Corps announces review and comment period for environmental document

Published April 4, 2014

Greater New Orleans Hurricane & Storm Damage Risk Reduction Mitigation

– The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, today released Programmatic Individual Environmental Report #37 (PIER #37), titled "West Bank and Vicinity (WBV) Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS) Mitigation, Jefferson, Lafourche, Plaquemines and St. Charles Parishes, Louisiana," for a 30-day review and comment period.

The PIER evaluates alternatives for mitigating unavoidable habitat impacts incurred during construction of the WBV HSDRRS. As part of the analysis, the PIER identifies the Tentatively Selected Mitigation Plan Alternative (TSMPA) for mitigating those impacts to a variety of habitats. At this time, only certain features of the TSMPA are proposed for implementation, namely the purchase of mitigation bank credits for bottomland hardwoods general impacts. Other features will be recommended for implementation in subsequent National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents. Impacts from construction of the WBV HSDRRS are described in Individual Environmental Reports (IERS) 12-17 and their supplemental IERS.

The PIER #37 is currently available for review and comment at www.nolaenvironmental.gov; hard copies may be requested by sending e-mail to mvnenvironmental@usace.army.mil . The 30-day public review and comment period for PIER #37 will begin on April 4, 2014 and end on May 5, 2014.

Questions or comments concerning proposed actions should be addressed to:

Elizabeth Behrens
Regional Planning and Environmental Division
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
P.O. Box 60267
New Orleans, LA 70160-0267
Phone: 504-862-2025
Fax: 504-862-2088
E-mail: mvnenvironmental@usace.army.mil   

For more information or to sign up to be on a public meeting notification list please visit the following Web site: www.nolaenvironmental.gov.


Contact
Rene Poche
504-862-1767
rene.g.poche@usace.army.mil
or
After Hours
504-756-2811

Release no. 14-021