Notice2021-14062
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a Proposed Highway Project in Arkansas
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 1, 2021
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Highway Administration
Abstract
FHWA, in coordination with the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT), is issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) to solicit comments and advise the public, agencies, and stakeholders of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will be prepared to study the effects of a highway project under consideration for the Highway 67 corridor in Clay, Greene, Lawrence, and Randolph counties, Arkansas. This notice contains a summary of the information as required in the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) regulations. This NOI should be reviewed together with the Supplementary NOI Information document which contains important details about the proposed project.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 124 (Thursday, July 1, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 124 (Thursday, July 1, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35145-35147]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14062]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA-2021-0009]
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
a Proposed Highway Project in Arkansas
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Department of
Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: FHWA, in coordination with the Arkansas Department of
Transportation (ARDOT), is issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) to
solicit comments and advise the public, agencies, and stakeholders of
an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will be prepared to study
the effects of a highway project under consideration for the Highway 67
corridor in Clay, Greene, Lawrence, and Randolph counties, Arkansas.
This notice contains a summary of the information as required in the
Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) regulations. This NOI should be reviewed together with the
Supplementary NOI Information document which contains important details
about the proposed project.
DATES: Comments on the NOI or the Supplementary NOI Information
document must be received on or before August 2, 2021.
ADDRESSES: This NOI and the Supplementary NOI Information document are
available in the docket referenced above at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>
and on the project website located at
<a href="http://Future57.transportationplanroom.com">Future57.transportationplanroom.com</a>. The Supplementary NOI Information
document also will be mailed upon request. Interested parties are
invited to submit comments by any of the following methods:
Website: For access to the documents, go to the Federal eRulemaking
Portal located at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> or the project website
located at <a href="http://Future57.transportationplanroom.com">Future57.transportationplanroom.com</a>. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: Randal Looney at 501-324-6423.
Mailing address or for hand delivery or courier: Federal Highway
Administration, Arkansas Division, 700 West Capitol Avenue, Room 3130,
Little Rock, AR 72201.
Email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6b390a050f0a0745270404050e122b0f041f450c041d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="5d0f3c33393c31731132323338241d393229733a322b">[email protected]</span></a>.
All submissions should include the agency name and the docket number
that appears in the heading of this Notice. All comments received will
be posted without change to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> or
<a href="http://Future57.transportationplanroom.com">Future57.transportationplanroom.com</a>, including any personal information
provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to get
on the project mailing list, contact Mr. Randal Looney, Environmental
Coordinator, Federal Highway Administration, Arkansas Division Office,
700 West Capitol Avenue, Suite 3130, Little Rock, AR 72201-3298, email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection" class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f183909f95909ddf9d9e9e9f9488b1959e85df969e87">[email protected]</a>, (501) 324-6430; or Mr. Bill McAbee,
Environmental Project Manager, Garver, 4701 Northshore Drive, North
Little Rock, Arkansas 72118, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7225313f1133101717323513000417002721335c111d1f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2c7b6f614f6d4e49496c6b4d5e5a495e797f6d024f4341">[email protected]</span></a>, (501) 376-
3633.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The environmental review of transportation
alternatives for the Highway 67 corridor will be conducted in
accordance with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), 23 U.S.C.
139, CEQ regulations implementing NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508), FHWA
regulations implementing NEPA (23 CFR 771.101-771.139), and all
applicable Federal, State, and local governmental laws and regulations.
The EIS will evaluate the environmental effects of all reasonable
project alternatives and determine the
[[Page 35146]]
potential impacts to social, economic, natural, and physical
environmental resources associated with these alternatives. Federal
agencies will work together to identify and mitigate any potentially
significant impacts through the NEPA process. All reasonable
alternatives, including new location alignments and improvements to
existing Highway 67, will be considered, screened, and carried forward
for detailed analysis in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS) based on their ability to address the project's purpose and need
while minimizing adverse impacts to the natural and social
environments.
The project team sent letters describing the proposed NEPA study
and soliciting input to the appropriate federal, tribal, state, and
local agencies who have expressed or are known to have an interest or
legal role in this project. Additional comments from the public,
interest groups, private organizations, and other agencies will be
solicited through an additional public hearing for the DEIS. The
project is needed because there is a gap in the system linkage that
diminishes connectivity and mobility of the National Highway System.
Additionally, there is a lack of reliable transportation infrastructure
to support economic development and a need to enhance resiliency to
extreme weather events along the route. Furthermore, Federal
legislation designated this high priority corridor as future Interstate
Route 57 (I-57). The project's purpose is to develop an interstate
highway system that addresses the above-described needs while
minimizing the negative impacts to the natural and social environment.
All build alternatives begin at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas and end at
the Arkansas-Missouri state line, a distance of approximately 42 miles.
