[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 192 (Thursday, October 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 55832]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21911]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


South Atlantic Coastal Study Notice of Availability of Draft 
Report

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 
(USACE), South Atlantic Division, is issuing the South Atlantic Coastal 
Study (SACS) Draft Report and appendices. These documents will be 
available to the public for review and comment beginning on October 15, 
2021. The documents will be available on the South Atlantic Division's 
website at: https://www.sad.usace.army.mil/SACS/.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before November 8, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, ATTN: 
CESAJ-PM-W (SACS), 701 San Marco Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32207-8175.
    You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
    SurveyMonkey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SACS_comments.
    Email: [email protected].
    Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District, ATTN: 
CESAJ-PM-W (SACS), 701 San Marco Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32207-8175.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  South Atlantic Coastal Study Outreach 
Lead, Ms. Lisa Clark, at 904-232-2114 or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Congress authorized and funded the South 
Atlantic Coastal Study (SACS) in 2016, as Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and 
Maria carried particular impact within the area of responsibility of 
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' (USACE) South Atlantic Division. The 
SACS followed on the heels of the successful completion of the North 
Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study, a regional study conducted by the 
USACE North Atlantic Division in the wake of the devastation caused by 
Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The SACS is a comprehensive coastal study 
focused on managing coastal storm risk to populations, infrastructure, 
and environmental resources throughout the coastal areas of North 
Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, 
Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These areas represent 
approximately 65,000 miles of tidally influenced shoreline. The goals 
of the SACS, authorized by Section 1204 of the Water Resources 
Development Act of 2016 (WRDA 2016), are to (1) provide a common 
operating picture of coastal risk, (2) identify high-risk locations and 
focus current and future resources, (3) identify and assess risk 
reduction actions, (4) promote and support resilient coastal 
communities, (5) promote sustainable projects and programs, and (5) 
leverage supplemental actions. In addition, the study identifies 
activities warranting further analysis and institutional barriers to 
implementation. Although the study also identifies those areas 
warranting more detailed evaluations, the SACS is not scoped to 
recommend projects for Congressional authorization or develop detailed 
project designs. Accordingly, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
documentation is not included in the study scope. Full NEPA and other 
environmental compliance would be accomplished as appropriate as part 
of future detailed evaluations before any actions could be implemented. 
The SACS also includes products intended to provide a consistent set of 
tools to enhance decision-making by all stakeholders. The products 
include current and projected wave and water elevation data for the 
study area, coastal Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyses, 
economic evaluations, regional sediment management and sand 
availability determinations, environmental and cultural resource 
evaluations, and actionable risk reduction strategies in areas with 
coastal risk. Comments are encouraged on the SACS Draft Report and 
Appendices; technical SACS products are posted for reference as 
supporting materials.
    In October 2021, the USACE will host virtual public meetings to 
discuss the report and answer questions. For more information on the 
virtual public meetings, visit: https://www.sad.usace.army.mil/SACS/. 
As the SACS does not contain project-level environmental compliance 
documentation, responses to individual public comment will not be 
provided. However, feedback from public review will be considered in 
report finalization.

Larry D. Mccallister,
Director of Programs, South Atlantic Division.
[FR Doc. 2021-21911 Filed 10-6-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P