Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 153 / Wednesday, August 9, 2006 / Notices 45537 

facilities. These new facilities will be 

located adjacent to the existing 

USAMRIID facilities within the National 

Interagency Biodefense Campus on Area 

A of Fort Detrick and near the 

biomedical research facilities of mission 

partners, including the Agricultural 

Research Service Foreign Disease-Weed 

Research Unit, Department of 

Agriculture; the National Institute of 

Allergy and Infectious Diseases’

Integrated Research Facility, 

Department of Health and Human 

Services; and the National Biodefense 

Analysis and Countermeasures Center, 

Department of Homeland Security. The 

USAMRIID facilities on Area A will be 

decommissioned and either demolished 

and/or re-used following occupancy of 

the new USAMRIID facilities. 

The construction will occur in two 

stages. Stage 1 will provide 

approximately 700,000 gross square feet 

(gsf) of new building space for the 

replacement of outdated and 

compressed existing facilities in order to 

sustain the current mission and to 

expand medical test and evaluation 

(T&E) capacity in support of immediate 

Department of Defense (DoD) and 

national demand. Stage 2 will 

encompass approximately 400,000 gsf of 

new building space for the balance of 

USAMRIID’s expanded mission and for 

additional capacity to meet intensified 

national requirements for medical T&E 

in support of biodefense research as 

well as to accommodate increased 

collaborative efforts among USAMRIID’s 

mission partners. In addition, 

approximately 200,000 gsf of the 

existing USAMRIID facilities may be 

renovated and re-used for laboratory or 

non-laboratory use, to be determined by 

evolving biodefense requirements. 

The significant issues analyzed in the 

DEIS included safety of laboratory 

operations and demolition of the 

existing biocontainment laboratories; 

public health and safety; handling, 

collection, treatment, and disposal of 

research wastes; analysis of other risks; 

and pollution prevention. 

Three alternatives were considered: 

Construction and Operation of New 

USAMRIID Facilities and 

Decommissioning and Demolition of the 

Existing USAMRIID Facilities on Area A 

of Fort Detrick, Maryland (Alternative I), 

Construction and Operation of New 

USAMRIID Facilities and 

Decommissioning and Partial 

Demolition of the Existing USAMRIID 

Facilities and Re-Use of the Remaining 

Facilities on Area A of Fort Detrick, 

Maryland (Alternative II), and the No 

Action Alternative, under which the 

proposed new USAMRIID facilities 

would not be built and operated and the 

existing USAMRIID facilities would not 

be decommissioned and demolished 

and/or re-used. 

The U.S. Army Medical Research and 

Materiel Command and the U.S. Army 

Garrison of Fort Detrick will hold a 

public hearing to receive comments on 

the DEIS on Wednesday, August 30, 

2006 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the 

Governor Thomas Johnson High School, 

1501 N. Market St., Frederick, MD 

21701. 

Dated: August 3, 2006. 

Addison D. Davis, IV, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, 

(Environment, Safety and Occupational 

Health), OASA(I&E). 

[FR Doc. 06–6791 Filed 8–8–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–08–M 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army 

Availability of the Draft Environmental 

Assessment for an Airspace Proposal 

in the Savannah, GA, Hunter Army 

Airfield Area 

AGENCY: Department of the Army. DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: This announces the 

availability of the Draft Environmental 

Assessment (EA) for an airspace 

proposal in the Savannah, GA, Hunter 

Army Airfield area. The airspace 

proposal is required for the 

establishment of Helicopter Aerial 

Refueling routes utilizing United States 

Army helicopters and United States Air 

Force and/or Marine Corp. airplanes to 

conduct air-to air refueling training. In 

order to use these routes on a recurring 

basis they are required to be published 

in the Department of Defense 

publication system therefore requiring 

an environmental study. The EA 

assesses the potential environmental 

impacts of all areas that underlie the 

flight routes. There are four routes in the 

proposal which will be utilized by an 

U.S. Army tenant unit of Hunter Army 

Airfield, GA. 

DATES: The draft EA will be available for 

public review from August 9, 2006 

through September 8, 2006. Written 

comments must be received by 

September 8, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments are to be 

provided to Mr. Troy Wagner at United 

States Army Special Operations 

Command, Aviation Standardization 

Officer, ATTN: AOAO–STD, Bldg. E–

2929, Desert Storm Drive, Ft. Bragg, NC 

28310 or at 

dennis.troy.wagner@us.army.mil. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Chief Warrant Officer Four Troy 

Wagner, at (910) 432–7706. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. The Federal Aviation 

Administration is serving as a 

cooperating agency on the preparation 

of the EA. 

