Notice2024-20678
Notice of Virtual Public and Tribal Meetings Regarding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Environmental Justice Strategic Plan and Vision, Establishment of a Public Docket, Request for Input
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Published
September 12, 2024
Issuing agencies
Defense DepartmentEngineers Corps
Abstract
Pursuant to the Executive order, "Revitalizing our Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All", the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is preparing its Environmental Justice Strategic Plan for the Civil Works programs. As part of that effort, the Corps is soliciting feedback on its Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan vision, goals, and objectives. The Corps is also soliciting input on priority actions and performance metrics that will be evaluated to advance the Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan vision, goals, and objectives. The Environmental Justice Strategic Plan will be a living document that is periodically updated, and comments will be therefore accepted any time at the email address listed below.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 177 (Thursday, September 12, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 177 (Thursday, September 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74260-74263]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-20678]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Notice of Virtual Public and Tribal Meetings Regarding the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works Environmental Justice Strategic
Plan and Vision, Establishment of a Public Docket, Request for Input
AGENCY: Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice; announcement of virtual public and Tribal meeting dates
and solicitation of input.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Executive order, ``Revitalizing our Nation's
Commitment to Environmental Justice for All'', the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (Corps) is preparing its Environmental Justice Strategic Plan
for the Civil Works programs. As part of that effort, the Corps is
soliciting feedback on its Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan
vision, goals, and objectives. The Corps is also soliciting input on
priority actions and performance metrics that will be evaluated to
advance the Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan vision, goals,
and objectives. The Environmental Justice Strategic Plan will be a
living document that is periodically updated, and comments will be
therefore accepted any time at the email address listed below.
DATES: To be considered for this 2024 Environmental Justice Strategic
Plan, written recommendations must be received on or before Tuesday,
October 1st, 2024. The Corps will hold public virtual meetings on the
following dates: September 17th and September 19th. In addition, the
Corps will hold Tribal virtual meetings on the following dates:
September 18th.
Tribal Nations may request consultation through October 15. Written
comments from Tribal Nations will be accepted until October 22. Please
refer to the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for additional
information on these virtual meetings.
ADDRESSES: You may send written feedback, identified by Docket ID No.
[[Page 74261]]
COE-2024-0003, by any of the following methods:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a>
(our preferred method). Follow the online instructions for submitting
written feedback.
<bullet> Email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1f5a55404c6b6d7e6b7a78767c404f737e715f6a6c7e7c7a317e6d726631727673"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="56131c09052224372233313f3509063a37381623253735337837243b2f783b3f3a">[email protected]</span></a> and Include Docket
ID No. COE-2024-0003 in the subject line of the message.
<bullet> Mail: Joseph Redican, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, HQ,
Deputy Chief, Planning and Policy Division; Desk 3F94, 441 G Street NW,
Washington, DC 20314, Include Docket ID No. COE-2024-0003 on the Letter
Head.
<bullet> Hand Delivery/Courier: Due to security requirements, we
cannot receive comments by hand delivery or courier.
Instructions: All submissions received must include Docket ID No.
COE-2024-0003. Written feedback received may be posted without change
to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a>, including any personal information
provided. The Corps encourages the public to submit written feedback
via <a href="https://www.regulations.gov/">https://www.regulations.gov/</a> or email, as there may be a delay in
processing mail.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jessica Ludy, Office of the Assistant
Secretary of the Army for Civil Works at 1-415-732-9165 or by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f2b7b8ada18680938697959b91ada29e939cb28781939197dc93809f8bdc9f9b9e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d297988d81a6a0b3a6b7b5bbb18d82beb3bc92a7a1b3b1b7fcb3a0bfabfcbfbbbe">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background:
Executive Order (E.O) 14096 directs Federal agencies to develop an
Environmental Justice Strategic Plan that will, ``set forth the
agency's vision, goals, priority actions, and metrics to address and
advance environmental justice and to fulfill the directives of [the
E.O.], including through the identification of new staffing, policies,
regulations, or guidance documents'', as well as ``identify and address
opportunities through regulations, policies, permits, or other means to
improve accountability and compliance with any statute the agency
administers that affects the health and environment of communities with
environmental justice concerns (United States, Executive Office of the
President, [Joseph Biden], Executive Order 14096: Revitalizing Our
Nation's Commitment to Environmental Justice for All. Section 4. 26
April 2023).
When complete, the Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan will
offer a vision to transform how the Corps works with communities in its
Civil Works program. Overall, the Corps will integrate environmental
justice principles into the foundational elements of the Corps Civil
Works programs. This includes consideration of Federal Tribal trust
responsibilities and any disproportionate impact on disadvantaged
communities from Civil Works programs. This vision is reflected in the
five goals and associated objectives outlined in this notice and
include our People (the Corps workforce); our Projects, permits and
other Corps work activities; our Partners (Tribes, communities,
agencies, and other organizations with whom the Corps collaborates);
our Processes (including the way the Corps conducts work activities and
makes decisions); and our Policy (including the laws, authorities, and
policies that require or inform Corps compliance). Public input
received through this notice in the Federal Register will help the
Corps identify ways to further institutionalize environmental justice.
