Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices 45831 

[FR Doc. E9–21357 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 5001–06–C 

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, Modification of Davis Pond 

Diversion Project 

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) intends to prepare a 

supplemental environmental impact 

statement (EIS) for the Louisiana Coastal 

Area (LCA)—Louisiana, Modification of 

Davis Pond Diversion Project. This 

modification project will be designed to 

increase wetland restoration outputs. 

This supplemental EIS will be tiered off 

of the programmatic final EIS for the 

Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)— 

Louisiana, Ecosystem Restoration Study, 

November 2004, and the final EIS for 

the LCA—Louisiana, Freshwater 

Diversion to Barataria and Breton Sound 

Basins Study, September 1984. The 

record of decision (ROD) for the 

programmatic final EIS was signed on 

November 18, 2005 and the ROD for the 

freshwater diversion final EIS was 

signed on July 16, 1987. 

DATES: A scoping meeting is planned for 

October 6, 2009, see SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION section for scoping meeting 

location. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Questions concerning the draft 

supplemental EIS should be addressed 

to Michael T. Brown, CEMVN–PM–RP, 

P.O. Box 60267, New Orleans, LA 

70160–0267; telephone: (504) 862–1570; 

fax: (504) 862–2088; or by email: 

michael.t.brown@usace.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Authority. This supplemental EIS 

will be tiered off of the programmatic 

final EIS for the LCA—Louisiana, 

Ecosystem Restoration Study, November 

2004 and the final EIS for the LCA— 

Louisiana, Freshwater Diversion to 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICESEN04SE09.004</GPH>
45832 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices 

Barataria and Breton Sound Basins 

Study, September 1984. The Water 

Resources Development Act of 2007 

(WRDA 2007) authorized fifteen projects 

under the LCA 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)(1)(D) 

instructs the Secretary of the Army to 

carry out the following project referred 

to in the restoration plan: (D) 

Modification of Davis Pond Diversion at 

a total cost of $64,200,000. The 

Congressional language further directs 

completion of a feasibility report of the 

Chief of Engineers, and subsequent 

submission to the Committee on 

Transportation and Infrastructure of the 

House of Representatives and the 

Committee on Environment and Public 

Works of the Senate. 

2. Proposed Action. The Modification 

of Davis Pond Diversion Project would 

increase wetland restoration outputs in 

the Barataria Basin. The objective of this 

modification project is to: Maximize the 

use of the existing diversion structure 

for the purpose of decreasing wetland 

loss and increasing habitat quality. 

3. Alternatives. Restoration measures 

being considered include changing the 

structure’s operational plan to flow at 

maximum capacity; to flow at 5,000 

cubic feet per second (cfs) on average; 

and to include pulsing (fully opening 

the structure’s gates during a rise in the 

Mississippi River to maximize 

suspended sediment delivery). Other 

possible alternatives include physical 

land modifications to divert water to 

areas that currently do not receive 

diversion flows; marsh restoration; and 

measures to increase native vegetation 

and submerged aquatic vegetation. 

Alternative plans will be developed 

through various combinations of 

restoration measures that best meet the 

study goals and objectives and is 

determined to be cost-effective, 

environmentally acceptable and 

technically feasible. 

4. Public Involvement. Public 

involvement, an essential part of the 

supplemental EIS 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 supplemental EIS 

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 supplemental EIS. 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; conflict resolution by 

consensus; public and scoping notices 

and meetings; public, stakeholder and 

advisory groups consultation and 

meetings; and making the supplemental 

EIS and supporting information readily 

available in conveniently located places, 

such as libraries and on the world wide 

web. 

5. Scoping. Scoping, an early and 

open process for identifying the scope of 

significant issues related to the 

proposed action to be addressed in the 

supplemental EIS, will be used to: (a) 

Identify the affected public and agency 

concerns; (b) facilitate an efficient 

supplemental EIS preparation process; 

(c) define the issues and alternatives 

that will be examined in detail in the 

supplemental EIS; and (d) save time in 

the overall process by helping to ensure 

that the draft supplemental EIS 

adequately addresses relevant issues. 

The public scoping meeting is 

scheduled for October 6, 2009 at 6:00 

p.m. at Cytec’s Tom Call Pavilion, 10800 

River Road, Waggaman, Louisiana. A 

Scoping Meeting Notice will also be 

mailed to all interested parties in 

September 2009. Additional meetings 

could be held, depending upon public 

interest and if it is determined that 

further public coordination is 

warranted. 

6. 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. 

7. Availability of Draft Supplemental 

EIS. The earliest that the draft 

supplemental EIS will be available for 

public review would be in spring of 

2011. The draft supplemental EIS or a 

notice of availability will be distributed 

to affected Federal, state, and local 

agencies, Indian tribes, and other 

interested parties. 

Dated: August 27, 2009. 

Alvin B. Lee, 

Colonel, US Army, District Commander. 

[FR Doc. E9–21372 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–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, Stabilize Gulf Shoreline at 

Point Au Fer Island 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, Stabilize Gulf Shoreline at 

Point Au Fer Island restoration project. 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES