Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 77 / Friday, April 20, 2012 / Notices 23669 

DATES: Questions or written comments 

about the proposed action and DEIS 

should be provided by May 21, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to Mr. 

Charles W. Seyle, US Army Corps of 

Engineers, Savannah District, ATTN: 

PD, Post Office Box 889, Savannah, GA 

31402 or email: CESASPD.SAS@usace.army.mil. This Notice of 

Intent will be available on the internet 

at: http://www.sas.usace.army.mil/. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Charles W. Seyle at 912–652–6017. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background. The AIWW between 

Savannah, Georgia, and Fernandina, 

Florida, was initially authorized by the 

Congress in 1882. The River and Harbor 

Act of 1937 provided for a 7-foot 

protected route around St. Andrew 

Sound, Georgia, and for a 12-foot 

channel between Beaufort, South 

Carolina and Savannah, Georgia. In 

1938, a 12-foot channel was authorized 

between Savannah and Fernandina, 

Florida. The widths of the AIWW were 

to be 90 feet in land cuts and 150 feet 

in open waters. In addition to providing 

for the 12-foot channel between 

Beaufort and Fernandina, Congress 

imposed upon local interests the 

responsibility to furnish all lands or 

easements necessary for the 7-foot St. 

Andrews Sound channel and all 

necessary rights-of-way and dredged 

sediment disposal areas for new work 

and subsequent maintenance of the 12- 

foot channel between Beaufort and 

Fernandina. Work on the 12-foot 

channel between Beaufort and 

Fernandina was completed in 1941. 

Savannah District, US Army Corps of 

Engineers records provide historical 

dredging information between 1942 and 

2011. These records show that many of 

the 36 defined AIWW reaches from Port 

Royal Sound, South Carolina, and the 

Georgia-Florida border are naturally 

12 feet deep or deeper and have not 

required dredging since construction of 

the waterway in the 1940s. Twenty of 

the reaches require periodic dredging, 

and of these, five require dredging every 

1 to 5 years. The southernmost Georgia 

reach is located near the U.S. Naval 

Submarine Base at Kings Bay, Georgia, 

and the Navy is responsible for 

maintaining this reach. Consequently, 

no Corps action will be analyzed in the 

DEIS for that reach. 

During previous dredging events 

along several reaches of the AIWW, 

dredged material that was primarily 

fine-grained silt was pumped onto 

unconfined saltmarsh disposal sites or 

into existing confined saltmarsh 

disposal sites. Material that was 

primarily coarse-grained sand was 

deposited in approved open-water 

disposal areas. State natural resource 

agencies have requested that the Corps 

discontinue placement of fine-grained 

dredged material on unconfined 

saltmarsh sites. The proposed DEIS 

would examine unconfined sediment 

placement on saltmarsh sites and 

identify locations where it would no 

longer be used and where its use may 

still be the least damaging practicable 

disposal method. The DMMP proposes 

to use a combination of new and 

existing disposal sites, open-water 

placement of sandy dredged material, 

and ODMDS for disposal of AIWW 

dredged material over the next 20 years. 

The DEIS will examine a wide range 

of environmental resource areas 

including, but not limited to, air quality, 

traffic, noise, biological resources, 

cultural resources, socio-economic 

resources, wetlands, land use, 

hazardous and toxic substances, and 

cumulative environmental effects. 

Significant issues to be analyzed in 

the DEIS will include potential impacts 

to water quality, marine and estuarine 

resources, wetlands, endangered 

species, cultural resources, commercial 

maritime interests, and recreational 

boating. Additional resources and 

conditions may be identified as a result 

of the scoping process initiated by this 

Notice of Intent (NOI). 

All reasonable alternatives will be 

analyzed in the DEIS. The range of 

alternatives will include, but are not 

limited to: 

• No Action (status quo); 

• Use existing confined dredged 

material containment areas; 

• Use existing Ocean Dredged 

Material Disposal Sites; 

• Establish new Ocean Dredged 

Material Disposal Sites; 

• Construct new confined dredged 

material containment areas. 

The DMMP will identify disposal 

alternatives for several of the critical 

reaches and the impacts of each of these 

alternatives will be analyzed in the 

DEIS. As a result of information 

developed during the DEIS scoping 

process, other alternatives may be 

considered. The DEIS will analyze each 

alternative’s impact on the natural and 

cultural environments along the AIWW 

and the surrounding area. Mitigation 

measures to avoid or reduce 

environmental impacts will also be 

considered in the DEIS. The DEIS is 

presently scheduled for release in 

Summer 2012. However, this date may 

change. Notification of the availability 

of the document will be published in 

the Federal Register and local 

newspapers. 

