[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 138 (Thursday, July 18, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34381-34382]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15298]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Intent To Prepare a Draft NEPA Document for the Upper St. Anthony
Falls Lock and Dam Disposition Study, Hennepin County, Minnesota
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent to initiate public scoping and prepare an
Environmental Assessment (EA).
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SUMMARY: The St. Paul District, Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is
conducting a study regarding the disposition of the Upper St. Anthony
Falls Lock and Dam (USAF) located at river mile 853.9 on the Upper
Mississippi River, in Hennepin County, Minnesota. The study will
include an environmental assessment and consider modifications that
could improve the overall quality of the environment in the public
interest, including removal of federally-owned facilities. The study
will evaluate three types of alternatives: (1) No action; (2) de-
authorization and disposal of all federally-owned and operated
facilities; and (3) partial de-authorization and disposal of features
or separable elements not required for flood mitigation operations. The
study will also explore opportunities to improve the overall quality
and health of the environment and/or enhance recreation. It is
anticipated that a preliminary draft report of the integrated
Disposition Study and Environmental Assessment (EA) will be available
for a minimum 30-day public comment period in the Spring of 2020. The
St. Paul District of the Army Corps of Engineers is soliciting public
comments on the scope of the proposed study and significant issues that
should be analyzed in the EA.
DATES:
Scoping Meetings: The Corps will hold public scoping meetings at
the following times and locations during the scoping period:
[ssquf] Tuesday, August 13th, 2019 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at
the Mill City Museum, 704 South Second Street, Minneapolis, Minnesota
55401.
[ssquf] Monday, August 19th, 2019 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at
the Michael Dowling School, 3900 West River Parkway, Minneapolis,
Minnesota 55406.
At the scoping meetings, the public is encouraged to submit
resource information, and identify topics to be considered in the
development of the EA. Public meetings will include a presentation and
question and answer session. The Corps will require formal comments to
be provided in writing, which will be accepted at the meetings or may
be submitted at any time during the comment period.
Comments: The Corps will accept comments received or postmarked on
or before October 20, 2019. Any comments received after the closing
date may not be considered.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:
Email--Written comments should be sent to:
[email protected].
Mail/Courier--Written comments should be sent to: District
Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, St. Paul District, ATTN:
Regional Planning and Environment Division North, 180 Fifth Street
East, Suite 700, St. Paul, Minnesota 55101-1678
Comment Card--Comment cards provided as part of the public meetings
will be collected at the end of the meeting or can be mailed to the
address in the MAIL/COURIER section above.
If submitting comments by email, the following should be included
in the subject line or first line of the message ``USAF Disposition
Study Comments''.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To have your name added to a mailing
list for notices related to the preliminary draft report and EA or
additional public meetings, submit an email request to
[email protected]. General questions about the study
may be directed to Nan Bischoff, Project Manager, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, St. Paul District, 180 Fifth Street East, Suite 700, St.
Paul, MN 55101-1678; telephone (651) 290-5426; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps operates USAF, located on the
Mississippi River in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Section 2010 of the Water
Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014, Public Law 113-121,
directed the Corps to close the lock to navigation operations but to
continue to carry out emergency operations necessary to mitigate flood
damages. Navigation at the lock ceased on June 9th, 2015. Prior to the
closure of USAF, the lock operated as part of a system to support
navigation on the upper reaches of the Mississippi River 9-foot
navigation channel. With the lock at USAF now closed to navigation, the
demand for both commercial and recreational lockage has decreased at
Lower St. Anthony Falls Dam (LSAF) and Lock and Dam 1 (LD 1). A
disposition study for LSAF and LD 1 will be conducted separately from
the disposition study for USAF, and will follow a similar public
scoping procedure. The LSAF and LD 1 disposition study is scheduled to
begin in early 2021.
