Document ID: USCG-2012-0632-0036
Agency: uscg
Document Type: Notice
Title: Environmental Assessments; Availability, etc.: Regulated Navigation Areas; Buzzard's Bay, MA; Navigable Waterways Within the First Coast Guard District (Federal Register Publication)
Posted Date: 2014-02-26T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 38 (Wednesday, February 26, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10818-10819]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-04176]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[USCG-2012-0632]
RIN 1625-AA11

Regulated Navigation Area: Buzzard's Bay, MA; Navigable Waterways 
Within the First Coast Guard District

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is issuing this notice to advise the public 
that we have prepared a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) based 
on the Final Environmental Assessment (Final EA) for the amendments to 
the Buzzards Bay Regulated Navigation Area that were implemented in 
2007. The Coast Guard prepared the Final EA, dated December 2013, in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the 
Coast Guard's Agency procedures for implementing NEPA.

DATES: The FONSI and Final EA are available as of the publication date 
of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Mauro, Coast Guard First 
District Waterways Management Branch, telephone 617-223-8355, email 
John.J.Mauro@uscg.mil or Mr. Luke Dlhopolsky, Civil Engineering Unit, 
Environmental Protection Specialist, telephone 401-736-1743, email 
Lucas.A.Dlhopolsky@uscg.mil.

[[Page 10819]]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final EA evaluates the existing 
Regulated Navigation Area (RNA) applicable to First Coast Guard 
District waters as it was amended in 2007 (the ``2007 Final Rule'') (72 
FR 50052; corrected by 72 FR 70780). The purpose of those amendments 
was to enhance the pre-2007 RNA by adding measures intended to further 
reduce the probability of an incident that could result in the 
discharge or release of oil or hazardous material, or cause serious 
harm, to navigable waters of the United States. As part of the process 
to implement the 2007 Final Rule, the USCG prepared a Categorical 
Exclusion Determination as defined in its Agency Procedures for 
Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act. In a ruling on May 
17, 2011, the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the 
USCG ``failed to comply with its obligations under the National 
Environmental Policy Act'' when it failed to prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) or an Environmental Assessment (EA). This Final 
EA is intended to remedy that insufficiency.

    Dated: February 4, 2014.
D.B. Abel,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Commander, First Coast Guard District.
[FR Doc. 2014-04176 Filed 2-25-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P