Long Range Aids to Navigation (LORAN-C) Program; Preparation of Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, 39069-39071 [07-3475]
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Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 136 / Tuesday, July 17, 2007 / Notices
stipulates that the racial and ethnic
minority groups shall be equally
represented on the Committee
membership. This means we are seeking
candidates who can represent the health
interest of Hispanics/Latino Americans;
Blacks/African Americans; American
Indians and Alaska Natives; and/or
Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians,
and other Pacific Islanders.
Mandatory Professional/Technical
Qualifications: Nominees must meet all
of the following mandatory
qualifications to be eligible for
consideration.
(1) Expertise in minority health and
racial and ethnic health disparities.
(2) Expertise in developing or
contributing to the development of
health policies and/or programs. This
may include experience in the analysis,
evaluation, and interpretation of Federal
health or regulatory policy.
(3) Involvement in national, regional,
tribal, and/or community efforts to
improve minority health.
(4) Educational achievement,
professional certification(s) in healthrelated field (behavioral health, public
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health administration, etc.), and
professional experience that will
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issues related to improving minority
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Desirable Qualifications: It is desired
that the nominee have:
(1) Knowledge of national health
policies and programs managed by the
HHS.
(2) Job-related training, selfdevelopment, and outside professional
activities which provides evidence of
initiative, resourcefulness, and potential
for effective performance.
Requirements for Nomination
Submission: Nominations should be
typewritten (one nomination per
nominator). The following information
should be included in the package of
material submitted for each individual
being nominated for consideration: (1) A
letter of nomination that clearly states
the name and affiliation of the nominee,
the basis for the nomination (i.e.,
specific attributes which qualify the
nominee for service in this capacity),
and a statement that the nominee is
willing to serve as a member of the
Committee; (2) the nominator’s name,
address, and daytime telephone
number, and the home and/or work
address, telephone number, and e-mail
address of the individual being
nominated; (3) a current copy of the
nominee’s curriculum vitae, and (4)
provide narrative responses to the
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mandatory professional/technical
qualifications listed above in regard to
the nominee’s expertise. Federal
employees should not be nominated for
consideration of appointment to this
Committee.
Individuals selected for appointment
to the Committee shall be invited to
serve four year terms. Committee
members who are not officers or
employees of the United States
Government will receive a stipend for
attending Committee meetings and
conducting other business in the
interest of the Committee, including per
diem and reimbursement for travel
expenses incurred.
The Department makes every effort to
ensure that the membership of HHS
Federal advisory committees is fairly
balanced in terms of points of view
represented and the committee’s
function. Every effort is made to ensure
that a broad representation of
geographic areas, females, ethnic and
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Appointment to this Committee shall be
made without discrimination on the
basis of age, race, ethnicity, gender,
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status. Nominations must state that the
nominee is willing to serve as a member
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Therefore, individuals selected for
nomination will be required to provide
detailed information concerning such
matters as financial holdings,
consultancies, and research grants or
contracts to permit evaluation of
possible sources of conflict of interest.
Dated: July 2, 2007.
Mirtha R. Beadle,
Deputy Director, OMH.
[FR Doc. E7–13739 Filed 7–16–07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4150–29–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Coast Guard
[USCG 2007–28460]
Long Range Aids to Navigation
(LORAN–C) Program; Preparation of
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement
Coast Guard, DHS.
Notice of intent, notice of public
meeting, and request for public
comments.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
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39069
SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG)
announces that it intends to prepare a
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (PEIS) on the Future of the
Long Range Aids to Navigation
(LORAN) Program. The current system
(LORAN–C) is a low frequency
hyperbolic radionavigation system
approved for use in the U.S. Coastal
Confluence Zone (CCZ) and as a
supplemental air navigation aid.
LORAN–C provides navigation,
location, and timing services for both
civil and military air, land, and marine
users in the CONUS and Alaska. The
PEIS will evaluate the environmental
effects of alternative futures for the
LORAN–C Program, and aid the USCG
in its decision on whether to terminate
or continue to operate and invest in the
LORAN–C system.
