[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73744-73746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28056]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Development of the National Levee Safety Program

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

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are launching a new National Levee 
Safety Program, authorized by the National Levee Safety Act of 2007. 
The purpose of the National Levee Safety Program is to improve the way 
levees are managed throughout the United States and its territories in 
order to reduce disaster suffering and improve the resiliency of 
communities behind levees. There are four major components that are 
intended to work together to accomplish the goals of the program: 
National Levee Safety Guidelines; Integrated Levee Management; National 
Levee Database and Data Collection; and Implementation Support. This 
notice announces the start of Phase 1 which is the solicitation of 
input on the purpose and scope of each of the components of the 
National Levee Safety Program in order to develop priorities and 
options for their implementation.

DATES: Comments related to the purpose and scope of the National Levee 
Safety Program must be submitted on or before March 31, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number COE-
2021-0007 by any of the following methods:

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    Federal eRulemaking Portal: Visit www.regulations.gov and follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
    Email: Send an email to [email protected] and include 
the docket number, COE-2021-0007, in the subject line of the message.
    Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District, ATTN: Levee 
Safety Center--RM 221, 4155 East Clay Street, Vicksburg, MS 39183.
    Hand Delivery/Courier: Due to security requirements, we cannot 
receive comments by hand delivery or courier.
    Instructions: If submitting comments through the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal, direct your comments to docket number COE-2021-
0007. All comments received will be included in the public docket 
without change and may be made available on-line at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless the commenter indicates that the comment includes information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit 
information that you consider to be CBI, or otherwise protected, 
through regulations.gov or email. The regulations.gov website is an 
anonymous access system, which means we will not know your identity or 
contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment. 
If you send an email directly to USACE without going through 
regulations.gov, your email address will be automatically captured and 
included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and 
made available on the internet. If you submit an electronic comment, we 
recommend that you include your name and other contact information in 
the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If we 
cannot read your comment because of technical difficulties and cannot 
contact you for clarification, we may not be able to consider your 
comment. Electronic comments should avoid the use of any special 
characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or 
viruses.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to www.regulations.gov. All documents in the 
docket are listed. Although listed in the index, some information is 
not publicly available, such as CBI or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as 
copyrighted material, is not placed on the internet and will be 
publicly available only in hard copy form.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tammy Conforti at 202-365-6586, 
email [email protected] or visit www.leveesafety.org.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: One of the foundations of the National Levee 
Safety Program is stakeholder engagement with those who are responsible 
for, are impacted by, or have interest in levees and related policies 
including federal/state/local governments, tribes, levee owners/
operators, businesses, floodplain managers and residents. The goals for 
the stakeholder engagement process are to:
    1. Understand the needs of the stakeholders this program is 
intended to support;
    2. provide opportunities for meaningful input to shape decisions 
and outcomes on program design, components, and products; and,
    3. ensure that the unique challenges related to levees faced by 
disadvantaged communities and tribes are well understood and 
incorporated into solutions.
    The purpose of the National Levee Safety Program is to improve the 
way levees are managed throughout the United States and its territories 
in order to reduce disaster suffering and improve the resiliency of 
communities behind levees. Managing flood risk is a shared 
responsibility between federal, tribal, state, and local entities. 
USACE and FEMA are interested in the views of the public regarding how 
the National Levee Safety Program and each of its components can be 
implemented to best serve those responsible for and impacted by flood 
risk management efforts. The four major components of the National 
Levee Safety Program are intended to work together to accomplish the 
goals of the program: National Levee Safety Guidelines; Integrated 
Levee Management; National Levee Database and Data Collection; and 
Implementation Support. There are fact sheets and additional 
information introducing each of these components at 
www.leveesafety.org.
    USACE and FEMA will be seeking feedback from stakeholders at 
various phases of the program's development over the next 2-3 years. 
Phase 1 is starting during the Winter of 2021 with a focus on gathering 
initial input on the purpose and scope of each of the components of the 
National Levee Safety Program to better understand the needs and 
priorities of the public. Phase 2 is anticipated to occur during the 
Summer of 2022 with a focus on soliciting feedback on priorities and 
options identified during Phase 1 (scoping). Phase 3 is anticipated to 
occur during the Fall of 2023 with a focus on soliciting feedback on 
draft program implementation products. During each phase, stakeholders 
will be able to submit comments through a variety of methods. Each 
phase will have an open comment period under docket number COE-2021-
0007. For more information about the program, its key components, and 
opportunities to get involved please visit www.leveesafety.org.
    During Phase 1 of program development, USACE will be hosting seven 
public meetings and four public webinars to provide an overview of the 
program and its key components and opportunities for submitting 
feedback. There will be a 100-person limit for each public meeting and 
webinar. To attend an in-person public meeting, you must be fully 
vaccinated for COVID-19 and may be required to provide proof of 
vaccination before entry into the meeting. For information about the 
public meetings and webinars, including how to register to attend, 
visit www.leveesafety.org.
    Questions to Shape the Focus of the Program: Commentors are 
encouraged to use the following questions to guide their feedback on 
the purpose and scope of the National Levee Safety Program and its 
components as described at www.leveesafety.org:

Overall Program Focus and Purpose

    1. Do you believe the stated vision/mission/objectives of a 
national approach will significantly improve levee safety in the Nation 
in the future? Any suggestions for improvement?
    2. Do you understand the general approach for the development of 
the program (e.g., stakeholder engagement, key components, etc.)? If 
not, what is unclear? Any suggestions for improvements?
    3. What is the single most important challenge related to levees 
you think this program should try to help address? Do you see it 
adequately addressed in this approach?

National Levee Safety Guidelines

    1. Which topics do you think you will find the most useful? Why?
    2. Are there any missing topics that you think should be included?
    3. Are there any areas of content where templates, specific 
methodologies, tools, or other aids would be particularly helpful to 
you?

Integrated Levee Management

    1. Is clarifying the roles and responsibilities for levee related

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activities at the federal, tribal, state, levee owner, and community 
levels the right place to start or are we missing anyone?
    2. What is the biggest value of standing up state levee safety 
programs?
    3. What do you think would be the most important activities for 
state levee safety programs?
    4. Other than funding, what are the biggest barriers states might 
have in standing up levee safety programs?
    5. For the states/tribes/regional district grants, the legislation 
reserves 25 percent be used to identify and assess non-Federal levees, 
but what other priorities or activities should the remaining 75 percent 
of grant funding go towards?
    6. Are there any federal programs that are hampering your ability 
or providing a disincentive to adequately perform flood risk or levee 
management activities? If so, please explain?
    7. Where do you see opportunities for federal programs to be 
adjusted/realigned/reprioritized to better support flood risk 
management/levee safety in communities with levees?

National Levee Database and Data Collection

    1. What are the most important decisions you need to make to 
improve flood risk management decisions in your community or on your 
levee? What data do you most need to support these decisions?
    2. How might USACE encourage participation of levee owners or 
states in either providing levee information or participating in USACE-
led levee inspections and risk assessments?
    3. What types of levee information is most meaningful to people who 
live and work behind levees? What role can/should the National Levee 
Database play in providing this information?
    These scoping questions, along with background information on the 
National Levee Safety Program and its key components, can be found at 
www.leveesafety.org.

Michael L. Connor,
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works).
[FR Doc. 2021-28056 Filed 12-27-21; 8:45 am]
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