Register on August 29, 2013 (78 FR 
53467). However, there is one deviation from the methodology described 
in the 2013 notice. The Service was unable to obtain aerial imagery to 
serve as the CBRS base map for several areas in Puerto Rico that both 
meets the standards described in the 2013 notice (i.e., generally less 
than 5 years old, 1 meter per pixel resolution or better, 
orthorectified, and available free of charge) and is also free from 
cloud cover. In these cases (affecting eight CBRS maps in Puerto Rico), 
the Service substituted 2013 U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute 
topographic quadrangles for aerial imagery.
    For information on how to access the final revised maps, see the 
Availability of Final Maps and Related Information section below.

Announced Map Modifications

    This notice announces modifications to the maps for several CBRS 
units in Louisiana, all units in Puerto Rico, and all units in the U.S. 
Virgin Islands. Most of the modifications were made to reflect changes 
to the CBRS units as a result of natural forces (e.g., erosion and 
accretion). The CBRA requires the Secretary to review the CBRS maps at 
least once every 5 years and make, in consultation with the appropriate 
Federal, State, and local officials, any minor and technical 
modifications to the boundaries of the CBRS as are necessary to reflect 
changes that have occurred in the size or location of any CBRS unit as 
a result of natural forces (16 U.S.C. 3503(c)).
    The Service's review resulted in a set of 65 final revised maps, 
dated November 15, 2016, depicting a total of 121 CBRS units. The set 
of maps includes 31 maps for 14 CBRS units located in Louisiana; 28 
maps for 70 CBRS units located in Puerto Rico; and 6 maps for 37 CBRS 
units located in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Service found that a 
total of 41 of the 121 units reviewed had experienced changes in their 
size or location as a result of natural forces since they were last 
mapped.
    The Service is specifically notifying the following stakeholders 
concerning the availability of the final revised maps: The Chair and 
Ranking Member of the House of Representatives Committee on Natural 
Resources; the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on 
Environment and Public Works; the members of the Senate and House of 
Representatives for the affected areas; the Governors of the affected 
areas; the local elected officials of the affected areas; and other 
appropriate Federal, State, and local agency officials.

Consultation With Federal, State, and Local Officials

    The CBRA requires consultation with the appropriate Federal, State, 
and local officials (stakeholders) on the proposed CBRS boundary 
modifications to reflect changes that have occurred in the size or 
location of any CBRS unit as a result of natural forces (16 U.S.C. 
3503(c)). The Service fulfilled this requirement by holding a 30-day 
comment period on the draft maps (dated July 8, 2016) for Federal, 
State, and local stakeholders, from October 11, 2016, through November 
10, 2016. This comment period was announced in a notice published in 
the Federal Register (81 FR 70130) on October 11, 2016.
    Formal notification of the comment period was provided via letters 
to approximately 110 stakeholders, including the Chair and Ranking 
Member of the House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources; 
the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and 
Public Works; the members of the Senate and House of Representatives 
for the affected areas; the Governors of the affected areas; the local 
elected officials of the affected areas; and other appropriate Federal, 
State, and local agency officials. No comments were received during the 
comment period.

No Changes to Draft Maps

    The Service made no changes to the CBRS boundaries depicted on the 
draft maps dated July 8, 2016, as a result of the fall 2016 comment 
period (October 11, 2016; 81 FR 70130). The CBRS boundaries depicted on 
the final revised maps, dated November 15, 2016, are identical to the 
CBRS boundaries depicted on the draft revised maps dated July 8, 2016.

Summary of Modifications to the CBRS Boundaries

    Below is a summary of the changes depicted on the final revised 
maps dated November 15, 2016.

