[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 3 (Friday, January 4, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 740-743]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-31650]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-USCG-2012-1091]
Availability of Draft Environmental Assessment for the Proposed
Modification of the Bayonne Bridge Across the Kill Van Kull Between
Bayonne, Hudson County, NJ and Staten Island, Richmond County, NY
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments; notice of
public meetings.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the availability of a Draft
Environmental Assessment (Draft EA) and the dates and locations of two
public meetings on the Draft EA, which considered the reasonably
foreseeable environmental impacts and socio-economic impacts of the
proposed modification of the historic Bayonne Bridge across the Kill
Van Kull between Bayonne, New Jersey and Staten Island, New York. As a
structure over navigable waters of the United States, the proposed
bridge modification would require a Coast Guard Bridge Permit
Amendment. We
[[Page 741]]
request your comments on the Draft EA. Our publication of this notice
begins a 45-day comment period and provides information on how to
participate in the public comment process for the Draft EA, which
includes an opportunity to submit oral or written comments at two
public meetings to consider an application by the Port Authority of New
York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) for Coast Guard approval of the modification
to the Bayonne Bridge across the Kill Van Kull.
DATES: Written comments and related material may be submitted to our
online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before February 18,
2013, or must reach the Docket Management Facility by that date. The
public meetings will be held on February 5, 2013, in Bayonne, NJ, and
February 7, 2013 in Staten Island, NY (see the Background and Purpose
section below for more details). If you wish to request an oral or sign
language interpreter, we must receive your request for one by January
25, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2012-1091 using any one of the following methods:
(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
(2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
(3) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
(4) Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone
number is 202-366-9329.
To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods.
See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion of
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on
submitting comments.
We have provided a copy of the Draft EA in our online docket at
http://www.regulations.gov. Also, the Coast Guard First District Bridge
Office at 1 South Street Bldg 1, New York, NY 10004-1466 will maintain
a printed copy of the Draft EA for public review. The document will be
available for inspection at this location between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The document will also
be available for inspection in the locations shown in the section below
titled ``Viewing the comments and the Draft EA.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice
or the public meetings, call or email Christopher Bisignano, Bridge
Management Specialist, First Coast Guard District, U.S. Coast Guard;
telephone 212-668-7165, email [email protected]. If you
have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call
Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-
9826.
Authority: The Draft Environmental Assessment has been prepared in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 United
States Code (U.S.C.) 4321 et. seq.); Council on Environmental Quality
(CEQ) Regulations for Implementing NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) parts 1500-1508) and associated CEQ guidelines; Department of
Homeland Security Management Directive 5100.1, Environmental Planning
Program; and United States Coast Guard (USCG) Commandant Instruction
(COMDTINST) M16475.1D, National Environmental Policy Act Implementing
Procedures and Policy for Considering Environmental Impacts.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Participation and Request for Comments
We encourage you to submit comments and related material on the
Draft EA. All comments received, including comments received at the
public meeting, will be posted, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information you have
provided.
Submitting comments: If you submit a comment, please include the
docket number for this notice (USCG-2012-1091) and provide a reason for
each suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and
material online, or by fax, mail or hand delivery, but please use only
one of these means. We recommend that you include your name and a
mailing address, an email address, or a telephone number in the body of
your document so that we can contact you if we have questions regarding
your submission.
To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov,
insert (USCG-2012-1091) in the Search box, look for this notice in the
docket and click the Comment button next to it. If you submit your
comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no
larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic
filing. If you submit them by mail and would like to know that they
reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard
or envelope. We will consider all comments and material received during
the comment period.
Viewing the comments and the Draft EA: To view the comments and
Draft EA go to http://www.regulations.gov, insert (USCG-2012-1091) in
the Search box, then click on the ``Open Docket Folder'' option. If you
do not have access to the Internet, you may view the docket online by
visiting the Docket Management Facility in Room W12-140 on the ground
floor of the Department of Transportation West Building, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. We have an agreement
with the Department of Transportation to use the Docket Management
Facility. The Draft EA is also available online at http://www.uscg.mil/d1/prevention/Bridges.asp, www.dhs.gov/nepa, and http://www.panynj.gov/bayonnebridge/, and is available 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Monday through Friday
(except federal holidays and as noted below), for inspection at the
following locations:
1. U.S. Coast Guard Battery Bldg, 1 South Street, Building 1, New York,
NY 10004
2. U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York, 212 Coast Guard Drive, Staten
Island, NY 10305
3. Bayonne City Hall, 630 Avenue C, Bayonne, NJ 07002
4. Staten Island Borough Hall, 10 Richmond Terrace, Room 100, Staten
Island, NY 10301
5. Bayonne Public Library, 630 Avenue C, Bayonne, NJ 07002 (Also
available from 12 p.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays)
6. Port Richmond--NY Public Library, 75 Bennett Street, Staten Island,
NY 10302 (Also available 12 p.m.-5 p.m. on Thursdays and Saturdays)
7. Ironbound Community Corp, 317 Elm Street, Newark, NJ 07105
8. New York Assembly District 61, 853 Forest Avenue, Staten Island, NY
10301
9. New Jersey Legislative District 31, 447 Broadway, Bayonne, NJ 07002
10. New York City Council District 49, 130 Stuyvesant Place, Staten
Island, NY 10301
11. Staten Island Community Board 1, 1 Edgewater Plaza, Room 217,
Staten Island, NY 10305
Copies of all written communications from the public meetings will
be available for review by interested persons on the online docket,
USCG-2012-1091 via http://www.regulations.gov.
