Revised Notice of Intent To Prepare a Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement: Brown County, Wisconsin

Ian Chidister
Federal Highway Administration
30 December 2019

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 249 (Monday, December 30, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72111-72112]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-28046]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration


Revised Notice of Intent To Prepare a Tier 1 Environmental Impact 
Statement: Brown County, Wisconsin

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Revised notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The FHWA is revising the March 11, 2008 Notice of Intent which 
advised the public that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would 
be prepared for proposed transportation improvements in the southern 
part of the Green Bay metropolitan area in Brown County, Wisconsin. The 
FHWA will now

[[Page 72112]]

prepare a Tier 1 EIS to evaluate the proposed improvements.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ian Chidister, Environmental Program 
Manager, Federal Highway Administration, 525 Junction Road, Suite 8000, 
Madison, WI 53717, telephone: (608) 829-7503, email: 
ian.chidister@dot.gov; Bryan Lipke, P.E., Planning Project Manager, 
Wisconsin Department of Transportation, Northeast Region, 944 
Vanderperren Way, Green Bay, WI 54304, telephone: (920) 492-5703, 
email: Bryan.Lipke@dot.wi.gov; Cole Runge, Principal Planner/MPO 
Director, Brown County Planning Commission/Green Bay MPO, 305 E. Walnut 
Street Room 320, PO Box 23600, Green Bay, WI 54305, telephone (920) 
448-6480, email: Cole.Runge@browncountywi.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FHWA, in cooperation with the Wisconsin 
Department of Transportation (WisDOT) and Brown County (the Lead 
Agencies), will prepare a Tier 1 EIS in accordance with 23 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) 771.111(g) and 40 CFR 1502.20. The Lead 
Agencies previously issued a Notice of Intent on March 11, 2008, 
advising agencies and the public that an EIS would be prepared to study 
proposed transportation improvements to address existing and future 
transportation demand in the southern portion of the Green Bay 
metropolitan area.
    Since the previous Notice of Intent was issued, the Lead Agencies 
developed a Draft Coordination Plan, Draft Impact Assessment 
Methodologies, draft purpose and need, and a preliminary range of 
alternatives. The Lead Agencies also convened two meetings with a 
Project Stakeholder Committee, held three public scoping/involvement 
meetings, and held meetings with participating and cooperating agencies 
to obtain concurrence for the purpose and need and the alternatives 
retained for detailed study. The Lead Agencies will coordinate with 
stakeholders, agencies, and the public to revisit and update 
documentation and decisions from previous EIS development efforts.
    The proposed project will identify the most appropriate 
transportation improvements for addressing existing transportation 
demand and demand generated by the planned development in the southern 
part of the Green Bay metropolitan area. The study area includes the 
City of De Pere, the Villages of Allouez, Bellevue, Hobart, and 
Ashwaubenon, and the Towns of Glenmore, Ledgeview, Rockland, and 
Lawrence. The development that is planned to occur is projected to 
generate traffic which will strain the capacity of the area's existing 
transportation infrastructure. The project will study the traffic 
operations, capacity, and safety of the transportation infrastructure 
along with existing and planned development in the study area, system 
linkages, and local planning efforts.
    A Tier 1 Draft EIS is anticipated for completion in summer 2020 
with a combined Final EIS and Record of Decision (ROD) in fall 2020. 
Letters describing the proposed action and soliciting comments have 
been sent to appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, and Native 
American Tribes. An agency scoping meeting and a public involvement 
meeting were held on December 11, 2019 with the appropriate agencies 
and the general public.
    Public involvement is a critical component of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, and it will be integrated with 
the process to develop the Tier 1 EIS. All environmental documents will 
be made available for review by federal and state resource agencies and 
the public. Specific efforts will be made to encourage involvement by, 
and solicit comments from minority and low-income populations in the 
project study area, with public involvement meetings held throughout 
the NEPA process. Public notice will be given regarding the time and 
place of public involvement meetings. A public hearing will be held 
after the completion of the Tier 1 Draft EIS. Project information will 
be posted on the Brown County website (https://www.browncountywi.gov/departments/planning-and-land-services/planning/transportation/). 
Inquiries about the project may be sent to the contacts listed above. 
To ensure the full range of issues related to the proposed action are 
addressed and all significant issues are identified, comments and 
suggestions are invited from all interested parties.
    Projects receiving Federal funds must comply with Title VI of the 
Civil Rights Act and Executive Order 12898 ``Federal Actions to Address 
Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income 
Populations.'' Federal law prohibits discrimination on the basis of 
race, color, age, sex, or country of national origin in the 
implementation of this project. It is also Federal policy to identify 
and address any disproportionately high and adverse effects of Federal 
projects on the health or environment of minority and low-income 
populations to the greatest extent practicable and permitted by law.

(Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Program Number 20.205, 
Highway Planning and Construction. The regulations implementing 
Executive Order 12372 regarding intergovernmental consultation on 
Federal programs and activities apply to this program.)

    Authority:  23 CFR 771.123

    Dated: December 20, 2019.
Ian Chidister,
Environmental Program Manager, FHWA, Madison, Wisconsin.
[FR Doc. 2019-28046 Filed 12-27-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-RY-P