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[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 6, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19122-19123]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-8151]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement

Record of Decision (ROD) for Authorizing the Use of Outer 
Continental Shelf (OCS) Sand Resources in National Aeronautics and 
Space Administration's Wallops Flight Facility Shoreline Restoration 
and Infrastructure Protection Program

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement 
(BOEMRE), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Record of Decision.

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SUMMARY: BOEMRE has issued a ROD to authorize the use of OCS sand 
resources in National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) 
Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure 
Protection Program (SRIPP). The ROD documents the Bureau's decision in 
selecting the Preferred Alternative described in NASA's Final 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the WFF SRIPP 
(October 2010). BOEMRE will enter into a negotiated agreement with NASA 
for the purpose of making sand available from a shoal on the OCS for 
placement on the beach in support of the WFF SRIPP's initial beach 
fill, following the mandated 30-day wait period from the date of the 
issuance of the ROD. BOEMRE is announcing the availability of this ROD, 
in accordance with the regulations implementing the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Associate Director for Offshore 
Energy and Minerals Management in BOEMRE signed the ROD on March 2, 
2011.

    Authority: This NOA of the ROD is published pursuant to the 
regulations (40 CFR 1506.6) implementing the provisions of the NEPA 
of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Description of NASA's WFF SRIPP and BOEMRE's Connected Action

    NASA has proposed the SRIPP to reduce the potential for damage to, 
or loss of, NASA, U.S. Navy, and Commonwealth of Virginia assets on 
Wallops Island from storm-induced

[[Page 19123]]

wave impacts and coastal erosion. Under the SRIPP, NASA will extend an 
existing seawall and implement an initial beach fill in late 2011 with 
re-nourishment projects about every 5 years. The goal of SRIPP is to 
provide long-term protection of essential assets, including facilities 
and infrastructure on the WFF (such as rocket launch pads, runways, and 
launch control centers) valued at over $1 billion. The purpose of 
BOEMRE's connected action is to respond to a request for use of OCS 
sand in the initial beach fill, under the authority granted to the 
Department of the Interior by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(OCSLA) (43 U.S.C. 1337(k)(2)). Under OCSLA, BOEMRE can convey, on a 
noncompetitive basis, the rights to use OCS sand, gravel, or shell 
resources for use in a program for shoreline protection or beach 
restoration undertaken by a Federal, State, or local government agency 
(43 U.S.C. 1337(k)(2)). The Proposed Action is necessary because BOEMRE 
has a directive to authorize the use of OCS sand resources for the 
purpose of shore protection and beach restoration. The Secretary of the 
Interior delegated the authority granted in the OCSLA to BOEMRE.

Record of Decision

    BOEMRE's decision is supported by the comprehensive analysis 
presented in NASA's Final PEIS, which was published in October 2010. 
NASA published their ROD in December 2010. BOEMRE and the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers (USACE) served as cooperating agencies in preparing 
the PEIS. Due to the specialized expertise of the USACE, USACE is 
acting as a technical partner for NASA.
    The PEIS assessed the physical, biological, and social/human 
impacts of the proposed project and considered a wide range of 
structural and non-structural alternatives, including a no-action 
alternative, as well as impacts from proposed mitigation. The PEIS was 
developed cooperatively to fulfill all three Federal agencies' 
obligations under NEPA and the environmental impacts of their connected 
actions were encompassed in the analysis. As NASA is the lead agency 
and BOEMRE is a cooperating agency for the proposed action, BOEMRE 
independently reviewed and adopted the PEIS prepared by NASA (43 CFR 
46.120).
    The ROD summarizes the alternatives considered by BOEMRE, the 
decision BOEMRE made, the basis for the decision, the environmentally 
preferred alternative, required mitigation measures, and the process 
NASA, as the lead Federal agency, and the USACE and BOEMRE as 
cooperating agencies, undertook to involve the public and other Federal 
and State agencies. The decision identifies and adopts mitigation 
measures and monitoring requirements enforceable by BOEMRE and deemed 
practicable to avoid or minimize the environmental harm that could 
result from the project. In NASA's ROD, NASA and USACE committed to 
implement the mitigation measures and monitoring requirements also 
identified in BOEMRE's ROD. This action is taken with the understanding 
that any proposed use of OCS sand in future beach re-nourishment 
activities by NASA will require a new negotiated agreement and an 
updated environmental analysis.

Availability of the ROD

    To obtain a printed copy of the ROD, you may contact BOEMRE, 
Environmental Division (MS 4042), 381 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia 
20170. An electronic copy of the ROD is available at BOEMRE's Web site 
at: [http://www.boemre.gov/sandandgravel/MarineMineralProjects.htm].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James F. Bennett, Bureau of Ocean 
Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, Environmental Division, 
381 Elden Street, MS 4042, Herndon, Virginia 20170, (703) 787-1660, 
jfbennett@boemre.gov.

    Dated: March 10, 2011.
Robert P. LaBelle,
Acting Associate Director for Offshore, Energy and Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 2011-8151 Filed 4-5-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
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