2. The EA is available for review at 

the following location: 

Dial-Cordy and Associates, Inc. 

Environmental Consultants Web site at: 

http://www.dialcordy.com. 

Use the following steps to access the 

Ft. Campbell EA: 

(1) Log onto the Dial Cordy Web site 

at Dialcordy.com; 

(2) Click on ‘‘Library’’; 

(3) Click on ‘‘FTP Site’’; 

(4) Enter user name: dialcord_hunter; 

(5) Enter password: 040784. 

3. Public coordination and 

communications with the State 

Historical Preservation Offices from the 

states of Georgia, Florida, South 

Carolina and Alabama has been 

accomplished. Each of the states listed 

have reviewed the proposal and have 

returned correspondence stating that 

there will be no impacts to any 

historical sites during the conduct of the 

proposed training. 

Brenda S. Bowen, 

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. 06–6795 Filed 8–8–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–08–M 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

Mississippi Coastal Improvements 

Program, Hancock, Harrison, and 

Jackson Counties, MS 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Corps of Engineers, DOD. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The Mobile District, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers (Corps), 

intends to prepare a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 

to address the potential impacts 

associated with actions to 

comprehensively address hurricane and 

storm damage reduction, prevention of 

saltwater intrusion, preservation of fish 

and wildlife, prevention of erosion, and 

other related water resource purposes in 

coastal Mississippi. These actions are 

related to the consequences of 

hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico in 

2005. The Corps will forward 

recommendations to Congress 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
45538 Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 153 / Wednesday, August 9, 2006 / Notices 

authorized by the Department of 

Defense Appropriations Act, 2006 (Pub. 

L. 109–148) dated December 30, 2005. 

The EIS will be used as a basis for 

ensuring compliance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). 

ADDRESSES: Questions about the 

proposed action and the DEIS should be 

addressed to Dr. Susan Ivester Rees, 

Planning and Environmental Division, 

Mobile District, U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, P.O. Box 2288, Mobile, AL 

36628–0001. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

Susan Ivester Rees, (251) 694–4141 or email at 

susan.i.rees@sam.usace.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Hurricane Katrina made landfall in 

Mississippi on August 29,2005 causing 

catastrophic damage to lives, property, 

and natural resources throughout 

coastal Mississippi. In response, the 

U.S. Congress has directed the Secretary 

of the Army through the Corps to 

conduct an analysis and design for 

comprehensive improvements or 

modifications to existing improvements 

in the coastal area of Mississippi in the 

interest of hurricane and storm damage 

reduction, prevention of saltwater 

intrusion, preservation of fish and 

wildlife, prevention of erosion, and 

other related water resources purposes. 

Further, the Corps was directed to 

provide interim recommendations for 

near term improvements by June 30, 

2006, with final recommendations 

provided by December 30, 2007. This 

activity has been named the Mississippi 

Coastal Improvements Program (MsCIP) 

and the required interim 

recommendations for near term 

improvements have been submitted 

through Corps Headquarters to the 

Assistant Secretary of the Army for 

submission to Congress. Environmental 

impacts associated with implementation 

of 15 identified near term improvements 

were addressed in an Environmental 

Assessment and a Finding of No 

Significant Impact was signed to Mobile 

District Commander, Colonel Peter F. 

Taylor, Jr., on June 29, 2006. 

2. The EIS will address potential 

impacts associated with MsCIP 

proposed actions as part of the 

development of the comprehensive plan 

of improvements to provide increased 

levels of protection within the coastal 

area of Mississippi as directed by 

Congress. Alternatives to be considered 

in the DEIS will include a 

comprehensive array of measures to 

promote the recovery of coastal 

Mississippi from the hurricanes of 2005 

and to provide for a reduction of future 

damages to the maximum extent 

practicable. The EIS will evaluate 

multiple natural and engineered 

alternatives to provide various measures 

for various levels of protection for the 

Mississippi mainland coast. 

Development of this overall damage 

reduction system will involve 

identifying potential ‘‘Lines of Defense’’

moving from offshore to nearshore, 

shoreline, and along existing elevated 

features inland, to effectively reduce 

damage from large hurricane and storm 

events. This will require analysis of the 

barrier islands, nearshore features such 

as rubble and movable wall breakwaters, 

beachfront measures such as dunes, 

berms, and seawalls, coastal roadways 

and beach front property barriers such 

as elevation of roadways and property, 

and various other inland features such 

as installation of levees, elevated 

highway-topped levee systems, and 

surge protection gates, for potential 

inclusion in the overall damage 

reduction system. Additionally, 

consideration of ‘‘non-structural 

measures’’, such as development of a 

‘‘Probable Maximum Hurricane 

Inundation Boundary’’ or other 

maximum event planning boundaries 

will serve to identify hurricane and 

storm damage reduction planning 

features. Other alternatives to be 

considered include restoration of storm 

damaged habitats such as coastal 

marshes, beaches, forests, oyster reefs, 

and submerged aquatic vegetation in 

Mississippi Sound; restoration of 

historical water flows to coastal 

watersheds including freshwater 

diversion from Louisiana; and 

watershed based drainage modifications 

for flood damage reduction. The DEIS 

will identify, screen, evaluate, 

prioritize, and ultimately optimize an 

array of alternatives. 

