Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices 45833 

This restoration project will examine 

measures to increase the stability of the 

Gulf of Mexico shoreline on Point Au 

Fer Island. This SEIS will be tiered off 

of the programmatic EIS for the 

Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)— 

Louisiana, Ecosystem Restoration Study, 

November 2004. The Record of Decision 

for the programmatic EIS was signed on 

November 18, 2005. 

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section for scoping meeting dates. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Questions concerning the draft SEIS 

should be addressed to Dr. William P. 

Klein, Jr., CEMVN–PM–RS, P.O. Box 

60267, New Orleans, LA 70160–0267; 

telephone: (504) 862–2540; fax: (504) 

862–1583; or by e-mail: 

william.p.klein.jr@usace.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Authority. This SEIS will tier from 

the programmatic EIS for the Louisiana 

Coastal Area (LCA)—Louisiana, 

Ecosystem Restoration Study, November 

2004. The Record of Decision for the 

Programmatic EIS was signed on 

November 18, 2005. The Water 

Resources Development Act of 2007 

(WRDA 2007) authorized the LCA 

ecosystem restoration program. The 

authority includes requirements for 

comprehensive planning, program 

governance, implementation, and other 

program components. The LCA 

restoration program will facilitate the 

implementation of critical restoration 

features and essential science and 

technology demonstration projects, 

increase the beneficial use of dredged 

material and determine the need for 

modification of selected existing 

projects to support coastal restoration 

objectives. The LCA near-term plan 

includes fifteen elements authorized for 

implementation contingent upon 

meeting certain reporting requirements. 

Specifically, Section 7006(e) of WRDA 

2007 authorizes the Secretary of the 

Army to carry out additional projects 

referred to in the restoration plan. 

Section 7006(e)(1) authorizes the 

following additional projects: Maintain 

Land Bridge between Caillou Lake and 

the Gulf of Mexico at a total cost of 

$56,300,000; Stabilize the Gulf 

Shoreline at Point Au Fer Island project 

at a total cost of $43,400,000; the 

Modification of Caernarvon Diversion 

project at a total cost of $20,700,000; 

and the Modification of Davis Pond 

Diversion Project at a total cost of 

$64,200,000; if the Secretary of the 

Army determines such projects are 

feasible. 

2. Proposed Action. The LCA Gulf 

Shoreline Stabilization at Point Au Fer 

Island restoration project proposes the 

construction of measures to increase the 

stability of the gulf shoreline of Point 

Au Fer Island. The purpose is to prevent 

direct connections from forming 

between the Gulf and interior water 

bodies as the barrier island is eroded. In 

addition to Gulf shoreline protection, 

this project would prevent the fresher 

bay side water circulation patterns from 

being influenced directly by the Gulf, 

thus protecting the estuarine habitat, 

which has higher quality wetland 

habitats, from conversion to marine 

habitat. 

3. Public Involvement. Public 

involvement, an essential part of the 

SEIS process, is integral to assessing the 

environmental consequences of the 

proposed action and improving the 

quality of the environmental decision 

making. The public includes affected 

and interested Federal, state, and local 

agencies, Indian tribes, concerned 

citizens, stakeholders, and other 

interested parties. Public participation 

in the SEIS process will be strongly 

encouraged, both formally and 

informally, to enhance the probability of 

a more technically accurate, 

economically feasible, and socially and 

politically acceptable SEIS. Public 

involvement will include but is not 

limited to: Information dissemination; 

identification of problems, needs and 

opportunities; idea generation; public 

education; problem solving; providing 

feedback on proposals; evaluation of 

alternatives; public and scoping notices 

and meetings; public, stakeholder and 

advisory groups consultation and 

meetings; and making the SEIS and 

supporting information readily available 

in conveniently located places, such as 

libraries and on the World Wide Web. 

4. Scoping. Scoping, an early and 

open process for identifying the scope of 

significant issues related to the 

proposed action to be addressed in the 

SEIS, will be used to: (a) Identify the 

affected public and agency concerns; (b) 

facilitate an efficient SEIS preparation 

process; (c) define the issues and 

alternatives that will be examined in 

detail in the SEIS; and (d) save time in 

the overall process by helping to ensure 

that the draft SEIS adequately addresses 

relevant issues. A Scoping Meeting 

Notice announcing the locations, dates 

and times for scoping meetings will be 

mailed to all interested parties in 

August 2009. 

