Notice and Opportunity to Comment on Requests for Consistency
Agreement/Concurrence Under the Texas Coastal Management Program
On January 10, 1997, the State of Texas received federal approval of the Coastal Management Program (CMP) (62 Federal Register pp. 1439 - 1440). Under federal law, federal agency activities and actions affecting the Texas coastal zone must be consistent with the CMP goals and policies identified in 31 TAC Chapter 26. Requests for federal consistency review were deemed administratively complete for the following project(s) during the period of November 17, 2025 to December 5, 2025. As required by federal law, the public is given an opportunity to comment on the consistency of proposed activities in the coastal zone undertaken or authorized by federal agencies. Pursuant to 31 TAC §§30.20(f), 30.30(h), and 30.40(e), the public comment period extends 30 days from the date published on the Texas General Land Office web site. The notice was published on the web site on Friday, December 12, 2025. The public comment period for this project will close at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 11, 2026.
Federal Agency Activities:
Applicant: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) - Galveston District
Location: The project is located within the Matagorda Ship Channel, Port Lavaca, Calhoun and Matagorda Counties, Texas.
Project Description: The USACE Galveston District, in partnership with the Calhoun Port Authority, is proposing to widen and deepen the Matagorda Ship Channel. This effort aims to improve port efficiency, reduce transportation costs, and enhance navigational safety by addressing limitations in the channel's current width and depth. In addition, this project is expected to strengthen national security by increasing the United States’s energy trade balance and ability to export energy products to support defense priorities in accordance with Executive Order 14156. This Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) supplements the 2019 Final EIS for the Matagorda Ship Channel Improvement Project and evaluates the potential environmental effects of proposed modifications to the authorized project. The SEIS identifies and assesses reasonable alternatives, including the No Action Alternative, to determine whether the proposed changes would result in significant impacts to the human environment. The 2025 draft Validation Report and SEIS evaluate and compare three different potential depths and widths of the ship channel. The recommended scale would include a deepening to -47 ft. mean lower low water (MLLW) and widening of the bottom width to 300 ft. of the main channel, deepening to -49 ft. MLLW, and widening of bottom width to 550 ft. of the entrance channel, and a 1,200-ft. diameter turning basin in Lavaca Bay.
Type of Application: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2025 draft Validation Report and Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement.
CMP Project No: 25-1036-F2
Further information on the applications listed above, including a copy of the consistency certifications or consistency determinations for inspection, may be obtained from the Texas General Land Office Public Information Officer at 1700 N. Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701, or via email at pialegal@glo.texas.gov. Comments should be sent to the Texas General Land Office Coastal Management Program Coordinator at the above address or via email at federal.consistency@glo.texas.gov.