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CHAPTER 5 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT 

5.1 SCOPING 

A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a draft EIS (DEIS) for the MRGO Navigation Project – 

Bank Stabilization was published in the Federal Register (volume 71, number 238) on 

December 12, 2006. Based upon the following scoping comments and additional information 

determined during the alternative plan formulation process, the proposed action was 

reconceptualized as wetland creation and nourishment and shoreline protection in the Lake 

Borgne and MRGO land bridge area. 

The NEPA provides for an early and open public process, referred to as scoping, for 

determining the scope of issues, resources, impacts, and alternatives to be addressed in the EIS. 

A Notice Requesting Scoping Comments was sent out on December 8, 2006 to all individuals, 

organizations, and agencies believed to have an interest in or that may be affected by the 

proposed action. 

The CEMVN also held an Interagency Meeting on December 19, 2006 to discuss ongoing 

efforts to stabilize the bankline of the MRGO. 

5.1.1 Summary of Scoping Comments 

Scoping comments document the public’s concerns about the proposed course of action as well 

as identifying significant resources and suggested alternatives. A total of five comments were 

received during the comment period: four letters, and one e-mail. 

Ms. Vicki Norwood, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) emailed a 

request for site maps in order to provide their response to the scoping input request letter. 

The LDEQ, in a letter dated January 4, 2007, had no objections to the proposed action. The 

LDEQ recommended appropriate regulatory actions be taken, such as the preparation of a Water 

Quality Certification or other permit, if the proposed action included discharges into waters 

regulated by the LDEQ. 

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF), in a letter dated December 28, 

2006, recommended the DEIS include direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the proposed 

action to all-important resources in the study area. The LDWF specifically requested that the 

DEIS address performance differences between porous and fully hardened structures and their 

subsequent environmental impacts, as well as the temporary and long-term impacts associated 

with the floatation channel. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), in a letter dated December 20, 2006, 

recommended alternative implementation be consistent with the CWPPRA, Louisiana Coastal 

Protection and Restoration (LACPR) efforts, and other coastal wetland restoration programs and 

strategies. A discussion of impacts to all-important resources within the study and project area 

should be addressed. The USFWS requires that certain measures be taken if threatened or 

endangered species are encountered within the proposed action area during project 

implementation. 
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The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), in a letter dated December 22, 2006, 

recommended the DEIS include separate sections titled “Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)” and 

“Marine Fishery Resources” that identify the EHF and fisheries resources of the proposed 

action area and describe the potential impacts to those resources that could be caused by the 

proposed project. The NMFS also recommended the DEIS describe and quantify potential 

impacts on EFH sub-categories. The NMFS further recommended the DEIS include an analysis 

of shoreline loss rates, foreshore dike designs that avoid or minimize fish access, and 

installation of fish dips. 

Several major issues and concerns are evident in the scoping comments, comments from the 

December 19, 2006, interagency kickoff meeting, as well as other comments from previous 

MRGO related scoping and public meetings, and recent scoping and public comments for the 

ongoing Hurricane Protection System (HPS) and LACPR projects. These comments are 

summarized in the remainder of this paragraph. Shoreline protection for Lake Borgne is 

generally viewed by the public as important and necessary. However, priority projects in the 

area have focused primarily on shoreline protection and bank stabilization along both the north 

and south banks of the MRGO, especially along those portions of the south bank of the MRGO 

located near the existing Hurricane Protection Levee System. Additionally, there remains 

public concern over channel maintenance dredging activities. The public believes maintenance 

dredging of the MRGO has induced and increased shoreline erosion along the MRGO, has 

caused the degradation and loss of adjacent wetlands, and increased shallow open water habitats 

in the area. The public supports the protection of environmental resources within the Lake 

Borgne and MRGO region through shoreline stabilization, wetland creation, and restoration of 

the Bayou La Loutre ridge. The public is also concerned that operation and maintenance 

activities, such as bank stabilization along the MRGO, are directed toward maintaining deep 

draft navigation along the MRGO. There is also concern that there is not enough public notice 

given and not enough public input sought in regard to MRGO projects in general. 

5.2 OTHER SCOPING AND PUBLIC COMMENTS 

Pertinent scoping and public comments from other ongoing studies and projects were also 

considered in the alternative plan formulation process. The proposed action would complement 

the following ongoing efforts, including: 

y Deauthorization of the MRGO as a navigation channel as provided in the WRDA 2007. 

y Authorization of the LCA Plan for coastal restoration, including the measure for 

providing restoration in the MRGO area. 

y The range of flood control, coastal restoration, and hurricane protection measures for 

south Louisiana presently being considered by the LACPR. 

y The ongoing Task Force Hope HPS-efforts to construct a new 100-year level of storm 

protection with the Hurricane and Storm Damage Reduction for the West Bank and 

Vicinity and the Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity Hurricane Protection Projects. 

At the direction of Congress, the CEMVN is currently in the process of preparing the final 

LACPR Report. The enabling legislation authorizes the CEMVN “to conduct a comprehensive 

hurricane protection analysis and design at full Federal expense to develop and present a full 

range of flood control, coastal restoration, and hurricane protection measures...” The CEMVN 

has also been directed to “consider providing protection for a storm surge equivalent to a 
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Category 5 hurricane within the project area and may submit reports on component areas of the 

larger protection for authorization as soon as practicable” (Department of Defense 

Appropriations Act. Pub. L. 109-148, December 30, 2005). The Preliminary Technical Report 

to the U.S. Congress was released in July 2006. The CEMVN held four public meetings to 

gather input on this project. All meetings were from 6:30-9:30 pm on the dates indicated. 

March 9, 2006 – Health and Physical Education Center, University of New Orleans, 

New Orleans 

March 14, 2006 – Envie Banquet Room, Howard Johnson Hotel, 201 Canal Blvd., Thibodaux 

March 15, 2006 – Baker Auditorium/Farrar Hall, McNeese State University, Lake Charles 

March 16, 2006 – Cajundome, 444 Cajundome Blvd., Lafayette 

A total of twenty recurring themes were identified from the 674 total scoping comments 

received. The top five themes are presented below in Table 5.1. 

Table 5.1 Top Five Recurring Themes in LACPR Scoping Meetings 

Theme Number of 

Occurrences 

Percent of 

Occurrences 

The LACPR plan should incorporate local 

knowledge and concerns. 168 25% 

The restoration of marshes, wetlands, and natural 

coastal barriers is a key protection feature. 118 18% 

Coastal protection should address saltwater 

intrusion, subsidence, and sediment delivery. 101 15% 

There is a need for comprehensive, 

multidisciplinary, and efficient planning. 74 11% 

CEMVN should use innovative technology 

and consider creative solutions when 

developing alternatives. 

71 11% 

5.3 PUBLIC COMMENTS ON THE DRAFT EIS 

The DEIS was released to the public on October 31, 2008, followed by a 45-day public review 

period. Comments from this review period were incorporated into this Final EIS. Comments 

received and the responses to them are included in Appendix H. The Final EIS will be released 

for a 30-day public review period in June 2009.