Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment #556

A draft programmatic environmental assessment (EA) and draft finding of no significant impact (FONSI) titled Categorical Permissions to Alter U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Projects Pursuant to 33 USC 408 has been prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District and is available for review.

 

The proposed action in the draft programmatic EA establishes categorical permissions to provide National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance for proposed alterations that are similar in nature and have similar impacts. A categorical permission is similar to a categorical exclusion under NEPA, except categorical permissions, as defined in EC 1165-2-216, are established at the district level and address only requests to alter civil works projects under Section 408, whereas categorical exclusions are established at the agency level with the involvement of the President’s Council on Environmental Quality, and cover agency-wide actions.

 

The draft programmatic EA evaluates twelve action alternatives or types of actions for establishment as categorical permissions. The proposed action or recommended plan is to establish categorical permissions for all of the twelve types of actions evaluated.

 

The draft public comment period begins September 26, 2017 and ends October 25, 2017.  Comments on the draft EA and FONSI should be mailed to the attention of Mr. Richard Boe; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; CEMVN-PDC-CEC; 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70118.  Comments may also be provided by email to richard.e.boe@usace.army.mil.  Mr. Boe may be contacted at (504) 862-1505 if questions arise.

 

A digital copy of the draft EA and FONSI are available here.