Final Round 3 Restoration Plan and Supplemental Environmental Assessment for Land Protection and Habitat Conservation
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GENERAL ELECTRIC/HOUSATONIC RIVER NATURAL RESOURCE RESTORATION MASSACHUSETTS HOUSATONIC RIVER WATERSHED RESTORATION PROGRAM FINAL ROUND 3 RESTORATION PLAN AND SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR LAND PROTECTION AND HABITAT CONSERVATION May 7, 2013 PREPARED BY: STANTEC CONSULTING SERVICES INC. FOR: MASSACHUSETTS SUBCOUNCIL, HOUSATONIC RIVER NATURAL RESOURCE TRUSTEES Finnl Round I li']srorrliorr l'ir t(i, Suppi(nEnt,i l'a4ci f,nriior nlert.l .1r resrmr at lot t.rtrd I'rDrrciiou nnd Hrbiirr Co s.rrtrinn U.S. Deparn elll oflhe lntcrior APProl sl of the linal Rourld 3 R.storalion Pl$tr,r Supplamcnt*l Enviyonmentnl .{srcssm.nt lbr Land Prote.lioo trnd Conscrlatiorl General Electric/Housatonic Ri\'tr Natural Reiollfcc llesto rrition }{rsstr.husettr l{ouslrioriic l{i|cr $atersh€d Re!{orirlion I'rogrrrn - Round 3 In hccordilDce \1ith ll-S- f)cFartment olthe IDrer ior pcrlicJ rcgardiDg docume lqtioll iur nalunl rcscrlrce dnmag€ attess itnl {nd reslorarioD prnjccts 15f1 ONti}- lhe Aud$rirc Otlicial tor tr.'Dcp{rlnrenl rnusl denlonslrale itplrro1,al oldrsli t'ld lurni l{€storaiion 1'1ius and thejr arln{istcd Nati{}!al Enri )irNcnutl i'olicy .q,it docurl+ntaton, \,iitl'r corlcurrerce fiom the Dcpirlnrcnls Olfice ol lhc Solicitor. Tlrc AufN,rizcd Oflicial lbr drc HeusaloDic lai1'er c.,Isc is lhc Re-qional Dire.ror lbr the U.S. fish and \tildliib Suvice-s N'-r!th.asl Rcgirrr. Th. Finid Raqnd I Resromlirn llal! Supflenc4tnl Etv onmenral AsscssneDt lRP,'SEA) f'or I-and ?roLcction aDd Ilebital ConreFotio[ is bcifg rcl.ased nier public rcriew ald a 47-daf cannncnt pr:riocl on the Dtsli Rauud I Rertornlion Plirn l{lj,{;EA. Tftc Fil1al Round i RF.iSlrrl is hcreby appl.ol'cd flftljr ionsiderari,rn of thc public con,ncnls AFI){o\cd: Colcurcrl; /-\ t-,./ ., ' r t .1 | ' t -1- -n f z-::--t,Jn' 2u!-- tr er',t, lt.\r / ---D^e \{irrk tsrrnsh n",J - Rr!ioDal Dllecr,)r Senior Ittome!' Nct\SE' No;hut,r Re-erFn N,rn}coslRcgion ' tl.S. lish an,l \\ ildliti Scr!r.. OffLce ofthc Sdiciror Final Round 3 Restoration Plan and Supplemental Environmental Assessment for Land Protection and Habitat Conservation Massachusetts SubCouncil Members: Mr. Ken Munney (voting member, Trustee Representative for the Department of the Interior/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New England Field Office 70 Commercial Street, Suite 300 Concord, NH 03301 Ms. Karen I. Pelto (voting member, State Trustee Representative, and Lead Administrative Trustee) Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection One Winter Street, 6th Floor Boston, MA 02108 Non-Voting Advisors to the Massachusetts SubCouncil: Mr. Dean Tagliaferro, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (non-voting Federal Advisor) Lead Federal Agency for Supplemental Environmental Assessment: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Final Round 3 Restoration Plan and Supplemental Page vi Environmental Assessment for Land Protection and Habitat Conservation TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................1 1.1 Background And Details of Round 3 ............................................................... 1 1.2 Natural Resource Trustees Responsibilities under Federal and State Law Regarding Restoration Planning ...................................................................... 3 1.3 Summary of Natural Resource Damages Settlement ....................................... 4 1.4 Summary of Site Injuries and Public Losses ................................................... 4 1.5 Restoration Goals/Purpose of Restoration ....................................................... 5 1.6 Coordination and Scoping ............................................................................. 11 1.6.1 Trustee Council Organization and Activities ........................................11 1.6.2 Public Notification ................................................................................12 1.6.3 Summary of Public Involvement ..........................................................12 1.6.4 Restoration Planning Record.................................................................13 2.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT ...............................................................................14 2.1 Biological Environment ................................................................................. 14 2.2 Socioeconomic Environment ......................................................................... 15 3.0 RESTORATION SOLICITATION AND CRITERIA EVALUATION PROCESS16 3.1 Public Comments on Land Protection Projects ............................................. 