Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System (GTMO SFOC); Environmental Assessment (EA)/Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), 12985-12986 [2015-05638]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 48 / Thursday, March 12, 2015 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
Education Mission to Central America;
March 16–19, 2015
International Trade
Administration, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Amendment.
AGENCY:
The United States Department
of Commerce, International Trade
Administration is amending the Notice
published at 79 FR 34287, June 16,
2014, for the education mission to El
Salvador and Honduras, with an
optional stop in Nicaragua, from March
16–19, 2015 to revise the mission
description from executive-led to nonexecutive led.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
U.S. Export Assistance Center Silicon
Valley, Gabriela Zelaya, International
Trade Specialist, Tel: 408–535–2757,
ext. 107, Email: gabriela.zelaya@
trade.gov.
Laura Gimenez, Commercial Officer, El
Salvador, Tel: (011–503) 2501–3221,
Email: laura.gimenez@trade.gov.
Aileen Nandi, Commercial Officer, El
Salvador, Tel: (408) 535–2757, ext.
102, Email: aileen.nandi@trade.gov.
U.S. Export Assistance Center
Lexington, Sara Moreno, International
Trade Specialist, Tel: 859–225–7001,
Email: sara.moreno@trade.gov.
SUMMARY:
Frank Spector,
International Trade Specialist.
[FR Doc. 2015–05595 Filed 3–11–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–DR–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach
Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System
(GTMO SFOC); Environmental
Assessment (EA)/Finding of No
Significant Impact (FONSI)
U.S. Defense Information
Systems Agency, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
The Defense Information
Systems Agency (DISA) is announcing
that it has prepared an Environmental
Assessment (EA) and issued a Finding
of No Significant Impact (FONSI)
relating to DISA’s evaluation of the
Proposed Action and Alternatives to
installing Submarine Fiber Optic Cable
(SFOC) for communication purposes
between the DISN Facilities at Miami FL
and U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo
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SUMMARY:
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Bay, Cuba (GTMO) in order to supply
high Bandwidth to DoD activities at
GTMO. This SFOC will improve longhaul communications between the
continental U.S. (CONUS) and GTMO.
The FONSI reports the studies that
prove that there will be no significant
environmental impact from the
installation of this SFOC. This notice
announces the availability of the final
EA and FONSI to concerned agencies
and the public.
ADDRESSES: Requests to receive a copy
of the EA or FONSI should be mailed to
Defense Information Systems Agency,
Public Affairs Officer, P.O. Box 549, Ft.
Meade, MD 20755–0549. Arrangements
must be made in advance to pick the
documents, due to facility security
requirements.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
DISA Public Affairs at 301–225–8100 or
disa.meade.SPI.mbx.disa-pao or DISA,
P.O. box 549, Ft. Meade, MD 20755–
0549.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Pursuant to the Council
on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations for implementing the
procedural provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40
Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts
1500–1508) and 32 CFR part 188,
Environmental Effects in the United
States of DoD Actions, the U.S. Defense
Information Systems Agency (DISA)
prepared an Environmental Assessment
(EA) to analyze the installation of a
submarine fiber optic cable connecting
the Defense Information System
Network (DISN) node located at
Guantanamo Bay (GTMO), Cuba to the
DISN node located in Miami, FL. The
DISA is a Department of Defense (DoD)
combat support agency under the
direction, authority and control of the
Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Command, Control, Communications,
and Intelligence (ASD [C31]).
The Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach
Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System
involves two existing, shore-based U.S.
naval facilities where the GTMO SFOC
will be landed end-to-end. On the
CONUS end, the cable will be landed at
the U.S. Navy’s South Florida Ocean
Measurement Facility (SFOMF) at Dania
Beach, Florida; from there, the GTMO
SFOC will span the entirety of Florida’s
Territorial Waters (3 nautical miles
[nm]), extending through the U.S.
Territorial Sea (12 nm) and Contiguous
Zone (24 nm), with the majority of the
cable system passing through a
combination of the U.S. Exclusive
Economic Zone (EEZ), the Bahamian
EEZ, and the Cuban EEZ to the
nearshore landing at the American
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
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12985
Naval Station Guantanamo Bay
(NAVSTAGTMO). The DISA will lease
commercial dark fiber to facilitate the
terrestrial connection between SFOMF
and the Network Access Point (NAP) of
the Americas in Miami, Florida to
provide DISN node-to-node connection.