5. Coordination. The USACE and the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 

have formally committed to work 

together to conserve, protect, and restore 

fish and wildlife resources while 

ensuring environmental sustainability of 

our Nation’s water resources under the 

January 22, 2003, Partnership 

Agreement for Water Resources and 

Fish and Wildlife. The USFWS will 

provide a Fish and Wildlife 

Coordination Act Report. Coordination 

will be maintained with the USFWS and 

the National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) regarding threatened and 

endangered species under their 

respective jurisdictional 

responsibilities. Coordination will be 

maintained with the NMFS regarding 

essential fish habitat. Coordination will 

be maintained with the Natural 

Resources Conservation Service 

regarding prime and unique farmlands. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will 

be consulted regarding the 

‘‘Swampbuster’’ provisions of the Food 

Security Act. Coordination will be 

maintained with the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency concerning 

compliance with Executive Order 

12898, ‘‘Federal Action to Address 

Environmental Justice in Minority 

Populations and Low-Income 

Populations.’’ Coordination will be 

maintained with the Advisory Counsel 

on Historic Preservation and the State 

Historic Preservation Officer. The 

Louisiana Department of Natural 

Resources will be consulted regarding 

consistency with the Coastal Zone 

Management Act. The Louisiana 

Department of Wildlife and Fisheries 

will be consulted concerning potential 

impacts to Natural and Scenic Streams. 

5. Availability of Draft SEIS. The 

earliest that the draft SEIS will be 

available for public review would be in 

spring of 2011. The draft SEIS or a 

notice of availability will be distributed 

to affected Federal, state, and local 

agencies, Indian tribes, and other 

interested parties. 

Dated: August 25, 2009. 

Alvin B. Lee, 

Colonel, US Army, District Commander. 

[FR Doc. E9–21370 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Navy 

Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement for Renewal of 

Authorization To Use Pinecastle 

Range, Ocala National Forest, FL 

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act of 1969, as implemented by the 

Council on Environmental Quality 

Regulations (40 Code of Federal 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
45834 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices 

Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500–1508), the 

U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy) has 

prepared and filed with the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency a 

Draft Supplemental Environmental 

Impact Statement (Draft SEIS) to 

evaluate potential environmental effects 

of significant new circumstances and 

information not available at the time the 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

for Renewal of Authorization to Use 

Pinecastle Range, Ocala National Forest, 

Florida, (January 2002) (2002 FEIS) was 

completed. 

The Navy will conduct three public 

hearings to provide information and 

receive oral and written comments on 

the Draft SEIS. Federal, State, and local 

agencies and interested individuals are 

invited to be present or represented at 

the public hearings. Navy 

representatives will be available to 

clarify information related to the Draft 

SEIS. This notice announces the date 

and location of the public hearings for 

this Draft SEIS. 

DATES AND ADDRESSES: Open 

information sessions will precede 

scheduled public hearings and will 

allow individuals to review data 

presented in the Draft SEIS. Navy 

representatives will be available during 

the information sessions to clarify 

information related to the Draft SEIS. 

The open information sessions are 

scheduled from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., 

followed by the public hearing from 

7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. 

Public hearings will be held on the 

following dates and at the following 

locations in Florida: 

1. September 22, 2009, at the Umatilla 

Community Building, 1 South Central 

Avenue, Umatilla, Florida; 

2. September 23, 2009, at the Eustis 

Community Center, 601 Northshore 

Drive, Eustis, Florida; 

3. September 24, 2009, at the Ocala 

American Legion Building, 516 NE 

Sanchez Avenue, Ocala, Florida. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Naval Facilities Engineering Command 

Southeast (NAVFAC Southeast) P.O. 

