Notice2025-15347
Rescinding the Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the GreenThumb Gardens Water Supply Project Watershed Plan, New York, NY for Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, and Richmond Counties
Primary source
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Published
August 13, 2025
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentNatural Resources Conservation Service
Abstract
NRCS, in cooperation with the New York City (NYC) Parks and Recreation Department GreenThumb Network, is issuing this notice to advise Federal, State and local government agencies and the public that USDA NRCS is rescinding the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the GreenThumb Gardens Water Supply Project Watershed Plan which was published in the Federal Register on April 24, 2024. NRCS conducted an Environmental Evaluation (EE) and determined that the action has no reasonably foreseeable significant effect, and the action is identified within scope of a Categorical Exclusion (CE). NRCS is rescinding the NOI because these findings will satisfy the NEPA requirements for this project and an EIS is no longer necessary.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 154 (Wednesday, August 13, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 154 (Wednesday, August 13, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Page 38949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-15347]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Natural Resources Conservation Service
Rescinding the Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement for the GreenThumb Gardens Water Supply Project
Watershed Plan, New York, NY for Bronx, Kings, New York, Queens, and
Richmond Counties
AGENCY: Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice; rescission.
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SUMMARY: NRCS, in cooperation with the New York City (NYC) Parks and
Recreation Department GreenThumb Network, is issuing this notice to
advise Federal, State and local government agencies and the public that
USDA NRCS is rescinding the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the GreenThumb Gardens Water
Supply Project Watershed Plan which was published in the Federal
Register on April 24, 2024. NRCS conducted an Environmental Evaluation
(EE) and determined that the action has no reasonably foreseeable
significant effect, and the action is identified within scope of a
Categorical Exclusion (CE). NRCS is rescinding the NOI because these
findings will satisfy the NEPA requirements for this project and an EIS
is no longer necessary.
DATES: The NOI to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS)
published in the Federal Register on April 24, 2024 (FR Doc. 2024-
08725), is rescinded as of August 13, 2025.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Capraro, USDA NRCS-NY
Assistant State Conservationist for Field Operations--Southeast Area,
telephone: (607) 865-7090, ext. 283; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1978776d71767760377a78696b786b76596c6a7d78377e766f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f79699839f98998ed994968785968598b782849396d9909881">[email protected]</span></a>.
Individuals who require alternative means for communication should
contact the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Target Center at
(202) 720-2600 (voice and text telephone (TTY)) or dial 711 for
Telecommunications Relay service (both voice and text telephone users
can initiate this call from any telephone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NRCS, in cooperation with the NYC Parks and
Recreation Department GreenThumb Network, is issuing this notice to
advise the public that USDA NRCS will not be preparing an EIS for the
GreenThumb Gardens Water Supply Project watershed plan located within
the Five Borough Watershed in New York City, New York. NRCS New York
State Office issued the NOI to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register
on April 24, 2024, at 89 FR 31130.
The primary purpose of the watershed plan is to supply dependable
and accessible water to the existing GreenThumb Community Gardens that
produce food. Watershed planning is authorized under the Watershed
Protection and Flood Prevention Act of 1954 (Pub. L. 83-566), as
amended, and the Flood Control Act of 1944 (Pub. L. 78-534). The
sponsoring local organization is the NYC Parks and Recreation
Department GreenThumb Network, which supports the creation and
maintenance of volunteer led community gardens within the NYC Parks and
Recreation Department jurisdiction.
The GreenThumb Gardens Water Supply Project is essential for the
establishment of a secure and reliable on-site agricultural water
supply to address deficiencies in the existing water delivery systems
to these food producing gardens. Improving on-site water infrastructure
within the existing community gardens would strengthen the local food
system, improve efficiency, contribute to the conservation and
enhancement of natural resources, and lower barriers to food
production. This action would implement water conservation activities
on existing agricultural lands and would address solutions to
insufficient water supply and quality for the community gardens. Based
on further review of the project, an EE was conducted that indicates
the action has no reasonably foreseeable significant effect, and the
proposed action is within scope of CE found at 7 CFR 1b.4 (d)(23)(USDA-
23d-NRCS): ``Implementing water conservation activities on existing
agricultural lands, such as minor irrigation land leveling, irrigation
water conveyance (pipelines), irrigation water control structures, and
various management practices.''
Any public comment received from the original NOI and scoping
period will be considered during Watershed Plan development. Questions
concerning this notice of rescission should be directed to USDA NRCS
through the contact provided above.
Blake Glover,
New York State Conservationist, Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-15347 Filed 8-12-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-16-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on August 13, 2025.
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