These five goals can help the Corps directly address any barriers to
all communities' ability to enjoy the same degree of protections and
equal access to Civil Works programs and services to achieve a healthy
environment in which to live.
A. Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan Vision
It is the vision of the Corps to leverage our congressional
authorities, our technical expertise, and our partnerships to ensure
environmental justice principles and the Federal trust responsibility
result in the Civil Works programs supporting all communities and
enhancing their access to a healthy, sustainable, and resilient
environment in which to live, play, work, learn, grow, worship, and
engage in cultural and subsistence practices. It is the vision of the
Corps to support all communities in enjoying the benefit of protection
from natural hazards, environmental health and climate risks, and to
also have meaningful input into Corps decisions that impact them. The
Corps also aims to build and sustain a world-class, water resources
workforce where Tribal Nations, U.S. Territories, and all communities
with environmental justice concerns see themselves and their interests
well represented, and want to partner with us to restore, and repair
the nation's waterways for public, environmental, social, cultural, and
economic benefits.
B. Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan Goal One: People
Recruit, retain, and train a workforce with the lived experience,
expertise, and capacity to deliver the Corps mission in ways that
advance environmental justice for all communities and protect our
Federal trust responsibilities. Goal one will be accomplished through
the following four objectives:
1. Consistent with merit system principles, develop a Corps
workforce across all levels including junior staff and senior leaders,
temporary and permanent staff, technical and operational staff that
reflects the diversity of the American people. This includes targeted
recruitment and outreach to people with lived experience of
marginalization or environmental justice concerns and removing barriers
to equal opportunity.
2. Foster a model workplace environment at the Corps where all
employees are engaged, supported, heard, and empowered, with
opportunities to learn, grow and excel during their career.
3. Provide workforce training and support for Corps staff to grow
their environmental justice literacy and expertise, including how to
incorporate environmental justice into the analysis of direct,
indirect, and cumulative effects of proposed Federal actions or permits
and to increase their understanding of Tribal sovereignty and the
Federal trust responsibility.
4. Provide training and tools for staff on how to engage and
communicate with Tribes and communities with environmental justice
concerns in ways that foster mutual respect and trust, and in how to
consider the information received during engagements in projects,
decisions, and other Corps activities.
C. Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan Goal Two: Projects,
Permits, and Other Corps Activities
Goal two of the Strategic Plan is to strive to conduct all Corps
work within its authorities in ways that reduce disproportionate
environmental burdens including human health effects across the
landscape and improve environmental, economic, and social conditions in
places and with communities with environmental justice concerns. Goal
two will be accomplished through the following three objectives:
1. Prioritize resources (staff, funding, outreach) to efforts that
will bring significant benefits with no group bearing a
disproportionate burden of environmental harms and risks, including
health burdens, in communities with environmental justice concerns,
including in U.S. territories and across Tribal Nations.
2. Integrate best practices in equitable community engagement and
the principles of Climate Resilience,
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Indigenous Knowledge, Nature Based Solutions, the Federal trust
responsibility, and Environmental Justice into the Corps Civil Works
planning and project delivery process, and into current (where
practicable) and new work activities and decisions that affect
communities. Fully consider the public input provided as part of all
decision-making processes.
3. Evaluate relevant legal authorities to enhance the Corps ability
to both identify impacts and implement alternative solutions or
specific mitigation actions that will reduce adverse impacts on and
increase benefits to communities with environmental justice concerns.
D. Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan Goal Three: Partnerships
As part of a whole-of-government approach, goal three focuses on
investing in building the trusted partnerships and collaboration needed
to advance environmental justice across the nation. Goal three will be
accomplished through the following three objectives:
1. Build, nurture, repair, or rebuild trusted relationships with
Tribal Nations and all communities with environmental justice concerns
to enhance their ability to receive benefits and to reduce burdens
related to Corps activities. Work together with them to anticipate
environmental justice concerns before they arise and integrate
preferences into solutions.
2. Build strategic partnerships and increase project-based
collaboration with other agencies and organizations who can help
advance environmental justice. These organizations may have specialized
expertise, unique authorities that compliment Corps authorities to
create a more complete or equitable project, and or may have pre-
existing relationships with local Tribes and communities, or insight
into community needs.
3. Continue to participate in and leverage opportunities through
interagency committees and working groups on relevant topics to
exchange knowledge and advance environmental justice. Example topics
include community-driven relocation, issues of homelessness, nature-
based solutions, environmental justice-focused trainings, etc.
E. Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan Goal Four: Policy and
Process
Goal four of the Strategic Plan is to refine Corps policy,
processes, and decision making to reduce disparate environmental burden
including adverse health effects, to increase access to the benefits of
Corps work activities, and to remove barriers to participation in
decision-making for Tribal Nations and all communities with
environmental justice concerns. Goal four will be accomplished through
the following two objectives:
1. Staff will review and recommend improvements to policy or
guidance that could reduce disparate environmental burden, increase
access to benefits of Corps Civil Works programs for communities, and
make it easier for affected communities to participate in the Corps
processes that affect their built and natural environment. Further,
Environmental Justice and Tribal subject matter experts should review
Corps policies and guidance updates to ensure that updates will not
disproportionately affect communities with environmental justice
concerns.
2. Review and modify planning, budgeting, procurement, contracting,
and other processes and decisions to focus resources to the maximum
extent possible in Tribal and other communities or places that have the
most environmental burdens, that would be the most affected by a
particular agency action or decision, or are most in need to advance
environmental justice.
F. Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Goal Five: Further
Institutionalize Environmental Justice
Goal five of the Strategic Plan is to institutionalize
environmental justice and Federal trust principles across the Corps
throughout all operations and establish accountability for
decisionmakers and practitioners as they apply these principles across
agency activities, in the Army Civil Works program. Goal five will be
accomplished through the following three objectives:
1. Learn how environmental justice and Tribal trust issues
intersect with every functional or work area at the Corps and use
findings to update Policy and Process Guidance referenced in Goal four.
2. Develop a structure that ensures all employees can both learn
and be held accountable for advancing environmental justice and
upholding the Federal trust responsibilities.
3. Create a feedback mechanism to update Senior Leaders on progress
and challenges to implementing environmental justice strategies.
II. Accessing Documents and Additional Information
You may access information on the Corps' Environmental Justice
program, and information on the Environmental Justice Strategic Plan
update at the Corps' environmental justice website at <a href="https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental-Justice/">https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental-Justice/</a>.
III. Stakeholder Engagement
The Corps poses a series of questions detailed in this notice for
stakeholder input. These questions are only guideposts for comments.
Input on all aspects of the Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan
are welcome. Written input to the docket as well as verbal input during
the virtual meetings are strongly encouraged. Verbal input received
during the listening sessions will be considered equally to written
comments.
1. Do the Draft Environmental Justice Strategic Plan vision,
strategic goals, and objectives discussed in this notice address your
interests and concerns about the advancement of environmental justice
by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers? Why or why not?
2. What actions should the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers undertake
to advance environmental justice?
3. What performance measures or metrics should the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers establish to monitor progress towards advancing
environmental justice?
IV. Public Meetings and Outreach
The Corps will hold a series of public virtual meetings intended to
solicit input to inform its preparation of the Draft Environmental
Justice Strategic Plan. At the virtual meeting, a brief presentation
will be provided to give an overview of the Draft Environmental Justice
Strategic Plan Vision, Goals and Objectives. The rest of the time is
for participants to provide input. The introductory presentation in
each virtual meeting will be recorded and posted on the Army Civil
Works website and on the Corps' Environmental Justice website <a href="https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental-Justice">https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental-Justice</a>.
The Corps will hold 2 virtual meetings open to all stakeholders and
an additional 1 virtual meeting specific for Tribal input. Registration
information for the public and Tribal virtual meetings is included in
this notice. Separate notification to Tribal leaders is also being
provided.
Registration of members of the public who wish to attend the
virtual meeting is required. Spots are limited and those unable to
attend are encouraged to provide written comments to the docket which
will be given equal consideration. Attendees will be asked to provide
their name and contact information to include email address.
Registration instructions can be found at
[[Page 74263]]
the following website: <a href="https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental-Justice">https://www.usace.army.mil/Missions/Environmental-Justice</a>.
Persons or organizations wishing to provide verbal input during the
meetings will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis. Due to
the expected number of participants, individuals will be asked to limit
their spoken presentation to three minutes. Once the speaking slots are
filled, participants may be placed on a standby list to speak or
continue to register to listen to the input. Supporting materials and
written feedback from those who do not have an opportunity to speak can
be submitted to the docket as described above. The schedule for the 3
virtual meetings is as follows:
Public Virtual Meetings
September 17, 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET: <a href="https://usace1.webex.com/weblink/register/r36c21ff92925df01db195f735ad21871">https://usace1.webex.com/weblink/register/r36c21ff92925df01db195f735ad21871</a>.
September 19, 10:30-12:00 p.m. ET: <a href="https://usace1.webex.com/weblink/register/r0ff400b54abeffff21ee493b057e782d">https://usace1.webex.com/weblink/register/r0ff400b54abeffff21ee493b057e782d</a>.
Tribal Virtual Meeting
Wednesday, September 18, 2024--2:00-3:30 p.m. ET: <a href="https://usace1.webex.com/weblink/register/r61e3be2c29453bf62518275359ee3dea">https://usace1.webex.com/weblink/register/r61e3be2c29453bf62518275359ee3dea</a>.
Michael L. Connor,
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works).
[FR Doc. 2024-20678 Filed 9-11-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
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