Termination of Environmental Review Process Cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, VA

Victor M. Mendez
Federal Highway Administration
November 17, 2010

[Federal Register: November 17, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 221)]
[Notices]               
[Page 70351-70352]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17no10-158]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

 
Termination of Environmental Review Process Cities of Chesapeake 
and Virginia Beach, VA

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Termination of environmental review process for Southeastern 
Parkway and Greenbelt.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA is issuing this notice to advise the public that the 
environmental review process for proposed Southeastern Parkway and 
Greenbelt in the Cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach, Virginia, is 
terminated.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Edward Sundra, Planning and 
Environment Team Leader, FHWA Virginia Division Office, (804) 775-3320, 
Edward.Sundra@dot.gov, 400 North 8th Street, Suite 750, Richmond, VA 
23219-4825. Sharon Vaughn-Fair, Assistant Chief Counsel, FHWA Eastern 
Legal Services Division, (410) 962-2544, Sharon.Vaughn-Fair@dot.gov, 10 
S. Howard Street, Suite 4000, Baltimore, MD 21201. Office hours are 
from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Electronic Access:
    An electronic copy of this notice may be downloaded from the Office 
of the Federal Register's home page at http://www.archives.gov and the 
Government Printing Office's Web site at http://www.access.gpo.gov.
    Background:
    The FHWA is terminating the environmental review process for the 
proposed Southeastern Parkway and Greenbelt. This notice terminates the 
environmental process that began when the notice of intent was 
published in the Federal Register on Wednesday December 24, 2003, at 68 
FR 74698. A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was prepared for 
this project and a Notice of Availability was published in the Federal 
Register on June 10, 2005, at 70 FR 33901.
    The identified preferred alternative for the proposed project would 
result in a net wetland loss of over 170 acres. There is significant 
resource agency opposition to the proposed project. The United States 
Army Corps of Engineers have expressed serious concern in their July 
22, 2005, comment letter on the Draft EIS and in subsequent 
coordination meetings. An Environmentally Unsatisfactory rating was 
issued by the United States

[[Page 70352]]

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 29, 2005. In a February 
11, 2009, letter to FHWA, EPA stated that ``even the best mitigation 
may not be able to adequately compensate for the environmental harm 
expected.''
    Following further coordination with the appropriate resource 
agencies, FHWA has concluded that, pursuant to 23 CFR 771.133, it has 
no reasonable assurance that the requirements of Section 404 of the 
Clean Water Act can be met for the project as proposed. Therefore a 
determination has been made thereby to terminate the environmental 
review process.

    Authority: 23 CFR 771.133.

    Issued on: November 10, 2010.
Victor M. Mendez,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2010-28880 Filed 11-16-10; 8:45 am]
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