[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 212 (Friday, November 3, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75621-75624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23864]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2023-0148; FF09E42000-FXES111609BFEDR-234]
John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System; Florida,
Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, and New York; Draft 5-Year Review Boundaries
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) requires the
Secretary of the Interior to review the maps of the John H. Chafee
Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) at least once every 5 years and
make any minor and technical modifications to the boundaries of the
CBRS as are necessary to reflect changes that have occurred in the size
or location of any unit as a result of natural forces. We, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), have conducted this review for
CBRS units in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, and the Great Lakes
region of New York. With this notice, we announce the findings of our
review and invite comments on the draft revised boundaries from
Federal, State, and local officials.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments
by December 4, 2023.
ADDRESSES:
Accessing Files: The draft revised boundaries may be viewed in a
web mapping application accessed from the Service's website at https://www.fws.gov/project/cbrs-5-year-review. For more information, see
Request for Comments under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
Submitting Comments: You may submit written comments by one of the
following methods:
Internet: Go to: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for
and submit comments on Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2023-0148.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing,
Attn: Docket No. FWS-HQ-ES-2023-0148, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: PRB/3W, Falls Church, VA 22041-3808.
We request that you send comments by only one of the methods
described above. We will post all information received on https://www.regulations.gov. If you provide personal identifying information in
your comment, you may request at the top of your document that we
withhold this information from public review. However, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katie Niemi, Coastal Barriers
Coordinator, via telephone at 703-358-2071 or email at [email protected].
Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals
outside the United States should use the relay services offered within
their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in
the United States.
[[Page 75622]]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA; 16
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) requires the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary)
to review the maps of the CBRS at least once every 5 years and make, in
consultation with the appropriate Federal, State, and local officials,
such minor and technical modifications to the boundaries of the CBRS as
are necessary solely to reflect changes that have occurred in the size
or location of any unit as a result of natural forces (16 U.S.C.
3503(c)).
The Service's review included:
Six of the 137 total units located in Florida
All 13 units located in Georgia
Fifteen of the 21 total units located in Louisiana
All 34 units located in Maine
All 21 units located in the Great Lakes region of New York
The remaining Louisiana and New York (Long Island) units were not
included in this review because they are part of separate comprehensive
mapping projects (the related maps are awaiting adoption by Congress
through legislation). The remaining Florida units were not included in
this review but are planned for review in the future.
Of the 89 total units reviewed, the Service revised 13 units that
changed in size or location as a result of natural forces since they
were last mapped. The Service's review of these areas also found two
CBRS units that require modifications to correct administrative errors
made in the past on maps for Lee County, Florida.
Background and Methodology
Background information on the 5-year review effort and the
methodology used to produce the revised boundaries can be found in a
notice the Service published in the Federal Register on November 22,
2022 (87 FR 71352).
Prior to the Service's ``digital conversion'' effort for the CBRS
maps (carried out during the period 2013-2016), the official CBRS maps
had significant limitations due to their age, scale, and the now
antiquated techniques used to create them. On August 29, 2013 (78 FR
53467), the Service published a notice in the Federal Register
describing the limitations of those original maps, along with the
methodology that was used to transcribe the boundaries from those maps
to new base map imagery for the purposes of the 5-year review. In that
notice, the Service also described limited circumstances under which
CBRS boundaries may be modified to correct administrative errors made
in the past, either in (a) the transcription of the boundaries from
maps that were reviewed and approved by Congress to the official CBRS
maps on file with the Service or (b) the inclusion of unqualifying
areas to the CBRS through a map modification to account for natural
changes under 16 U.S.C. 3503(c). We found two administrative errors in
Units P19 and P19P that were introduced through the digital conversion
and 5-year review effort in Florida in 2016. Minor corrections to these
two units are described below.
Proposed Modifications to the CBRS
In accordance with CBRA's requirement to update the CBRS maps at
least once every 5 years to account for natural changes, the Service
has conducted a review of certain unit boundaries in Florida, Georgia,
Louisiana, Maine, and the Great Lakes region of New York.
The Service made modifications due to natural changes in the size
or location of a total of 13 CBRS units (of the 89 units reviewed). In
addition, two units in Florida were modified to correct administrative
errors made in the past on maps for Lee County, Florida. Below is a
summary of those changes and the results of our review.
Florida
The Service's review found that five of the six CBRS units in
Florida that are included in this review (Units FL-70, FL-70P, P19,
P19P, P20, and P20P) require changes due to natural forces. In
addition, two units in Florida, P19 and P19P, were modified to correct
administrative errors. The imagery that was used on the currently
effective maps is dated 2013. The imagery that was used for this
review, and will be used for the revised maps, is dated 2022. Other
CBRS units in Florida were not assessed as part of this review.
For Unit P19, the administrative errors affect three privately
owned structures that were inadvertently added to the unit when the
Service modified the boundary in a prior 5-year review. Additionally,
one adjustment was needed to correct an error in the transcription of a
portion of the boundary of Unit P19P along the excluded area at the
northern end of North Captiva Island affecting one structure. These
errors are corrected as described below under these two units.