Publication of this notice begins a
scoping process that will identify and
determine the scope of environmental
issues to be addressed in the PEIS. This
notice requests public participation in
the scoping process, establishes a public
comment period, and provides
information on how to participate.
DATES: Public meetings will be held
August 15, 21 and 23, 2007, in
Washington, DC, Juneau, AK, and
Seattle, WA, respectively. Each meeting
will consist of an informational open
house from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and a
public scoping meeting from 6 p.m. to
8 p.m. The public meetings may end
later than the stated time, depending on
the number of persons wishing to speak.
Comments and related material must
reach the docket on or before August 31,
2007.
ADDRESSES: The Washington, DC
meeting will be held at:
Ronald Reagan Building and
International Trade Center 1300
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20004, 202–312–1426.
The Seattle meeting will be held at:
Seattle Hilton, 1301 Sixth Avenue,
Seattle, WA 98101, (206) 695–6060.
The Juneau meeting will be held at:
Centennial Hall Convention Center, 101
Egan Drive, Juneau, AK 99801, (907)
586–5283.
All meeting spaces will be
wheelchair-accessible. You do not need
to attend the meetings in order to
comment. You may submit comments,
identified by docket number USCG
2007–28460, to the Docket Management
Facility at the U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT). To avoid
duplication, please use only one of the
following methods:
(1) Electronically through the Web
site for the Docket Management System,
at: https://dms.dot.gov.
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39070
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 136 / Tuesday, July 17, 2007 / Notices
(2) By mail to the Docket Management
Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building, Ground
Floor, Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
(3) By fax to the Docket Management
Facility at (202) 493–2251.
(4) By delivery to Room W12–140,
West Building, Ground Floor, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC,
from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays. The
telephone number is (202) 366–9329.
(5) By the Federal eRulemaking Portal
at: https://www.regulations.gov/.
The Docket Management Facility
maintains the public docket for this
notice. Comments and material received
from the public will become part of this
docket and will be available for
inspection or copying at the Docket
Management Facility (M–30), U.S.
Department of Transportation, West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140,
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.,
Washington, DC 20590, from 9 a.m. to
5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays. This docket may also
be found on the Internet at: https://
dms.dot.gov.
Comments and related material must
reach the Docket Management Facility
by August 31, 2007.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If
you have questions on this notice,
please call or e-mail LT Michael
Herring, LORAN–C Program Manager, at
(202) 372–1561, or
Michael.L.Herring@uscg.mil,
respectively. If you have questions
about viewing or submitting material to
the docket, please call Renee V. Wright,
Program Manager, Docket Operations,
Office of Information Services, Office of
the Assistant Secretary for
Administration, Office of the Secretary,
at (202) 366–9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Request for Comments
The USCG requests public comments
and other relevant information on
environmental issues related to the
future of the LORAN–C Program. The
scheduled public meetings are not the
only opportunity you have to comment.
In addition to or instead of providing
comments at the meeting, you can
submit comments to the Docket
Management Facility during the public
comment period (see DATES). The USCG
will consider all comments and
materials received during the comment
period.
On January 8, 2007, the USCG
published a request for comments on
the need to continue to operate or invest
in the North American LORAN–C
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17:40 Jul 16, 2007
Jkt 211001
radionavigation system (72 Federal
Register 796). To avoid duplication and
resubmission of comments, all
comments previously submitted under
docket USCG 2006–24685 will be
considered during the LORAN–C PEIS
scoping process.
All comments received will be posted,
without change, to: https://dms.dot.gov
and will include any personal
information you have provided. The
USCG has an agreement with the DOT
to use the Docket Management Facility.
Please see DOT’s ‘‘Privacy Act’’
paragraph below.
Submitting comments: If you submit a
comment, please include your name and
address, and identify the docket number
for this notice (USCG 2007–28460). You
may submit your comments by
electronic means, mail, fax, or delivery
to the Docket Management Facility at
the address under ADDRESSES; but
please submit your comments by only
one means. If you submit comments by
mail or delivery, submit them in an
unbound format, no larger than 81⁄2 by
11 inches, suitable for copying and
electronic filing. If you submit
comments by mail and would like to
confirm that they reached the Facility,
please enclose a stamped, self-addressed
postcard or envelope.
