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Home My WebLink About08/04/2015 letter to US Dept Army Corps of Engineers from CCE13 225A Main, Street o Faemingdale, NY 11735 516-390-7150 �j�j �Q ® 188 East Post Road, Suite #202 . White Plains, NY 10601 T Q Z EE� S 914-358-9840 0 744 Broadway ® Albany, NY 12207 CAM �� 862 jj lo, NY 4223 `� ij `� ®733 Delaware Road, Bou t40 Buffalo, -8 14223 e 716-831-3206 TdR2 THE ENVIRONMENT ® 2000 Teall Avenue,:Suite #204 a Syracuse;,NY 13206 315=4724339 www.ciflzenscampaign.org ® 2404 Whitney Avenue, 2nd Floor m Hamden: CT .06518 p� 203-821-7050 I I c nn�""NfoYaf.V1�=..i�a�C1( onn o'n n`1f1iG"1�%X.- d,. �l®�tR"o'Ye�fi. `�InC2 a'YoilyfA"a��oin'�. August 4, 2015 Meghan Quinn Programs & Projects, Management Division US Army Corp of Engineers, NE District 696 Virginia Rd Concord, MA 01742-2751 RE. Comment Period Extension Request for 120 days for the Draft Dredged Material Management Plan & the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Long Island Sound. Public Hearing dates rescheduled. Dear Ms. Quinn, Citizens Campaign for the Environment is a not -for profit grassroots environmental organization working to protect. NY & CT's land, air, and water resources. We are.active members of the Long Island Sound Study's Citizen Advisory Committee and have participated in numerous dredged material workgroup meetings. We are writing to you with two important requests: 1. CCE is requesting that you extend the comment period for the Draft Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) & the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (DPEIS) for Long Island Sound (LIS) to 120 days. The preparation and development of this important document has taken ten years and is a DMMP for all of Long Island Sound. The proposed 30 day comment period is wholly inadequate. The documents, slated to be released on August 17th, will determine long term disposal options for dredged material for the next 20 years in an estuary of national significance. Due, to the serious nature of this planning process and it is critical that members of the public have the necessary and adequate time to review the documents and .make substantive comments. 2. CCE also requests that the public hearings currently scheduled for New York and Connecticut are rescheduled to October or additional hearings are scheduled in October to supplement the August hearings. Public hearing dates slated for the end of August do not allow for meaningful and substantive public participation, as many members of the public take vacation at this time. In addition, the document will be released August 17th and the hearings are scheduled to for August 24th through August 27th, which allows only between 7 to 10 days for the public and stakeholder organizations to review and assess a 1000 page plan. Given, the crafting of the document has taken almost a decade; the public should not be expected to review it in ten days. Public participation in protecting the Long Island Sound has been undeniable strong and consistent for'30 years. Our federal agencies need to provide for a meaningful opportunity to allow maximum participation in this critical planning process. By either rescheduling the hearings or providing at least 2 additional hearings in October, the Army Corp will be inclusive to all members of the public. Allowing greater public participation will ensure a more comprehensive document. CCE looks forward to reviewing and providing comprehensive comments on both documents. We find that a 120 comment period is a reasonable time frame to allow maximum public participation to review. Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to your response. Sincerely, Adrienne Esposito Executive Director Cc: Senator Charles Schumer Senator Kristen Gillibrand Congressman Steve Israel Congressman Peter King Congressman Lee Zeldin NYS Senator Jack Martins NYS Senator Carl Marcellino NYS Senator Ken LaValle NYS Senator John Flanagan NYS Senator Michael Venditto NYS Assemblyman Steve Engelbright NYS Assemblyman Charles Lavine NYS Assemblywoman Michele Schimmel NYS Assemblyman Andrew Raia NYS Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci SC Legislator Kara Hahn SC Legislator William Spencer SC Legislator Al Krupski SC Legislator Leslie'Kennedy SC Legislator Sarah Anker Supervisor Frank Petrone Supervisor Judy Bosworth Supervisor Ed Romaine Supervisor John Venditto