52698 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 196 / Thursday, October 9, 1997 / Notices

COMMENT PERIOD: The comment period

for this DSEIS ends 45 days after the

date of publication of the Environmental

Protection Agency’s Notice of

Availability in the Federal Register.

Two public meetings have been

conducted in Hattiesburg, Mississippi,

concerning the proposed action. An

additional public hearing will be held

during the 45-day comment period. All

comments will be addressed and

incorporated into the final document.

Comments should be forwarded to the

address listed below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Colonel Parker Hills, Public Affairs

Office, Mississippi Army National

Guard, P.O. Box 5027, Jackson,

Mississippi 39296–5027; telephone (601

973–6349, facsimile extension 6176.

Dated: October 2, 1997.

Raymond J. Fatz,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army

(Environment, Safety and Occupational

Health, OASA (I, L&E).

[FR Doc. 97–26868 Filed 10–8–97; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Board of Visitors, United States

Military Academy

AGENCY: U.S. Military Academy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of open meeting.

SUMMARY: In accordance with section

10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory

Committee Act (Pub. L. 92–463),

announcement is made of the following

meeting:

Name of Committee: Board of

Visitors, United States Military

Academy (USMA).

Date of Meeting: October 31, 1997.

Place of Meeting: Superintendent’s

Conference Room, Taylor Hall, United

States Military Academy, West Point,

New York.

Start Time of Meeting: Approximately

8 a.m.

Proposed Agenda: Preparation of the

Annual Report to the President, Annual

Reviews of the Athletic and Admissions

programs at USMA and a program

review of the United States Military

Academy Preparatory School. All

proceedings are open.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Lieutenant Colonel Joseph A. Dubyel,

United States Military Academy, West

Point, NY 10996–5000, (914) 938–4200.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: None.

Gregory D. Showalter,

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–26799 Filed 10–8–97; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Corps of Engineers

Public Notice of Availability of the

Draft Supplemental Environmental

Impact Statement for the Limited

Reevaluation Study for Deepening of

the Arthur Kill-Howland Hook Marine

Terminal Navigation Channels

AGENCY: Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: A Draft Supplemental

Environmental Impact Statement

(DSEIS) for the Arthur Kill-Howland

Hook Marine Terminal Navigation

Channel Deepening Project was

prepared and the project was authorized

for construction in section 202(b) of the

WRDA 1986, Pub. L. 99–662. The

limited reevaluation effort recommends

deepening and realigning the previously

authorized 35 ft below mlw project in

the Arthur Kill Channel, to the 41/40-ft

plan. This plan entails the realignment

and deepening to a depth of 41 ft below

mlw from its confluence with the

Newark Bay and Kill Van Kull Channels

to the Howland Hook Marine Terminal;

realigning and deepening to a depth of

40 ft mlw from the Howland Hook

Marine Terminal to the Tosco Oil and

GATX facilities.

The 41/40-ft plan would meet the

current navigational needs of the project

area by improving navigational

efficiency and safety. Proposed

improvements would allow deep draft

vessels (current vessel designs) to safely

navigate the channel, while remaining

fully loaded, thus avoiding the need for

lightering or steaming under partial

loads.

The proposed project plans were

analyzed in the 1986 Feasibility Report,

which included the Final

Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)

(USACE 1986 a,b). These documents are

available in the District office for

review. This document is a Draft

Supplemental Environmental Impact

Statement (DSEIS) for the deepening

and realignment of the Arthur Kill

Channel—Howland Hook Marine

Terminal, and part of the Limited

Reevaluation Report (LRR). The DSEIS

examines improvements to navigation

and the shipment of cargo to petroleum

refineries/storage facilities and marine

container terminals located along the

project navigation channel, and

addresses the economic, social, and

environmental issues related to the

proposed project. The purpose of this

DSEIS is to update the 1986 FEIS and

evaluate the changes in conditions in

the project area to determine if there are

significant new issues or information

relevant to environmental concerns and

bearing on the proposed action or its

impacts.

Potential impacts, including indirect

and cumulative impacts, were evaluated

for the proposed action and the other

action alternatives. The analysis

indicates that short-term adverse

environmental impacts, such as benthic

habitat disruption, would be balanced

by beneficial impacts, such as

revitalization of the maritime industry

and permanent removal of contaminated

material from the aquatic ecosystem.

The DSEIS has been prepared under

the direction of the USACE, as Lead

Agency in accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of

1969 and is submitted in compliance

with NEPA and USACE regulations. The

USACE is lead Federal agency

responsible for preparation of the DSEIS

because the project involves

improvements and/or modifications to

Federal navigation channels. Comments

will be accepted for forty-five (45) days

after publishing of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

ATTN: Ms. Jenine Gallo-EIS

Coordinator, CENAN–PL–EA, Corps of

Engineers, New York District, 26

Federal Plaza, NY, NY 10278–0090, Tel.

212–264–4549.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Project Site Description

The Arthur Kill is an estuarine tidal

strait that connects Raritan Bay to the

south with Newark Bay to the north.

The Arthur Kill separates Richmond

County, Staten Island, New York from

Union County and Middlesex County,

New Jersey. The Arthur Kill is

approximately 13 miles long and varies

in width from approximately 800 to

2800 ft. The total surface water area is

approximately 4.4 square miles.

The system receives freshwater flow

from the Hackensack and Passaic rivers,

which discharge into Newark Bay, and

the Elizabeth and Rahway rivers and

numerous smaller streams and

tributaries, which drain adjacent upland

areas. Tributaries located within the

study area include Old Place Creek and

Bridge Creek in Staten Island, and

Morses Creek and the Elizabeth River in

New Jersey.