[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 55 (Tuesday, March 24, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12387-12390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-6317]
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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
[Notice (09-031)]
National Environmental Policy Act; Wallops Flight Facility
Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection Program
AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) and to conduct scoping for the Wallops Flight Facility Shoreline
Restoration and Infrastructure Protection Program (SRIPP).
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act, as amended,
(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality
Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR
Parts 1500-1508), and NASA's NEPA policy and procedures (14 CFR Part
1216, subpart 1216.3), NASA intends to prepare an EIS for the
implementation of a long-term SRIPP at Wallops Flight Facility (WFF).
The U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Norfolk District, have been asked to participate as
Cooperating Agencies as they possess both regulatory authority and
specialized expertise pertaining to the Proposed Action. MMS has
recently accepted NASA's request and will serve as a Cooperating Agency
in the preparation of this EIS.
In May 2007, NASA released for public comment a Draft Programmatic
Environmental Assessment for Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops
Flight Facility, Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection
Program. Since that time, NASA's Proposed Action has changed and NASA
will now prepare an EIS for the Proposed Action currently under
consideration.
The SRIPP would be implemented to restore the Wallops Island
shoreline and to protect the over $800 million in Federal and state
assets on Wallops Island that are increasingly at risk from larger than
normal storm events, storm waves, and flooding damage. The design and
implementation of a solution to provide Wallops Island infrastructure
with the necessary protection from both storm energy and flooding form
the basis of the Proposed Action and alternatives to be analyzed in the
WFF SRIPP EIS. The project's design lifespan would be fifty (50) years.
The No Action Alternative is to not implement the WFF SRIPP, but to
continue making emergency repairs to the Wallops Island shoreline as
necessary.
NASA will hold a public scoping meeting as part of the NEPA process
associated with the development of the EIS. The public meeting location
and date identified at this time are provided under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION below.
DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments on
environmental issues and concerns, preferably in writing, on or before
May 11, 2009, to assure full consideration during the scoping process.
ADDRESSES: Comments submitted by mail should be addressed to 250/NEPA
Manager, WFF Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection
Program, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility,
Wallops Island, Virginia 23337. Comments may be submitted via e-mail to
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: WFF Shoreline Restoration and
Infrastructure Protection Program EIS by e-mail addressed to [email protected] or by mail addressed to 250/NEPA
Manager, WFF Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection
Program, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center's Wallops Flight Facility,
Wallops Island, Virginia 23337. Additional information about the WFF
Shoreline Restoration and Infrastructure Protection Program and NASA's
NEPA process may be found on the internet at http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code250/shoreline_eis.html.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: WFF is a NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
field installation located in Accomack County on the Eastern Shore of
Virginia. As the oldest active launch range in the continental United
States and the only range completely under NASA management, WFF has
launched over 15,000 orbital and suborbital rockets since its
operations began in the early 1940s.
WFF consists of three distinct landmasses totaling nearly 2,630
hectares (6,500 acres)--the Main Base, Wallops Mainland, and Wallops
Island. To meet the safety and technical requirements of its various
missions, many of WFF's primary launch support facilities reside on
Wallops Island (island) which is located directly on the Atlantic
Ocean. Even prior to NASA's presence on the island, the landmass has
been subject to the effects of shoreline retreat, with measured losses
averaging approximately 3.7 meters (12.2 feet) per year since 1857.
Since the early 1960s, NASA has implemented several shoreline
protection projects on the island that have included construction of
wooden groins perpendicular to its shoreline, construction of a rock
armor seawall parallel to its shoreline, and placement of dredged
material along its shorefront. Despite these efforts, the ocean has
continued to encroach substantially toward launch pads, infrastructure,
and test and training facilities belonging to NASA, the U.S. Navy, and
the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. In calendar years 2006 and 2007,
NASA prepared a Draft SRIPP Programmatic Environmental Assessment to
assess a wide variety of shoreline protection and flood control
measures on the island. After receiving public comment and carefully
considering the objectives of the project, NASA has since modified
[[Page 12388]]
its Proposed Action and is now preparing an EIS.
At present, the severity of the island's shoreline retreat could
cause the interruption of missions supported by the facility and/or
permanent loss of capabilities. The SRIPP would help reduce the risk to
infrastructure on Wallops Island by restoring the shoreline or
providing flood protection for infrastructure on the island.
NASA's Proposed Action would involve an initial construction phase
with follow-on maintenance cycles. The initial construction phase would
include three distinct elements:
1. Extending its existing rock seawall a maximum of 1,372 meters
(4,500 feet) south of its southernmost point;
2. Constructing a rock groin perpendicular to the shoreline in the
vicinity of the island's southernmost property boundary; and
3. Placing approximately 2,293,664 cubic meters (three (3) million
cubic yards [MCY]) of fill material dredged from either of two shoals
located offshore in Federal waters.
The seawall extension would likely be implemented first and would
consist of the placement of 1.8-3.6 metric ton (two (2) to four (4)
ton) rocks parallel to the island shoreline. Groin construction would
likely follow seawall extension and would involve the placement of
like-sized rocks perpendicular to the shoreline at approximately the
point where Wallops Island meets Assawoman Island. Sand placement would
be the final stage of the project and would likely involve removing
sand from one of two shoals by hopper dredge and pumping the material
onto the beach. Fill placement would likely occur in a south to north
direction and could extend as far north as 6.8 kilometers (4.2 miles).
Sources of sand under consideration are two shoals, Blackfish Bank and
an unnamed shoal, located approximately eight (8) and sixteen (16)
kilometers (five (5) and ten (10) miles) offshore, respectively (see
Figure).
Subsequent beach renourishment cycles would vary throughout the
lifecycle of the Proposed Action. Factors dictating the frequency and
magnitude of such actions would include storm severity and frequency as
well as availability of funding. Given the dynamic nature of the ocean
environment and that exact locations and magnitude of renourishment
cycles may fluctuate, additional NEPA documentation for renourishment
actions may be prepared in the future as appropriate. For the purpose
of this EIS, the renourishment cycle is anticipated to be 764,554 cubic
meters (one (1) MCY) every five years.
Alternatives to be considered in this EIS will include, but not
necessarily be limited to construction of hard structures only, beach
fill only, and various combinations of hard structures and beach fill.
The effects of dredging fill material from feasible offshore shoals
will also be considered.
NASA anticipates that the areas of potential environmental impact
from each alternative of most interest to the public would be: The
physical effects on both the seafloor and nearby landmasses, the
effects on plants, animals, and their habitat (including threatened and
endangered species), the effects on commercial and recreational
fisheries, the effects on cultural and historic resources, and the
effects on water quality.
NASA plans to hold a public meeting to provide information on the
WFF SRIPP EIS and to solicit public comments. The public meeting is
scheduled as follows:
--Tuesday, April 21, 2009, at the WFF Visitor Information Center, Route
175, Wallops Island, Virginia, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.
Written public input on alternatives and environmental issues and
concerns associated with the WFF SRIPP that should be addressed in the
EIS are hereby requested.
Olga M. Dominguez,
Assistant Administrator for Infrastructure.
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[FR Doc. E9-6317 Filed 3-23-09; 8:45 am]
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