Section 216 of the Flood Control Act of 1970 authorizes the
Secretary of the Army to review operations of completed projects, when
found advisable due to changed physical, economic, or environmental
conditions. Disposition studies are a specific type of Section 216
study with the intent to determine whether a water resources
development project operated and maintained by the Corps of Engineers
should be de-authorized and the associated real property and
Government-owned improvements disposed of. An Initial Appraisal (IA)
was conducted by the Corps in 2015 to determine if conditions exist
which may warrant further analysis on a completed project as authorized
by Section 216. The IA recommended investigation under this authority
regarding the future use or disposition of USAF as well as LSAF and LD
1.
The Corps began a disposition study for USAF, LSAF, and LD 1 in
early 2018 with the intent that all three sites would be studied and
presented in one report. Public scoping meetings for a combined study
were held in July 2018. The combined disposition study was put on hold
following the enactment of the Water Resources Development Act of 2018
(WRDA 2018). WRDA 2018 contains two sections pertinent to the scope and
timing of the disposition studies: Section 1168, entitled ``Disposition
of Projects'' and Section 1225, entitled ``Upper Mississippi River
protection''. The full version of the WRDA 2018 may be found here:
https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/3021/.
Following enactment of WRDA 2018, the Corps of Engineers solicited
input and published implementation guidance for WRDA 2018, Sections
1168 and 1225. Input was provided by U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar and
Tina Smith of Minnesota, the National Park Service, the Friends of the
Lock and
[[Page 34382]]
Dam and the city of Minneapolis. The implementation guidance to
Sections 1168 and 1225 of WRDA 2018 may be found here: https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Civil-Works/Project-Planning/Legislative-Links/wrda_2018/wrda2018_impguide/.
The USAF Disposition Study will analyze three types of alternatives
at the USAF site: (1) The no action; (2) complete de-authorization by
Congress of the Federal missions at the site and disposal of the
properties; and (3) partial de-authorization and disposal. In addition,
the study will examine opportunities to augment these three
alternatives by considering measures which: (1) Preserve recreational
opportunities; (2) enhance recreational opportunities; (3) preserve the
health of the ecosystem; (4) enhance the health of the ecosystem; (5)
maintain the benefits to the natural ecosystem; and (6) maintain the
benefits to the human environment. The partial disposition alternative
will maintain the flood control capability of the structure. If the
Corps determines that Federal interest no longer exists, it must
consider, and may recommend, removal of the project or separable
elements of the project under existing authorities.
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), an Environmental Assessment (EA) for this study is anticipated
and will be prepared by the St. Paul District. The Corps is soliciting
public comments on the scope of the EA and significant issues that
should be addressed. The Corps will also accept comments related to
potential new ownership and management measures.
The Disposition Study ends when the final report is transmitted to
the Corps of Engineers' Headquarters Office for review and processing
of recommendations. Complete and partial de-authorization would require
Congressional Approval.
Two public scoping meetings are planned as discussed in the DATES
section above. The purpose of these meetings is to discuss background
of the study, identify the properties and structures that are the
subject of the study, discuss the Federal disposal process, instruct
parties on how to document their interest in future ownership, provide
an opportunity to submit comments, and identify issues that should be
addressed in the anticipated EA. While comments and questions will be
entertained at the public meetings, the meetings will not be recorded
nor minutes prepared. All formal comments will be requested to be
provided in writing. Written comments will be accepted at the meetings.
Comments can also be submitted by the methods listed in the ADDRESSES
section. Once the draft EA is complete and made available for review,
there will be additional opportunity for public comment through the
NEPA process.
Persons needing reasonable accommodations in order to attend and
participate in the public scoping meetings should contact the person
listed under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section as soon as
possible. In order to allow sufficient time to process requests, please
make contact no later than one week before the public meeting.
Written comments, including email comments, should be sent to the
Corps at the address given in the ADDRESSES section of this Notice.
Comments should be specific and pertain only to the issues relating to
the action and the anticipated EA. The Corps will include all comments
in the project record.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information- will be publicly available. While you can ask us in your
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public
review, the Corps cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
All submissions from organizations or businesses and from
individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of
organizations or businesses will be available for public review to the
extent consistent with applicable law.
Dated: July 2, 2019.
Kari Hauck,
Acting Deputy Chief, Regional Planning and Environment Division North.
[FR Doc. 2019-15298 Filed 7-17-19; 8:45 am]
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