Scoping Process: The Corps of 

Engineers invites tribal, federal, state 

and local agencies and the public to 

participate in the scoping process for 

preparation of the DEIS. The scoping 

process will help identify additional 

reasonable alternatives, potential 

environmental impacts, and key issues 

of concern to be analyzed in the DEIS. 

Dated: April 13, 2012. 

William G. Bailey, 

Chief, Planning Division, Savannah District, 

US Army Corps of Engineers. 

[FR Doc. 2012–9578 Filed 4–19–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3730–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Public Hearing and Notice of 

Availability for the Draft Environmental 

Impact Statement for the Proposed 

Widening of the Pascagoula Lower 

Sound/Bayou Casotte Channel, 

Jackson County, MS 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DOD. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: On April 6, 2011, the Jackson 

County Port Authority (JCPA) submitted 

an application to the U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers (Corps), Mobile District, 

Mississippi Department of 

Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the 

Mississippi Department of Marine 

Resources (MDMR) for authorization to 

impact wetlands and other waters of the 

United States associated with the 

proposed widening of the Pascagoula 

Lower Sound/Bayou Casotte Channel 

(the proposed project). The proposed 

project is located in the Pascagoula 

Lower Sound/Bayou Casotte, 

Pascagoula, Jackson County, Mississippi 

(Latitude 30.365° North, Longitude 

88.556° West). The Corps prepared a 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement 

(DEIS) to assess the potential 

environmental impacts associated with 

the proposed project. The proposed 

project is the dredging of approximately 

38,200 feet (7.2 miles) of the existing 

Pascagoula Lower Sound/Bayou Casotte 

Channel segment to widen the channel 

from the Federally authorized width of 

350 feet and depth of ¥42 feet mean 

lower low water (MLLW) (with 2 feet of 

allowable over-depth and 2 feet of 

advanced maintenance) to a width of 

450 feet, parallel to the existing channel 

centerline and to the existing Federally 

authorized depth of ¥42 feet MLLW. 

The proposed project would include the 

placement of approximately 3.35 


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23670 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 77 / Friday, April 20, 2012 / Notices 

million cubic yards of dredged material 

resulting from the channel modification. 

DATES: The Corps will hold a public 

hearing to receive comments on the 

DEIS. The public hearing will be held 

May 10, 2012, 6 p.m., Grand Magnolia 

Ballroom, 3604 Magnolia Street, 

Pascagoula, Mississippi. 

Written comments on the DEIS must 

be received no later than May 29, 2012. 

Additional Information on how to 

submit comments is included in the 

(SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION) section. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Written and emailed comments to the 

Corps will be received until May 29, 

2012. Correspondence concerning this 

Public Hearing should refer to Public 

Notice Number SAM–2011–00389–PAH 

and should be directed to the U.S. Army 

Engineer District, RD–C–M Attention: 

Mr. Philip Hegji, Post Office Box 2288, 

Mobile, Alabama 36628–0001, via email 

at philip.a.hegji@usace.army.mil or by 

phone at (251) 690–3222. We encourage 

any additional comments from 

interested public, agencies and local 

officials. For additional information 

about our Regulatory Program, please 

visit our web site at: 

www.sam.usace.army.mil/rd/reg/. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Availability of the Draft EIS: The DEIS 

will be made available to the public 

April 13, 2012. The public hearing will 

be held May 10, 2012, during the 45-day 

public comment period for the DEIS. 

On April 6, 2011, the Jackson County 

Port Authority (JCPA) submitted an 

application to the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (Corps), Mobile District, 

Mississippi Department of 

Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and the 

Mississippi Department of Marine 

Resources (MDMR) for authorization to 

impact wetlands and other waters of the 

United States associated with the 

proposed widening of the Pascagoula 

Lower Sound/Bayou Casotte Channel 

(the proposed project), Jackson County. 

The proposed project is located in the 

Pascagoula Lower Sound/Bayou Casotte, 

Pascagoula, Jackson County, Mississippi 

(Latitude 30.365° North, Longitude 

88.556° West). 

