Notice2021-28056
Development of the National Levee Safety Program
Primary source
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Published
December 28, 2021
Issuing agencies
Defense DepartmentEngineers Corps
Abstract
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are launching a new National Levee Safety Program, authorized by the National Levee Safety Act of 2007. The purpose of the National Levee Safety Program is to improve the way levees are managed throughout the United States and its territories in order to reduce disaster suffering and improve the resiliency of communities behind levees. There are four major components that are intended to work together to accomplish the goals of the program: National Levee Safety Guidelines; Integrated Levee Management; National Levee Database and Data Collection; and Implementation Support. This notice announces the start of Phase 1 which is the solicitation of input on the purpose and scope of each of the components of the National Levee Safety Program in order to develop priorities and options for their implementation.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 246 (Tuesday, December 28, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73744-73746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28056]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Development of the National Levee Safety Program
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are launching a new National Levee
Safety Program, authorized by the National Levee Safety Act of 2007.
The purpose of the National Levee Safety Program is to improve the way
levees are managed throughout the United States and its territories in
order to reduce disaster suffering and improve the resiliency of
communities behind levees. There are four major components that are
intended to work together to accomplish the goals of the program:
National Levee Safety Guidelines; Integrated Levee Management; National
Levee Database and Data Collection; and Implementation Support. This
notice announces the start of Phase 1 which is the solicitation of
input on the purpose and scope of each of the components of the
National Levee Safety Program in order to develop priorities and
options for their implementation.
DATES: Comments related to the purpose and scope of the National Levee
Safety Program must be submitted on or before March 31, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number COE-
2021-0007 by any of the following methods:
[[Page 73745]]
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Visit <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and follow
the instructions for submitting comments.
Email: Send an email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0e667f23626b786b6b7d6f686b7a774e7b7d6f6d6b206f7c637720636762"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="dcb4adf1b0b9aab9b9afbdbab9a8a59ca9afbdbfb9f2bdaeb1a5f2b1b5b0">[email protected]</span></a> and include
the docket number, COE-2021-0007, in the subject line of the message.
Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District, ATTN: Levee
Safety Center--RM 221, 4155 East Clay Street, Vicksburg, MS 39183.
Hand Delivery/Courier: Due to security requirements, we cannot
receive comments by hand delivery or courier.
Instructions: If submitting comments through the Federal
eRulemaking Portal, direct your comments to docket number COE-2021-
0007. All comments received will be included in the public docket
without change and may be made available on-line at
<a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal information provided,
unless the commenter indicates that the comment includes information
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit
information that you consider to be CBI, or otherwise protected,
through <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> or email. The <a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a> website is an
anonymous access system, which means we will not know your identity or
contact information unless you provide it in the body of your comment.
If you send an email directly to USACE without going through
<a href="http://regulations.gov">regulations.gov</a>, your email address will be automatically captured and
included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and
made available on the internet. If you submit an electronic comment, we
recommend that you include your name and other contact information in
the body of your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If we
cannot read your comment because of technical difficulties and cannot
contact you for clarification, we may not be able to consider your
comment. Electronic comments should avoid the use of any special
characters, any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or
viruses.
Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received, go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a>. All documents in the
docket are listed. Although listed in the index, some information is
not publicly available, such as CBI or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such as
copyrighted material, is not placed on the internet and will be
publicly available only in hard copy form.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tammy Conforti at 202-365-6586,
email <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#274f560a4b4251424254464142535e6752544644420946554a5e094a4e4b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a2cad38fcec7d4c7c7d1c3c4c7d6dbe2d7d1c3c1c78cc3d0cfdb8ccfcbce">[email protected]</span></a> or visit <a href="http://www.leveesafety.org">www.leveesafety.org</a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: One of the foundations of the National Levee
Safety Program is stakeholder engagement with those who are responsible
for, are impacted by, or have interest in levees and related policies
including federal/state/local governments, tribes, levee owners/
operators, businesses, floodplain managers and residents. The goals for
the stakeholder engagement process are to:
1. Understand the needs of the stakeholders this program is
intended to support;
2. provide opportunities for meaningful input to shape decisions
and outcomes on program design, components, and products; and,
3. ensure that the unique challenges related to levees faced by
disadvantaged communities and tribes are well understood and
incorporated into solutions.