Otherwise Protected Area (OPA) Unit P19P is made up of 15 discrete
segments on North Captiva Island that are interspersed with System Unit
P19. We are only modifying the northernmost segment of Unit P19P to
reflect changes from natural forces. Although erosion has been
occurring along the other 14 segments, we found that modifications
beyond the scope of this project and our 5-year review authority are
needed to first address significant misalignments in the locations of
the OPA boundaries and the Cayo Costa State Park parcels they were
intended to follow. These alignment errors were already present on the
map adopted by Congress in 2000 via Public Law 106-360 and can be
attributed to imprecise information regarding the location of the
parcel boundaries at the time the CBRS map was produced. However,
because these other errors are not of the administrative nature
described in the Background and Methodology section above, they cannot
be corrected administratively by the Service. Rather, such changes must
be made through the comprehensive remapping process, which is described
in more detail in a notice the Service published in the Federal
Register on January 4, 2021 (86 FR 118).
FL-70P: GASPARILLA ISLAND. Unit FL-70P has two discrete segments,
but modifications to account for natural changes were only necessary in
the western segment. The western boundary of the excluded area of this
segment has been modified to account for natural changes in the
shoreline between the Boca Grande Rear Range Lighthouse and Sea Grape
Beach.
P19: NORTH CAPTIVA ISLAND. The boundary along the western side of
North Captiva Island that is coincident with the northernmost segment
of Unit P19P has been modified to account for natural changes in the
shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico. The excluded area boundary at the
northern tip of North Captiva Island has been modified to account for
natural changes in the shoreline along the Gulf of Mexico and Captiva
Pass.
In addition, two segments of the boundary along the excluded area
have been modified to correct an administrative error made during the
previous 5-year review for this unit that affected three existing
structures. That boundary was modified in 2016 to account for natural
changes in the shoreline. However, that boundary modification was not
included in the description of the 5-year review changes included in
the Federal Register notices associated with this unit dated November
17, 2015 (80 FR 71826) and March 14, 2016 (81 FR 13407). The 2016
boundary change inadvertently resulted in adding to the unit three
existing structures along the beach in the North Captiva Dunes
subdivision. The boundary has been modified so that the structures will
no longer be located within the unit.
[[Page 75623]]
P19P: NORTH CAPTIVA ISLAND. Unit P19P has 15 discrete segments that
are all coincident with Unit P19. In the northernmost segment of Unit
P19P, the western boundary coincident with Unit P19 has been modified
to account for natural changes in the shoreline along the Gulf of
Mexico.
Additionally, an adjustment has been made to correct an
administrative error in the transcription of the boundary from the CBRS
map dated October 27, 2000, to the official map dated January 11, 2016,
for this unit. We found that when we digitized the southern boundary of
the excluded area on North Captiva Island for the purposes of the 5-
year review in 2015-2016, we did not properly follow the boundary
transcription methodology described in the notice published in the
Federal Register (August 29, 2013; 78 FR 53467).
This transcription error resulted in small portions of six
privately owned parcels, including one existing structure, being
incorrectly depicted as within the unit in 2016. The southern boundary
of the excluded area (part of the northern boundary of Unit P19P) is
adjusted to correct this error and maintain the relationship between
the OPA boundary, and the boundary of Cayo Costa State Park as
established by Congress via Public Law 106-360 in 2000 and clearly
indicated by legislative history and our background records on Unit
P19P.
P20: CAYO COSTA. The coincident boundary between Units P20 and P20P
at the northern tip of Cayo Costa has been modified to account for
natural changes in the shoreline along Boca Grande Pass.
P20P: CAYO COSTA. Unit P20P has 13 discrete segments, but
modifications to account for natural changes were only necessary in the
northernmost segment. The coincident boundary between Units P20 and
P20P at the northern tip of Cayo Costa has been modified to account for
natural changes in the shoreline along Boca Grande Pass.
Georgia
The Service's review found that 4 of the 13 CBRS units in Georgia
require changes due to natural forces. The imagery that was used on the
currently effective map is dated 2013. The imagery that was used for
this review, and will be used for the revised map, is dated 2021.
GA-05P: ALTAMAHA/WOLF ISLANDS: The coincident boundary between
Units GA-05P and N03 has been modified to account for accretion at the
northern tip of Little St. Simons Island.
N03: LITTLE ST. SIMONS ISLAND: The coincident boundary between
Units GA-05P and N03 has been modified to account for accretion at the
northern tip of Little St. Simons Island.
N06: CUMBERLAND ISLAND: Unit N06 has five discrete segments, but
modifications to account for natural changes were only necessary in the
southernmost segment. The coincident boundary between Units N06 and
N06P along Beach Creek near its confluence with Cumberland Sound has
been modified to account for natural changes in the shoreline.
N06P: CUMBERLAND ISLAND: Unit N06P has six discrete segments, but
modifications to account for natural changes were only necessary in the
southernmost segment. The coincident boundary between Units N06 and
N06P along Beach Creek near its confluence with Cumberland Sound has
been modified to account for natural changes in the shoreline.
Louisiana
The Service's review found that 3 of the 15 CBRS units in Louisiana
that are included in this review (Units LA-03P, LA-04P, LA-05P, LA-07,
LA-08P, LA-09, LA-10, S01, S01A, S02, S03, S08, S09, S10, and S11)
require changes due to natural forces. The imagery that was used on the
currently effective maps is dated 2013. The imagery that was used for
this review, and will be used for the revised maps, is dated 2021.
The remaining six Louisiana units were not assessed as part of this
review because they are part of a separate comprehensive mapping
project (the related maps are awaiting adoption by Congress through
legislation).
LA-05P: MARSH ISLAND/RAINEY. The boundary of the unit has been
modified to account for wetland erosion along Vermilion Bay and West
Cote Blanche Bay. Due to the significant rate of erosion in this area,
some of the boundary has been generalized (i.e., simplified so that the
map is clear, and the boundary is not overly detailed).
LA-10: CALCASIEU PASS. A portion of the northern boundary of the
unit has been modified to account for wetland erosion along West Cove.
Due to the significant rate of erosion in this area, some of the
boundary has been generalized (i.e., simplified so that the map is
clear, and the boundary is not overly detailed).
S10: MERMENTAU RIVER. The southern boundary of the excluded area at
the western end of the unit has been modified to account for shoreline
erosion along the Gulf of Mexico.
Maine
The Service's review found that the 34 CBRS units in Maine do not
need to be modified due to changes from natural forces. The imagery
that was used on the currently effective maps is dated 2011 and/or
2012, with the exception of one map that also utilizes imagery dated
2003-2005. The imagery that was used for this review, and will be used
for the revised maps, is dated 2021.
New York (Great Lakes)
The Service's review found that 1 of the 21 CBRS units in the Great
Lakes region of New York (the only CBRS units in New York that were
part of this review) requires changes due to natural forces. The
imagery that was used on the currently effective maps is dated 2013.
The imagery that was used for this review, and will be used for the
revised maps, is dated 2022.
The remaining CBRS units in the Long Island region of New York were
not assessed as part of this review because they are part of a separate
comprehensive mapping project related to Hurricane Sandy (the related
maps are awaiting adoption by Congress through legislation).
NY-62: GRENADIER ISLAND. The eastern lateral boundary of the unit
has been modified to account for the accretion of a sand spit that has
migrated outside the unit.
Request for Comments
CBRA requires consultation with the appropriate Federal, State, and
local officials on the proposed CBRS boundary modifications to reflect
changes that have occurred in the size or location of any unit as a
result of natural forces (16 U.S.C. 3503(c)). We therefore invite
interested Federal, State, and local officials to review and comment on
the draft revised boundaries for Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine,
and the Great Lakes region of New York. The Service is specifically
notifying the following stakeholders concerning the availability of the
draft revised boundaries: (1) the Chair and Ranking Member of the House
of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, the Chair and
Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works,
and the members of the Senate and House of Representatives for the
affected areas; (2) the governors of the affected areas; (3) State and
local officials with floodplain management and/or land use
responsibilities for the affected areas; and (4) Federal officials with
knowledge of the coastal geomorphology within the affected areas.
[[Page 75624]]
Federal, State, and local officials may submit written comments and
accompanying data as described in ADDRESSES, above. Comments regarding
specific CBRS unit(s) should reference the appropriate unit number(s)
and unit name(s). Please note that boundary modifications through the
5-year review process can only be made to reflect changes that have
occurred in the size or location of any CBRS unit as a result of
natural forces. Other requests for changes to the CBRS outside of the
Service's administrative authorities (16 U.S.C. 3503(c)-(d)) will not
be considered at this time. We must receive comments on or before the
date listed above in DATES.
The draft revised boundaries may be viewed in a web mapping
application accessed from the Service's website at https://www.fws.gov/project/cbrs-5-year-review. A shapefile of the draft revised CBRS
boundaries, which can be used with GIS software, is also available for
download. The shapefile is best viewed using the base imagery to which
the boundaries were drawn; the base imagery sources and dates are
included in the metadata for the shapefile. The Service is not
responsible for any misuse or misinterpretation of the shapefile.
Interested parties who are unable to access the draft revised
boundaries or other information online may contact the individual
identified in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT, above, and reasonable
accommodations will be made.
Next Steps
Following the close of the comment period, the Service will review
all comments received on the draft revised boundaries; adjust the
boundaries, as appropriate; prepare final revised maps; and publish a
notice in the Federal Register to announce the availability of the
final revised maps. The revised maps will take effect upon the date of
publication of that notice in the Federal Register.
Authority
Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA; 16 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Gary Frazer,
Assistant Director for Ecological Services.
[FR Doc. 2023-23864 Filed 11-2-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P