Purpose and Need: The purpose of the
Proposed Action is to improve long-haul
communications between the
continental U.S. (CONUS) and GTMO.
Long-haul communications
requirements at GTMO are currently
provided by commercial satellite
services. A Submarine Fiber Optic Cable
(SFOC) provides significantly more
bandwidth than satellite services,
exhibits very low latency, and is not
subject to adverse atmospheric
conditions, such as severe weather (for
example, tropical rain storms and
hurricanes). Therefore, the SFOC will
increase the level and reliability of
communication service between
CONUS and GTMO. The attached EA
and this FONSI were prepared in
compliance with the NEPA (42 U.S.C.
4321–4347), CEQ regulations for
implementing the procedural provisions
of the NEPA (40 Code of Federal
Regulations [CFR] parts 1500–1508),
and 32 CFR part 188, Environmental
Effects in the United States of DoD
Actions. The attached EA considers all
potential impacts of the Proposed
Action and Alternatives, including the
No Action Alternative. This Finding of
No Significant Impact (FONSI)
summarizes the DISA’s evaluation of the
Proposed Action and Alternatives.
Alternatives Considered: Dania Beach,
Florida Nearshore Cable Route
Alternatives—Two action alternatives
were analyzed for the nearshore
installation route proposed at Dania
Beach, Florida within the 12 nm limit
of NEPA applicability. Of these two
alternatives, Alternative 2 (Preferred)
involving the bundling of the GTMO
SFOC to the existing CS–125 cable that
has been installed through the nearshore
coral reef tracks was selected. This
alternative provides the greatest degree
of natural resource protection as it is colocated through a corridor that has
previously received environmental
agency clearances.
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Nearshore
Cable Route Alternatives—Of the three
alternatives considered, Alternative 3
(Glass Beach) was selected as the
preferred landing site which contains an
existing concrete landing station
supporting two subaqueous utility lines
and communication infrastructure
coming ashore at this location. Colocating the GTMO SFOC cable within
this existing corridor provides the
greatest degree of environmental impact
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12986
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 48 / Thursday, March 12, 2015 / Notices
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
avoidance and minimization within the
nearshore environment.
Deepwater Cable Route Alternatives—
Three deepwater route alternatives with
a common divergence point outside the
U.S. were evaluated as part of the route
planning process. These alternatives
were not analyzed with respect to
impacts on the human or natural
environment because the DISA
determined that the action of a one time,
direct-laid SFOC system on the seabed
has been demonstrated in past project
actions at SFOMF and worldwide to
ordinarily have only a minor, localized,
and transient effect on the environment.
Therefore, the action lacks the potential
to cause significant harm to the
environment outside the U.S. and meets
the exemption requirement (E2.3.3.1.1)
to prepare environmental
documentation under Executive Order
(E.O.) 12114, Environmental Effects
Abroad of Major Federal Actions.
No Action Alternative—The No
Action Alternative would be not to
proceed with the GTMO SFOC system
project linking NAVSTAGTMO at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with the SFOMF
facility at Dania Beach, Florida.
NAVSTAGTMO would continue to
operate with existing satellite
communication capabilities which
would not meet the operational need for
reliability and additional bandwidth.
Conclusion: The GTMO SFOC EA was
prepared and evaluated pursuant to
NEPA, CEQ regulations at 40 CFR parts
1500–1508, and 32 CFR part 188. It has
been concluded that, based on the
analyses presented in the GTMO SFOC
EA, the DISA has determined that no
significant direct, indirect, or
cumulative impacts would occur as a
result of the Proposed Action.
Therefore, no further study under NEPA
is required, and a FONSI is thus
warranted. In addition, the Proposed
Action lacks the potential to cause
significant harm to the environment
outside the U.S. and thus is exempt
from further environmental analyses
under Executive Order 12114.
Accordingly, the DISA approved the
installation and operation of the GTMO
SFOC.
Dated: March 9, 2015.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison
Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2015–05638 Filed 3–11–15; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Defense Acquisition Regulations
System
[Docket Number 2015–0013]
Information Collection Requirement;
Defense Federal Acquisition
Regulation Supplement; Requests for
Equitable Adjustment
Defense Acquisition
Regulations System, Department of
Defense (DoD).
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments regarding a proposed
extension of an approved information
collection requirement.
