[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 241 (Monday, December 18, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 87414-87415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-27650]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Sparrows Point Container Terminal, Patapsco River, Baltimore 
County, Maryland

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District (Corps), 
has received an application for a Department of the Army (DA) permit 
(Corps number NAB-2023-61200) for the Sparrows Point Container Terminal 
project from Tradepoint TiL Terminal, LLC, a joint venture between 
Tradepoint Atlantic and Terminal Investments Limited to construct a new 
container terminal in the Port of Baltimore. The Corps, as the lead 
agency under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), has 
determined the proposed project may significantly affect the quality of 
the human environment and intends to prepare an environmental impact 
statement (EIS). The Corps action will be to issue, issue with 
modifications, or deny a DA permit for the proposed project. The EIS 
will assess the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts 
of the proposed project. The Corps is requesting public/agency comments 
regarding the scope of the EIS and issues that should be evaluated in 
the document.

DATES: A public scoping meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 23, 
2024, beginning at 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. A virtual public scoping 
meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 25, 2024, beginning at 11:30 
a.m. to 1 p.m. See paragraph 6 in the Supplementary Information section 
for additional details.

ADDRESSES: Written comments regarding the proposed EIS scope should be 
submitted to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District, Attn: 
Ms. Maria Teresi, 2 Hopkins Plaza, Baltimore, MD 21201. Individuals who 
would like to provide comments electronically should submit comments by 
email to: [email protected] The meeting address is the Sollers 
Point Multi-Purpose Center, 323 Sollers Point Road, Dundalk, MD 21222.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information about this project or 
to be included on the mailing list for future updates and meeting 
announcements, contact Ms. Maria Teresi, USACE, by telephone at (410) 
962-4252, email at [email protected] or mail at the mailing 
address provided above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Corps intends to prepare an EIS for the 
proposed Sparrows Point Container Terminal (SPCT) project. The non-
Federal sponsor for the study is Tradepoint TiL Terminal, LLC (TTT). 
The proposed project requires authorization from the Corps under 
section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) for the discharge 
of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States, section 
10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403) for the 
construction of any structure in or over navigable waters of the United 
States, section 408 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 
408) for taking possession of, use of, or injury to harbor or river 
improvements, and section 103 of the Marine Protection, Research and 
Sanctuaries Act (33 U.S.C. 1413) for ocean disposal of dredged 
material. All comments received during the public scoping period will 
be considered by the Corps during preparation of the EIS.
    1. Proposed Action. The project subject to review in an EIS 
involves construction of the proposed Sparrows Point Container Terminal 
which would consist of a +/-3,000 foot-long wharf with cranes, a 
container yard, gate complex, Intermodal/Rail Yard and various support 
structures. To provide vessel access to the wharf, the project

[[Page 87415]]

