Document ID: FEMA-2011-0010-0001
Agency: fema
Document Type: Notice
Title: Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Hazard Mitigation Safe Room Construction
Posted Date: 2011-04-27T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23613-23614]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-10096]

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID FEMA-2011-0010]

Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Hazard Mitigation 
Safe Room Construction

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Under the Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Program and the Hazard 
Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency (FEMA) may provide funding to eligible applicants for eligible, 
feasible, and cost-effective activities that have the purpose of 
reducing or eliminating risks to life and property from hazards and 
their effects. One such activity is the construction and installation 
of safe rooms to protect populations from extreme wind events (e.g., 
hurricane, tornado). FEMA has prepared a draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment (PEA) to address the potential impacts to the 
human environment resulting from the installation and construction of 
safe rooms. The purpose of the PEA is to facilitate FEMA's compliance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by providing a 
framework to address the potential environmental impacts of this 
project type.

DATES: Comments on the draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment may 
be submitted on or before May 27, 2011.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket ID FEMA-2011-
0010, by one of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for 
docket ID FEMA-2011-0010 and follow the instructions for submitting 
comments.
    E-mail: FEMA-POLICY@dhs.gov. Include Docket ID FEMA-2011-0010 in 
the subject line of the message.
    Fax: 703-483-2999.
    Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Legislation, Regulations, & Policy 
Division, Office of Chief Counsel, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
500 C Street, SW., Room 835, Washington, DC 20472-3100.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket ID. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or 
material, all submissions will be posted, without change, to the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, and will 
include any personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting 
this information makes it public. You may wish to read the Privacy Act 
notice that is available via the Privacy Notice link in the footer of 
http://www.regulations.gov.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read the draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment or comments submitted by the public on this 
document, go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov and search for docket ID FEMA-2011-0010. These 
documents may also be inspected at FEMA, Office of Chief Counsel, Room 
835, 500 C Street, SW., Washington, DC 20472-3100. In addition, the 
draft and final Programmatic Environmental Assessment and related 
documents will be accessible on FEMA's environmental documents page at 
http://www.fema.gov/plan/envdocuments.shtm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jomar Maldonado, Environmental 
Officer, Office of Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation, 
FEMA, at jomar.maldonado@dhs.gov or phone (202) 646-2741.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for Hazard Mitigation Safe 
Room Construction

    The purpose of the draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment 
(PEA) is to facilitate FEMA's compliance with the National

[[Page 23614]]

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by providing a framework to address the 
potential environmental impacts of safe room construction projects. The 
following five alternatives are considered in the PEA: No Action; 
Retrofit or Renovation of an Existing or Proposed Facility; Safe Room 
Connected to an Existing Building and Beyond Original Footprint; New 
Stand-Alone Construction in Previously Disturbed Areas; and New Stand-
Alone Construction in Previously Undisturbed Areas.
    The PEA also provides the public and decision-makers with the 
information required to understand and evaluate the potential 
environmental consequences of actions funded by FEMA. In addition to 
meeting the goals of impact identification and disclosure, the PEA 
addresses the need to streamline the NEPA review process in order to 
provide timely delivery of hazard mitigation assistance to communities 
in areas at risk of wind events.
    The analysis presented in the PEA relies on FEMA's experience 
regarding environmental impacts that can be expected with activities 
involving construction, ground disturbance, removal of vegetation, and 
modification/retrofitting of existing structures. It is also based on a 
review of scientific literature, consultation with regulatory and 
resource agencies, and expert opinion. FEMA will consider the analysis 
in the PEA to determine whether a Finding of No Significant Impact 
(FONSI) or a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement is appropriate for the action alternatives described and 
assessed in the PEA.
    FEMA will use the PEA to evaluate the environmental impacts of 
grant-funded safe rooms. The PEA will also assist in determining when 
more site-specific information is needed and what level of 
environmental analysis and documentation is required for more complex 
projects to comply with NEPA.

    Authority:  National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as 
amended, 42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.; 40 CFR 1500.1 et seq.; 44 CFR 10.1 
et seq.

    Dated: April 19, 2011.
W. Craig Fugate,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2011-10096 Filed 4-26-11; 8:45 am]
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