16 3.2 Solicitation Process ........................................................................................ 17 3.3 Criteria Evaluation ......................................................................................... 18 3.3.1 Stage One: Threshold Criteria ...............................................................19 3.3.2 Stage Two: Evaluation Criteria .............................................................20 4.0 PREFERRED ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................23 5.0 COMPLIANCE WITH OTHER AUTHORITIES ...................................................24 5.1 Laws ............................................................................................................... 24 5.1.1 Federal Laws .........................................................................................24 5.1.2 State Laws .............................................................................................27 5.1.3 Local Laws ............................................................................................29 5.2 Policies and Directives .................................................................................. 29 5.2.1 Federal Policies and Directives .............................................................29 5.2.2 State and Local Policies ........................................................................30 6.0 LIST OF PREPARERS ............................................................................................31 Final Round 3 Restoration Plan and Supplemental Page vii Environmental Assessment for Land Protection and Habitat Conservation 7.0 LIST OF AGENCIES, ORGANIZATIONS, AND PARTIES CONSULTED FOR INFORMATION ......................................................................................................32 8.0 PUBLIC COMMENTS ON DRAFT ROUND 3 RP/SEA FOR LAND PROTECTION AND HABITAT CONSERVATION .............................................33 8.1 Public Comments and MA SubCouncil Responses ....................................... 33 8.1.1 Public Comment 1 .................................................................................33 8.1.2 Public Comment 2 .................................................................................34 8.1.3 MA SubCouncil Responses to Public Comments .................................34 9.0 LITERATURE CITED ............................................................................................35 APPENDICES Appendix A – Public libraries where documents can be accessed Appendix B – Newspapers and radio and television stations used for public announcements Appendix C – Public Comments on Draft Round 3 RP/SEA Appendix D – Meeting Notes from the August 23, 2012, Public Meeting Final Round 3 Restoration Plan and Supplemental Page viii Environmental Assessment for Land Protection and Habitat Conservation ACRONYMS ACOE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ARPA Archaeological Resources Protection Act CERCLA Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act CFR Code of Federal Regulations CMR Code of Massachusetts Regulations Commonwealth Commonwealth of Massachusetts CTDEP Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection CWA Clean Water Act DOI Department of the Interior EIR Environmental Impact Report EEA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs ENF Environmental Notification Form ESA Endangered Species Act FACA Federal Advisory Committee Act Focus Group Land Acquisition Focus Group FWCA Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act GE General Electric HRR Housatonic River Restoration, Inc. IEI Index of Ecological Integrity MassDEP Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection MassGIS Massachusetts Geographic Information System MBTA Migratory Bird Treaty Act MEPA Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act MESA Massachusetts Endangered Species Act MA SubCouncil Massachusetts SubCouncil of the Housatonic River Natural Resource Trustees MOA Memorandum of Agreement M.G.L. Massachusetts General Laws Final Round 3 Restoration Plan and Supplemental Page ix Environmental Assessment for Land Protection and Habitat Conservation NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NHESP Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NRD Natural Resource Damages NRDAR Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration Program PCBs Polychlorinated biphenyls PEA Programmatic Environmental Assessment PEDA Pittsfield Economic Development Authority RFR Request for Response Restoration Program Massachusetts Housatonic River Watershed Restoration Program RP Restoration Plan RPS Restoration Planning Strategy RPSP Restoration Project Selection Procedure SEA Supplemental Environmental Assessment Stantec Stantec Consulting Services Inc. Trustees Natural Resource Trustees Trustee Council Housatonic River Natural Resource Trustees U.S.C. United