Combinations of the alternatives will 

be used to develop recommendations for 

cost effective measures to reduce 

hurricane and storm damages, interior 

flooding damages, and provide 

environmental benefits while fully 

considering the environmental 

consequences of the recommended 

actions. It is anticipated that alternatives 

will be developed during scoping and 

evaluated during development of the 

DEIS. Combinations of the alternatives 

will be used to maximize benefits while 

reducing impacts. 

3. Scoping: a. The Corps invites full 

public participation to promote open 

communication on the issues 

surrounding the proposal. All Federal, 

State, and local agencies, and other 

persons or organizations that have an 

interest are urged to participate in the 

NEPA scoping process. In order to 

develop near-term recommendations for 

the interim report, the Corps met with 

local government officials, Federal, 

State, and local agencies, and interested 

members of the public to discuss first 

hand, impacts of the storm, ongoing 

recovery efforts, conditions on the coast, 

and present and future needs and 

opportunities for improvements. A 

facilitated two-step public involvement 

process was used that included ten 

workshop opportunities (2 in each 

coastal county and 2 web casts) held 

between April 7 and May 4, 2006, and 

a Web site was maintained as a 

repository of information and a vehicle 

to allow public input while providing 

public information during the project 

planning period. With this public input, 

the Corps began development of a 

conceptual comprehensive plan of 

action that will serve as the basis for 

development of an overall balanced 

natural and engineered solution for 

hurricane and storm damage reduction. 

The Corps anticipates future public 

meetings to gain further public input 

regarding information gathered from 

ongoing modeling efforts to 

collaboratively identify significant 

issues, associated risks, present and 

future needs, and opportunities in 

development of the comprehensive 

plan. A Web site will be established and 

used to disseminate information, receive 

public input, and facilitate participation 

by persons interested in development of 

the comprehensive plan including those 

still displaced as a result of Hurricane 

Katrina. 

b. The DEIS will analyze potential 

social, economic, and environmental 

impacts and benefits associated with 

proposed projects and alternatives. 

Specifically, the following major issues 

will be analyzed in the DEIS: 

Hydrologic and hydraulic regimes, 

threatened and endangered species, 

essential fish habitat and other marine 

habitat, air quality, cultural resources, 

parks and protected lands, recreation, 

watersheds, wetlands, transportation 

systems, alternatives, secondary and 

cumulative impacts, socioeconomic 

impacts including effects on children, 

minorities, and economically 

disadvantaged groups per Executive 

Order 12898 (Environmental Justice) 

and Executive Order 13045 (Protection 

of Children). 

c. The Corps will serve as the lead 

Federal agency during preparation of 

the DEIS. The following agencies will be 

invited to participate as cooperating 

agencies: U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency; U.S. Department of Interior—

Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park 

Service, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. 

Department of Transportation—Federal 

Highway Administration; U.S. 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 153 / Wednesday, August 9, 2006 / Notices 45539 

Department of Commerce—National 

Marine Fisheries Service; U.S. 

Department of Homeland Security—

Federal Emergency Management 

Agency; Mississippi Department of 

Marine Resources and Department of 

Environmental Quality, and Mississippi 

Department of Archives and History. 

Participation from other agencies, 

interest groups, and individual citizens 

is being encouraged and sought. 

5. The first scoping meeting is 

expected to be held in mid-September 

in Biloxi, MS. 

6. It is anticipated that the DEIS will 

be made available for public review in 

April 2007. 

Curtis M. Flakes, 

Chief, Planning and Environmental Division. 

[FR Doc. 06–6794 Filed 8–8–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–CR–M 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army, Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare a Second 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement to the Final EIS on Herbert 

Hoover Dike Major Rehabilitation and 

Evaluation Report, Reaches 2 and 3, in 

Palm Beach and Glades Counties, FL 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: On July 8, 2005, the 

Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers (Corps) issued a Final 

Supplemental Environmental Impact 

Statement (FSEIS) for the Major 

Rehabilitation actions proposed for 

Herbert Hoover Dike (HHD), Reach One. 

