Cooperating under NEPA
Description:
The U.S. Coast Guard has compiled a list of 31 Navigational determined waterways that may require Coast Guard Bridge permits within the proposed project corridor. Crossings requiring an individual Coast Guard Bridge permit at each waterway could consist of (1) an Aerial Pipeline Crossing, (2) Temporary bridge/trestle used during construction, and (3) Permanent Maintenance Access Bridge. Therefore, the U.S. Coast Guard has identified and required six individual bridge permit applications.
In accordance with FAST-41, the Coast Guard expects to render a permit decision within 90 days of FERC issuing a ROD. This decision is dependent upon receiving from the applicant a complete permit application(s), to include all materials listed in the Coast Guard Bridge Permit Application Guide such as plan sheets, NEPA documentation, WQC, CZM, and other applicable requirements. The Coast Guard also cannot issue a permit until the State of Alaska issues a Section 401 Water Quality Certification, or waives the requirement of such certification.
Milestones:
Not required. The U.S. Coast Guard already has this information for each of the 31 potential waterway crossings.
This preliminary determination provides the minimum navigational clearances accepted for bridges across each waterway.
All (six) applications have been received.
A Coast Guard public notice for navigation is issued for each proposed bridge once plan sheets are available and navigation clearances requirements are identified. A 30-day comment period follows each public notice issued. The number of proposed bridges determines how many public notices will need to be issued for this project. If sufficient information is available for several projects, the Coast Guard will issue public notices with several projects listed in one notice to save time. The Coast Guard typically issues public notices within 30 days after receiving an application, which must include adequate plan sheets. Applications were received in April 2019.
An application(s) is deemed complete if all application materials have been received. This includes everything listed in the Coast Guard Bridge Permit Application Guide such as plan sheets, final NEPA documentation, WQC, CZM, and other applicable requirements.
Each Coast Guard bridge permit decision will be made for each of the waterway crossings 90 days after the issuance of a ROD. These decisions are depending upon receiving from the applicant complete applications for each bridge crossing, including a set of plan sheets for each bridge.