2024-14413. Inland Waterways Users Board Meeting Notice

AGENCY:

Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION:

Notice of open Federal advisory committee meeting.

SUMMARY:

The Department of the Army is publishing this notice to announce the Federal advisory committee meeting of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Inland Waterways Users Board (Board). This meeting is open to the public. For additional information about the Board, please visit the committee's website at https://www.iwr.usace.army.mil/​Missions/​Navigation/​Inland-Waterways-Users-Board/​.

DATES:

The Army Corps of Engineers, Inland Waterways Users Board will conduct a meeting from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CDT on August 1, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

The Inland Waterways Users Board meeting will be conducted at the St. Charles Convention Center, Grand Ballroom D, One Convention Center Plaza, St. Charles, MO 63303. The online virtual portion of the Inland Waterways Users Board meeting can be accessed at https://usace1.webex.com/​meet/​ndc.nav, Public Call-in: USA Toll-Free 844-800-2712, USA Caller Paid/International Toll: 1-669-234-1177 Access Code: 199 117 3596, Security Code 1234.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Paul D. Clouse, the Designated Federal Officer (DFO) for the committee, in writing at the Institute for Water Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CEIWR-NDC, 7701 Telegraph Road, Casey Building (Room H221), Alexandria, VA 22315-3868; by telephone at 202-768-3157; or by email at [e-mail]. Alternatively, contact Mr. Steven D. Riley, an Alternate Designated Federal Officer (ADFO), in writing at the Institute for Water Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CEIWR-NDC, 7701 Telegraph Road, Casey Building, Alexandria, VA 22315-3868; by telephone at 703-659-3097; or by email at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This committee meeting is being held under the provisions of chapter 10 of title 5, United States Code (U.S.C.) (commonly known as the “Federal Advisory Committee Act” or “FACA”), section 552b of title 5, U.S.C. (commonly known as the “Government in the Sunshine Act”), and sections 102-3.140 and 102-3.150 of title 41, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

Purpose of the Meeting: The Board is chartered to provide independent advice and recommendations to the Secretary of the Army on construction and rehabilitation project investments on the commercial navigation features of the inland waterways system of the United States. At this meeting, the Board will receive briefings and presentations regarding the investments, projects, and status of the inland waterways system of the United States and conduct discussions and deliberations on those matters. The Board is interested in written and verbal comments from the public relevant to these purposes.

Agenda: At this meeting the agenda will include an update on the status of the Inland Waterways Trust Fund (IWTF); Fiscal Year 2024 funding for Navigation and the 2025 President's Budget for Navigation; Major Rehabilitation Reports; 2025 Capital Investment Strategy; Lock Modernization; Demopolis Lock Engineering Investigation; Bayou Sorrel Lock and Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Lock studies; Inland waterways modernization projects for Chickamauga Lock and the Kentucky Lock Addition on the Tennessee River, McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System (MKARNS) Three Rivers, Arkansas, the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW) Brazos River Floodgates and Colorado River Locks, Mississippi River-Illinois Waterway Navigation and Ecosystem Sustainability Program (NESP) Lock 25 and LaGrange Lock, Monongahela River Locks and Dams 2, 3 and 4 Replacements, and the Upper Ohio River Montgomery Lock.

Availability of Materials for the Meeting. A copy of the agenda or any updates to the agenda for the August 1, 2024, meeting will be available. The final version will be available at the meeting. All materials will be posted to the website for the meeting.

Public Accessibility to the Meeting: Pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552b, as amended, and 41 CFR 102-3.140 through 102-3.1 65, and subject to the availability of space, this meeting is open to the public. Registration of members of the public who wish to participate in the meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the meeting. Participation is on a first-to-arrive basis. Any interested person may participate in the meeting, file written comments or statements with the committee, or make verbal comments during the public meeting, at the times, and in the manner, permitted by the committee, as set forth below.

Special Accommodations: Individuals requiring any special accommodations related to the public meeting or seeking additional information about the procedures, should contact Mr. Paul Clouse, the committee DFO, or Mr. Steven Riley, an ADFO, at the email addresses or telephone numbers listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section, at least five (5) business days prior to the meeting so that appropriate arrangements can be made.

Written Comments or Statements: Pursuant to 41 CFR 102-3.105(j) and 102-3.140 and section 10(a)(3) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, the public or interested organizations may submit written comments or statements to the Board about its mission and/or the topics to be addressed in this public meeting. Written comments or statements should be submitted to Mr. Clouse, the committee DFO, or Mr. Riley, a committee ADFO, via electronic mail, the preferred mode of submission, at the addresses listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section in the following formats: Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word. The comment or statement must include the author's name, title, affiliation, address, and daytime telephone number. Written comments or statements being submitted in response to the agenda set forth in this notice must be received by the committee DFO or ADFO at least five (5) business days prior to the meeting so that they may be made available to the Board for its consideration prior to the meeting. Written comments or statements received after this date may not be provided to the Board until its next meeting. Please note that because the Board operates under the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended, all written comments will be treated as public documents and will be made available for public inspection.

Verbal Comments: Members of the public will be permitted to make verbal comments during the public meeting only at the time and in the manner allowed herein. If a member of the public is interested in making a verbal comment at the open meeting, that individual must submit a request, with a brief statement of the subject matter to be addressed by the comment, at least three business (3) days in advance to the committee DFO or ADFO, via electronic mail, the preferred mode of submission, at the addresses listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section. The committee DFO and ADFO will log each request to make a comment, in the order received, and determine whether the subject matter of each comment is relevant to the Board's mission and/or the topics to be addressed in this public meeting. A 30-minute period near the end of the meeting will be available for verbal public comments. Members of the public who have requested to make a verbal comment and whose comments have been deemed relevant under the process described above, will be allotted no more than three (3) minutes during this period, and will be invited to speak in the order in which their requests were received by the DFO and ADFO.

Thomas P. Smith,

Chief, Operations and Regulatory Division, Directorate of Civil Works, U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.