Herbert Hoover Dike is the levee that 

completely surrounds Lake Okeechobee. 

On September 23, 2005, a Record of 

Decision was signed adopting the 

preferred alternative as the Selected 

Plan for Reach One. 

At this time the Corps plans to extend 

rehabilitation along Reaches Two and 

Three of HHD. This stretch of HHD 

extends for approximately 27 miles 

between an area west of Belle Glade, 

Palm Beach County to east of Moore 

Haven, Glades County, FL. 

ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, Planning Division, 

Environmental Branch, P.O. Box 4970, 

Jacksonville, FL 32232–0019. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Barbara Cintron at (904) 232–1692 or email at 

Barbara.b.cintron@usace.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

a. The proposed action will be the 

selected plan described in the July 2005 

SEIS with the additional action of 

extending construction along Reaches 

Two and Three of the levee. The 

proposed action will not affect the 

Regulation Schedule for Lake 

Okeechobee. It s expected that all 

construction will take place within the 

existing real estate footprint of the HHD. 

b. Alternatives to be considered 

separately for each reach include 

alternative structural modifications to 

the existing levee which are currently 

under development. 

c. A scoping letter will be used to 

invite comments on alternatives and 

issues from Federal, State, and local 

agencies, affected Indian tribes, and 

other interested private organizations 

and individuals. A scoping meeting is 

not anticipated. 

d. A public meeting will be held after 

release of the Draft SEIS; the exact 

location, date, and times will be 

announced in a public notice and local 

newspapers. 

e. DSEIS Preparation: The 2nd DSEIS 

is expected to be available for public 

review in the fourth quarter of CY 2006. 

Brenda S. Bowen, 

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. 06–6793 Filed 8–8–06; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–AJ—M 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Record of Decision for the Boston 

Harbor Inner Harbor Maintenance 

Dredging Project 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DOD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, New England District 

announces its decision to maintenance 

dredge the following Federal navigation 

channels in Boston Harbor, 

Massachusetts: the Main Ship Channel 

upstream of Spectacle Island to the 

Inner Confluence, the upper Reserved 

Channel, the approach to the Navy Dry 

Dock, a portion of the Mystic River, and 

a portion of the Chelsea River 

(previously permitted). Maintenance 

dredging of the navigation channels 

landward of Spectacle Island is needed 

to remove shoals and restore the Federal 

navigation channels to their authorized 

depths. Dredged material suitable for 

unconfined open water disposal will be 

disposed at the Massachusetts Bay 

Disposal Site; material not suitable for 

unconfined open water disposal will be 

disposed in confined aquatic disposal 

(CAD) cell(s) located within the 

navigation channels. Major navigation 

channel improvements (deepening) 

were made in 1999 through 2001 in the 

Reserved Channel, the Mystic River, 

Inner Confluence, and the Chelsea 

River. A Final Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) prepared in June 1995 

for this previous navigation 

improvement project (Boston Harbor 

Navigation Improvement Project—

BHNIP) identified selected use of CAD 

cells in the Mystic River, Inner 

Confluence, and Chelsea River for 

disposal. A Supplemental Draft and 

Final EIS was prepared for this 

maintenance dredging project and built 

on the lessons learned from the previous 

improvement project. A new CAD cell 

for the proposed maintenance project 

will be constructed in the Mystic River 

(previously permitted) and in the Main 

Ship Channel just below the Inner 

Confluence. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Michael Keegan, (978) 318–8087. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers is authorized 

by the various River and Harbor Acts 

and Water Resources Development Acts 

to conduct maintenance dredging of the 

Federal navigation channels and 

anchorage areas in Boston Harbor. 

Alternatives Considered: The National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

requires a discussion of alternatives to 

the project, including the No Action 

Alternative. Since a Supplemental EIS 

was prepared, the preferred alternative 

is evaluated in the context of the 

alternatives addressed in the EIS for the 

navigation improvement project, 

including alternatives to full 

maintenance dredging, dredging 

methods, and disposal options. 

Dredging—The Boston Harbor 

terminal operators, and shipping 

interests were contacted to identify the 

type and size of vessels currently using 

the navigation channels and if they were 

experiencing any delay or impacts 

associated with the navigation project. 

The results of the survey were used to 

determine if maintenance of all or just 

a portion of the currently authorized 

navigation channels in the proposed 

project is required. Based on the results 

of the survey, it was determined that 

shoaling in the Charles River channel 

does not affect any of the current 

operations in that channel and will not 

be dredged. 

Dredging Methods—Various types of 

dredging methods were considered for 

this project including a hydraulic 

dredge, a hopper dredge, and a 


jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES