Programmatic Environmental Assessment draft, Jan 2002

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

in sufficient detail to allow for redevelopment to proceed. Restoration of the WTC site would incorporate in-depth studies performed in conjunction with master planning efforts, project design, and permitting prior to the implementation of construction. Hazard mitigation projects would also require detailed design prior to implementation.

The purpose of the proposed action is to repair or replace destroyed and damaged infi-astructure in compliance with the directives of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act within the area of potential effect in lower Manhattan and to provide the opportunity for funding of hazard mitigation projects to control the threat of future terrorist attacks.

The need for the proposed action is to provide supplemental federal funds sufficient to allow timely disaster response actions so that the aftermath of this horrific national disaster can be expeditiously and efficiently managed and so that planning to minimize the threat of future terrorist attacks in the designated disaster area can occur.

The purpose of the PEA is to streamline the project review and approval process and expeditiously respond to requests for project-specific funding developed by the public assistance applicants. The objective of this PEA with respect to public assistance and hazard mitigation for the World Trade Center disaster is to repair or replace damaged public facilities and to reduce the risks of future terrorist actions. The objective of this draft PEA is also to identify the potential environmental impacts of disaster recovery activities related to construction so that the project approval process can be streamlined.

Based on project scoping, other objectives of this draft PEA are itemized below;

• To determine the envirorunental impacts of construction, recovery and mitigation projects proposed for the lower Manhattan impact area • To identify applicable regulatory requirements and permits needed for construction projects in particular • To involve the public, responsible agencies, and stakeholder corporations in the evaluation and project scoping process • Establish baseline environmental conditions such as the square footage of building space damaged or destroyed; level of service of roadways and mass transit operations; and water, sewer, electrical requirements, footage of telephone lines and number of cables, volume of natural gas supplies necessary to establish impacts related to pre- and post-disaster use • Identify opportunities and develop Memorandums of Agreement (MOUs), Programmatic Agreements, informal agency coordination initiatives, and to identify permit requirements appropriate to a programmatic-level analyses

1.4 SCOPE OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

There are no previous Environmental Assessments or Environmental Impact Statements that need to be integrated with, or influence the scope, of this PEA.

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NYC-WfC_000141680