Viewing comments and documents:
To view comments, go to: https://
dms.dot.gov at any time, click on
‘‘Simple Search,’’ enter the last five
digits of the docket number (28460), and
click on ‘‘Search.’’ You may also visit
the Docket Management Facility in the
west building, Ground Floor, Room
W12–140 located at 1200 New Jersey
Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
Docket contents are available for public
inspection and copying, at this address,
in room W12–140, between 9 a.m. and
5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays. The Facility’s
telephone is 202–366–9329, its fax is
202–493–2251, and its Web site for
electronic submissions or for electronic
access to docket contents is: https://
dms.dot.gov.
Privacy Act: Anyone can search the
electronic form of all comments
received into any of our dockets by the
name of the individual submitting the
comment (or signing the comment, if
submitted on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). You may
review the DOT’s Privacy Act Statement
in the Federal Register published on
April 11, 2000 (65 FR 19477), or you
may visit https://dms.dot.gov.
Public Meeting and Open House
The USCG invites you to learn about
the PEIS on the Future of the LORAN–
C Program at an informational open
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house, and to identify and comment on
environmental issues related to the
proposed action and alternatives at a
public meeting. Your comments will
help the USCG identify and refine the
scope of the environmental issues to be
addressed in the PEIS.
In order to allow everyone a chance
to speak at the public meeting, the
USCG may limit speaker time, or extend
the meeting hours, or both. When you
rise to speak, you must identify
yourself, and any organization you
represent, by name. Your remarks will
be recorded or transcribed for inclusion
in the public docket.
You may submit written material at
the public meeting, either in place of or
in addition to speaking. Written
material must include your name and
address, and will be included in the
public docket. Comments given at a
public meeting and written comments
submitted to the docket will receive full
and equal consideration.
The public meeting locations are
wheelchair-accessible. If you plan to
attend an open house or public meeting
and need special assistance such as sign
language interpretation or other
reasonable accommodation, please
notify the USCG (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 3
business days in advance. Include your
contact information as well as
information about your specific needs.
Background and Purpose
LORAN is a radionavigation system
first developed during World War II and
operated by the USCG. The current
system (LORAN–C) is a low frequency
hyperbolic radionavigation system
approved for use in the CCZ and as a
supplemental air navigation aid.
LORAN–C provides navigation,
location, and timing services for both
civil and military air, land, and marine
users in the Contiguous United States
(CONUS) and Alaska. The USCG
operates 18 CONUS LORAN Stations, 6
Alaska LORAN Stations, and 24 monitor
sites. The system is controlled remotely
from Alexandria, VA and Petaluma, CA.
Nationwide system operation is based
on links between ‘‘chains’’ of stations;
therefore, decisions made on any one
station may potentially impact multiple
stations or chains, necessitating an
overall LORAN system decision rather
than a segmented approach.
The PEIS will evaluate the
environmental effects of alternatives
regarding the LORAN–C Program to aid
the USCG in its decision of whether
further investment in modernizing and
improving LORAN–C is in the public
interest.
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sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
The PEIS on the Future of the
LORAN–C Program will be a programlevel document that will provide USCG
with high-level analysis of the potential
impacts on the human environment
from the alternatives for the future of
the LORAN–C Program. The USCG is
the lead agency for determining the
scope of this review and has determined
that a PEIS will best meet its needs. The
PEIS will comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969
(NEPA), the Council on Environmental
Quality regulations in 40 CFR parts
1500–1508, Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) Management Directive
5100.1 (Environmental Planning
Program), and Coast Guard
Commandant Instruction (COMDTINST)
M16475.1D (National Environmental
Policy Act Implementing Procedures
and Policy for Considering
Environmental Impacts). The
geographic scope of the LORAN–C PEIS
is those areas covered by the
radionavigation system. Should the
USCG decide to end its involvement
with LORAN–C, the analysis provided
in the PEIS will enable the USCG to
prepare tiered documents on the
disposition of each LORAN Station and
monitoring station.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
The PEIS will address the following
four alternatives to represent the range
of possible management options for the
future of the USCG LORAN–C Program:
(1) Decommission the USCG LORAN–
C Program and Terminate North
American LORAN–C Signal. Under this
alternative, all USCG LORAN–C signals
would be terminated at one time. All
USCG LORAN Stations would be
decommissioned; LORAN artifacts,
documents and equipment (i.e., towers
and related infrastructure) would be
removed; and USCG personnel would
be reassigned. LORAN Station property
would be declared excess to the needs
of the USCG following Federal
guidelines on transfer of excess
property. The disposition of each
LORAN Station would range from
transferring ownership of the property
with such infrastructure as buildings,
roads, piers, and airstrips intact, to
returning the property to a natural state
prior to its transfer.