The Corps prepared a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) 

to assess the potential environmental 

impacts associated with the proposed 

project. The proposed project is the 

dredging of approximately 38,200 feet 

(7.2 miles) of the existing Pascagoula 

Lower Sound/Bayou Casotte Channel 

segment to widen the channel from the 

Federally authorized width of 350 feet 

and depth of ¥42 feet mean lower low 

water (MLLW) (with 2 feet of allowable 

over-depth and 2 feet of advanced 

maintenance) to a width of 450 feet, 

parallel to the existing channel 

centerline and to the existing Federally 

authorized depth of ¥42 feet MLLW. 

The proposed project would include the 

placement of approximately 3.35 

million cubic yards of dredged material 

resulting from the channel modification. 

The JCPA requested a Department of 

the Army (DOA) permit pursuant to 

Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act 

of 1899, Section 103 of the Marine 

Protection, Research and Sanctuaries 

Act and Section 404 of the Clean Water 

Act, including a Section 404(b)(1) 

analysis to help ensure compliance. The 

Corps is the lead Federal agency for the 

preparation of this DEIS in compliance 

with the requirements of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and 

the President’s Council on 

Environmental Quality regulations for 

implementing NEPA. The National 

Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. 

Coast Guard are cooperating agencies for 

the preparation of the EIS. This 

application was advertised by 30-day 

Public Notice April 15, 2011. 

On April 13, 2012, a copy of the DEIS 

will be available for public review. The 

DEIS is available to the public at: 

www.sam.usace.army.mil/rd/reg. 

Hardcopies of the DEIS are available 

upon request from Mr. Philip A. Hegji, 

Corps Project Manager (contact 

information below). This document is 

being circulated to resource agencies 

and interested members of the public for 

a 45-day comment period ending May 

29, 2012. 

A public hearing will be held at 

7 p.m. Thursday, May 10, 2012, at the 

Grand Magnolia Ballroom at 3604 

Magnolia Street, Pascagoula, 

Mississippi. The public hearing will be 

held to provide information about the 

proposed project and to receive public 

input and comments on the DEIS. The 

Corps invites full public participation to 

promote open communication on the 

issues surrounding the DEIS. In 

addition, participation by Federal, State, 

local agencies and other interested 

organizations is encouraged. Both oral 

and written statements will be accepted 

at the hearing. An informal open house 

will be held from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. in 

the Grand Magnolia Ballroom to allow 

the public the opportunity to become 

familiar with the proposed project prior 

to the start of the formal hearing. 

Displays of the proposed project and 

associated impacts will be available. 

Representatives from the JCPA will be 

present to answer questions concerning 

the project and Corps representatives 

will be available to answer questions 

concerning the Corps regulatory 

process. 

The public hearing will be conducted 

in English. Those in need of language 

interpreters should contact the Corps’ 

Public Involvement consultant, Crouch 

Environmental Services at (713) 868– 

1043, by Thursday, May 3, 2012. 

Any comments received at the hearing 

will be considered by the Corps to 

determine whether to issue, modify, 

condition or deny a permit for this 

proposed project. All comments will be 

considered in the final EIS pursuant to 

NEPA. Comments are also used to help 

determine the overall public interest of 

the proposed project. All comments 

must be received or postmarked by May 

29, 2012 (19 days following the public 

hearing). 

Dated: April 5, 2012. 

Cindy J. House-Pearson, 

Chief, Regulatory Division. 

[FR Doc. 2012–9627 Filed 4–19–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3720–58–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement/Environmental 

Impact Report for the Encinitas and 

Solana Beach Shoreline Protection 

Project, San Diego County, CA 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DOD. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: The Los Angeles District 

intends to prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement/Environmental 

Impact Report (EIS/EIR) to support a 

cost-shared feasibility study with the 

Cities of Encinitas and Solana Beach, 

CA, for shoreline protection along the 

coastline of these two cities. The 

purpose of the feasibility study is to 

evaluate alternatives for reducing 

shoreline erosion. The EIS/EIR will 

analyze potential impacts of the 

recommended plan and a range of 

alternatives for shoreline protection. 

Alternatives will include both structural 

and non-structural measures. 

ADDRESSES: You may also submit your 

concerns in writing to the city or the Los 

Angeles District at the address below. 

Comments, suggestions, and requests to 

be placed on the mailing list for 

announcements should be sent to Larry 

Smith, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 

Los Angeles District, P.O. Box 532711, 

Los Angeles, CA 90053–2325, or email 

to lawrence.j.smith@usace.army.mil. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information contact Mr. Larry 

Smith, Project Environmental 


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