Louisiana

    The Service's review found 6 of the 14 CBRS units in Louisiana that 
are included in this review (Units LA-03P, LA-04P, LA-05P, LA-07, LA-
08P, LA-09, LA-10, S01, S01A, S02, S08, S09,

[[Page 90376]]

S10, and S11) have changed due to natural forces. The remaining seven 
Louisiana CBRS units not included in this review (Units LA-01, LA-02, 
S03, S04, S05, S06, and S07) were remapped and referenced in notices 
the Service published in the Federal Register on November 17, 2015 (80 
FR 71826) and March 14, 2016 (81 FR 13407).
    The six CBRS units that have changed are:

    LA-03P: CHANDELEUR ISLANDS UNIT. A portion of the western 
boundary of the unit has been moved westward to account for the 
migration of the Chandeleur Islands and to include associated shoals 
within the unit. In some places, the boundary has been generalized 
due to a lack of remaining features in the area.
    LA-05P: MARSH ISLAND/RAINEY UNIT. The northern boundary of the 
unit has been modified to account for wetland erosion along 
Vermilion Bay and West Cote Blanche Bay. The eastern boundary of the 
unit has been modified to account for wetland erosion along East 
Cote Blanche Bay. Due to the significant rate of erosion in this 
area, some of the boundaries have been generalized.
    LA-10: CALCASIEU PASS UNIT. A portion of the northern boundary 
of the unit has been modified to account for wetland erosion along 
West Cove. Due to the significant rate of erosion in this area, some 
of the boundaries have been generalized.
    S01: BASTIAN BAY COMPLEX. Portions of the eastern and northern 
boundary of the unit have been modified and generalized due to 
wetland loss along Bay Jacques, Fleur Pond, Pipeline Canal, Scofield 
Bay, and Shell Island Bay. The western boundary coincident with Unit 
S01A has been moved eastward to account for accretion at the eastern 
end of an unnamed island between Bay Joe Wise and the Gulf of 
Mexico.
    S01A: BAY JOE WISE COMPLEX. The eastern boundary coincident with 
Unit S01 has been moved eastward to account for accretion at the 
eastern end of an unnamed island between Bay Joe Wise and the Gulf 
of Mexico. The western boundary of the unit has been modified to 
account for the northward migration of an unnamed island between Bay 
Cheniere Ronquille and the Gulf of Mexico.
    S10: MERMENTAU RIVER UNIT. A portion of the eastern boundary of 
the unit has been modified to account for shoreline erosion along 
the Gulf of Mexico near Beach Prong. The southern boundary of the 
excluded area at the western end of the unit has been modified to 
account for shoreline erosion along the Gulf of Mexico.

Puerto Rico

    The Service's review found 22 of the 70 CBRS units in Puerto Rico 
have changed due to natural forces. Maps for the following CBRS units 
in Puerto Rico are depicted on U.S. Geological Survey topographic 
quadrangles instead of aerial imagery: PR-07, PR-09P, PR-10, PR-45P, 
PR-49P, PR-61, PR-63P, PR-64P, and PR-65P.