Box 30, Building 903, NAS Jacksonville, 

Jacksonville, Florida 32212–0030; Attn: 

SEIS Project Manager; Phone (904) 542– 

6301; Facsimile (904) 542–6345. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SEIS 

supplements the Final Environmental 

Impact Statement for Renewal of 

Authorization to Use Pinecastle Range, 

Ocala National Forest, Florida, dated 

January 2002. The Record of Decision 

for the 2002 FEIS was dated March 29, 

2002, and published in the Federal 

Register on April 10, 2002, (67 FR 

17418). A Notice of Intent to prepare 

this Draft SEIS was published in the 

Federal Register on June 12, 2008. A 

public scoping period was conducted 

prior to the development of the Draft 

SEIS. During this period, comments 

were submitted via mail or 

electronically through the project Web 

site at http://www.pinecastleseis.com. 

Pursuant to 40 CFR 1502.9, this Draft 

SEIS was prepared for the limited 

purpose of supplementing the 2002 

FEIS to analyze new information 

regarding range safety zones and assess 

the effectiveness of existing mitigation 

measures to determine if any additional 

mitigation measures or a modification to 

the range Operating Plan were 

necessary. Following completion of the 

2002 FEIS, the Navy adopted a new 

safety modeling program. This new 

modeling program, SAFE–RANGE, 

when applied to current training 

operations, indicates that range safety 

zones, are larger than previously 

modeled. Potential impacts associated 

with this new information are the focus 

of the Draft SEIS. 

The Draft SEIS analyzes the potential 

environmental effects resulting from the 

revised range safety zones and the 

effectiveness of existing mitigation 

measures to determine if additional 

actions or modifications to the range 

Operating Plan are necessary to 

maintain public safety and ensure range 

sustainability. The Draft SEIS also 

evaluates past, present, and reasonably 

foreseeable future land use proposals 

and forestry actions from a cumulative 

impacts perspective. The Draft SEIS 

does not propose any changes to targets, 

method of delivery (air-to-ground), 

types or volumes of ordnance used at 

Pinecastle for military training and, 

therefore, were not re-analyzed in the 

Draft SEIS. 

The Draft SEIS has been distributed to 

various federal, state, and local 

agencies, elected officials, and 

interested parties, and is available for 

public review at the Umatilla Public 

Library, 412 Hatfield Drive, Umatilla, 

Florida, 35784; and the Marion County 

Public Library, 2720 East Silver Springs 

Boulevard, Ocala, Florida, 34470. An 

electronic copy of the Draft SEIS is also 

available for public viewing at: http:// 

www.pinecastleseis.com. Oral 

statements presented at the public 

hearing will be recorded by a 

stenographer; however, to ensure 

accuracy of the record, all statements 

should be submitted in writing. All 

statements, both oral and written, will 

become part of the public record on the 

Draft SEIS and will be responded to in 

the Final SEIS. Equal weight will be 

given to both oral and written 

statements. 

In the interest of available time and to 

ensure that all who wish to give an oral 

statement have the opportunity to do so, 

each speaker’s comments will be limited 

to three minutes. If a longer statement 

is to be presented, it should be 

summarized at the public hearing and 

the full text submitted in writing either 

at the hearing, or faxed or mailed to: 

Pinecastle SEIS, c/o Naval Facilities 

Engineering Command Southeast 

(NAVFAC Southeast); Attn: SEIS Project 

Manager; P.O. Box 30, Building 903, 

NAS Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida 

32212–0030; Phone (904) 542–6301; 

Facsimile (904) 542–6345. 

All written comments received or 

postmarked by October 19, 2009, will 

become part of the official public record 

and will be responded to in the Final 

SEIS. 

Dated: August 27, 2009. 

A.M. Vallandingham, 

Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge 

Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Federal 

Register Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–21430 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare a Draft Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)— 

Louisiana, Maintain Landbridge 

Between Caillou Lake and the Gulf of 

Mexico Feasibility Study 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (USACE), along with its local 

sponsor the Louisiana Office of Coastal 

Protection and Restoration, intends to 

prepare a supplemental environmental 

impact statement (SEIS) for the 

Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)— 

Louisiana, Maintain Land Bridge 

between Caillou Lake and the Gulf of 

Mexico restoration project. This 

restoration project will examine 

measures to increase the stability of the 

land bridge separating Caillou (Sister) 

Lake from the Gulf of Mexico. This SEIS 

will tier from the programmatic EIS for 

the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)— 

Louisiana, Ecosystem Restoration Study, 

November 2004. The Record of Decision 

for the programmatic EIS was signed on 

November 18, 2005. 

DATES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION

section for scoping meeting dates. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES