[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 30 (Wednesday, February 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3765-3766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-02152]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Withdrawal of the Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for the New York New Jersey Harbor and
Tributaries (NYNJHAT) Coastal Storm Risk Management Feasibility Study
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York District, Planning
Division is notifying interested parties that it has withdrawn the
Notice of Intent (NOI) to develop an EIS for the proposed NYNJHAT
Coastal Storm Risk Management (CSRM) Feasibility Study. The original
NOI to Prepare an EIS was published in the Federal Register on
Wednesday, December 27, 2017.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding the withdrawal of
this NOI should be addressed to Mr. Peter Weppler, Chief, Environmental
Analysis Branch, (CENAN-PL-E) U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New York
District, 26 Federal Plaza, New York, New York 10278-0090; 918-790-
8634; [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 20, 2018, the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued
an OMB/CEQ Memorandum for Heads of Federal Departments and Agencies
titled ``One Federal Decision Framework for the Environmental Review
and Authorization Process for Major Infrastructure Projects under
Executive Order [E.O.] 13807.'' Additionally, twelve federal agencies,
including Department of the Army, signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) as an appendix to the OMB/CEQ Memorandum. The MOU is titled
``Memorandum of Understanding Implementing One Federal Decision Under
Executive Order 13807'' and was effective on April 10, 2018. E.O. 13807
sets a goal for agencies by reducing the time for completing
environmental reviews and authorization decisions to an agency average
of not more than two years from publication of a NOI to prepare an EIS.
Subsequent to the publication of the NOI, the NYNJHAT CSRM
Feasibility Study was granted an exemption from the requirement to
complete the feasibility study within 3 years, as required in Section
1001(a) of the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014. This
exemption was granted on
[[Page 3766]]
October 31, 2018 on an interim basis, and allows for an additional 15
months to complete the Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Tier 1
Environmental Impact Statement. Therefore, in order to align the
revised study schedule with E.O. 13807, it is necessary to withdraw the
existing NOI to develop and re-scope a NEPA coordination/review
schedule with the appropriate Federal and state resource agencies that
have statutory jurisdiction over the review process for any action
being contemplated in the course of the feasibility study and
development of an environmental impact statement. Public, agency and
stakeholder comments and feedback will continue to be accepted during
the re-scoping of the NEPA review schedule.
Study Website and Addresses: Pertinent information about the study
can be found at: http://www.nan.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Projects-in-New-York/New-York-New-Jersey-Harbor-Tributaries-Focus-Area-Feasibility-Study/.
Dated: February 5, 2019.
Peter M. Weppler,
Chief, Environmental Analysis Branch, Planning Division.
[FR Doc. 2019-02152 Filed 2-12-19; 8:45 am]
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