The FAST-41 Initiation Notice can be found on the USACE New Orleans District website at: https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Portals/56/docs/regulatory/permits/EIS/Mid-BaratariaSD_FIN.pdf.
The applications submitted by the applicant (Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority) to the USACE can be found on the New Orleans District website at: https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permits/Mid-Barataria-Sediment-Diversion-EIS/.
Decisions on whether a permit and/or permission can be issued have not been made; therefore, there are no mitigation measures. However, information on the applicant's proposed avoidance, minimization, and compensatory mitigation measures can be found in the USACE initial public notice, which is available on the New Orleans District website at: https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permits/Mid-Barataria-Sediment-Diversion-EIS/. Additional information on the applicant's proposed mitigation is available in the final environmental impact statement for the proposed action, which can also be found on the New Orleans District website.
There are no litigation cases associated with this project.
The original Notice of Intent (NOI) was issued in the federal register (76 FR 61843) on October 4, 2013. The supplemental Notice of Intent was issued in the federal register (82 FR 19361) on April 27, 2017. To obtain public input at the beginning of the environmental impact statement (EIS) development process, the Corps held a series of in-person public scoping meetings. These public scoping meetings were held on July 20, 2017 (in Lafitte, LA), July 25, 2017 (in Belle Chasse, LA), and July 27, 2017 (in Port Sulphur, LA). Links to the special public notice for the public scoping meetings, meeting materials, and the scoping reports can be found on the New Orleans District website at the following URL: https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permits/Mid-Barataria-Sediment-Diversion-EIS/. Information on the outcome of the scoping comment period including the scoping meetings can be found in Chapter 7 (Public Involvement) of the draft and final EIS, which are also available on the New Orleans District website at the same link.
The draft EIS was released for public comment on March 5, 2021. The initial 60-day public review and comment period established by the Notice of Availability on March 5, 2021 identified an end date on May 4, 2021. However, based on requests by the public during the public review period, the 60-day public comment period was extended by an additional 30 days (for a total of 90 days) to June 3, 2021. USACE New Orleans District held virtual public meeting on the draft EIS on April 6 (9am), April 7 (1pm), and April 8 (6pm) in 2021. The public meetings provided information about the proposed action and allowed USACE to receive public input and comment on the draft EIS. The draft EIS is available on the New Orleans District’s website at the link given above. Comments received during the comment period were considered by the Corps in the development of the final EIS.
The final EIS was published in the federal register on September 23, 2022 and is currently available on the New Orleans District’s website at the link given above. Comments will be accepted on the final EIS until October 24, 2022.
Federal agency actions that materially affect the status of the project are reflected in the project's permitting timetable. In addition, this information can be found in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) located at: https://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/Missions/Regulatory/Permits/Mid-Barataria-Sediment-Diversion-EIS/