(2) Transfer Management of the
LORAN–C Program to another
government agency. Under this
alternative, the USCG would continue to
operate the LORAN–C Program until the
transfer to another Agency.
(3) Automate, Secure, and Unstaff
LORAN Stations. Under this alternative,
the USCG would continue to operate the
LORAN–C Program. The LORAN–C
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signal would remain on the air but the
USCG would reduce staffing. To the
extent practical, the USCG would
automate equipment; secure buildings
and fencing to protect equipment,
antenna, and antenna guides; and
reassign personnel. The LORAN
Stations would become LORAN Sites
operating unstaffed with preventive and
corrective maintenance performed by
contractor personnel.
(4) No Action Alternative. The
LORAN–C signal would remain on air,
and LORAN–C operations would remain
as they currently are with no change in
staffing. Maintenance and
modernization of equipment would
continue to keep the signal operating.
The PEIS will serve as a top tier
environmental analysis of program-level
changes. This notice of intent is
required by 40 CFR 1508.22, and briefly
describes the proposed action and
possible alternatives and our proposed
scoping process. The PEIS will provide
a general level of analysis of
environmental impacts on the 24
LORAN Stations, 24 Monitoring Sites,
and the LORAN Support Unit (LSU)
since the disposition of each facility is
not currently known. The PEIS will also
discuss the No Action Alternative as
required under NEPA. You can address
any questions about the proposed
action, the scoping process, or the PEIS
to the USCG LORAN–C Program Office
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
Scoping Process
Public scoping is an early and open
process for identifying and determining
the scope of issues to be addressed in
the PEIS. Scoping begins with this
notice, continues through the public
comment period (see DATES), and ends
when the USCG has completed the
following actions:
• Invites the participation of Federal,
State, and local agencies, any affected
Indian tribe and other interested
persons;
• Determines the actions, alternatives,
and impacts described in 40 CFR
1508.25;
• Identifies and eliminates from
detailed study those issues that are not
significant or that have been covered
elsewhere;
• Identifies other relevant
environmental review and consultation
requirements on the future of the
LORAN–C Program;
• Indicates the relationship between
timing of the environmental review and
other aspects of the proposed action;
and
• At its discretion, exercises the
options provided in 40 CFR 1501.7(b).
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39071
Once the scoping process is complete,
the USCG will prepare a draft PEIS, and
will publish a Federal Register notice
announcing its public availability. (If
you want that notice to be sent to you,
please contact the USCG Project Office
point-of-contact identified in FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.) You
will have an opportunity to review and
comment on the draft PEIS.
Additionally, the USCG anticipates
holding public meetings in
approximately December 2007 to
present the draft PEIS and receive
public comments regarding that
document. The USCG will subsequently
consider all comments received and
then prepare the final PEIS. As with the
draft PEIS, the USCG will announce the
availability of the final PEIS and once
again give interested parties an
opportunity for review and comment.
Dated: June 26, 2007.
Brian M. Salerno,
Rear Admiral USCG, Assistant Commandant,
Policy and Planning (CG–5).
[FR Doc. 07–3475 Filed 7–12–07; 3:13 pm]
BILLING CODE 4910–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management
Agency
Open Meeting/Conference Call, Board
of Visitors for the National Fire
Academy
U.S. Fire Administration,
Federal Emergency Management
Agency, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of open meeting via
conference call.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, the
Federal Emergency Management Agency
announces the following committee
meeting:
Name: Board of Visitors (BOV) for the
National Fire Academy.
Date of Meeting: August 1, 2007.
Place: Building H, Room 300,
National Emergency Training Center,
Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Time: 1:30–3:30 p.m.
Proposed Agenda: Introduction of
New Board Members and Review
National Fire Academy Program
Activities.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with section 10(a)(2) of the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5
U.S.C. App. 2, the Federal Emergency
Management Agency announces that the
committee meeting will be open to the
public in the Emmitsburg commuting
E:\FR\FM\17JYN1.SGM
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Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 136 (Tuesday, July 17, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39069-39071]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-3475]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[USCG 2007-28460]
Long Range Aids to Navigation (LORAN-C) Program; Preparation of
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of intent, notice of public meeting, and request for
public comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announces that it intends to
prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on the
Future of the Long Range Aids to Navigation (LORAN) Program. The
current system (LORAN-C) is a low frequency hyperbolic radionavigation
system approved for use in the U.S. Coastal Confluence Zone (CCZ) and
as a supplemental air navigation aid. LORAN-C provides navigation,
location, and timing services for both civil and military air, land,
and marine users in the CONUS and Alaska. The PEIS will evaluate the
environmental effects of alternative futures for the LORAN-C Program,
and aid the USCG in its decision on whether to terminate or continue to
operate and invest in the LORAN-C system.
Publication of this notice begins a scoping process that will
identify and determine the scope of environmental issues to be
addressed in the PEIS. This notice requests public participation in the
scoping process, establishes a public comment period, and provides
information on how to participate.
DATES: Public meetings will be held August 15, 21 and 23, 2007, in
Washington, DC, Juneau, AK, and Seattle, WA, respectively. Each meeting
will consist of an informational open house from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.
and a public scoping meeting from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The public meetings
may end later than the stated time, depending on the number of persons
wishing to speak. Comments and related material must reach the docket
on or before August 31, 2007.
ADDRESSES: The Washington, DC meeting will be held at:
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center 1300
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20004, 202-312-1426.
The Seattle meeting will be held at: Seattle Hilton, 1301 Sixth
Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, (206) 695-6060.
The Juneau meeting will be held at: Centennial Hall Convention
Center, 101 Egan Drive, Juneau, AK 99801, (907) 586-5283.
All meeting spaces will be wheelchair-accessible. You do not need
to attend the meetings in order to comment. You may submit comments,
identified by docket number USCG 2007-28460, to the Docket Management
Facility at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). To avoid
duplication, please use only one of the following methods:
(1) Electronically through the Web site for the Docket Management
System, at: https://dms.dot.gov.
[[Page 39070]]
(2) By mail to the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building, Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590.
(3) By fax to the Docket Management Facility at (202) 493-2251.
(4) By delivery to Room W12-140, West Building, Ground Floor, 1200
New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday
through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is (202)
366-9329.
(5) By the Federal eRulemaking Portal at: https://
www.regulations.gov/.
The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this
notice. Comments and material received from the public will become part
of this docket and will be available for inspection or copying at the
Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of Transportation,
West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.,
Washington, DC 20590, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays. This docket may also be found on the Internet
at: https://dms.dot.gov.
Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management
Facility by August 31, 2007.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice,
please call or e-mail LT Michael Herring, LORAN-C Program Manager, at
(202) 372-1561, or Michael.L.Herring@uscg.mil, respectively. If you
have questions about viewing or submitting material to the docket,
please call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, Office
of Information Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Administration, Office of the Secretary, at (202) 366-9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Request for Comments
The USCG requests public comments and other relevant information on
environmental issues related to the future of the LORAN-C Program. The
scheduled public meetings are not the only opportunity you have to
comment. In addition to or instead of providing comments at the
meeting, you can submit comments to the Docket Management Facility
during the public comment period (see DATES). The USCG will consider
all comments and materials received during the comment period.
On January 8, 2007, the USCG published a request for comments on
the need to continue to operate or invest in the North American LORAN-C
radionavigation system (72 Federal Register 796). To avoid duplication
and resubmission of comments, all comments previously submitted under
docket USCG 2006-24685 will be considered during the LORAN-C PEIS
scoping process.
All comments received will be posted, without change, to: https://
dms.dot.gov and will include any personal information you have
provided. The USCG has an agreement with the DOT to use the Docket
Management Facility. Please see DOT's ``Privacy Act'' paragraph below.
Submitting comments: If you submit a comment, please include your
name and address, and identify the docket number for this notice (USCG
2007-28460). You may submit your comments by electronic means, mail,
fax, or delivery to the Docket Management Facility at the address under
ADDRESSES; but please submit your comments by only one means. If you
submit comments by mail or delivery, submit them in an unbound format,
no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic
filing. If you submit comments by mail and would like to confirm that
they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed
postcard or envelope.
Viewing comments and documents: To view comments, go to: https://
dms.dot.gov at any time, click on ``Simple Search,'' enter the last
five digits of the docket number (28460), and click on ``Search.'' You
may also visit the Docket Management Facility in the west building,
Ground Floor, Room W12-140 located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE.,
Washington, DC 20590. Docket contents are available for public
inspection and copying, at this address, in room W12-140, between 9
a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The
Facility's telephone is 202-366-9329, its fax is 202-493-2251, and its
Web site for electronic submissions or for electronic access to docket
contents is: https://dms.dot.gov.
Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments
received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review the
DOT's Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April
11, 2000 (65 FR 19477), or you may visit https://dms.dot.gov.
Public Meeting and Open House
The USCG invites you to learn about the PEIS on the Future of the
LORAN-C Program at an informational open house, and to identify and
comment on environmental issues related to the proposed action and
alternatives at a public meeting. Your comments will help the USCG
identify and refine the scope of the environmental issues to be
addressed in the PEIS.
In order to allow everyone a chance to speak at the public meeting,
the USCG may limit speaker time, or extend the meeting hours, or both.
When you rise to speak, you must identify yourself, and any
organization you represent, by name. Your remarks will be recorded or
transcribed for inclusion in the public docket.
You may submit written material at the public meeting, either in
place of or in addition to speaking. Written material must include your
name and address, and will be included in the public docket. Comments
given at a public meeting and written comments submitted to the docket
will receive full and equal consideration.
The public meeting locations are wheelchair-accessible. If you plan
to attend an open house or public meeting and need special assistance
such as sign language interpretation or other reasonable accommodation,
please notify the USCG (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 3
business days in advance. Include your contact information as well as
information about your specific needs.
Background and Purpose
LORAN is a radionavigation system first developed during World War
II and operated by the USCG. The current system (LORAN-C) is a low
frequency hyperbolic radionavigation system approved for use in the CCZ
and as a supplemental air navigation aid. LORAN-C provides navigation,
location, and timing services for both civil and military air, land,
and marine users in the Contiguous United States (CONUS) and Alaska.
The USCG operates 18 CONUS LORAN Stations, 6 Alaska LORAN Stations, and
24 monitor sites. The system is controlled remotely from Alexandria, VA
and Petaluma, CA. Nationwide system operation is based on links between
``chains'' of stations; therefore, decisions made on any one station
may potentially impact multiple stations or chains, necessitating an
overall LORAN system decision rather than a segmented approach.
The PEIS will evaluate the environmental effects of alternatives
regarding the LORAN-C Program to aid the USCG in its decision of
whether further investment in modernizing and improving LORAN-C is in
the public interest.
[[Page 39071]]
The PEIS on the Future of the LORAN-C Program will be a program-
level document that will provide USCG with high-level analysis of the
potential impacts on the human environment from the alternatives for
the future of the LORAN-C Program. The USCG is the lead agency for
determining the scope of this review and has determined that a PEIS
will best meet its needs. The PEIS will comply with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Council on Environmental
Quality regulations in 40 CFR parts 1500-1508, Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) Management Directive 5100.1 (Environmental Planning
Program), and Coast Guard Commandant Instruction (COMDTINST) M16475.1D
(National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures and Policy
for Considering Environmental Impacts). The geographic scope of the
LORAN-C PEIS is those areas covered by the radionavigation system.
Should the USCG decide to end its involvement with LORAN-C, the
analysis provided in the PEIS will enable the USCG to prepare tiered
documents on the disposition of each LORAN Station and monitoring
station.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
The PEIS will address the following four alternatives to represent
the range of possible management options for the future of the USCG
LORAN-C Program:
(1) Decommission the USCG LORAN-C Program and Terminate North
American LORAN-C Signal. Under this alternative, all USCG LORAN-C
signals would be terminated at one time. All USCG LORAN Stations would
be decommissioned; LORAN artifacts, documents and equipment (i.e.,
towers and related infrastructure) would be removed; and USCG personnel
would be reassigned. LORAN Station property would be declared excess to
the needs of the USCG following Federal guidelines on transfer of
excess property. The disposition of each LORAN Station would range from
transferring ownership of the property with such infrastructure as
buildings, roads, piers, and airstrips intact, to returning the
property to a natural state prior to its transfer.
(2) Transfer Management of the LORAN-C Program to another
government agency. Under this alternative, the USCG would continue to
operate the LORAN-C Program until the transfer to another Agency.
(3) Automate, Secure, and Unstaff LORAN Stations. Under this
alternative, the USCG would continue to operate the LORAN-C Program.
The LORAN-C signal would remain on the air but the USCG would reduce
staffing. To the extent practical, the USCG would automate equipment;
secure buildings and fencing to protect equipment, antenna, and antenna
guides; and reassign personnel. The LORAN Stations would become LORAN
Sites operating unstaffed with preventive and corrective maintenance
performed by contractor personnel.
(4) No Action Alternative. The LORAN-C signal would remain on air,
and LORAN-C operations would remain as they currently are with no
change in staffing. Maintenance and modernization of equipment would
continue to keep the signal operating.
The PEIS will serve as a top tier environmental analysis of
program-level changes. This notice of intent is required by 40 CFR
1508.22, and briefly describes the proposed action and possible
alternatives and our proposed scoping process. The PEIS will provide a
general level of analysis of environmental impacts on the 24 LORAN
Stations, 24 Monitoring Sites, and the LORAN Support Unit (LSU) since
the disposition of each facility is not currently known. The PEIS will
also discuss the No Action Alternative as required under NEPA. You can
address any questions about the proposed action, the scoping process,
or the PEIS to the USCG LORAN-C Program Office (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT).
Scoping Process
Public scoping is an early and open process for identifying and
determining the scope of issues to be addressed in the PEIS. Scoping
begins with this notice, continues through the public comment period
(see DATES), and ends when the USCG has completed the following
actions:
Invites the participation of Federal, State, and local
agencies, any affected Indian tribe and other interested persons;
Determines the actions, alternatives, and impacts
described in 40 CFR 1508.25;
Identifies and eliminates from detailed study those issues
that are not significant or that have been covered elsewhere;
Identifies other relevant environmental review and
consultation requirements on the future of the LORAN-C Program;
Indicates the relationship between timing of the
environmental review and other aspects of the proposed action; and
At its discretion, exercises the options provided in 40
CFR 1501.7(b).
Once the scoping process is complete, the USCG will prepare a draft
PEIS, and will publish a Federal Register notice announcing its public
availability. (If you want that notice to be sent to you, please
contact the USCG Project Office point-of-contact identified in FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.) You will have an opportunity to review
and comment on the draft PEIS. Additionally, the USCG anticipates
holding public meetings in approximately December 2007 to present the
draft PEIS and receive public comments regarding that document. The
USCG will subsequently consider all comments received and then prepare
the final PEIS. As with the draft PEIS, the USCG will announce the
availability of the final PEIS and once again give interested parties
an opportunity for review and comment.
Dated: June 26, 2007.
Brian M. Salerno,
Rear Admiral USCG, Assistant Commandant, Policy and Planning (CG-5).
[FR Doc. 07-3475 Filed 7-12-07; 3:13 pm]
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