    PR-07: LAGUNA AGUAS PRIETAS UNIT. A portion of the excluded area 
boundary of the unit has been modified to account for natural 
changes that have occurred in the configuration of the shoreline 
along Laguna Aguas Prietas and the Atlantic Ocean.
    PR-09P: RIO FAJARDO UNIT. Portions of the landward boundary of 
the unit have been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the mangroves.
    PR-10: PUNTA BARRANCAS UNIT. The northern boundary of the unit 
has been modified to account for natural changes that have occurred 
in the configuration of the mangroves.
    PR-16P: PUERTO DEL MANGLAR UNIT. A portion of the eastern 
boundary of the unit has been modified to account for natural 
changes that have occurred in the configuration of the wetland/
fastland interface.
    PR-17P: ENSENADA SOMBE UNIT. A portion of the western boundary 
of the unit has been modified to account for natural changes that 
have occurred along the shoreline of Ensenada Sombe. Portions of the 
northeastern boundary were modified to account for natural changes 
that have occurred in the configuration of the shoreline of an 
unnamed ponding area.
    PR-18P: CAYO ALGODONES UNIT. A portion of the northern boundary 
of the unit has been modified to account for natural changes that 
have occurred along an unnamed channel. A portion of the 
northeastern boundary has been modified to account for natural 
changes that have occurred in the configuration of the mangroves of 
Bosque Estatal De Ceiba.
    PR-40: PUNTA TUNA UNIT. A portion of the northwestern boundary 
of the unit has been modified to account for natural changes that 
have occurred in the configuration of the mangroves.
    PR-41: RIO MAUNABO UNIT. The western lateral boundary of the 
unit has been extended to clarify the extent of the unit. No 
modifications were made to the boundaries of this unit as a result 
of changes due to natural forces.
    PR-45P: BAHIA DE JOBOS UNIT. A portion of the northwestern 
landward boundary of the unit has been modified to account for 
natural changes that have occurred in the configuration of the 
mangroves of Mar Negro.
    PR-49P: PUNTA AGUILA UNIT. A portion of the northwestern 
boundary of the unit has been modified to account for natural 
changes that have occurred in the configuration of the shoreline 
along an unnamed bay.
    PR-55: ISLA DEL FRIO UNIT. A portion of the landward boundary of 
the unit has been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the shoreline along the Caribbean 
Sea.
    PR-56: PUNTA CABULLONES UNIT. A portion of the landward boundary 
of the unit has been modified to account for natural changes that 
have occurred in the configuration of the mangroves.
    PR-61: ENSENADA LAS PARDAS UNIT. The landward boundary of the 
unit has been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the mangroves.
    PR-63P: CAYO DON LUIS UNIT. The northeastern portion of the 
landward boundary of the unit has been modified to account for 
natural changes that have occurred along the shoreline of an unnamed 
ponding area.
    PR-64P: BAHIA MONTALVA UNIT. A portion of the northeastern 
landward boundary of the unit has been modified to account for 
natural changes that have occurred along the shoreline of Bahia 
Montalva. Portions of the northwest and northeast landward boundary 
have been modified to account for natural changes that have occurred 
in the configuration of the mangroves. Portions of the excluded area 
boundary have been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the wetland/fastland interface 
along Isla Matei.
    PR-65P: ISLA CUEVA/GUAYACAN UNIT. Portions of the northeastern 
and northwestern landward boundary of the unit have been modified to 
account for natural changes that have occurred in the configuration 
of the mangroves.
    PR-66: CABO ROJO UNIT. A portion of the northeastern boundary of 
the unit has been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the shoreline of an unnamed lake.
    PR-67P: BAHIA DE BOQUERON UNIT. A portion of the northwestern 
landward boundary of the unit has been modified to account for 
natural changes that have occurred in the configuration of the 
shoreline along Laguna Guaniquilla. A portion of the southeastern 
boundary has been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred along the shoreline of an island located in the channel of 
Ca[ntilde]o Boquer[oacute]n.
    PR-69: PUNTA CARENERO UNIT. Portions of the landward boundary of 
the unit have been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the wetland/fastland interface.
    PR-83: TORTUGUERO UNIT. Portions of the landward boundary of the 
unit have been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the wetland/fastland interface. 
Portions of the boundary have been modified to account for natural 
changes that have occurred along the shoreline of Laguna Tortuguero.
    PR-84: PUNTA GARZA UNIT. A portion of the western boundary of 
the unit has been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the mangroves.
    PR-86P: PUNTA SALINAS UNIT. A portion of the northern boundary 
of the unit has been modified to account for natural changes that 
have occurred in the shoreline along Bah[iacute]a Toa.
    PR-87: PUNTA VACIA TALEGA UNIT. A portion of the southwestern 
boundary of the unit has been modified to account for natural 
changes that have occurred in the configuration of Canal Blasina. A 
portion of the southern boundary has been modified to account for 
natural changes that have occurred in the configuration of the 
wetland/fastland interface.

[[Page 90377]]

U.S. Virgin Islands

    The Service's review found 13 of the 37 CBRS units in the U.S. 
Virgin Islands have changed due to natural forces.

