### 17037 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices

is at risk from hurricanes and winter storms, which regularly erode the shoreline, causing damage to structures
and environmental resources. The proposed Bogue Banks Coastal Storm Damage Reduction (CSDR) Feasibility Study will evaluate several alternatives. These alternatives may include restoration of berms and dunes, with stabilizing vegetation on dunes, removal and/or relocation of structures, and the no-action alternative. The potential project area may be up to 24 miles in length, from Beaufort to Bogue Inlets. The potential benefits from the proposed project include storm damage
reduction to structures and their related infrastructure (i.e., roads, utility lines, etc.), improved aesthetic and recreation opportunities, and improved habitat conditions for endangered species.

The DEIS is being prepared in accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and will address the relationship of the proposed action to other applicable Federal and
State Laws and Executive Orders.

**DATES :**  The earliest the DEIS will be available for public review would be
October 2013.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Questions about the proposed action and DEIS can be answered by Mr. Eric Gasch, Environmental Resources Section; U.S. Army Engineer District, Wilmington; 69 Darlington Avenue, Wilmington, North Carolina 28403; telephone: (910) 251–4553; email: eric.k.gasch@usace.army.mil

.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :** 

1. Previous Notice of Intent (NOI) publication. This notice is a revision of a previously published notice in the Federal Register on February 8, 2002, (67 FR 6015) to prepare a DEIS and is prepared in response to the significant amount of time which has passed since
that NOI.

2. Authority. Studies are being conducted pursuant to a congressional resolution concerning Bogue Banks. Primary study emphasis is directed
toward CSDR measures for the beaches of Bogue Banks. The authorizing
resolution states:

Resolution Adopted July 23, 1998 by the United States House of Representatives:

Resolved by the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the United States House of Representatives, that the Secretary of the Army is requested to review the report of the Chief of Engineers dated November 27, 1984, on Bogue Banks and Bogue Inlet, North Carolina, and other pertinent reports, to determine whether any modifications of the recommendations
contained therein are advisable at the present time in the interest of shore protection and related purposes for Bogue Banks, North Carolina.

3. Significant Issues. Significant
environmental resources to be addressed in the DEIS include, but are not limited to: (1) Endangered and threatened species; (2) Marine and estuarine resources; (3) Upland beach and dune resources; (4) Fish and wildlife and their habitats; (5) Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) and Cape Fear Sandy Shoals; (6) Water and air quality; (7) Socioeconomic resources; (8) Cultural resources; and (9) Hazardous Toxic
Radioactive Waste.

4. Scoping. All private parties and Federal, State, and local agencies having an interest in the study are hereby notified of the study and are invited to comment at this time. A scoping letter requesting input to the study was sent to all known interested parties on December 29, 1999. Considering the duration of time that had past since the initial scoping effort, a second scoping letter will be prepared.

Based on project comments received to date, a scoping meeting will not be needed. However, if significant comments are received in response to this updated NOI and Scoping letter, a scoping meeting will be scheduled. All
comments received as a result of this NOI and the scoping letter will be considered in the preparation of the

DEIS.

5. Alternatives. The alternatives for this project will include the no action, and others currently being evaluated.

6. Cooperating Agencies. The Corps is the lead agency for this project. Cooperating agency status has been
initiated with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management since the offshore limits of the proposed borrow area
extend into the Outer Continental Shelf.

Steven A. Baker, Colonel, U.S. Army District Commander.

[FR Doc. 2012–7039 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3720–58–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE**

**Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers** 

**Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for**  **the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)— Louisiana, Mississippi River**  **Hydrodynamic and Delta Management 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) intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA)—Louisiana, Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and Delta Management restoration study. This study will identify and evaluate a combination of large-scale management and restoration features to address the long-term sustainability of the lower Mississippi River Deltaic Plain. Hydrodynamic
models and other forecast methods will be used to determine existing water and sediment resources in the Mississippi
River available to restore and sustain delta growth in the Mississippi River Delta and assess benefits and impacts of large-scale strategies that balance the interests of ecosystem restoration, flood risk reduction, and navigation. This EIS will be tiered off of the November 2004, programmatic EIS for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA), Louisiana, Ecosystem Restoration Study (LCA Study). The record of decision for the programmatic EIS was signed on November 18, 2005. This notice
announces the USACE’s intent to host six (6) public scoping meetings.

