Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 37 / Monday, February 26, 2007 / Notices 8361 

composition of borrow sands and native 

sands. 

The research and planning phase 

includes a comprehensive analysis of 

historical geophysical data, 

hydrographic survey data, and aerial 

photographs of the inlet to determine 

potential channel shall lag deposit sites 

and historic preferred channel 

alignment. The jet probe survey will 

provide preliminary qualitative 

information of the sediment contained 

in the feeder channels and the ebb tide 

delta of Rich inlet. Areas suspected of 

containing the best quality and quantity 

of sand resources within the preferred 

channel realignment corridor will be 

targeted for vibracore investigation. 

A magnetometer survey was 

performed on September 3, 2006 on the 

wreck site of the Wild Dayrell. The Wild 

Dayrell is a side-wheel steamer which 

ran aground near in the Rich Inlet 

complex on February 3, 1864. The 

location of the Wild Dayrell and its 

debris field will play a major role in 

options associated with the location of 

the new inlet channel. In addition, a 

cultural resource study of the final 

borrow area and channel design will be 

performed using a magnetometer survey 

controlled by differential global 

positioning. Cartographic and historical 

research will be conducted to collect 

available historical data. 

Natural resource studies and 

investigations which may be conducted 

in support of the plan formulation might 

include: (1) Identification and biological 

characterization of estuarine habitat 

types (salt march, shelfish, submerged 

aquatic vegetation) in a defined project 

area using aerial mapping and/or 

groundtruth investigations; (2) preproject monitoring of threatened and 

endangered species and their associated 

habitats as determined through 

coordination with project stakeholders; 

and (3) development and/or 

implementation of project monitoring 

and mitigation plans based on the 

project impact assessment. 

3. Issues. There are several potential 

environmental issues that will be 

addressed in the EIS. 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, 

particularly within Green Channel. 

b. Potential impacts to threatened and 

endangered marine mammals, birds, 

fish, and plants. 

c. Potential impacts to water quality. 

d. Potential increase in erosion rates 

to adjacent Lea-Hutaff. 

e. Potential impacts to Navigation, 

commercial and recreational. 

f. Potential impacts to the long-termmanagement of Rich Inlet. 

g. Potential impacts to private and 

public property. 

h. Cumulative impacts of Inlet and 

Inlet channel relocations throughout 

North Carolina. 

i. Cumulative impacts for using inlets 

as sand source in nourishment projects. 

j. 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, particularly the Wild Dayrell 

shipwreck. 

4. Alternatives. Several alternatives 

are being considered for the proposed 

project. 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 

EIS. 

5. 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 EIS. Participation in the public 

meeting by federal, state, and local 

agencies and other interested 

organizations and persons is 

encouraged. 

The COE will also be consulting 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 

Act and Endangered Species Act; and 

with the North Carolina State Historic 

Preservation Office under the National 

Historic Preservation Act. Additionally, 

the EIS will assess the potential water 

quality impacts pursuant to Section 401 

of the Clean Water Act, and will be 

coordinated with the North Carolina 

Division of Coastal Management (DCM) 

to determine the project’s consistency 

with the Coastal Zone Management Act. 

The COE will closely work with DCM 

through the EIS to ensure the process 

complies with all State Environmental 

Policy Act (SEPA) requirements. It is the 

COE and DCM’s intentions to 

consolidate both NEPA and SEPA 

processes to eliminate duplications. 

6. Availability of the Draft EIS. The 

Draft EIS is expected to be published 

and circulated sometime in 2008, and a 

public hearing will be held after the 

publication of the Draft EIS. 

Dated: February 12, 2007. 

John E. Pulliam, Jr., 

Colonel, U.S. Army District Commander. 