There are currently three build alternatives and the no-build
alternative under consideration. The build alternatives include
Alternative 1, an evaluation of improvements to existing Highway 67
with new location bypasses around the towns of Pocahontas and Corning;
Alternative 2, which generally lies between Highway 67 and the Dave
Donaldson Black River Wildlife Management Area (DDWMA) turning north on
the east side of Corning up to the Arkansas-Missouri state line on all-
new location; and Alternative 3, which generally parallels the Highway
90 corridor east of the DDWMA until reaching the town of Knobel where
the study corridor turns north passing east of Corning and to the
Arkansas-Missouri state line and is all on new location. Three
approximately 1.7-mile alternatives provide the final connection
between the main alternatives and the Arkansas-Missouri state line.
These ``connector'' alternatives are named A, B, and C: Alternative A
lies to the east of Highway 67 on new location, Alternative B improves
existing Highway 67, and Alternative C lies to the west of Highway 67
on new location. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is a
cooperating agency on this project and is working closely with ARDOT on
the connector location because this will determine the southern
terminal for the MoDOT section of future I-57. The No-build Alternative
will not meet the purpose and need but is retained throughout the study
process to help evaluate the positive and negative impacts of the build
alternatives. Maps of the study area and alternatives are included in
the Supplementary NOI Information document and on the project website
interactive map.
Anticipated environmental constraints for the project include
potential impacts to the DDWMA, the Black and Current Rivers, vegetated
and farmed wetlands, floodplains, threatened and endangered species and
their habitat, cultural resources, residential homes, businesses, and
farmlands. Alternative 1 has the greatest potential to impact homes,
businesses, and cultural resources due to improvements to the already
developed Highway 67 corridor. Alternatives 2 and 3 are on new location
with minor impacts to the human environment but have the greatest
potential impact on farmlands and farmed wetlands. Preliminary
estimates of possible impacts can be seen in the Supplementary NOI
Information document.
Permits and authorizations anticipated for the project include a
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Section 404 of the Clean Water (33
U.S.C. 1344) and Section 10 (33 U.S.C. 403) of the Rivers and Harbors
Act standard (individual) permit for wetland/stream impacts and impacts
to navigable waters, and Section 408 (U.S.C. 33 U.S.C. 408) approval
for Civil Works project impacts such as levees.
Formal coordination with the USACE began in November 2020 when they
accepted the responsibility to be a cooperating agency. A Section 401
Water Quality Certification from the Arkansas Department of Energy and
Environment (ADEE) will be required for potential impacts to surface
waters. Formal coordination began in May 2020 when ADEE accepted the
responsibility to be a participating agency. Consultation with the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) pursuant to Section 7 of the
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. Section 1536), will be required for
biological assessments and threatened and endangered species surveys.
Formal coordination with the USFWS began in May 2020 when they accepted
the responsibility to be a cooperating agency. A Request for Technical
Assistance for USFWS was completed in early 2020 and a preliminary plan
for habitat resource evaluations and bat and mussel surveys was
recently submitted to the USFWS for review. Consultation with the State
Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) for compliance with Section 106
regulations will be required for historical and archeological resources
potentially impacted. Formal coordination with the SHPO began in
January 2021 when they accepted the responsibility to be a
participating agency.
Early scoping for this EIS study started with the local official
and public meetings held in August and September 2020 and it will
continue for 30 days after publication of this NOI. Project scoping
also includes the previous studies' public meetings as described below.
In 1996, ARDOT completed a planning study specifically for the current
project area. In 2015, ARDOT conducted a second planning study and
included substantial public and local official input and consideration
of environmental impacts. The 2015 planning study recommendations are
the basis for the preliminary range of alternatives currently under
consideration. In August 2020, the project team held virtual meetings
with local officials and the public and included the draft purpose and
need document, three 1,000-foot-wide corridors, and other project
information. The project team solicited comments on the presented
materials and encouraged the public to be as detailed and specific as
possible. Additional public, local official, and agency outreach will
be conducted for the DEIS.
The publication date of the NOI will start a two-year time clock
for the agency to reach its final decision on the project (40 CFR
1501.10(a) and (b)(2)). The schedule for completing the Draft EIS,
Final EIS/Record of Decision (ROD), and permits is as follows: Draft
EIS May 31, 2022; Final EIS/ROD February 28, 2023; Section 404, 408,
and 10 permit--July 31, 2023; Section 401 certification July 31, 2023;
Section 106 consultation May 31, 2022; Section 7 consultation June 15,
2022.
With this Notice, FHWA and ARDOT request and encourage State,
Tribal, and local government agencies, and the
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general public, to review the complete NOI (including the Supplementary
NOI Information document) and submit comments on any aspect of the
project that might benefit the project understanding. Specifically,
agencies and the public are asked to identify and submit potential
alternatives for consideration and information such as anticipated
significant issues or environmental impacts and analyses relevant to
the proposed action for consideration by the lead and cooperating
agencies in developing the Draft EIS. There are several methods to
submit comments as described in the Addresses section of this Notice.
Any questions concerning this proposed action should be directed to
FHWA at the physical address, email address, or phone number provided
in the For Further Information Contact section of this Notice.
(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205,
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on
Federal programs and activities apply to this program.)
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; 23 CFR part 771.
Vivien N. Hoang,
Division Administrator, Little Rock, Arkansas.
[FR Doc. 2021-14062 Filed 6-30-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P
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