AGENCY:
In compliance with section
3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.
chapter 35), DoD announces the
proposed extension of a public
information collection requirement and
seeks public comment on the provisions
thereof. DoD invites comments on: (a)
Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of DoD,
including whether the information will
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of
the estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the information collection on
respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
The Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) has approved this information
collection for use through August 31,
2015. DoD proposes that OMB extend its
approval for use for three additional
years.
SUMMARY:
DoD will consider all comments
received by May 11, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by OMB Control Number
0704–0397, using any of the following
methods:
Æ Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
Æ Email: osd.dfars@mail.mil. Include
OMB Control Number 0704–0397 in the
subject line of the message.
Æ Fax: 571–372–6094.
Æ Mail: Defense Acquisition
Regulations System, Attn: Ms. Jennifer
Hawes, OUSD(AT&L)DPAP(DARS),
3060 Defense Pentagon, Room 3B941,
Washington, DC 20301–3060.
Comments received generally will be
posted without change to https://
www.regulations.gov, including any
DATES:
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Frm 00013
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
personal information provided. To
confirm receipt of your comment, please
check www.regulations.gov
approximately two to three days after
submission to verify posting, except
allow 30 days for posting of comments
submitted by mail.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ms.
Jennifer Hawes, at (571) 372–6115.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title and OMB Number: Defense
Federal Acquisition Regulation
Supplement (DFARS) part 243, Contract
Modifications, and the related clause at
DFARS 252.243–7002; OMB Control
Number 0704–0397.
Needs and Uses: The information
collection required by the clause at
DFARS 252.243–7002, Requests for
Equitable Adjustment, implements 10
U.S.C. 2410(a). DoD contracting officers
and auditors use this information to
evaluate contractor requests for
equitable adjustments to contracts.
Affected Public: Businesses or other
for-profit and not-for-profit institutions.
Annual Burden Hours: 2,483.
Number of Respondents: 328.
Responses Per Respondent: 1.6,
approximately.
Annual Responses: 520.
Average Burden Per Response: 4.8
hours, approximately.
Frequency: On occasion.
Summary of Information Collection
The clause at DFARS 252.243–7002,
Requests for Equitable Adjustment, is
prescribed at DFARS 243.205–71 for use
in solicitations and contracts, including
solicitations and contracts using FAR
part 12 procedures for the acquisition of
commercial items that are estimated to
exceed the simplified acquisition
threshold. The clause requires
contractors to certify that requests for
equitable adjustment that exceed the
simplified acquisition threshold are
made in good faith and that the
supporting data are accurate and
complete. The clause also requires
contractors to fully disclose all facts
relevant to the requests for adjustment.
Manuel Quinones,
Editor, Defense Acquisition Regulations
System.
[FR Doc. 2015–05639 Filed 3–11–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001–06–P
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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 48 (Thursday, March 12, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12985-12986]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05638]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System
(GTMO SFOC); Environmental Assessment (EA)/Finding of No Significant
Impact (FONSI)
AGENCY: U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is announcing
that it has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) and issued a
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) relating to DISA's evaluation
of the Proposed Action and Alternatives to installing Submarine Fiber
Optic Cable (SFOC) for communication purposes between the DISN
Facilities at Miami FL and U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
(GTMO) in order to supply high Bandwidth to DoD activities at GTMO.
This SFOC will improve long-haul communications between the continental
U.S. (CONUS) and GTMO. The FONSI reports the studies that prove that
there will be no significant environmental impact from the installation
of this SFOC. This notice announces the availability of the final EA
and FONSI to concerned agencies and the public.
ADDRESSES: Requests to receive a copy of the EA or FONSI should be
mailed to Defense Information Systems Agency, Public Affairs Officer,
P.O. Box 549, Ft. Meade, MD 20755-0549. Arrangements must be made in
advance to pick the documents, due to facility security requirements.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: DISA Public Affairs at 301-225-8100 or
disa.meade.SPI.mbx.disa-pao or DISA, P.O. box 549, Ft. Meade, MD 20755-
0549.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR]
parts 1500-1508) and 32 CFR part 188, Environmental Effects in the
United States of DoD Actions, the U.S. Defense Information Systems
Agency (DISA) prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the
installation of a submarine fiber optic cable connecting the Defense
Information System Network (DISN) node located at Guantanamo Bay
(GTMO), Cuba to the DISN node located in Miami, FL. The DISA is a
Department of Defense (DoD) combat support agency under the direction,
authority and control of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (ASD [C31]).
The Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable
System involves two existing, shore-based U.S. naval facilities where
the GTMO SFOC will be landed end-to-end. On the CONUS end, the cable
will be landed at the U.S. Navy's South Florida Ocean Measurement
Facility (SFOMF) at Dania Beach, Florida; from there, the GTMO SFOC
will span the entirety of Florida's Territorial Waters (3 nautical
miles [nm]), extending through the U.S. Territorial Sea (12 nm) and
Contiguous Zone (24 nm), with the majority of the cable system passing
through a combination of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the
Bahamian EEZ, and the Cuban EEZ to the nearshore landing at the
American Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NAVSTAGTMO). The DISA will lease
commercial dark fiber to facilitate the terrestrial connection between
SFOMF and the Network Access Point (NAP) of the Americas in Miami,
Florida to provide DISN node-to-node connection.
Purpose and Need: The purpose of the Proposed Action is to improve
long-haul communications between the continental U.S. (CONUS) and GTMO.
Long-haul communications requirements at GTMO are currently provided by
commercial satellite services. A Submarine Fiber Optic Cable (SFOC)
provides significantly more bandwidth than satellite services, exhibits
very low latency, and is not subject to adverse atmospheric conditions,
such as severe weather (for example, tropical rain storms and
hurricanes). Therefore, the SFOC will increase the level and
reliability of communication service between CONUS and GTMO. The
attached EA and this FONSI were prepared in compliance with the NEPA
(42 U.S.C. 4321-4347), CEQ regulations for implementing the procedural
provisions of the NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts
1500-1508), and 32 CFR part 188, Environmental Effects in the United
States of DoD Actions. The attached EA considers all potential impacts
of the Proposed Action and Alternatives, including the No Action
Alternative. This Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) summarizes
the DISA's evaluation of the Proposed Action and Alternatives.
Alternatives Considered: Dania Beach, Florida Nearshore Cable Route
Alternatives--Two action alternatives were analyzed for the nearshore
installation route proposed at Dania Beach, Florida within the 12 nm
limit of NEPA applicability. Of these two alternatives, Alternative 2
(Preferred) involving the bundling of the GTMO SFOC to the existing CS-
125 cable that has been installed through the nearshore coral reef
tracks was selected. This alternative provides the greatest degree of
natural resource protection as it is co-located through a corridor that
has previously received environmental agency clearances.
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Nearshore Cable Route Alternatives--Of the
three alternatives considered, Alternative 3 (Glass Beach) was selected
as the preferred landing site which contains an existing concrete
landing station supporting two subaqueous utility lines and
communication infrastructure coming ashore at this location. Co-
locating the GTMO SFOC cable within this existing corridor provides the
greatest degree of environmental impact
[[Page 12986]]
avoidance and minimization within the nearshore environment.
Deepwater Cable Route Alternatives--Three deepwater route
alternatives with a common divergence point outside the U.S. were
evaluated as part of the route planning process. These alternatives
were not analyzed with respect to impacts on the human or natural
environment because the DISA determined that the action of a one time,
direct-laid SFOC system on the seabed has been demonstrated in past
project actions at SFOMF and worldwide to ordinarily have only a minor,
localized, and transient effect on the environment. Therefore, the
action lacks the potential to cause significant harm to the environment
outside the U.S. and meets the exemption requirement (E2.3.3.1.1) to
prepare environmental documentation under Executive Order (E.O.) 12114,
Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions.
No Action Alternative--The No Action Alternative would be not to
proceed with the GTMO SFOC system project linking NAVSTAGTMO at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with the SFOMF facility at Dania Beach, Florida.
NAVSTAGTMO would continue to operate with existing satellite
communication capabilities which would not meet the operational need
for reliability and additional bandwidth.
Conclusion: The GTMO SFOC EA was prepared and evaluated pursuant to
NEPA, CEQ regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508, and 32 CFR part 188.
It has been concluded that, based on the analyses presented in the GTMO
SFOC EA, the DISA has determined that no significant direct, indirect,
or cumulative impacts would occur as a result of the Proposed Action.
Therefore, no further study under NEPA is required, and a FONSI is thus
warranted. In addition, the Proposed Action lacks the potential to
cause significant harm to the environment outside the U.S. and thus is
exempt from further environmental analyses under Executive Order 12114.
Accordingly, the DISA approved the installation and operation of the
GTMO SFOC.
Dated: March 9, 2015.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2015-05638 Filed 3-11-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P