    VI-01: RUST UP TWIST UNIT. Portions of the landward boundary of 
the unit have been modified to reflect natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the wetland/fastland interface. The 
western lateral boundary has been extended offshore to clarify the 
extent of the unit.
    VI-02: SALT RIVER BAY UNIT. Portions of the landward boundary of 
the unit have been modified to reflect natural changes that have 
occurred in the wetland/fastland interface.
    VI-03: ALTONA LAGOON UNIT. Portions of the landward boundary of 
the unit have been modified to reflect natural changes that have 
occurred in the wetland/fastland interface.
    VI-06: ROBIN BAY UNIT. A portion of the landward boundary of the 
unit has been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the shoreline along an unnamed salt 
pond.
    VI-09: KRAUSE LAGOON UNIT. A portion of the landward boundary of 
the unit has been modified to reflect natural changes that have 
occurred in the wetland/fastland interface. The eastern boundary of 
the unit has been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred along Krause Lagoon Channel.
    VI-10: LONG POINT UNIT. A portion of the landward boundary of 
the unit has been modified to account for shoreline erosion along 
Long Point Bay.
    VI-11: WESTEND SALTPOND UNIT. A portion of the northeastern 
boundary of the unit has been modified to account for shoreline 
erosion along Westend Saltpond.
    VI-11P: WESTEND SALTPOND UNIT. Offshore boundaries have been 
added at the western end of the unit to clarify the extent of the 
unit. The eastern lateral boundary has been extended offshore to 
clarify the extent of the unit. No modifications were made to the 
boundaries of this unit as a result of changes due to natural 
forces.
    VI-12P: CINNAMON BAY UNIT. A portion of the landward boundary of 
the unit has been modified to account for shoreline erosion along 
Cinnamon Bay.
    VI-13P: MAHO BAY UNIT. A portion of the landward boundary of the 
unit has been modified to reflect natural changes that have occurred 
in the configuration of the wetland/fastland interface.
    VI-15P: LEINSTER BAY UNIT. Portions of the landward boundary of 
the unit have been modified to account for shoreline erosion along 
Leinster Bay and natural changes that have occurred in the wetland/
fastland interface.
    VI-19P: RAM HEAD UNIT. Lateral offshore boundaries have been 
added to the eastern and western ends of the unit to clarify the 
extent of the unit. No modifications were made to the boundaries of 
this unit as a result of changes due to natural forces.
    VI-27: LIMESTONE BAY UNIT. Portions of the landward boundary of 
the unit were modified to reflect natural changes that have occurred 
in the configuration of the marsh adjacent to Limestone Bay.
    VI-29: MAGENS BAY UNIT. Portions of the landward boundary of the 
unit have been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the shoreline along Magens Bay.
    VI-32: VESSUP BAY UNIT. An offshore boundary has been added to 
the unit in Vessup Bay to clarify the extent of the unit. No 
modifications were made to the boundaries of this unit as a result 
of changes due to natural forces.
    VI-34: JERSEY BAY UNIT. Portions of the landward boundary of the 
unit have been modified to account for natural changes that have 
occurred in the configuration of the shoreline and wetland/fastland 
interface. The eastern lateral boundary has been extended offshore 
to clarify the extent of the unit.

Availability of Final Maps and Related Information

    The final revised maps dated November 15, 2016, and digital 
boundary data can be accessed and downloaded from the Service's Web 
site at http://www.fws.gov/ecological-services/habitat-conservation/Coastal.html. The digital boundary data are available for reference 
purposes only. The digital boundaries are best viewed using the base 
imagery to which the boundaries were drawn; this information is printed 
in the title block of the maps. The Service is not responsible for any 
misuse or misinterpretation of the digital boundary data.
    Interested parties may also contact the Service individual 
identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT to make arrangements to 
view the final maps at the Service's Headquarters office. Interested 
parties who are unable to access the maps via the Service's Web site or 
at the Service's Headquarters office may contact the Service individual 
identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, and reasonable 
accommodations will be made to ensure the individual's ability to view 
the maps.

Gina Shultz,
Acting Assistant Director for Ecological Services.
[FR Doc. 2016-30050 Filed 12-13-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P