JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (June 28, 2012) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District has extended the public comment period on the Draft Areawide Environmental Impact Statement (AEIS) for phosphate mining in the Central Florida Phosphate District. The document was published June 1 with a 45-day public review and comment period, which has been extended an additional 15 days to close on July 31, 2012.
“We extended the public comment period to a full 60 days due to the size and complexity of the document, and the high degree of interest shown so far,” said John Fellows, project manager.
Last week’s public meetings held in Lakeland and Punta Gorda each drew about 550 participants. After a brief introductory presentation by Fellows, participants had an opportunity to visit a series of information stations and speak one-on-one with technical experts. The AEIS, presentation and other materials from the meeting are available for review on the project website at www.phosphateaeis.org.
Printed copies of the AEIS are also available at many local libraries, which are listed on the website. Comments must be submitted in writing by July 31 using the form on the website, sent by e-mail to teamaeis@phosphateaeis.org, or by mail or commercial delivery services to USACE at: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Tampa Regulatory Office (ATTN: Draft AEIS Comments), 10117 Princess Palm Drive, Suite 120, Tampa, FL 33610. Questions concerning the Draft AEIS may be directed to John Fellows at 813-769- 7067, or by e-mail to john.p.fellows@usace.army.mil.
Release no. 12-054