[[Page 742]]
Transcripts of the meetings will be available for public review
approximately 30 days after the meetings. All comments will be made
part of the official case record.
Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of comments
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review a
Privacy Act, system of records notice regarding our public dockets in
the January 17, 2008, issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).
Background and Purpose
Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ) has proposed to
modify the Bayonne Bridge across navigable waters of the United States
by raising the roadway thereby increasing the vertical navigational
clearance from approximately 151 feet to 215 feet at Mean High Water. A
thorough description of the project and how it would be completed can
be found at the project's Web site: http://www.panynj.gov/bayonnebridge/.
The proposed bridge modification project has been identified as a
significant project under ``Implementing Executive Order 13604 on
Improving Performance of Federal Permitting and Review of
Infrastructure Projects: A Federal Plan for Modernizing the Federal
Permitting and Review Process for Better Projects, Improved
Environmental and Community Outcomes, and Quicker Decisions,'' dated
June 2012, which requires agencies to identify and expedite the
permitting and environmental review process for regionally or
nationally significant infrastructure projects. The existing Bayonne
Bridge has a vertical navigational clearance of approximately 151 feet
above the Kill Van Kull at Mean High Water. The applicant proposes to
increase the vertical navigational clearance to approximately 215 feet
above the waterway at Mean High Water to provide greater clearances to
accommodate larger, Post-Panamax vessels and thereby ensure the long-
term viability of the Port of New York and New Jersey. Post-Panamax
vessels are wider and taller ships with deeper drafts that will be able
to traverse through the Panama Canal once improvements on the canal are
completed in 2014. The expanded purpose of the project is to improve
the substandard features and seismic stability of the existing bridge
and ensure it conforms to modern highway and structural design
standards. In addition, the existing bridge is eligible for listing on
the National Register of Historic Places. Therefore, the Coast Guard
has initiated consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act. The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation has
accepted the Coast Guard invitation to participate in the Section 106
process.
The Coast Guard issued the NEPA Workplan, dated September 2011,
which provided a discussion of the project's Purpose and Need, project
alternatives and the framework of the environmental analysis. On
October 31, 2011, the Coast Guard held a coordination meeting with
city, state and federal agencies to discuss the project's scope and the
NEPA Workplan. On November 14, 2011, the Coast Guard issued a
solicitation requesting comments from the general public for the scope
of the project and the NEPA Workplan. Comments received following the
meeting and during the solicitation comment period included concerns
from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, various private organizations and individuals, and
others regarding additional cargo volumes due to larger ships entering
the Port of New York and New Jersey, the expansion of the port and port
facilities, and the related impacts to air quality and traffic. In
response to these comments, an Induced Demand Analysis was conducted by
an independent source to study the impact of the proposed action to
those communities surrounding the Port of New York and New Jersey.
Further information regarding this analysis can be found in Chapter 18
of the Draft EA and in Appendix I. In addition, the Coast Guard met
with representatives from minority and low income communities in Staten
Island, NY and Newark, NJ to explain the Coast Guard bridge permit
process and to ensure those communities have a voice in the public
comment process. Based on the information received to date, the Coast
Guard has determined that a Draft Environmental Assessment is the most
appropriate level of environmental documentation for this project.
Should the Coast Guard determine that there are no significant impacts
following the comment period; a Finding of No Significant Impact would
be issued. Per NEPA procedures, should significant impacts be
discovered during the review process, the level of environmental
documentation may be elevated to an Environmental Impact Statement. The
Draft EA and appendices, Coast Guard NEPA Workplan dated September
2011, ``Bayonne Bridge Navigational Clearance Program Responses to
Scoping Comments NEPA Workplan,'' dated February 2012, are available
online at http://www.uscg.mil/d1/prevention/Bridges.asp.
