Notice2023-08397
Development of the National Levee Safety Program
Primary source
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Published
April 21, 2023
Issuing agencies
Defense DepartmentEngineers Corps
Abstract
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) launched the new National Levee Safety Program, authorized by the National Levee Safety Act of 2007, in the fall of 2021. This program is different from the USACE Levee Safety Program. The purpose of the National Levee Safety Program is to improve the way levees are managed throughout the United States and its territories to reduce the impact of flooding and improve the resilience 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 2 which is the solicitation of input on draft products and resources developed based on input received during Phase 1 stakeholder engagement activities.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 77 (Friday, April 21, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 77 (Friday, April 21, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24601-24602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-08397]
[[Page 24601]]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
[COE-2021-0007]
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) launched the new National Levee
Safety Program, authorized by the National Levee Safety Act of 2007, in
the fall of 2021. This program is different from the USACE Levee Safety
Program. The purpose of the National Levee Safety Program is to improve
the way levees are managed throughout the United States and its
territories to reduce the impact of flooding and improve the resilience
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 2 which is the solicitation of
input on draft products and resources developed based on input received
during Phase 1 stakeholder engagement activities.
DATES: Comments related to Phase 2 of the National Levee Safety Program
must be submitted on or before June 30, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number COE-
2021-0007 by any of the following methods:
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#cda5bce0a1a8bba8a8beacaba8b9b48db8beacaea8e3acbfa0b4e3a0a4a1"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c8a0b9e5a4adbeadadbba9aeadbcb188bdbba9abade6a9baa5b1e6a5a1a4">[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#f59d84d8999083909086949390818cb58086949690db9487988cdb989c99"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="731b025e1f1605161600121516070a3306001210165d12011e0a5d1e1a1f">[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/Tribal Nations/state/local governments, 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
Tribal Nations and underserved communities 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
to reduce the impacts of flooding and improve the resilience of
communities behind levees. Managing flood risk is a shared
responsibility between federal, Tribal Nations, 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 related to each of these components at
<a href="http://www.leveesafety.org">www.leveesafety.org</a>.
USACE and FEMA continue their commitment to seek feedback from
stakeholders at various phases of the program's development. Phase 1
completed in the Spring of 2022, was focused 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 focuses on soliciting feedback on draft products
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
can submit comments through a variety of methods. Each phase will have
an open comment period under docket number COE-2021-0007.
For Phase 2, comments are being sought on the progress of the
program, content for the National Levee Safety Guidelines, an outline
for a new Levee Management Guide for levee owners/operators, a new
levee cost brochure, and updates to the National Levee Database.
Questions and supplementary information to assist in providing feedback
can be found at <a href="http://www.leveesafety.org">www.leveesafety.org</a>. In addition to the webinars and
in-person meetings listed below, a separate set of coordination
[[Page 24602]]
activities with national and regional Tribal organizations and Tribal
Nations are being planned.
Topic-Specific Webinars: USACE will offer a series of topic-
specific webinars that will provide background and supplementary
information on the draft products being presented for stakeholder
feedback during Phase 2. Webinars are open to anyone, and participants
must register by visiting <a href="http://www.leveesafety.org">www.leveesafety.org</a>. Webinar dates and topics
include:
April 11 and May 9, 2023--National Levee Safety Guidelines (1-2:30 p.m.
ET)
April 13 and May 11, 2023--Levee Management Resources (1-2:30 p.m. ET)
April 18 and May 31, 2023--State Levee Activities (1-2 p.m. ET)
April 20 and June 6, 2023--National Levee Database (1-2 p.m. ET)
In-person Meetings (National Levee Safety Guidelines): In addition
to the webinar series, USACE will host four in-person meetings focused
specifically on seeking feedback on sample content from the National
Levee Safety Guidelines. Meetings are open to anyone, and participants
must register by visiting <a href="http://www.leveesafety.org">www.leveesafety.org</a>. Each meeting will be
limited to 100 people. Dates and locations include:
April 25, 2023--The Westin St. Louis, 811 Spruce Street, St. Louis, MO
(12-5 p.m. CT)
May 3, 2023--Houston Marriott South, 9100 Gulf Freeway, Houston, TX
(12-5 p.m. CT)
May 17, 2023--Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown Arena, 300 J Street,
Sacramento, CA (12-5 p.m. PT)
May 23, 2023--Embassy Suites by Hilton, 9000 Bartram Avenue,
Philadelphia, PA (12-5 p.m. ET)
In-person Meetings (Levee Management Resources): USACE will also
host four in-person meetings focused specifically on seeking feedback
on draft levee management resources including an outline for a new
Levee Management Guide for levee owners/operators, a new levee cost
brochure, excerpts from operations and maintenance manual and emergency
action plan templates, and updates to the National Levee Database.
These meetings are geared towards those with levee responsibilities
including Tribal Nations, states, levee owner/operators, local
officials, and emergency managers. Participants must register by
visiting <a href="http://www.leveesafety.org">www.leveesafety.org</a>, and each meeting will be limited to 25
people. Dates and locations include:
April 26, 2023--The Westin St. Louis, 811 Spruce Street, St. Louis, MO
(12-5 p.m. CT)
May 4, 2023--Houston Marriott South, 9100 Gulf Freeway, Houston, TX
(12-5 p.m. CT)
May 18, 2023--Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown Arena, 300 J Street,
Sacramento, CA (12-5 p.m. PT)
May 24, 2023--Embassy Suites by Hilton, 9000 Bartram Avenue,
Philadelphia, PA (12-5 p.m. ET)
Michael L. Connor,
Assistant Secretary of the Army, (Civil Works).
[FR Doc. 2023-08397 Filed 4-20-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
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