Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
Notice of intent.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District (Corps) intends to refocus and modify the Draft Programmatic Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Draft PSEIS) for the Louisiana Coastal Area—Louisiana Comprehensive Coastwide Ecosystem Restoration Feasibility Study (LCA Comprehensive Study) and prepare a Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (Draft PEIS) for a Near-Term Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Louisiana Coastal Area. This is a modification of the notice of intent published in the
On April 4, 2002, the Corps announced in the
The President's FY05 Budget, released on February 2, 2004 (
In 2004, the Corps will work to issue a draft report that identifies the most critical ecological needs and proposes a near-term program of highly cost-effective projects to address them. The report will also highlight the key long-term scientific uncertainties and engineering challenges facing the effort to protect and restore the ecosystem, and propose demonstration projects and studies to help answer these questions. The report will focus on the specific coastal areas that require the most immediate attention and on the best way to sequence the proposed work over the next 10 or so years, as we learn what works best. In 2004, the Corps will begin developing studies of potentially promising, long-term ecosystem restoration concepts, with the objective of determining whether they would provide a cost-effective way to create coastal wetlands. An existing Federal-State Task Force established under 1990 legislation will increase its efforts to build and evaluate highly cost-effective fresh-water and sediment diversion projects. This coordinated approach to restoration combines a commitment to address the highest priority needs with a search for innovative solutions. It also ensures that the coastal Louisiana restoration effort will, in the long-term, be able to adapt and evolve as needed, based on the best available science.
The Corps believes these events and activities have influenced the purpose and need for action and the scope of the analysis of the LCA Comprehensive Study. Hence, the Corps proposes to prepare a Draft PEIS for the Near-Term Ecosystem Restoration Plan for the Louisiana Coastal Area.
Scoping meetings will be held in May 2004. Written scoping comments will be accepted from the date of this notice until May 20, 2004.
Scoping comments regarding the Draft PEIS for the LCA Near-Term Plan may be sent to Dr. William P. Klein, Jr., CEMVN–PM–RS, P.O. Box 60267, New Orleans, LA 70160–0267. Comments may also be made via facsimile (fax) at 504–862–1892. Comments will not be accepted if submitted by e-mail or Internet.
Major Jason A. Kirk, Senior Project Manager, CEMVN–PM–Coastal Restoration, P.O. Box 60267, New Orleans, LA 70160–0267, telephone: 504–862–1222; fax: 504–862–1892; and e-mail:
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The Corps also requests comments regarding the following nine LCA Near-Term Plan Identification Criteria. (1) Prevents future land loss where predicted to occur: one of the most fundamental measures of ecosystem degradation in coastal Louisiana has been the conversion of land (mostly emergent vegetated habitat) to open water. Thus, the projection of the future condition of the ecosystem must be based upon the determination of future patterns of land and water. Based on the U.S. Geological Survey open file report 03–334 “Historical and Predicted Coastal Louisiana Land Changes: 1978–2050”, do proposed projects prevent or reduce future land loss or restore areas of past loss where scientists have documented these losses to occur. (2) Sustainability—restores or mimics fundamentally impaired deltaic process: this criterion refers primarily to projects or opportunities to restore or mimic natural connections between the river and the basins (or estuaries) and includes distributary flows, crevasses, and over-bank flow. Activities that mechanically move sediment from river to basins are also viewed as mimicking deltaic processes, especially if nourished by a small diversion. (3) Sustainability—restores endangered or critical ecological structure: this criterion refers to projects or opportunities to restore or maintain geomorphic features that are essential to maintaining the integrity of coastal ecosystems; includes natural features such as barrier islands, distributary ridges, cheniers, and beach and lake rims. (4) Engineering and design complete and construction started within 10 years. (5) Protects vital local, regional, and national community and socioeconomic resources: this criterion would identify the local, regional, and national social, economic, and cultural resources that are affected by the proposed opportunities and/or projects. These existing resources include, but are not limited to, noise, population, esthetics, housing, cultural, leisure opportunities, community cohesion and growth, public facilities and services, employment, business and industry, agriculture, and flood protection. Effects include both beneficial and detrimental impacts to human culture and their economic activities. (6) Public acceptability based on scoping and public meeting comments. (7) Based upon sufficient scientific and engineering understanding of processes. (8) Capitalizes on existing structure, resources, etc.: this criterion would identify the proposed project elements (
Scoping comments will be compiled, analyzed, and utilized in the plan formulation process. A Scoping Report, summarizing the comments, will be made available to all scoping participants and published on the Louisiana Coastal Area Web site (
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