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[Federal Register: September 15, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 178)]
[Notices]               
[Page 56080-56082]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15se10-54]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Corps of Engineers

 
Intent To Prepare a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (PEIS) for the Development of a Multi-Decadal Shoreline 
Protection Plan, Known as the Bogue Banks Beach Master Nourishment Plan 
(Master Plan), for the 25-Mile Ocean Shoreline of Bogue Banks in 
Carteret County, NC

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Wilmington District, 
Wilmington Regulatory Field Office has received a request for 
Department of the Army authorization, pursuant to Section 404 of the 
Clean Water Act and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbor Act, from 
Carteret County to develop and implement, under an inter-local 
agreement between the towns on Bogue Banks barrier island, a multi-
decadal Master Plan that would provide ocean shoreline protection to 
approximately 25 miles of beach over a minimum period of 30 years.

DATES: A public scoping meeting for the Draft PEIS will be held at 
Crystal Coast Civic Center near the Carteret County Community College, 
located at 3505 Arendell Street in Morehead City, on September 30, 2010 
at 6 p.m. Written comments will be received until October 15, 2010.

[[Page 56081]]

ADDRESSES: Copies of comments and questions regarding scoping of the 
Draft PEIS may be submitted to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
Wilmington District, Regulatory Division. Attn: File Number 2009-0293, 
69 Darlington Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28403.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions about the proposed action 
and Draft PEIS can be directed to Mr. Mickey Sugg, Project Manager, 
Wilmington Regulatory Field Office, telephone: (910) 251-4811.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 1. Project Description. As a result of 
significant hurricane activity in the 1990's, the County and many of 
the municipalities on Bogue Banks have implemented several interim 
beach nourishment activities in order to curb ocean shoreline erosion 
and to help improve protection against future storms. For the past 10 
years, the County has been in a cost share agreement with the USACE, 
currently in the Reconnaissance Study phase, to conduct a federal 50-
year Shore Protection Project for Bogue Banks to help sustain the 
island long term. However, with the uncertainties of the federal long-
term plan, the County and the beach municipalities have determined the 
need to reevaluate their long-term beach nourishment solutions for 
Bogue Banks. The development of the Master Plan will involve review all 
of the previous nourishment efforts and current plans and formulation 
of a multi-decadal all inclusive nourishment plan for the entire 
barrier island of Bogue Banks.
    The Master Plan and PEIS will include a comprehensive review of 
present-day beach conditions, a review of Carteret County's and the 
USACE's previous beach nourishment/beneficial use projects, and the 
development of a multi-decadal plan based on volumetric/beach elevation 
thresholds for Fort Macon/Atlantic Beach, Pine Knoll Shores, Indian 
Beach/Salter Path, and Emerald Isle. The Master Plan will address all 
anticipated beach nourishment/maintenance activities including but not 
limited to; Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) dredging with 
concurrent beach disposal, beneficial use dredging projects/
opportunities, FEMA reimbursement projects, and other potential sand 
placement or beach maintenance activities (beach bulldozing, etc.). 
Potential sand source locations to be evaluated in the Draft PEIS could 
include the Ocean Dredged Material Disposal Site (ODMDS) located 
offshore of Beaufort Inlet, the USACE nearshore placement area, Bogue 
Inlet, AIWW reaches, preliminary USACE offshore borrow locations, 
previously permitted Carteret County offshore borrow locations, and 
upland sources. The Master Plan will: (a) Establish acceptable ranges 
of in-situ beach volumes and elevations, (b) establish beach volumetric 
and elevation triggers for nourishment events, (c) continue a basis for 
FEMA reimbursement qualifications, (d) conform to the North Carolina 
Division of Coastal Management's (NCDCM) rules for static vegetation 
line exceptions, and (e) establish a programmatic approach facilitating 
the authorization and scheduling of Bogue Banks' nourishment/
maintenance events.
    Natural resource studies and investigations which may be conducted 
in support of the plan formulation include: (1) Identification and 
biological characterization of estuarine habitat types (salt marsh, 
shellfish, submerged aquatic vegetation) in a defined project area 
using aerial mapping and/or groundtruth investigations; (2) pre-project 
monitoring of, and/or use of existing data, on threatened and 
endangered species and their associated habitats as determined through 
coordination with project stakeholders; (3) development and/or 
implementation of project monitoring and mitigation plans based on the 
project impact assessment, and 4) the development of a cumulative 
impact assessment.
    2. Issues. There are several potential environmental issues that 
will be addressed in the PEIS. Additional issues may be identified 
during the scoping process. Issues initially identified as potentially 
significant include:
    a. Potential impacts to marine biological resources (benthic 
organisms, passageway for fish and other marine life) and Essential 
Fish Habitat.
    b. Potential impacts to threatened and endangered marine mammals, 
birds, fish, and plants.
    c. Potential impacts associated with using inlets as a sand source.
    d. Potential impacts to public lands, such as adjacent State Parks 
(Hammocks Beach and Forth Macon) and Federal lands (Cape Lookout 
National Seashore).
    e. Potential impacts to Navigation, commercial and recreational.
    f. Potential impacts to the long-term management.
    g. Potential effects on regional sand sources and how it relates to 
sand management practices.
    h. Potential effects of shoreline protection.
    i. Potential impacts on public health and safety.
    k. Potential impacts to recreational and commercial fishing.
    l. The compatibility of the material for nourishment.
    m. Potential impacts to cultural resources.
    n. Cumulative impacts of past, present, and foreseeable future 
dredging and nourishment activities.
    3. Alternatives. Several alternatives and sand sources are being 
considered for the development of the management plan. These 
alternatives will be further formulated and developed during the 
scoping process and an appropriate range of alternatives, including the 
no federal action alternative, will be considered in the PEIS.
    4. Scoping Process. A public scoping meeting (see DATES) will be 
held to receive public comment and assess public concerns regarding the 
appropriate scope and preparation of the Draft PEIS. Participation in 
the public meeting by federal, state, and local agencies and other 
interested organizations and persons is encouraged.
    The USACE will consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
under the Endangered Species Act and the Fish and Wildlife Coordination 
Act; with the National Marine Fisheries Service under the Magnuson-
Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the Endangered 
Species Act; and with the North Carolina State Historic Preservation 
Office under the National Historic Preservation Act. The USACE will 
also coordinate with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation 
and Enforcement, formerly known as Minerals Management Service (MMS), 
to ensure the plan complies with the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 
(OCSLA). Additionally, the USACE will coordinate the PEIS with the 
North Carolina Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ) to assess the 
potential water quality impacts pursuant to Section 401 of the Clean 
Water Act, and with the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management 
(NCDCM) to determine the projects consistency with the Coastal Zone 
Management Act. The USACE will closely work with NCDCM and NCDWQ in the 
development of the PEIS to ensure the process complies with all State 
Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) requirements. It is the intention of 
both the USACE and the State of North Carolina to consolidate the NEPA 
and SEPA processes thereby eliminating duplication.
    6. Availability of the Draft PEIS. The Draft PEIS is expected to be 
published and circulated by August 2011. A public hearing may be held 
after the publication of the Draft PEIS.

[[Page 56082]]

    Dated: September 3, 2010.
S. Kenneth Jolly,
Chief, Regulatory Division.
[FR Doc. 2010-22708 Filed 9-14-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
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