[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 110 (Monday, June 8, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35081-35082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-12309]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Withdrawal of the Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Nassau County Back Bay Coastal Storm Risk 
Management Feasibility Study

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent; withdrawal.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, 
Planning Division is notifying interested parties that it has withdrawn 
the Notice of Intent (NOI) to develop an environmental impact statement 
(EIS) for the proposed Nassau County Back Bay (NCBB) Coastal Storm Risk 
Management (CSRM) Feasibility Study. The original NOI to prepare an EIS 
was published in the Federal Register on Friday, April 21, 2017. An 
Environmental Assessment (EA) will be prepared instead of an EIS.

DATES: The notice of intent to prepare an EIS published in the Federal 
Register on April 21, 2017 (82 FR 18746), is withdrawn as of June 8, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia District, 
Environmental Resources Branch, (CENAP-PL-E), 100 Penn Square East, 
Wanamaker Building, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3390.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding the withdrawal of 
this NOI should be addressed to Ms. Angela Sowers, 410-962-7440, or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 20, 2018, the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) and the Council on

[[Page 35082]]

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 NCBB 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 5 February 2020. 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. The exemption was 
contingent on reducing the scope of the study to focus on critical 
infrastructure and highly vulnerable areas outside of Coastal Barrier 
Resources Act units. Due to the resulting limited scope, it is 
appropriate at this time to prepare an EA rather than an EIS. Should 
information be identified during the study to support the need for an 
EIS, a NOI will be issued at a future time. Public, agency and 
stakeholder comments and feedback will continue to be accepted during 
the re-scoping of the NEPA review schedule.

    Dated: June 2, 2020.
Karen J. Baker,
Programs Director, North Atlantic Division.
[FR Doc. 2020-12309 Filed 6-5-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P