includes dredging and placement of an anticipated 3.5-4.5 million cubic 
yards of dredged material for the required widening and deepening of 
the existing access channel and turning basin. The project dredging 
includes widening and deepening an existing access channel/turning 
basin, and connection into the Brewerton Federal Navigation channel. 
The proposed project plan also includes the construction of an offshore 
Dredged Material Containment Facility (DMCF) in the Patapsco River on 
the west side of Coke Point to provide placement capacity for dredged 
material. An offshore DMCF to provide capacity for the total 
anticipated dredged material volume would permanently fill 
approximately 100 acres of tidal waters of the United States. As part 
of the EIS process, the Corps will consider minimization measures for 
dredging and a combination of alternatives for dredged material 
placement.
    The project includes a proposed compensatory mitigation plan. The 
compensatory mitigation plan is under development and will be completed 
as part of the development of the EIS.
    2. Location. The project site is located within the Tradepoint 
Atlantic development on the Coke Point peninsula in the Patapsco River, 
Sparrows Point, Baltimore County, Maryland. [Latitude: 39.211222[deg] 
and Longitude: -76.490349[deg]]
    3. Project Purpose. To develop Sparrows Point Container Terminal 
(SPCT), a new container terminal and associated facilities that would 
be located on the Coke Point Peninsula within the Patapsco River in 
Baltimore, Maryland.
    4. Alternatives. The EIS will evaluate an array of alternatives for 
dredging, dredged material disposal, and construction. Alternatives may 
include, but are not limited to, no action alternative, dredged 
material placement options including upland disposal onsite, upland 
disposal offsite, beneficial and innovative reuse of dredge material, 
and offshore ocean placement. In order to accommodate the anticipated 
volume of dredged material, these options may be evaluated alone or on 
combination.
    Specifically, alternatives may be combined to reduce the footprint 
of the offshore DMCF. These options include (1) a DMCF in the existing 
on-site High Head Reservoir; (2) use of existing offsite upland DMCFs; 
(3) ocean disposal of dredged material; (4) a nearshore DMCF; and/or 
(5) beneficial reuse.
    Mitigation measures could include, but are not limited to, 
avoidance and minimization, enhancement, restoration, or establishment 
of wetlands.
    5. Scoping Process. The scoping period will continue for 60 days 
from the date of this Notice of Intent. During the scoping period, the 
Corps invites federal, state, and local agencies, Native American 
Tribes, other interested parties, and the general public to participate 
in the scoping process. The purpose of the scoping process is to 
provide information to the public, serve as a mechanism to solicit 
agency and public input on alternatives, identify significant issues to 
be analyzed in the EIS, and ensure full and open participation in 
scoping for the draft EIS. Scoping comments may be submitted by 
conventional mail or email. All comments must include the Corps number 
NAB-2023-61200. To be accepted, email comments must originate from the 
author's email account. All comments received will become part of the 
administrative record and are subject to public release under the 
Freedom of Information Act including any personally identifiable 
information such as names, phone numbers, and addresses. Additional 
information on the project and scoping process are available on the 
Corps' website at this link: https://www.nab.usace.army.mil/SPCT/
    6. Scoping Meetings. The Corps will conduct public scoping meetings 
during the scoping period in which agencies, organizations, and members 
of the general public are invited to present comments or suggestions 
with regard to the range of actions, alternatives, and potential 
impacts to be considered in the EIS. The Corps has scheduled two public 
scoping meetings, one in-person and one virtual as described below: (a) 
In-person: Tuesday, January 23, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. Display material and 
staff will be available beginning at 5:30 p.m. with a presentation 
following at 6 p.m. at the Sollers Point Multi-Purpose Center; 323 
Sollers Point Rd, Dundalk, MD 21222; and (b) Virtual: Thursday, January 
25, 2024, beginning at 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Access the virtual scoping 
meeting at this link: https://bit.ly/SparrowsPoint2024
    7. Availability of the Draft EIS. The draft EIS is estimated to be 
available for public review and comment in January 2025. At that time, 
a public review period will be provided for public review and comment 
on the draft EIS.
    8. Analyses and Consultation. The EIS will be integrated with 
analyses and consultation required by the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA), section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act, section 401 and 
section 404 of the Clean Water Act, section 7 of the Endangered Species 
Act, section 103 of the of the Marine Protection, Research and 
Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA), the Clean Air Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Coordination Act, section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act, Prime and Unique Farmlands, and the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act. All appropriate documentation (i.e., 
section 7, section 106 coordination letters, and public and agency 
comments) will be obtained and included as part of the EIS. As part of 
the EIS process, recommendations will be based on an evaluation of the 
probable impact of the proposed activity on the public interest. The 
decision will reflect the national concern for the protection and 
utilization of important resources. The benefit, which may reasonably 
be expected to accrue from the proposal, will be balanced against its 
reasonably foreseeable detriments. All factors that may be relevant to 
the proposal will be considered, among these are wetlands; fish and 
wildlife resources; cultural resources; land use; water and air 
quality; hazardous, toxic, and radioactive substances; threatened and 
endangered species; regional geology; aesthetics; environmental 
justice; navigation; cumulative impacts; and the general needs and 
welfare of the public.

Reinhard W. Koenig,
Programs Director, North Atlantic Division, US Army Corps of Engineers.
[FR Doc. 2023-27650 Filed 12-15-23; 8:45 am]
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