National Park
Service News
Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DATE: June
17, 2015
CONTACT: Cyndy M. Holda, Public Affairs Specialist,
252-475-9034
252-475-9034 or 252-473-2111252-473-2111
Federal
Register Notice Published for EA on Issuance of Special Use Permit to Local
Government for Beach Nourishment Project
Manteo, NC – The National Park Service (NPS) has
announced in the Federal Register, published on June 17, 2015, the intent to
prepare an environmental assessment (EA) instead of an environmental impact
statement (EIS) to evaluate Dare County’s application for a special use permit
for the purpose of beach nourishment activities in the Buxton area of Cape
Hatteras National Seashore.
Dare County plans
to request a separate Clean Water Act Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (USACE) for the associated dredge and fill activities needed
to accomplish the proposed beach nourishment activities. After public scoping and a preliminary impact
analysis was completed over the winter months, the NPS decided to further
streamline this process, and will be collaborating with the USACE to produce a
single combined Environmental Assessment to assist the agencies in determining
whether, where and under what conditions the NPS and USACE would issue permits
to Dare County. Combining regulatory
compliance efforts will be more efficient for all agencies involved and the
public’s review of the proposed action. The
USACE is now the lead federal agency responsible for preparing the EA
consistent with the National Environmental Policy Act.
For more
information, contact Dennis Brookie, Project Manager for the National Park
Service at 303-969-2493303-969-2493 or Raleigh Bland, Project Manager with the USACE at 910-251-4564910-251-4564. Information may also be found on the park’s
PEPC website at: http://parkplanning.nps.gov/projectHome.cfm?projectID=55120.
________________________________________________________________________