Notice of Availability for Public Comment of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the United States Implementing Organization's Participation in the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program, 46247-46249 [07-3949]

Agencies

• NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 159 (Friday, August 17, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46247-46249]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-3949]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Availability for Public Comment of the Draft 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the United States 
Implementing Organization's Participation in the Integrated Ocean 
Drilling Program

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of availability (NOA).

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SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation (NSF) announces the 
availability for comment of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS)/Oversees EIS (OEIS) evaluating potential environmental 
impacts associated with the NSF funding of the United States 
Implementing Organization's (USIO) participation in the Integrated 
Ocean Drilling Program (IODP). This EIS was prepared in accordance with 
requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, 
regulations of the President's Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 
parts 1500 through 1508), and NSF's National Environmental Policy Act 
Implementing Procedures (45 CFR 640.1-640.5). The National Marine 
Fisheries Service (NMFS), a part of the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is a cooperating agency in the 
preparation of the Programmatic EIS.
    Public comments are invited and encouraged concerning the analysis 
of environmental issues associated with IODP-USIO activities as 
presented in the Draft Programmatic EIS/OEIS.
    Addresses and Dates: Electronic copies of the Draft Programmatic 
EIS may be obtained from the Internet at https://
joiserver.joiscience.org/Downloads/draft_peis. Written comments on the 
Draft EIS should be sent to Dr. James Allen, Program Director, Ocean 
Drilling Program, Division of Ocean Sciences, National Science 
Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 725, Arlington, VA 22230; 
voice (703) 292-8581 or e-mail at jallan@nsf.gov. If the draft 
Programmatic EIS cannot be obtained from the Internet, an electronic 
copy on CD or a paper copy may be obtained by e-mailing or writing Dr. 
Allan at the above address.
    The public comment period starts with the publication of this 
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register and will continue for 45 
days until October 1, 2007. NSF will address all comments received or 
postmarked by that date in the Final Programmatic EIS. Comments 
received or postmarked after that date will be considered to the extent 
practicable. Public meetings will provide the public with an 
opportunity to present comments, ask questions, and discuss concerns 
regarding the EIS with NSF officials. The public meetings will be held 
at NOAA, September 21, 2007, 2:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Silver Spring 
Metro Center Building 4, Science Center, 1301 East-West Highway, Silver 
Spring, MD, and at Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Lobby Conference 
Center, 1201 New York Avenue, NW., Washington, DC, September 28, 2007, 
1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
    Written comments will be accepted at these public meetings as well 
as during the comment period.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Written statements and questions 
regarding the review process for the Draft Programmatic EIS should be 
submitted by mail to Dr. James Allan, Program Director, Ocean Drilling 
Program, Division of Ocean Sciences, National Science Foundation, 4201 
Wilson Boulevard, Suite 725, Arlington, VA 22230; voice (703) 292-8581 
or by e-mail at jallan@nsf.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 1975, the National Science Foundation 
(NSF) prepared an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the 
International Phase of Ocean Drilling (IPOD) of the Deep Sea Drilling 
Project (DSDP). The 1975 EIS addressed scientific ocean drilling 
carried out globally in major and minor ocean basins.
    In 1985, the NSF prepared an EIS for the new Ocean Drilling Program 
(ODP) to address the more complicated aspects of proposed drilling 
techniques and of drilling in high latitudes and Antarctic seas that 
were not previously addressed in the DSDP/IPOD EIS. Drilling modes that 
were analyzed in the DSDP/IPOD EIS were reviewed in the 1985 EIS 
including the use of the research vessel (RV) JOIDES Resolution. 
Additionally, aspects of drilling in deep-ocean trenches, on active 
spreading centers, and in or near environmentally sensitive regions 
were considered in the 1985 environmental review. Drilling in both 
DSDP/IPOD and ODP was riserless, where drill cuttings were typically 
removed from the borehole by pumped seawater without return circulation 
to the drillship via an external pipe or riser.
    The ODP was formally completed on September 30, 2003. In order to 
facilitate the seamless continuation of research during the transition 
from the ODP to the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP), the 
JOIDES Resolution was selected as the platform to continue to conduct 
riserless drilling activities during Phase 1 of the USIO participation 
in the IODP. Environmental Assessments (EAs) were prepared in 2004 and 
2005 to supplement the 1985 EIS and address the environmental and 
operating conditions that were specific to the IODP-USIO Phase 1 
expeditions that would be performed during 2004 through 2006.
    The IODP is an international research program that explores the 
history and structure of the earth as recorded in seafloor sediments, 
fluids, and rocks. IODP builds upon the earlier successes of the DSDP 
and the ODP, which revolutionized our view of Earth history and global 
processes through ocean basin exploration. IODP seeks to greatly expand 
the reach of these previous programs by forming a collaborative union 
between the United States, Japan, and the European Union, each of whom 
will be responsible for providing drilling platforms appropriate for 
achieving the scientific objectives outlined in the IODP Initial 
Science Plan. China and the interim Asian Consortium (South Korea) have 
joined as additional members. Based on international agreements, the 
United States is responsible for providing and operating a light, 
riserless drilling vessel, Japan will provide and operate a heavy, 
riser drilling-capable vessel, and a European-led consortium will 
provide and operate Mission Specific Platforms capable of drilling in 
shallow and Arctic

[[Page 46248]]

environments unsuitable for the other drilling vessels.
    Joint Oceanographic Institutions, Incorporated (JOI) and its 
partners, the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University 
(LDEO) and Texas A&M University (TAMU) through the Texas A&M Research 
Foundation (TAMRF), have been selected by NSF to be the IODP USIO for 
the light drilling vessel and related activities. These three partners 
comprise the JOI Alliance. JOI is responsible to NSF for the overall 
program leadership, technical, operational, and financial management, 
and delivery of services. TAMU is responsible for providing a full 
array of science services, ranging from vessel and drilling operations 
to ship- and shore-based science laboratories, core repositories, and 
publication. LDEO is responsible for logging-related shipboard and 
shore-based science services and for leading an international logging 
consortium to participate in scientific ocean drilling operations. The 
objectives of the USIO are to provide leadership regarding the U.S. 
interests in IODP as the challenges and demands of a multiplatform 
drilling program present themselves. The USIO also seeks to ensure that 
services for the light drilling vessel and other program aspects are 
provided in a cost-effective, holistic, and responsive manner to 
facilitate comprehensive, integrated, and flexible management that 
involves a broad array of stakeholders.
    The JOI Alliance completed IODP Phase 1 operations in 2006 using 
the RV JOIDES Resolution, which is the same vessel used for two decades 
during ODP (1985-2003). Concurrent with Phase 1 activities (2004-2006), 
the JOI Alliance planned for Phase 2 operations, which required 
procuring and converting an appropriate ship into a Scientific Ocean 
Drilling Vessel (SODV). The RV JOIDES Resolution was selected as the 
SODV and will be completely modernized to serve as the IODP's light 
drilling vessel. This Programmatic EIS addresses the use of the SODV 
and the USIO's participation in IODP Phase 2 drilling operations for at 
least the next 20 years.
    Depending upon the specific research objectives of each IODP USIO 
expedition, typical aspects of the proposed action that have the 
potential to affect the surrounding environment and are reviewed in the 
Programmatic EIS include:

Site Selection and Expedition Planning

     Review and evaluate research proposals (multi-phase, 
international process).
     Logistically prepare for expedition and schedule.

Vessel Deployment and Maximum Days at Sea per Expedition

     Transit from port call to expedition site; may require 
days or weeks of travel at a nominal speed of 10 knots (depending on 
sea conditions).
     Remain at sea for 60 days.

Number of Drill Sites and Boreholes

     One or more drill sites may be selected in a specific area 
for each expedition as needed to meet research objectives.
     One or more boreholes may be advanced at each drill site 
as needed to meet specific research objectives.

Typical Extent of Operations

     Water Depth (m) 75-7,000.
     Seafloor Penetration (m) 1-2,500.

Drilling and Casing Deployment

     Depending upon the specific application, drill bits will 
be advanced into the seafloor to produce nominally-sized boreholes 
37.5, 44.5, 50.8, or 61 cm (14\5/8\, 17\3/8\, 20, 24 in) in diameter 
(alternate sized boreholes may be drilled as needed).
     Depending on the specific application, boreholes may be 
lined with 27.3, 34, 40, and 50.8 cm (10\5/8\, 13\3/8\, 16, 20 in) 
casings (alternate size casing may be installed as needed).

Core Sampling

     Bottom Hole Assembly (BHA); the primary drilling system 
used to advance boreholes.
     Rotary Core Barrel (RCB); used to obtain continuous cores 
from hard rock formations.
     Advanced Piston Corer (APC); used to obtain continuous and 
relatively undisturbed cores from very soft to firm sediments.
     Extended Core Barrel (XCB); used to obtain continuous 
cores from soft to moderately hard formations.
     Pressure Core Sampler (PCS); used to retrieve core samples 
from the seafloor while maintaining insitu pressures.
     Advanced Diamond Core Barrel (ADCB); used to obtain 
continuous cores from firm to well lithified sedimentary or ingenious 
formations.
     Drill-In-Casing (DIC) System: Used to drill in a short 
casing string simultaneously with the bit to support an unstable 
sediment zone to prevent premature loss of the hole or drill string.
     Underreamer, used to drill an enlarged hole to provide 
clearance for additional casing strings and cement.
     Other coring and sampling capability as developed.

Deployment of Reentry Hardware and Observatories

     Free Fall Funnel (FFF): Used to provide a quick method to 
reenter the hole to facilitate bit and bottom-hole assembly (BHA) 
changes; typically installed with seafloor support plate and glass 
flotation marker balls.
     Hard Rock Reentry System (HRRS): Used to install casing 
with reentry capability on a sloping or rough hard rock seafloor, 
typically consisting of a metal funnel and casing.
     Reentry Cone and Casing (RECC): Used as a permanent 
seafloor installation (or legacy hole) able to support nested casing 
strings; typically consisting of metal cone; seafloor support plate; 
transition pipe.
     Circulation Obviation Retrofit Kit (CORK), used to provide 
a method to characterize temperature and pressure of sub-seafloor 
hydrology over an open formation interval typically consisting of a 
reentry cone and casing system; sensor string (pressure gauges, 
thermistors); and additional scientific instruments.
     Advanced CORK (ACORK) Borehole Observatory, provides a 
method to isolate multiple zones in a borehole for independent zone 
investigations.

In Situ Sampling and Testing

     Temperature, pore pressure, gas and fluid compositions, 
permeability, microbial with instruments such as:
    * Advanced Piston Corer Temperature (APCT), an instrumented version 
of the coring shoe used to obtain formation temperatures to determine 
the heat flow gradient.
    * Davis-Villinger Temperature Probe (DVTP), used to take heat-flow 
measurements in semi consolidated sediments that are too stiff for the 
APCT.
    * Water Sampling Temperature Probe (WSTP), used to measure 
temperatures while deployed in the BHA.
    * Azimuthal Density Neutron Tool (AND), used to characterize 
formation porosity and lithology while drilling.

Downhole Logging

     The Multi-Sensor Spectral Gamma Ray Tool (MGT), used to 
measure natural gamma-ray logs.
     Dipole Sonic Imager (DSI), used to produce a full set of 
compressional and shear waveforms, cross-dipole shear wave velocities 
and amplitudes.
     Formation MicroScanner Tool; used to measure formation 
acoustic velocity, natural gamma ray, and borehole diameter.

[[Page 46249]]

     Triple Combo Geophysical Tool String, used to measure 
standard geophysical parameters.
     Sonic (Isonic) Tool, used to acquire acoustic waveforms.
     Ultrasonic Borehole Imager (UBI), used to provide acoustic 
images of the borehole.
     Vibration isolation television (VIT) camera system.
     The Well Seismic Tool (WST) is a single axis check shot 
tool used for zero offset vertical seismic profiles (VSP).
     Kuster Sampler, used to sample fluids.
     Measurement While Drilling (MWD), including Logging While 
Drilling (LWD, formation resistivity images and density/porosity).
     Pressure-While-Drilling (PWD) Tool String, used to measure 
formation pressure.
     Conical Sidewall Entry Sub (CSES), used to deploy logging 
tools along the drill string.

Geophysical Surveying

     Occasional use of geophysical techniques such as limited 
single-channel seismic surveying to characterize the seafloor and 
supplement or verify existing geophysical data.
    The Programmatic EIS addresses U.S. laws and regulations, as 
appropriate, including but not necessarily limited to NEPA; the Marine 
Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA); the Endangered Species Act of 
1973 (ESA); and Executive Order (EO) 12114 (1979), Environmental 
Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions. In addition, the assessment 
addreses foreign regulations, especially where research will be carried 
out entirely or partially within territorial waters or Exclusive 
Economic Zone waters surrounding a foreign nation or in international 
waters subject to the United Nations Law of the Sea or other 
international agreements.
    The Programmatic EIS is designed to view the USIO drilling program 
as a whole and thereby assembles and analyzes the broadest range of 
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts associated with the entire 
program rather than assessing individual cruises separately. This 
approach also addresses possible concerns that NSF evaluates regarding 
each expedition's contribution to the cumulative impacts of the entire 
program. Further, the Programmatic EIS provides a broad analytical 
baseline within which NSF, using tiered documents, will be able to 
analyze and decide upon various cruise-specific activities which could 
potentially affect biologically sensitive areas. This process enables 
the NSF to streamline the preparation of subsequent environmental 
documents for the individual cruises, if needed, and enable NSF to 
identify any prudent conservation practices and mitigation measures 
that may be applied across the entire program or applicable to a 
particular expedition.
    Major environmental issues addressed in the Programmatic EIS 
include the release of any substances from the ship during vessel 
transit, drilling, and research operations which may affect marine 
water quality, sea bottom and sediment quality, air quality, acoustic 
environment, marine biological resources including marine mammals, 
fish, sea turtles, invertebrates, Essential Fish Habitats (EFH), and 
threatened and endangered species, commercial and recreational 
fisheries, marine vessel transportation, and cultural resources.
    NSF has evaluated three alternatives in the EIS: (1) The proposed 
action as dictated by specific scientific research needs and consistent 
with robust IODP policies; (2) riserless ocean drilling expeditions 
designed and conducted to meet site-specific scientific objectives, 
however without input from the IODP Science Advisory Structure process 
including the review of environmental conditions at each drillsite that 
may be adversely affected by drilling activities; and (3) the no action 
alternative.
    NSF welcomes comments on mitigation measures to be considered and 
included in the program that could be used to avoid or substantially 
reduce the environmental consequences of the proposed action.
    NSF will hold public meetings as identified in the Dates and 
Addresses section of this notice. These meetings will also be 
advertised in area newspapers. NSF and NMFS representatives will be 
available at these meetings to receive comments from the public 
regarding issues of concern to the public. Federal, state, and local 
agencies and interested individuals are encouraged to take this 
opportunity to comment on environmental concerns that should be 
addressed in the Draft Programmatic EIS. Agencies and the public are 
also invited and encouraged to provide written comments on the Draft 
Programmatic EIS in addition to, or in lieu of, oral comments at the 
public meetings. To be most helpful, comments should clearly reference 
a particular section or pages of the Draft Programmatic EIS and 
describe issues or topics that the commenter believes should be 
addressed.
    We invite you to learn about NSF's funding of the USIO's role in 
the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program at the public meeting and provide 
comments on the Draft Programmatic EIS. The public meeting locations 
are wheelchair-accessible. If you plan to attend a public meeting and 
need special assistance such as sign language interpretation or other 
reasonable accommodation, please notify NSF (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 3 business days in advance. Include your 
contact information as well as information about your specific needs.
    We request public comments or other relevant information on 
environmental issues related to the NSF drilling program. The public 
meetings are not the only opportunity you have to comment. In addition 
to or in place of attending a meeting, you can submit comments to Dr. 
James Allan by October 1, 2007. (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). 
We request that you include in your comments:
     Your name and address (noting if you would like to receive 
a copy of the Final Programmatic EIS/OEIS upon completion);
     An explanation for each comment; and
     Include any background materials to support your comments, 
as you feel necessary.

You may mail or e-mail your comments to NSF (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT). All comment submissions must be unbound, no 
larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, and suitable for copying and 
electronic scanning. Please note that regardless of the method used for 
submitting comments or material, all submissions will be publicly 
available and, therefore, any personal information you provide in your 
comments will be open for public review. No decision will be made to 
implement any alternative until the NEPA process is completed.

    Dated: August 7, 2007.
James Allan,
Program Director, Ocean Drilling Program, Division of Ocean Sciences, 
National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 07-3949 Filed 8-16-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M