The purpose of the National Levee Safety Program is to improve the
way levees are managed throughout the United States and its territories
in order to reduce disaster suffering and improve the resiliency of
communities behind levees. Managing flood risk is a shared
responsibility between federal, tribal, state, and local entities.
USACE and FEMA are interested in the views of the public regarding how
the National Levee Safety Program and each of its components can be
implemented to best serve those responsible for and impacted by flood
risk management efforts. The four major components of the National
Levee Safety Program are intended to work together to accomplish the
goals of the program: National Levee Safety Guidelines; Integrated
Levee Management; National Levee Database and Data Collection; and
Implementation Support. There are fact sheets and additional
information introducing each of these components at
<a href="http://www.leveesafety.org">www.leveesafety.org</a>.
USACE and FEMA will be seeking feedback from stakeholders at
various phases of the program's development over the next 2-3 years.
Phase 1 is starting during the Winter of 2021 with a focus on gathering
initial input on the purpose and scope of each of the components of the
National Levee Safety Program to better understand the needs and
priorities of the public. Phase 2 is anticipated to occur during the
Summer of 2022 with a focus on soliciting feedback on priorities and
options identified during Phase 1 (scoping). Phase 3 is anticipated to
occur during the Fall of 2023 with a focus on soliciting feedback on
draft program implementation products. During each phase, stakeholders
will be able to submit comments through a variety of methods. Each
phase will have an open comment period under docket number COE-2021-
0007. For more information about the program, its key components, and
opportunities to get involved please visit <a href="http://www.leveesafety.org">www.leveesafety.org</a>.
During Phase 1 of program development, USACE will be hosting seven
public meetings and four public webinars to provide an overview of the
program and its key components and opportunities for submitting
feedback. There will be a 100-person limit for each public meeting and
webinar. To attend an in-person public meeting, you must be fully
vaccinated for COVID-19 and may be required to provide proof of
vaccination before entry into the meeting. For information about the
public meetings and webinars, including how to register to attend,
visit <a href="http://www.leveesafety.org">www.leveesafety.org</a>.
Questions to Shape the Focus of the Program: Commentors are
encouraged to use the following questions to guide their feedback on
the purpose and scope of the National Levee Safety Program and its
components as described at <a href="http://www.leveesafety.org">www.leveesafety.org</a>:
Overall Program Focus and Purpose
1. Do you believe the stated vision/mission/objectives of a
national approach will significantly improve levee safety in the Nation
in the future? Any suggestions for improvement?
2. Do you understand the general approach for the development of
the program (e.g., stakeholder engagement, key components, etc.)? If
not, what is unclear? Any suggestions for improvements?
3. What is the single most important challenge related to levees
you think this program should try to help address? Do you see it
adequately addressed in this approach?
National Levee Safety Guidelines
1. Which topics do you think you will find the most useful? Why?
2. Are there any missing topics that you think should be included?
3. Are there any areas of content where templates, specific
methodologies, tools, or other aids would be particularly helpful to
you?
Integrated Levee Management
1. Is clarifying the roles and responsibilities for levee related
[[Page 73746]]
activities at the federal, tribal, state, levee owner, and community
levels the right place to start or are we missing anyone?
2. What is the biggest value of standing up state levee safety
programs?
3. What do you think would be the most important activities for
state levee safety programs?
4. Other than funding, what are the biggest barriers states might
have in standing up levee safety programs?
5. For the states/tribes/regional district grants, the legislation
reserves 25 percent be used to identify and assess non-Federal levees,
but what other priorities or activities should the remaining 75 percent
of grant funding go towards?
6. Are there any federal programs that are hampering your ability
or providing a disincentive to adequately perform flood risk or levee
management activities? If so, please explain?
7. Where do you see opportunities for federal programs to be
adjusted/realigned/reprioritized to better support flood risk
management/levee safety in communities with levees?
National Levee Database and Data Collection
1. What are the most important decisions you need to make to
improve flood risk management decisions in your community or on your
levee? What data do you most need to support these decisions?
2. How might USACE encourage participation of levee owners or
states in either providing levee information or participating in USACE-
led levee inspections and risk assessments?
3. What types of levee information is most meaningful to people who
live and work behind levees? What role can/should the National Levee
Database play in providing this information?
These scoping questions, along with background information on the
National Levee Safety Program and its key components, can be found at
<a href="http://www.leveesafety.org">www.leveesafety.org</a>.
Michael L. Connor,
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works).
[FR Doc. 2021-28056 Filed 12-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
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