[FR Doc. 07–848 Filed 2–23–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–GN–M 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare Supplement III to the 

Final Environmental Impact Statement, 

New Orleans to Venice, LA, Hurricane 

Protection Project: Incorporation of 

Non-Federal Levees From Oakville to 

St. Jude, Plaquemines Parish, LA 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army of Corps of 

Engineers, New Orleans District, is 

initiating this study under the authority 

of Public Law 109–234, Title II, Chapter 

3, Flood Control and Coastal 

Emergencies, page 38 (120 STAT.454–

455), hereinafter ‘‘4th Supplemental’’, 

provides: ‘‘For an additional amount for 

‘Flood Control and Coastal 

Emergencies’, as authorized by section 5 

of the Act of August 18, 1941 (33 U.S.C. 

701n), for necessary expenses relating to 

the consequences of Hurricane Katrina 

and other hurricanes, $3,145,024,000, to 

remain available until expended: 

Provided, that the Secretary of the Army 

is directed to use the funds appropriated 

under this heading to modify, at full 

Federal expense, authorized projects in 

southeast Louisiana to provide 

hurricane and storm damage reduction 

and flood damage reduction in the 

greater New Orleans and surrounding 

areas; * * * $215,000,000 shall be used 

to replace or modify certain non-Federal 

levees in Plaquemines Parish to 

incorporate the levees into the existing 

New Orleans to Venice hurricane 

protection project; * * *.’’

The Flood Control and Coastal 

Emergencies Section of Title II, Chapter 

3 of the Joint Explanatory Statement of 

the Committee of Conference, page 115, 

states: ‘‘Funds totaling $3,145,024,000 

are recommended to continue repairs to 

flood and storm damage reduction 

projects. These projects are to be funded 

at full Federal expense. * * * 

Additionally, the Conferees include: 

* * * $215,000,000 for incorporation of 

non-Federal levees on the west bank of 

the Mississippi River in Plaquemines 

Parish in order to provide improved 

storm surge protection and to protect 

evaucations routes; * * *’’


ycherry on PROD1PC64 with NOTICES
8362 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 37 / Monday, February 26, 2007 / Notices 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Questions concerning the Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) 

should be addressed to Mr. Alan W. 

Bennett at: U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, PM–RS, P.O. Box 60267, 

New Orleans, LA 70160–0267, phone 

(504) 862–2516, fax number (504) 862–

2088 or by e-mail at 

alan.w.bennett@mvn02.usace.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

1. Proposed Action. The proposed 

action would replace or modify and 

incorporate certain non-Federal levees 

on the west bank of the Mississippi 

River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana 

into the existing New Orleans to Venice 

hurricane protection project. The 

proposed project study area includes the 

west bank of the Mississippi River, 

starting near the community of Oakville 

to the north and ending at St. Jude to the 

south. The New Orleans to Venice 

hurricane protection project was 

authorized by Public Law 87–874, as 

amended. Under this authority, the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers constructed a 

hurricane protection levee system 

extending along a protion of the west 

bank of the Mississippi River. This SEIS 

is being prepared as a third 

supplemental to the July 1974 final EIS, 

‘‘New Orleans to Venice, Louisiana, 

Hurricane Protection Project’’, filed with 

the Council on Environmental Quality 

on January 6, 1975. 

The existing federally authorized 

hurricane protection system does not 

provide continuous protection from 

Belle Chasse to Venice. Specifically, 

approximately 34 miles of existing nonFederal levees in Plaquemines Parish do 

not provide hurricane and storm 

damage reduction protection to the 

authorized level of the New Orleans to 

Venice hurricane protection project. 

This condition exposes residents and 

businesses in several west bank 

communities and the hurricane 

evacuation route, Louisiana Highway 

23, to a higher potential for flooding in 

the event of a storm or hurricane. 

Engineering, economic, and 

environmental analysis would be used 

to determine the most cost effective 

plan, which would provide for the 

greatest overall public benefit. 

2. Alternatives. Several levee 

alignments are being investigated to 

protect these communities, businesses, 

the hurricane evacuation route, and to 

avoid wetland impacts. In addition, 

non-structural alternatives such as 

relocations or raising homes and 

businesses are also being developed and 

evaluated. Incremental analysis of costs 

and benefits for different reaches of the 

levee alignments would also be 

conducted. Various protection levels for 

the levee alignments would also be 

investigated. 

