[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 84 (Tuesday, April 30, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19084-19085]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-10595]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Minerals Management Service
Outer Continental Shelf, Gulf of Mexico Region, Proposed
Louisiana Barrier Shoreline Restoration Effort
AGENCIES: Minerals Management Service (MMS), Department of the
Interior; National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce; State of
Louisiana Department of Natural Resources.
ACTION: Notice of Intent (NOI) to Prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to Support Phase 1 of the Louisiana Barrier Shoreline
Feasibility Study (Barataria-Terrebonne Basin Barrier Island
Restoration Effort).
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PURPOSE OF THE NOI: The NOI announces the decision to prepare an EIS
and initiate the scoping process. The scoping process affords Federal,
State, local government agencies, and other interested parties the
opportunity to identify significant issues and alternatives to be
analyzed in the EIS.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before June 14, 1996.
PROPOSED ACTION: The purpose to which the Federal agencies are
responding in the barrier island project and the proposed major Federal
action to be considered are as follows:
Purpose: The restoration, protection, and enhancement of Louisiana
coastal wetlands, and for other purposes.
Proposed Action: Restoration of the Louisiana Barrier Shoreline as
Identified in Phase 1 of the Louisiana Barrier Shoreline Feasibility
Study (Barataria and Terrebonne Basins).
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND ON THE PROPOSED ACTION: Under the auspices of
the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act
(CWPPRA), the feasibility and benefits of restoring the barrier islands
of coastal Louisiana are currently being evaluated with respect to
their role in wetlands protection and enhancement. A feasibility study
is underway to assess and quantify wetland loss problems linked to
diminishing protection from barrier islands along the Louisiana coast,
to identify solutions to these problems, and to determine the barrier
configuration that will best protect Louisiana's coastal resources from
environmental degradation. The feasibility study is being conducted in
three phases: Phase 1, currently ongoing, encompasses the Barataria-
Terrebonne island chain; Phase 2 will focus on the Chenier Plain coast;
Phase 3 will focus on the Chandeleur Islands.
Within the Phase 1 study area, the State of Louisiana is proposing
to renourish Isles Dernieres and Timbalier Islands using Federal
offshore sand deposits. In addition to renourishment, other coastal
restoration methods, such as dune building, vegetation planting, hard
structures, and related actions may be employed. On April 19, 1995, the
Governor of the State of Louisiana contacted the MMS to request a
noncompetitive lease to use Federal sand resources from Ship Shoal for
restoration of the Louisiana barrier islands. The MMS has determined
that the use of Federal sand from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) areas
such as Ship Shoal for barrier island restoration and subsequent
wetlands protection meets the negotiated agreement requirements under
Section 8(k)(2)(A)(i) of the OCS Lands Act (43 U.S.C.
1337(k)(2)(A)(i)).
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process is initiated
when Federal agencies consider major actions which may significantly
affect the environment. Because the environmental consequences of
barrier island restoration are not fully understood and the extraction
of Federal sand for the purposes of barrier island and wetlands
restoration is considered a major Federal action, an EIS will be
prepared.
This specific EIS will support the Phase 1 portion of the
feasibility study. Impacts associated with Phases 2 and 3 will be
evaluated in subsequent NEPA documents. The EIS will be used to assist
the CWPPRA Task Force in making funding decisions regarding Phase 1
restoration methods as well as aid the MMS with respect to the request
for a noncompetitive lease to the State of Louisiana for the use of
Federal sand. The EIS will consider all reasonable restoration methods,
the environmental consequences resulting from such methods, any
alternatives to using material from the Ship Shoal area, and possible
mitigation measures or stipulations which could be applied on the OCS
or in the renourishment areas to ensure that a balance between orderly
resource development and protection of
[[Page 19085]]
the human, marine, and coastal environments is maintained. Alternatives
not recommended in the feasibility study, but identified by various
involved parties during the EIS process, may also be included for
analysis. Various aspects related to the EIS cannot be definitively
determined until a scoping meeting, required under 40 CFR 1501.7, is
conducted in the State of Louisiana.
Scoping Process: This notice constitutes the beginning of the
public scoping process. Interested individuals, organizations, and
other agencies are encouraged to provide written comments within 45
calendar days of this notice to the address below. Respondents should
mark their submittal ``Comments Regarding Preparation of a Louisiana
Barrier Island Restoration EIS.'' The MMS will review all comments
received for the purpose of determining the scope of the EIS.
As of the writing of this notice, a public scoping meeting was
scheduled to be held May 14, 1996, beginning at 7:00 P.M., at the
Municipal Auditorium in Houma, Louisiana. Written notice providing
final details on the location, date, and times of this meeting will be
published in local and regional newspapers, as appropriate. Persons
interested in attending the scoping meeting may also call the number
below for exact details and final arrangements.
Comments and Questions: Please direct written comments and written
or verbal questions on the proposed action and EIS to Mr. Barry S.
Drucker, Project Coordinator, U. S. Department of the Interior,
Minerals Management Service, 381 Elden Street, Mail Stop 4030, Herndon,
Virginia, 22070. Phone: (703-787-1300), Fax: (703-787-1284).
Dated: April 22, 1996.
Cynthia Quarterman,
Director, Minerals Management Service.
[FR Doc. 96-10595 Filed 4-29-96; 8:45 am]
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