SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

One of the foundations of the National Levee Safety Program is stakeholder engagement with those who are responsible for, are impacted by, or have interest in levees and related policies including federal/Tribal Nations/state/local governments, levee owners/operators, businesses, floodplain managers and residents. The goals for the stakeholder engagement process are to:

1. Understand the needs of the stakeholders this program is intended to support;

2. Provide opportunities for meaningful input to shape decisions and outcomes on program design, components, and products; and,

3. Ensure that the unique challenges related to levees faced by Tribal Nations and underserved communities are well understood and incorporated into solutions.

The purpose of the National Levee Safety Program is to improve the way levees are managed throughout the United States and its territories to reduce the impacts of flooding and improve the resilience of communities behind levees. Managing flood risk is a shared responsibility between federal, Tribal Nations, state, and local entities. USACE and FEMA are interested in the views of the public regarding how the National Levee Safety Program and each of its components can be implemented to best serve those responsible for and impacted by flood risk management efforts. The four major components of the National Levee Safety Program are intended to work together to accomplish the goals of the program: National Levee Safety Guidelines; Integrated Levee Management; National Levee Database and Data Collection; and Implementation Support. There are fact sheets and additional information related to each of these components at www.leveesafety.org.

USACE and FEMA continue their commitment to seek feedback from stakeholders at various phases of the program's development. Phase 1 completed in the Spring of 2022, was focused on gathering initial input on the purpose and scope of each of the components of the National Levee Safety Program to better understand the needs and priorities of the public. Phase 2 focuses on soliciting feedback on draft products and options identified during Phase 1 (scoping). Phase 3 is anticipated to occur during the Fall of 2023 with a focus on soliciting feedback on draft program implementation products. During each phase, stakeholders can submit comments through a variety of methods. Each phase will have an open comment period under docket number COE-2021-0007.

For Phase 2, comments are being sought on the progress of the program, content for the National Levee Safety Guidelines, an outline for a new Levee Management Guide for levee owners/operators, a new levee cost brochure, and updates to the National Levee Database. Questions and supplementary information to assist in providing feedback can be found at www.leveesafety.org. In addition to the webinars and in-person meetings listed below, a separate set of coordination ( printed page 24602) activities with national and regional Tribal organizations and Tribal Nations are being planned.

Topic-Specific Webinars: USACE will offer a series of topic-specific webinars that will provide background and supplementary information on the draft products being presented for stakeholder feedback during Phase 2. Webinars are open to anyone, and participants must register by visiting www.leveesafety.org. Webinar dates and topics include:

April 11 and May 9, 2023—National Levee Safety Guidelines (1-2:30 p.m. ET)

April 13 and May 11, 2023—Levee Management Resources (1-2:30 p.m. ET)

April 18 and May 31, 2023—State Levee Activities (1-2 p.m. ET)

April 20 and June 6, 2023—National Levee Database (1-2 p.m. ET)

In-person Meetings (National Levee Safety Guidelines): In addition to the webinar series, USACE will host four in-person meetings focused specifically on seeking feedback on sample content from the National Levee Safety Guidelines. Meetings are open to anyone, and participants must register by visiting www.leveesafety.org. Each meeting will be limited to 100 people. Dates and locations include:

April 25, 2023—The Westin St. Louis, 811 Spruce Street, St. Louis, MO (12-5 p.m. CT)

May 3, 2023—Houston Marriott South, 9100 Gulf Freeway, Houston, TX (12-5 p.m. CT)

May 17, 2023—Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown Arena, 300 J Street, Sacramento, CA (12-5 p.m. PT)

May 23, 2023—Embassy Suites by Hilton, 9000 Bartram Avenue, Philadelphia, PA (12-5 p.m. ET)

In-person Meetings (Levee Management Resources): USACE will also host four in-person meetings focused specifically on seeking feedback on draft levee management resources including an outline for a new Levee Management Guide for levee owners/operators, a new levee cost brochure, excerpts from operations and maintenance manual and emergency action plan templates, and updates to the National Levee Database. These meetings are geared towards those with levee responsibilities including Tribal Nations, states, levee owner/operators, local officials, and emergency managers. Participants must register by visiting www.leveesafety.org, and each meeting will be limited to 25 people. Dates and locations include:

April 26, 2023—The Westin St. Louis, 811 Spruce Street, St. Louis, MO (12-5 p.m. CT)

May 4, 2023—Houston Marriott South, 9100 Gulf Freeway, Houston, TX (12-5 p.m. CT)

May 18, 2023—Holiday Inn Sacramento Downtown Arena, 300 J Street, Sacramento, CA (12-5 p.m. PT)

May 24, 2023—Embassy Suites by Hilton, 9000 Bartram Avenue, Philadelphia, PA (12-5 p.m. ET)

88 FR 24601