3. Scoping. Scoping is the process for 

determining the scope of alternatives 

and significant issues to be addressed in 

the SEIS. A notice requesting scoping 

comments will be sent to affected 

Federal, State, and local agencies, 

affected Indian tribes, and all interested 

parties requesting their input on 

alternatives and issues to be evaluated 

in the SEIS. The notice will also notify 

interested parties of public scoping 

meetings that will be held in the local 

area. Notices will also be sent to local 

news media. All interested parties are 

invited to comment at this time, and 

anyone interested in this study should 

request to be included in the study 

mailing list. 

Two public scoping meetings will be 

held in March 2007. The meetings will 

be held in the vicinity of Belle Chasse 

and West Pointe a la Hache. Additional 

meetings could be held, depending 

upon interest and if it is determined that 

further public coordination is 

warranted. 

4. Significant Issues. The tentative list 

of resources and issues to be evaluated 

in the SEIS includes tidal wetlands 

(marshes and swamps), aquatic 

resources, commercial and recreational 

fisheries, wildlife resources, essential 

fish habitat, water quality, air quality, 

threatened and endangered species, 

recreation resources, and cultural 

resources. Socioeconomic items to be 

evaluated in the SEIS include hurricane 

and flood protection, business and 

industrial activity, employment, land 

use, property values, public/community 

facilities and services, tax revenues, 

population, community and regional 

growth, transportation, housing, 

community cohesion, and noise. 

5. Environmental Consultation and 

Review. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service (USFWS) will be assisting in the 

documentation of existing conditions 

and assessment of effects of project 

alternatives through Fish and Wildlife 

Coordination Act consultation 

procedures. The USFWS will provide a 

Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act 

report. Consultation will be 

accomplished with the USFWS and the 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) concerning threatened and 

endangered species and their critical 

habitat. The NMFS will be consulted on 

the effects of this proposed action on 

essential fish habitat. The draft SEIS or 

a notice of its availability will be 

distributed to all interested agencies, 

organizations, and individuals. 

6. Estimated Date of Availability. The 

earliest that the draft SEIS is expected 

to be available is in spring 2008. 

Dated: February 16, 2007. 

Richard P. Wagenaar, 

Colonel, U.S. Army, District Commander. 

[FR Doc. 07–850 Filed 2–23–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–84–M 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Office of International Regimes and 

Agreements; Proposed Subsequent 

Arrangement 

AGENCY: Department of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of proposed subsequent 

arrangement. 

SUMMARY: This notice is being issued 

under the authority of section 131 of the 

Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended 

(42 U.S.C. 2160). The Department is 

providing notice of a proposed 

‘‘subsequent arrangement’’ under the 

Agreement for Cooperation in the 

Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy 

between the United States and the 

European Atomic Energy Community 

(Euratom) and the Agreement for 

Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of 

Nuclear Energy between the United 

States and Canada. 

This subsequent arrangement 

concerns the retransfer of 846,126 kg of 

Natural UO3 (82.7% U), containing 

700,000 kg of Uranium. This material 

will be retransferred from Cameco 

Corporation, Canada, to Springfields 

Fuels Ltd., United Kingdom for ultimate 

use as nuclear power reactor fuel by 

Electric Power Development Company 

Ltd., Japan. Springfields Fuels Ltd. is 

authorized to receive nuclear material 

pursuant to the U.S.-Euratom 

Agreement for Cooperation. 

In accordance with section 131 of the 

Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, 

we have determined that this 

subsequent arrangement will not be 

inimical to the common defense and 

security. 

This subsequent arrangement will 

take effect no sooner than fifteen days 

after the date of publication of this 

notice. 

Dated: February 20, 2007. 

For the Department of Energy. 

Anatoli Welihozkiy, 

Acting Director, Office of International 

Regimes and Agreements. 

[FR Doc. E7–3180 Filed 2–23–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 


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