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[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 166 (Friday, August 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53422-53423]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21894]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers

Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision on the Final 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Mechanical and 
Artificial Creation and Maintenance of Emergent Sandbar Habitat in the 
Riverine Segments of the Upper Missouri River, Missouri River Basin, 
United States

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

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The District Commander of the Omaha District U.S. Army Corps 
of Engineers (Corps) has reviewed the ``Final Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the Mechanical and Artificial 
Creation and Maintenance of Emergent Sandbar Habitat (ESH) on the 
Riverine Segments of the Upper Missouri River'' and has made the 
decision to proceed with the implementation of an Adaptive Management 
Implementation Process (AMIP) (preferred alternative) with a 
construction ceiling of acres associated with Alternative 3.5. Specific 
details of the decision are captured in the Record of Decision (ROD) 
for this action. The ROD explains that the Corps will create and 
maintain ESH acres in the Fort Peck, Garrison, Fort Randall and Gavins 
Point River Segments, and the Lewis and Clark Lake Segment for the 
benefit of the Interior Population of the least tern (least tern) and 
the northern Great Plains piping plover (piping plover). The maximum 
potential acres of ESH to be created is approximately 4,370 acres 
total, with the following estimated maximum acres by reach:
     Fort Peck River, 565.
     Garrison River, 1,327.
     Fort Randall River, 212.
     Lewis & Clark Lake, 354.
     Gavins Point River, 1,913.
    The AMIP alternative best supports the needs of the birds while 
providing flexibility in program implementation that will help minimize 
environmental impacts as well as costs.

ADDRESSES: Questions or comments on the ROD should be sent to: 
Department of the Army; Corps of Engineers, Omaha District; CENWO-PM-
AC; ATTN: Emergent Sandbar Habitat Programmatic EIS; 1616 Capitol 
Avenue; Omaha, NE 68102-4901, or e-mailed to: 
Cynthia.s.upah@usace.army.mil.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Cynthia Upah, Project Manager, by 
telephone: (402) 995-2672, by mail: 1616 Capitol Avenue, Omaha, NE 
68102-4901, or by e-mail: Cynthia.s.upah@usace.army.mil. For inquires 
from the media, please contact the USACE Omaha District Public Affairs 
Officer (PAO), Ms. Monique Farmer by telephone: (402) 995-2416, by 
mail: 1616 Capitol Avenue, Omaha, NE 68102, or by e-mail: 
Monique.l.farmer@usace.army.mil.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. Background. The ESH program resulted from a Biological Opinion 
(BiOp) issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in which 
the Reasonable and Prudent Alternative (RPA) IV(b)3 called for the 
Corps to provide sufficient ESH acreage in order to meet biological 
metrics (fledge ratios) to avoid jeopardizing continued existence of 
the least tern and piping plover, as defined by the Endangered Species 
Act (ESA). The Final PEIS provides National Environmental Policy

[[Page 53423]]

Act (NEPA) coverage for the proposed action.
    The ROD discusses each alternative considered for the proposed 
action and those that are environmentally preferable. The Corps has 
identified an Adaptive Management Implementation Process (AMIP), with a 
construction ceiling of Alternative 3.5 (approximately 4,370 acres), as 
the selected plan. The key aspect of the AMIP is that, rather than 
selecting a specific acreage alternative, actions would be 
progressively implemented and monitored until the desired biological 
response of terns and plovers is attained and sustained. The Corps 
recognizes that alternative methods such as vegetation removal, while 
relatively untested, provide the potential to decrease impacts and 
costs, and could be incorporated if proven successful.
    The FPEIS describes the potential environmental consequences of the 
alternatives considered in detail. During analysis, impacts of the 
larger alternatives (3, 2 and 1) were deemed to be moderate to high and 
impacts of lesser alternatives (3.5, 4 and 5) were deemed to be 
moderate to low. Alternative 3.5 represents a midrange of habitat 
available at a time when the birds were productive, and it is 
anticipated that biological metrics will be met before fully 
implementing up to Alternative 3.5. If Alternative 3.5 is fully 
implemented and biological metrics are not met, the Corps can consider 
continuing to higher acreage alternatives or other methodologies, in 
which case appropriate coordination and disclosure would be pursued 
(potential amended ROD or additional NEPA).
    The AMIP allows for flexibility to provide habitat up to a point of 
meeting population goals, and to minimize impacts through approaches 
such as monitoring, redistributing acreage targets among segments if 
needed, avoiding sensitive resources, using less-impactful or costly 
construction methodologies as they become available, and avoiding over-
construction of habitat.
    Implementing the selected alternative will provide the most 
effective means for the Corps to meet its obligations, including 
avoiding jeopardy to the bird species, while managing the river for all 
authorized purposes. Risk of significant impacts to the environment 
appears to be low to moderate as a result of implementation of the ESH 
program, and numerous acres of ESH would be created, which is 
considered important not only to protected bird species, but to the 
overall ecology of the Missouri River.
    Concurrently with the ROD, an errata sheet is also being made 
available, which provides the comments received on the Final PEIS along 
with the Corps response to each. Also included in the errata is an 
update regarding Tribal coordination and the PEIS.
    2. Document Availability. The Final PEIS (May 2011), the ROD, the 
errata sheet, and an updated Final PEIS which incorporates the ROD and 
the errata items (August 2011), are available at: http://www.moriverrecovery.org/mrrp/f?p=MRRP:documents.
    For more information about the Emergent Sandbar Habitat program, 
please visit http://www.moriverrecovery.org under ``BiOp/Mit Efforts.''

    Dated: August 15, 2011.
Christopher D. Wiehl,
Acting Chief, Planning Branch, Omaha District.
[FR Doc. 2011-21894 Filed 8-25-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
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