Alternatives for the proposed project considered include: (1)
Taking no action; (2) various build alternatives that satisfy the
purpose and need; (3) a tunnel; (4) new cargo terminals constructed
downstream of the Bayonne Bridge; and (5) a ferry service in lieu of
the bridge. Build alternatives included raising the roadway within the
existing superstructure (preferred), jacking the arch superstructure,
converting to a lift bridge, or constructing a new bridge.
As a structure over navigable waters of the United States, it
requires a Coast Guard Bridge Permit Amendment pursuant to the Bridge
Act of March 23, 1906, as amended, Title 33 U.S.C. 491. Additionally,
the bridge permit amendment would be the major federal action in this
undertaking since federal funds will not be used, and therefore the
Department of Homeland Security, through the Coast Guard is the federal
lead agency for review of potential effects on the human environment,
including historic properties, pursuant to the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 470 et
seq.).
The Coast Guard, with assistance from PANYNJ, has prepared a Draft
EA in accordance with NEPA. See ``Viewing the comments and Draft EA''
above. The Draft EA identifies and examines the reasonable alternatives
(including ``No Build'') and assesses the potential for impact to the
human environment, including historic properties, of the alternative
proposals.
We are seeking public input on the Draft EA, including comments on
completeness and adequacy of the document, and on other environmental
and historic preservation concerns that may be related to the proposed
bridge modification project. This includes suggesting analyses and
methodologies for use in the Draft EA or possible sources of data or
information not included in the Draft EA. Your comments will be
considered while making the decision to prepare a final Environmental
Assessment, or elevate the document to an Environmental Impact
Statement.
The Coast Guard will hold two public meetings on the Draft EA, one
in Bayonne, NJ and one in Staten Island, NY, to provide an opportunity
for oral comments. The specific times and locations are as follows:
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1. The first public meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 5,
2013, from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. at Bayonne High School Auditorium, 669 Avenue
A (30th Street and Avenue A Entrance), Bayonne, NJ 07002.
2. The second public meeting will be held on Thursday, February 7,
2013, from 4 p.m.-9 p.m. at Snug Harbor Cultural Center Great Hall,
1000 Richmond Terrace, Building P, 2nd Floor, Staten Island, NY 10301.
The Coast Guard and PANYNJ will make brief presentations at 4 p.m. and
7 p.m. at each meeting to accommodate the differing schedules of those
wishing to attend. The purpose of these meetings is to consider an
application by the PANYNJ for Coast Guard approval of the modification
to the historic Bayonne Bridge across the Kill Van Kull, mile 1.5,
between Bayonne, NJ and Staten Island, NY. All interested parties may
present data, views, and comments, orally or in writing, concerning the
impact of the proposed bridge project on navigation and the human
environment.
The public meetings will be informal. A representative of the Coast
Guard will preside, make a brief opening statement and announce the
procedure to be followed at the meetings. Attendees who request an
opportunity to present oral comments at a public meeting must sign up
to speak at the meeting site at the designated time of the meeting.
Speakers will be called in the order of receipt of the request.
Attendees at the meetings, who wish to present testimony, and have not
previously made a request to do so, will follow those having submitted
a request, as time permits. All oral presentations will be limited to
three minutes. The public meetings may end early if all present wishing
to speak have done so. Any oral comments provided at the meetings will
be transcribed and placed into the docket by the Coast Guard. Written
comments and related material may also be submitted to Coast Guard
personnel specified at that meeting for placement into the docket by
the Coast Guard.
Information on Service for Individuals With Disabilities
For information on facilities or services for individuals with
disabilities or to request special assistance at the public meeting,
contact Christopher Bisignano, Bridge Management Specialist, First
Coast Guard District, U.S. Coast Guard; at the telephone number or
email address indicated under the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
section of this notice. Any requests for an oral or sign language
interpreter must be received by January 25, 2013.
This notice is issued under the authority of 5 U.S.C.552(a).
Additionally, the draft EA has been prepared in accordance with the
Bridge Act of March 23, 1906, as amended, Title 33 U.S.C. 491 and the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.);
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing
NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) parts 1500-1508) and
associated CEQ guidelines; Department of Homeland Security Management
Directive 5100.1, Environmental Planning Program; and United States
Coast Guard (USCG) Commandant Instruction (COMDTINST) M16475.1D,
National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures and Policy
for Considering Environmental Impacts.
Dated: December 27, 2012.
Brian L. Dunn,
Administrator, Office of Bridge Programs, U.S. Coast Guard.
[FR Doc. 2012-31650 Filed 1-3-13; 8:45 am]
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