**DATES :**  Comments on the scope of the EIS will be accepted until close of business on May 4, 2012. Please refer to the ‘‘Scoping’’ section below for instructions on how to submit public comments, the dates of the upcoming public scoping meetings and other meeting information.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Questions concerning the draft EIS and scoping comments should be addressed to Dr. William P. Klein, Jr., CEMVN– PDN–CEP, P.O. Box 60267, New Orleans, LA 70160–0267; telephone: (504) 862–2540; fax: (504) 862–1583; or by email: william.p.klein.jr@usace.army.mil

.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :** 

1. Authority. The Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and Delta ManagementStudy, identified as a large-scale, longterm restoration feature recommended for study in the 2004 LCA Study, is
authorized to be studied under Section
7003 of the Water Resource Development Act (WRDA) 2007 (Pub. L. 110–114), as well as resolutions of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate Committees on Public Works, dated April 19, 1967 and October 19, 1967, respectively.

2. Proposed Action. The Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and DeltaManagement Study is the first largescale, long-term restoration assessment investigated under the LCA Program. Ecosystem restoration features that increase the deposition of Mississippi


### 17038 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 57 / Friday, March 23, 2012 / Notices

River sediment in shallow coastal areas and restore delta growth and wetland sustainability will be identified and evaluated. A series of hydrodynamic
models will be used to evaluate Mississippi River sediment and water resources including: Hydraulics and the relationship of flow conditions to sediment transport, salinity intrusion, the flux of key nutrients, deposition and erosion, and the net results of these processes in river channel and distributary morphology over more than 300 miles of the river (Old River to the Gulf of Mexico). These models will be used for this study and future LCAProgram studies and projects. Largescale river diversions and outfall management measures that optimize the
river sediment and freshwater resources to provide long-term restoration and sustainability of the Delta Plain, including the sediment-starved barrier shorelines, will be considered. Possible navigation alternative scenarios could include consideration of new navigation
channels to the east or west of the current Mississippi River alignment. Navigation channel analysis would be limited to preliminary screening as any navigation channel re-alignment scenarios would require, at a minimum, re-scoping the present study.

The Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and Delta Management Study will evaluate potential benefits and impacts
to both the natural and human environments. This study will provide methods for quantifying effects and developing large-scale management strategies and projects that balance the interests of ecosystem restoration, flood control, and navigation purposes for
Louisiana and the Nation.

3. Public Involvement. Public involvement, an essential part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 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 EIS process will be strongly encouraged, both formally and informally, to enhance the probability of a more technically accurate, economically feasible, and socially acceptable 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; public and scoping notices and meetings; public, stakeholder and advisory groups consultation and meetings; and making the EIS and supporting information readily available in conveniently located places, such as
libraries and on the world wide web.

4. Scoping. Scoping, an early and open process for identifying the scope of significant issues related to the proposed action to be addressed in the EIS, will be used to: (a) Identify the affected public and agency concerns; (b) facilitate an efficient EIS preparation process; (c) define the issues and
alternatives that will be examined in detail in the EIS; and (d) save time in the overall process by helping to ensure that the draft EIS adequately addresses
relevant issues. The USACE will host six (6) NEPA public scoping meetings at the following locations on the dates indicated between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.:

Tuesday, April 10, 2012: Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, LaBelle Room-1st Floor, 617 North 3rd Street Baton Rouge, LA.

Thursday, April 12, 2012: Port of New Orleans, Auditorium 1st Floor, 1350
Port Of New Orleans Place New Orleans, LA.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012: Larose Civic Center, 307 East 5th Street, Cuttoff, LA.

Thursday, April 19, 2012: Boothville Elementary, #1 Oiler Drive Boothville,

LA.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012: Waveland Civic Center, 335 Coleman Avenue Waveland, MS.

Thursday, April 26, 2012: St. Bernard Parish Council Chambers, 8201 W. Judge Perez Drive Chalmette, LA.

A Scoping Meeting Notice announcing the specific locations, driving directions, dates and times for scoping meetings is anticipated to be mailed to interested parties in March

2012.

5. 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 Rivers.

6. Availability of Draft EIS. The
earliest that the draft EIS will be available for public review would be in
2016. The draft EIS or a notice of availability will be distributed to affected Federal, state, and local agencies, Indian tribes, and other interested parties.

Dated: March 13, 2012. Edward R. Fleming, Colonel, U.S. Army, District Commander.

[FR Doc. 2012–7038 Filed 3–22–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3720–58–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE**

**Department of the Navy**

**Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/**  **Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for Military Readiness**  **Activities in the Northwest Training and Testing Study Area and To**  **Announce Public Scoping Meetings;**
**Correction**

**AGENCY :**  Department of Navy, DoD.

**ACTION :**  Notice; correction.

**SUMMARY :**  The Department of the Navy published a document in the Federal Register (77 FR 11497) on February 27, 2012, concerning public scoping meetings to support the development of an Environmental Impact Statement/ Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for the Northwest Training and Testing Study Area. The document contained an incorrect comment period closing date.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Ms. Kimberly Kler, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale,