Notice of Public Hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for the Gulf of Alaska Navy Training Activities, 65761-65763 [E9-29565]
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 237 / Friday, December 11, 2009 / Notices
currently developed. The project
proposes to develop approximately
1,870 acres, and set aside 1,274 acres of
wetland preserve/open space. The
proposed action includes approximately
584 acres of commercial uses associated
with the adjacent Mather Airport, 201
acres of commercial, 84 acres of
aggregate extraction, 598 acres of
university village/residential, 102 acres
of parks and recreation, 274 acres for a
regional sports park, and 27.4 acres for
utilities and infrastructure.
Approximately 124 acres of waters of
the United States have been identified
in the proposed project area, including
69.8 acres of vernal wetlands (pools and
swales), 27.3 acres of depressional
seasonal wetlands, 1.9 acres of ditches,
5.7 acres of lake/pond and 19.1 acres of
other waters of the United States. The
applicant has applied for permits to fill
35.39 acres of these waters. The
approximately 1,274 acre open space
and wetland preserve would contain
approximately 47.3 acres of waters not
directly impacted by the project. In
addition, approximately 4.9 acres of
wetlands at the west end of the Mather
Airport runway would be avoided and
placed under some type of protective
agreement, but not a conservation
easement.
The EIS will include an evaluation of
a reasonable range of alternatives.
Currently, at least four alternatives are
expected to be analyzed in detail: (1)
The no action alternative (no permit
issued), (2) the applicant’s preferred
project (proposed action), (3) an offsite
alternative, and (4) a reduced
development footprint alternative. The
no action alternative assumes limited
development would occur in the Mather
Specific Plan area with all waters of the
United States avoided. The off-site
alternative assumes the proposed
project would be developed at a
different but suitably-sized site in the
region. A reduced development
footprint alternative will have a smaller
development footprint than the
applicant’s preferred project with less
direct impacts to waters of the United
States.
The Corps’ scoping process for the EIS
includes a public involvement program
with several opportunities to provide
oral and written comments. In addition
to public meetings and notifications in
the Federal Register, the Corps will
issue public notices when the draft and
final EISs are available. Affected
Federal, State, and local agencies,
Native American tribes, and other
interested organizations and parties are
invited to participate.
Potentially significant issues to be
analyzed in the EIS include, but are not
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limited to: Hydrology, water supply,
water quality, cultural resources,
biological resources, traffic and
transportation, and air quality.
The Corps is the lead agency for
preparation of the EIS under the
requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The
Corps will coordinate with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service and Central
Valley Regional Water Quality Control
Board.
Other environmental review and
consultation requirements for the
proposed action include the need for the
applicant to obtain water quality
certification under Section 401 of the
Clean Water Act from the Central Valley
Regional Water Quality Control Board.
In addition, because the proposed
project may affect federally-listed
endangered species, the Corps will
formally consult with the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service in accordance with
Section 7 of the federal Endangered
Species Act. The Corps will also be
consulting with the State Historic
Preservation Officer under Section 106
of the National Historic Preservation Act
concerning properties listed, or
potentially eligible for listing, on the
National Register of Historic Places.
One public scoping meeting for the
EIS will be held on January 6, from 4
p.m. to 7 p.m. Conference Room 170
located at 10545 Armstrong Avenue,
Mather CA, 95655. Interested parties
can provide oral and written comments
at the meeting. Interested parties may
also submit written comments on this
notice. Scoping comments should be
submitted before January 31, 2010, but
may be submitted at any time prior to
publication of the Draft EIS.
Interested parties may register for the
Corps’ public notice email notification
lists at: https://www.spk.usace.army.mil/
organizations/cespk-co/regulatory/
pnlist.html.
Dated: November 30, 2009.
Thomas C. Chapman,
Colonel, Corps of Engineers, District Engineer.
[FR Doc. E9–29603 Filed 12–10–09; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Public Hearings for the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement/
Overseas Environmental Impact
Statement for the Gulf of Alaska Navy
Training Activities
AGENCY:
PO 00000
Department of the Navy, DoD.
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ACTION:
65761
Notice.
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA); the Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations for
implementing the procedural provisions
of NEPA (Title 40 Code of Federal
Regulations Parts 1500–1508); and
Executive Order 12114, Environmental
Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions,
the Department of the Navy (Navy) has
prepared and filed with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency a
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/
Overseas Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS/OEIS) for public release
on December 11, 2009. The National
Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a
Cooperating Agency for the EIS/OEIS.
The Draft EIS/OEIS evaluates the
potential environmental effects of the
Proposed Action from Navy training
activities conducted in the Gulf of
Alaska and Alaska’s inland training
areas, collectively referred to as the
Alaska Training Areas (ATA). The Draft
EIS/OEIS addresses ongoing and
proposed military training activities, as
well as proposed force structure changes
and the introduction of new weapons
and systems to the Fleet. The Proposed
Action serves to achieve and maintain
Fleet readiness using the ATA to
support and conduct current, emerging,
and future training activities. A Notice
of Intent for this Draft EIS/OEIS was
published in the Federal Register on
March 17, 2008 (73 FR 14237).
The Navy will conduct five public
hearings to receive oral and written
comments on the Draft EIS/OEIS.
Federal, State, and local agencies,
elected officials, and other interested
individuals and organizations are
invited to be present or represented at
the public hearings. This notice
announces the dates and locations of the
public hearings for this Draft EIS/OEIS.
An open house session will precede
the scheduled public hearing at each of
the locations listed below, and will
allow individuals to review the
information presented in the Draft EIS/
OEIS. Navy representatives will be
available during the open house
sessions to clarify information related to
the Draft EIS/OEIS.
Dates and Addresses: Five public
hearings will be held in Alaska to
receive oral and written comments on
the Draft EIS/OEIS. All meetings will
start with an open house session from
5 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by a
presentation and formal public
comment period from 7 p.m. to 8:30
p.m. Public hearings will be held on the
following dates and at the following
locations:
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 237 / Friday, December 11, 2009 / Notices
1. Thursday, January 7, 2010, at
Kodiak High School Cafeteria, 722 Mill
Bay Road, Kodiak, Alaska;
2. Friday, January 8, 2010, at Fairview
Recreation Center Main Gymnasium,
1121 E. 10th Avenue, Anchorage,
Alaska;
3. Saturday, January 9, 2010, at West
Homer Elementary School Gymnasium,
995 Soundview Avenue, Homer, Alaska;
4. Monday, January 11, 2010, at
Juneau Arts and Culture Center Main
Hall, 350 Whittier Street, Juneau,
Alaska;
5. Tuesday, February 12, 2010, at Orca
´
Adventure Lodge Meeting Room & Cafe,
2500 Orca Road, Cordova, Alaska.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Northwest, Attention: Mrs. Amy Burt,
Gulf of Alaska Navy Training Activities
EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog
Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA
98315–1101; or https://
www.GulfofAlaskaNavyEIS.com.
Air and
sea training activities are conducted
within the Gulf of Alaska Temporary
Maritime Activities Area (TMAA) which
is part of the ATA. The land, air, and
sea components of the ATA provide the
space and resources needed to
realistically train Navy Sailors to
achieve and maintain Fleet readiness.
Navy air and sea training activities
originate from Navy ships located
within the TMAA. The TMAA is
situated south of Prince William Sound
and east of Kodiak Island and includes
42,146 square nautical miles of airspace,
sea space, and undersea space. The
Navy also conducts activities in
established U.S. Air Force and U.S.
Army inland training areas, which
include more than 65,000 square miles
of airspace and land area. The ATA
serve as the principal training venue for
annual joint training exercises, which
can involve forces from the U.S. Navy,
Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and
local, state, and nongovernmental
agencies. The ATA are used for training
activities including operating aircraft,
ships, and submarines; conducting
training against moving ships and
aircraft; practicing aerial surveillance;
and detecting and locating submarines.
The purpose of the Navy’s Proposed
Action is to: Achieve and maintain Fleet
readiness using the ATA to support and
conduct current, emerging, and future
training activities.
The need for the Proposed Action is
to: (1) Maintain current levels of
military readiness by training in the
ATA; (2) accommodate future increases
in levels of training activities in the
ATA; (3) adequately support the
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training need for new aircraft, ships,
submarines, and weapons systems; (4)
identify shortfalls in training,
particularly training instrumentation,
and address through enhancements; (5)
maintain the long-term viability of the
ATA as a Navy training area while
protecting human health and the
environment, and enhancing the
quality, capabilities, and safety of the
training area; and (6) be able to bring
U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast
Guard assets together into one
geographic area for joint training.
Under the No Action Alternative,
training activities within the ATA
would continue at current levels over a
maximum time frame of 14 days. This
alternative includes one annual Carrier
Strike Group training exercise and
excludes the use of mid-frequency
active sonar. Alternative 1 proposes an
increase in the number of training
activities from current levels as
necessary to support Fleet exercise
requirements over a maximum time
frame of 21 days in the summer months
(April—October), to include the use of
active sonar; and accommodates
training enhancement instrumentation,
including the use of a Portable Undersea
Tracking Range, and force structure
changes associated with the
introduction of new weapon systems,
vessels, and aircraft into the Fleet.
Alternative 2, the Preferred Alternative,
consists of all elements of Alternative 1.
In addition, Alternative 2 includes an
increase in the number of training
activities over Alternative 1 levels by
conducting a second annual Carrier
Strike Group training exercise, which
could also last up to 21 days in the
summer months, and conducting a
Sinking Exercise during each
summertime exercise (a maximum of
two).
The Draft EIS/OEIS addresses
potential environmental impacts on
multiple resources, including but not
limited to: Air quality; water resources;
biological resources; cultural resources;
socioeconomics; and public health and
safety.
No significant impacts are identified
for most resources within the ATA that
cannot be mitigated. The results of the
analysis indicate, however, that while
there is the possibility for physiological
effects and altered behavior from sound
in the water from active sonar and
explosives, no mortality to marine
mammals is anticipated. Furthermore,
the estimation of sound exposures does
not consider the Navy’s use of
protective measures, which would
reduce the likelihood of exposures at
the highest sound levels. The Navy has
requested from NMFS a Letter of
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Authorization (LOA) in accordance with
the Marine Mammal Protection Act to
authorize the incidental take of marine
mammals that may result from the
implementation of the activities
analyzed in the Gulf of Alaska Navy
Training Activities Draft EIS/OEIS.
In accordance with Section 7 of the
Endangered Species Act, the Navy is
consulting with NMFS and U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for
potential impacts to federally listed
species. Navy analysis has indicated
that under the Clean Air Act
requirements, while emissions over
current levels may occur, these
emissions would not exceed air quality
standards, and under the Clean Water
Act there would be no significant
impacts to water quality. Analysis under
the National Historic Preservation Act,
in addition to other applicable laws and
regulations, indicates that no significant
impacts to cultural resources would
occur if the Proposed Action or
alternatives were implemented.
Implementation of the Proposed Action
or alternatives would not result in a
significant adverse effect on the
population of a migratory bird and fish
species.
The decision to be made by the Navy
is to determine which of the alternatives
analyzed in the EIS/OEIS best meet the
operational needs of the Navy given that
all reasonably foreseeable
environmental impacts have been
considered.
The Draft EIS/OEIS was distributed to
Federal, State, and local agencies,
elected officials, and other interested
individuals and organizations. The
public comment period will end on
January 25, 2010. Copies of the Draft
EIS/OEIS are available for public review
at the following libraries: Z.J. Loussac
Library, Government Documents, 3600
Denali Street, Anchorage, AK; Alaska
State Library, Government Documents,
333 Willoughby Avenue, 8th Floor,
Juneau, AK; A. Holmes Johnson
Memorial Library, 319 Lower Mill Bay
Road, Kodiak, AK; University of Alaska
Fairbanks, Rasmussen Library,
Government Documents, 310 Tanana
Loop, Fairbanks, AK; Cordova Public
Library, 622 First Street, Cordova, AK;
Copper Valley Community Library, Mile
186 Glenn Highway, Glennallen, AK;
Seward Community Library, 238 5th
Avenue, Seward, AK; Homer Public
Library, 500 Hazel Avenue, Homer, AK.
The Gulf of Alaska Navy Training
Activities Draft EIS/OEIS is also
available for electronic public viewing
at: https://
www.GulfofAlaskaNavyEIS.com. A
paper copy of the Executive Summary
or a single CD with the Draft EIS/OEIS
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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 237 / Friday, December 11, 2009 / Notices
will be made available upon written
request by contacting Naval Facilities
Engineering Command Northwest,
Attention: Mrs. Amy Burt, Gulf of
Alaska Navy Training Activities EIS/
OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog
Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA
98315–1101.
Federal, State, and local agencies,
elected officials, and interested
individuals and organizations are
invited to be present or represented at
the public hearing. Written comments
can also be submitted during the open
house sessions preceding the public
hearings.
Oral statements will be heard and
transcribed by a stenographer; however,
to ensure the accuracy of the record, all
statements should be submitted in
writing. All statements, both oral and
written, will become part of the public
record on the Draft EIS/OEIS and will be
responded to in the Final EIS/OEIS.
Equal weight will be given to both oral
and written statements. In the interest of
available time, and to ensure all who
wish to give an oral statement have the
opportunity to do so, each speaker’s
comments will be limited to three (3)
minutes. If you have prepared a written
statement, you may read it out loud if
you can do so within the three minute
time limit, or you may turn it in at the
public hearing or mail the statement to
Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Northwest, Attention: Mrs. Amy Burt,
Gulf of Alaska Navy Training Activities
EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog
Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA
98315–1101. In addition, comments
may be submitted online at https://
www.GulfofAlaskNavyEIS.com during
the comment period. All written
comments must be postmarked by
January 25, 2010, to ensure they become
part of the official record. All comments
will be addressed in the Final EIS/OEIS.
Dated: December 7, 2009.
A.M. Vallandingham,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge
Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Federal
Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9–29565 Filed 12–10–09; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Defense Acquisition Regulations
System
Waiver of 10 U.S.C. 2534 for Certain
Defense Items Produced in the United
Kingdom
AGENCY: Defense Acquisition
Regulations System, Department of
Defense (DoD).
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17:33 Dec 10, 2009
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ACTION: Notice of waiver of 10 U.S.C.
2534 for certain defense items produced
in the United Kingdom.
SUMMARY: The Under Secretary of
Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and
Logistics) is waiving the limitation of 10
U.S.C. 2534 for certain defense items
produced in the United Kingdom (UK).
10 U.S.C. 2534 limits DoD procurement
of certain items to sources in the
national technology and industrial base.
The waiver will permit procurement of
enumerated items from sources in the
UK, unless otherwise restricted by
statute.
DATES: Effective Date: This waiver is
effective for one year, beginning
December 28, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Patricia Foley, OUSD(AT&L), Office of
the Director of Defense Procurement and
Acquisition Policy, Contract Policy and
International Contracting, Room 5E621,
3060 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC
20301–3060, telephone (703) 693–1145.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Subsection (a) of 10 U.S.C. 2534
provides that the Secretary of Defense
may procure the items listed in that
subsection only if the manufacturer of
the item is part of the national
technology and industrial base.
Subsection (i) of 10 U.S.C. 2534
authorizes the Secretary of Defense to
exercise the waiver authority in
subsection (d), on the basis of the
applicability of paragraph (2) or (3) of
that subsection, only if the waiver is
made for a particular item listed in
subsection (a) and for a particular
foreign country. Subsection (d)
authorizes a waiver if the Secretary
determines that application of the
limitation ‘‘would impede the reciprocal
procurement of defense items under a
memorandum of understanding
providing for reciprocal procurement of
defense items’’ and if he determines that
‘‘that country does not discriminate
against defense items produced in the
United States to a greater degree than
the United States discriminates against
defense items produced in that
country.’’ The Secretary of Defense has
delegated the waiver authority of 10
U.S.C. 2534(d) to the Under Secretary of
Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and
Logistics).
DoD has had a Reciprocal Defense
Procurement Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with the UK
since 1975, most recently renewed on
December 16, 2004.
The Under Secretary of Defense
(Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics)
finds that the UK does not discriminate
against defense items produced in the
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65763
United States to a greater degree than
the United States discriminates against
defense items produced in the UK, and
also finds that application of the
limitation in 10 U.S.C. 2534 against
defense items produced in the UK
would impede the reciprocal
procurement of defense items under the
MOU.
Under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2534,
the Under Secretary of Defense
(Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics)
has determined that application of the
limitation of 10 U.S.C. 2534(a) to the
procurement of any defense item
produced in the UK that is listed below
would impede the reciprocal
procurement of defense items under the
MOU with the UK.
On the basis of the foregoing, the
Under Secretary of Defense
(Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics)
is waiving the limitation in 10 U.S.C.
2534(a) for procurements of any defense
item listed below that is produced in the
UK. This waiver applies only to the
limitations in 10 U.S.C. 2534(a). It does
not apply to any other limitation,
including section 8018 of the DoD
Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2009
(Pub. L. 110–329). This waiver applies
to procurements under solicitations
issued during the period from December
28, 2009, to December 27, 2010 Similar
waivers have been granted since 1998,
most recently in 2008 (73 FR 73257,
December 2, 2008).
List of Items to Which This Waiver
Applies
1. Air circuit breakers.
2. Welded shipboard anchor and
mooring chain with a diameter of four
inches or less.
3. Gyrocompasses.
4. Electronic navigation chart systems.
5. Steering controls.
6. Pumps.
7. Propulsion and machinery control
systems.
8. Totally enclosed lifeboats.
Amy G. Williams,
Editor, Defense Acquisition Regulations
System.
[FR Doc. E9–29568 Filed 12–10–09; 8:45 am]
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 237 (Friday, December 11, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65761-65763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29565]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Public Hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for the Gulf of
Alaska Navy Training Activities
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA); the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (Title 40 Code of
Federal Regulations Parts 1500-1508); and Executive Order 12114,
Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions, the Department
of the Navy (Navy) has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS) for public release on
December 11, 2009. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a
Cooperating Agency for the EIS/OEIS.
The Draft EIS/OEIS evaluates the potential environmental effects of
the Proposed Action from Navy training activities conducted in the Gulf
of Alaska and Alaska's inland training areas, collectively referred to
as the Alaska Training Areas (ATA). The Draft EIS/OEIS addresses
ongoing and proposed military training activities, as well as proposed
force structure changes and the introduction of new weapons and systems
to the Fleet. The Proposed Action serves to achieve and maintain Fleet
readiness using the ATA to support and conduct current, emerging, and
future training activities. A Notice of Intent for this Draft EIS/OEIS
was published in the Federal Register on March 17, 2008 (73 FR 14237).
The Navy will conduct five public hearings to receive oral and
written comments on the Draft EIS/OEIS. Federal, State, and local
agencies, elected officials, and other interested individuals and
organizations are invited to be present or represented at the public
hearings. This notice announces the dates and locations of the public
hearings for this Draft EIS/OEIS.
An open house session will precede the scheduled public hearing at
each of the locations listed below, and will allow individuals to
review the information presented in the Draft EIS/OEIS. Navy
representatives will be available during the open house sessions to
clarify information related to the Draft EIS/OEIS.
Dates and Addresses: Five public hearings will be held in Alaska to
receive oral and written comments on the Draft EIS/OEIS. All meetings
will start with an open house session from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed
by a presentation and formal public comment period from 7 p.m. to 8:30
p.m. Public hearings will be held on the following dates and at the
following locations:
[[Page 65762]]
1. Thursday, January 7, 2010, at Kodiak High School Cafeteria, 722
Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, Alaska;
2. Friday, January 8, 2010, at Fairview Recreation Center Main
Gymnasium, 1121 E. 10th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska;
3. Saturday, January 9, 2010, at West Homer Elementary School
Gymnasium, 995 Soundview Avenue, Homer, Alaska;
4. Monday, January 11, 2010, at Juneau Arts and Culture Center Main
Hall, 350 Whittier Street, Juneau, Alaska;
5. Tuesday, February 12, 2010, at Orca Adventure Lodge Meeting Room
& Caf[eacute], 2500 Orca Road, Cordova, Alaska.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Northwest, Attention: Mrs. Amy Burt, Gulf of Alaska Navy Training
Activities EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203,
Silverdale, WA 98315-1101; or https://www.GulfofAlaskaNavyEIS.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Air and sea training activities are
conducted within the Gulf of Alaska Temporary Maritime Activities Area
(TMAA) which is part of the ATA. The land, air, and sea components of
the ATA provide the space and resources needed to realistically train
Navy Sailors to achieve and maintain Fleet readiness. Navy air and sea
training activities originate from Navy ships located within the TMAA.
The TMAA is situated south of Prince William Sound and east of Kodiak
Island and includes 42,146 square nautical miles of airspace, sea
space, and undersea space. The Navy also conducts activities in
established U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army inland training areas, which
include more than 65,000 square miles of airspace and land area. The
ATA serve as the principal training venue for annual joint training
exercises, which can involve forces from the U.S. Navy, Air Force,
Army, Coast Guard, and local, state, and nongovernmental agencies. The
ATA are used for training activities including operating aircraft,
ships, and submarines; conducting training against moving ships and
aircraft; practicing aerial surveillance; and detecting and locating
submarines.
The purpose of the Navy's Proposed Action is to: Achieve and
maintain Fleet readiness using the ATA to support and conduct current,
emerging, and future training activities.
The need for the Proposed Action is to: (1) Maintain current levels
of military readiness by training in the ATA; (2) accommodate future
increases in levels of training activities in the ATA; (3) adequately
support the training need for new aircraft, ships, submarines, and
weapons systems; (4) identify shortfalls in training, particularly
training instrumentation, and address through enhancements; (5)
maintain the long-term viability of the ATA as a Navy training area
while protecting human health and the environment, and enhancing the
quality, capabilities, and safety of the training area; and (6) be able
to bring U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard assets together
into one geographic area for joint training.
Under the No Action Alternative, training activities within the ATA
would continue at current levels over a maximum time frame of 14 days.
This alternative includes one annual Carrier Strike Group training
exercise and excludes the use of mid-frequency active sonar.
Alternative 1 proposes an increase in the number of training activities
from current levels as necessary to support Fleet exercise requirements
over a maximum time frame of 21 days in the summer months (April--
October), to include the use of active sonar; and accommodates training
enhancement instrumentation, including the use of a Portable Undersea
Tracking Range, and force structure changes associated with the
introduction of new weapon systems, vessels, and aircraft into the
Fleet. Alternative 2, the Preferred Alternative, consists of all
elements of Alternative 1. In addition, Alternative 2 includes an
increase in the number of training activities over Alternative 1 levels
by conducting a second annual Carrier Strike Group training exercise,
which could also last up to 21 days in the summer months, and
conducting a Sinking Exercise during each summertime exercise (a
maximum of two).
The Draft EIS/OEIS addresses potential environmental impacts on
multiple resources, including but not limited to: Air quality; water
resources; biological resources; cultural resources; socioeconomics;
and public health and safety.
No significant impacts are identified for most resources within the
ATA that cannot be mitigated. The results of the analysis indicate,
however, that while there is the possibility for physiological effects
and altered behavior from sound in the water from active sonar and
explosives, no mortality to marine mammals is anticipated. Furthermore,
the estimation of sound exposures does not consider the Navy's use of
protective measures, which would reduce the likelihood of exposures at
the highest sound levels. The Navy has requested from NMFS a Letter of
Authorization (LOA) in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act
to authorize the incidental take of marine mammals that may result from
the implementation of the activities analyzed in the Gulf of Alaska
Navy Training Activities Draft EIS/OEIS.
In accordance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the
Navy is consulting with NMFS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
for potential impacts to federally listed species. Navy analysis has
indicated that under the Clean Air Act requirements, while emissions
over current levels may occur, these emissions would not exceed air
quality standards, and under the Clean Water Act there would be no
significant impacts to water quality. Analysis under the National
Historic Preservation Act, in addition to other applicable laws and
regulations, indicates that no significant impacts to cultural
resources would occur if the Proposed Action or alternatives were
implemented. Implementation of the Proposed Action or alternatives
would not result in a significant adverse effect on the population of a
migratory bird and fish species.
The decision to be made by the Navy is to determine which of the
alternatives analyzed in the EIS/OEIS best meet the operational needs
of the Navy given that all reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts
have been considered.
The Draft EIS/OEIS was distributed to Federal, State, and local
agencies, elected officials, and other interested individuals and
organizations. The public comment period will end on January 25, 2010.
Copies of the Draft EIS/OEIS are available for public review at the
following libraries: Z.J. Loussac Library, Government Documents, 3600
Denali Street, Anchorage, AK; Alaska State Library, Government
Documents, 333 Willoughby Avenue, 8th Floor, Juneau, AK; A. Holmes
Johnson Memorial Library, 319 Lower Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, AK;
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Rasmussen Library, Government
Documents, 310 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, AK; Cordova Public Library, 622
First Street, Cordova, AK; Copper Valley Community Library, Mile 186
Glenn Highway, Glennallen, AK; Seward Community Library, 238 5th
Avenue, Seward, AK; Homer Public Library, 500 Hazel Avenue, Homer, AK.
The Gulf of Alaska Navy Training Activities Draft EIS/OEIS is also
available for electronic public viewing at: https://www.GulfofAlaskaNavyEIS.com. A paper copy of the Executive Summary or a
single CD with the Draft EIS/OEIS
[[Page 65763]]
will be made available upon written request by contacting Naval
Facilities Engineering Command Northwest, Attention: Mrs. Amy Burt,
Gulf of Alaska Navy Training Activities EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 1101
Tautog Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA 98315-1101.
Federal, State, and local agencies, elected officials, and
interested individuals and organizations are invited to be present or
represented at the public hearing. Written comments can also be
submitted during the open house sessions preceding the public hearings.
Oral statements will be heard and transcribed by a stenographer;
however, to ensure the accuracy of the record, all statements should be
submitted in writing. All statements, both oral and written, will
become part of the public record on the Draft EIS/OEIS and will be
responded to in the Final EIS/OEIS. Equal weight will be given to both
oral and written statements. In the interest of available time, and to
ensure all who wish to give an oral statement have the opportunity to
do so, each speaker's comments will be limited to three (3) minutes. If
you have prepared a written statement, you may read it out loud if you
can do so within the three minute time limit, or you may turn it in at
the public hearing or mail the statement to Naval Facilities
Engineering Command Northwest, Attention: Mrs. Amy Burt, Gulf of Alaska
Navy Training Activities EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle,
Suite 203, Silverdale, WA 98315-1101. In addition, comments may be
submitted online at https://www.GulfofAlaskNavyEIS.com during the
comment period. All written comments must be postmarked by January 25,
2010, to ensure they become part of the official record. All comments
will be addressed in the Final EIS/OEIS.
Dated: December 7, 2009.
A.M. Vallandingham,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-29565 Filed 12-10-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P
