Intent To Prepare Programmatic Environmental Assessment Statement for the Nationwide Implementation of the Interagency Operations Centers, 78722-78724 [2010-31639]

Download as PDF 78722 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 241 / Thursday, December 16, 2010 / Notices Written comments and recommendations concerning the proposed information collection should be sent by January 18, 2011 to: SAMHSA Desk Officer, Human Resources and Housing Branch, Office of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503; due to potential delays in OMB’s receipt and processing of mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service, respondents are encouraged to submit comments by fax to: 202–395– 5806. Dated: December 6, 2010. Elaine Parry, Director, Office of Management, Technology and Operations. [FR Doc. 2010–31586 Filed 12–15–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4162–20–P DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY Coast Guard [Docket No. USCG–2010–1104] Intent To Prepare Programmatic Environmental Assessment Statement for the Nationwide Implementation of the Interagency Operations Centers Coast Guard, DHS. Notice of intent and request for comments. AGENCY: ACTION: The Coast Guard announces its intent to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the proposed nationwide implementation of the Interagency Operations Centers (IOC) Project and requests public comments on the scope of the PEA. DATES: Comments and related material must either be submitted to our online docket via https://www.regulations.gov on or before January 18, 2011 or reach the Docket Management Facility by that date. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG– 2010–1104 using any one of the following methods: (1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. (2) Fax: 202–493–2251. (3) Mail: 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– 0001. (4) Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES SUMMARY: VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:00 Dec 15, 2010 Jkt 223001 Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202–366–9329. To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. See the ‘‘Public Participation and Request for Comments’’ portion of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on submitting comments. If you have questions on this notice, please contact CAPT Alan Arsenault, Coast Guard, telephone 202–475–3717 or e-mail alan.n.arsenault@uscg.mil. If you have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202–366– 9826. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Public Participation and Request for Comments We encourage you to submit comments and related material on the scope of this PEA. Specifically, the Coast Guard requests input on any environmental concerns that the public may have related to the development of IOCs throughout the United States, sources of relevant data or information, and any suggested analysis methods for inclusion in the PEA. All comments received will be posted, without change, to https://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information you have provided. Submitting comments: If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this notice (USCG–2010– 1104) and provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and material online, or by fax, mail or hand delivery, but please use only one of these means. We recommend that you include your name and a mailing address, an e-mail address, or a telephone number in the body of your document so that we can contact you if we have questions regarding your submission. To submit your comment online, go to https://www.regulations.gov, click on the ‘‘submit a comment’’ box, which will then become highlighted in blue. In the ‘‘Document Type’’ drop down menu select ‘‘Notices’’ and insert ‘‘USCG– 2010–1104’’ in the ‘‘Keyword’’ box. Click ‘‘Search’’ then click on the balloon shape in the ‘‘Actions’’ column. If you submit your comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than 81⁄2 by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you submit them by mail and would like to know that they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and material received during the comment period. Viewing the comments: To view the comments, go to https:// www.regulations.gov, click on the ‘‘read comments’’ box, which will then become highlighted in blue. In the ‘‘Keyword’’ box insert ‘‘USCG–2010– 1104’’ and click ‘‘Search.’’ Click the ‘‘Open Docket Folder’’ in the ‘‘Actions’’ column. If you do not have access to the Internet, you may view the docket online by visiting the Docket Management Facility in Room W12–140 on the ground floor of the Department of Transportation West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. We have an agreement with the Department of Transportation to use the Docket Management Facility. Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of 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 a Privacy Act system of records notice regarding our public dockets in the January 17, 2008, issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316). Background and Purpose SAFE Port Act and the IOC Project The Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006 (SAFE Port Act), Public Law 109–347, 120 Stat. 1884, was enacted to improve maritime and United States port security through enhanced layered defenses. Section 108 of the SAFE Port Act directs the establishment of IOCs at all high priority ports that ‘‘utilize, as appropriate, the compositional and operations characteristics of existing centers’’ and are ‘‘organized to fit the security needs, requirements, and resources of the individual port area at which each is operating.’’ The Coast Guard IOC Project will satisfy this mandate through the development and transformation of approximately 35 existing Coast Guard Sector Command Centers (SCCs) over the next 12 years into coordinated planning and operations centers. Purpose of the IOC Project The purpose of the proposed nationwide implementation of the IOC Project is to improve unity of effort among Federal, State, tribal, and local port partners with shared port security responsibilities by providing interagency command and control E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM 16DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 241 / Thursday, December 16, 2010 / Notices facilities to monitor approaching waterborne traffic at high priority ports in the United States and United States territories. The IOC’s information systems, facilities, and sensor networks will provide the partner organizations with the ability to coordinate planning and operational activities to gain a proactive posture in preventing, protecting, responding, and recovering from emergency and illicit activities in the ports. In addition, the IOC Project will facilitate collaboration to gain efficiencies in operations execution, reduce redundant activities (e.g., multiple boardings of a vessel by different agencies), and share resources. The IOCs will improve tactical decisionmaking, situational awareness, operations monitoring/interoperability, rules-based processing, and joint planning in a coordinated interagency environment. IOC Implementation The Coast Guard plans to implement the development of the IOCs through upgrades or reconfiguration of current 78723 facilities, and through leasing or building new facilities to increase the capacity and space provided for security operations and interagency partners. Each IOC will be tailored to the individual needs of the ports, and will be operated in coordination with multiple partner agencies and organizations including Federal agencies, State, tribal, and local law enforcement, and port authorities. The following table lists existing SCC locations being considered for reconfiguration to IOCs. Addresses of SCC Locations Considered for Transformation to IOC San Francisco, 1 Yerba Buena Island, San Francisco, CA 94130–9309 Boston, 427 Commercial Street, Boston, MA 02109–1027 Charleston, 196 Tradd St., Charleston, SC 29401–1817 Tampa-St. Petersburg, 600 8th Avenue SE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701–5099 San Diego, 2710 Harbor Drive, N. San Diego, CA 92101–1028 New York, 212 Coast Guard Drive, Staten Island, NY 10305 Sault Ste. Marie, 337 Water St., Sault Ste., Marie, MI 49783– 9501 Los Angeles/Long Beach, 1001 S. Seaside Ave., Bldg. 20, San Pedro, CA 90731–0208 Puget Sound, 1519 Alaskan Way South, Seattle, WA 98134– 1192 Baltimore, 2401 Hawkins Point Rd., Baltimore, MD 21226– 1797 Long Island, 120 Woodward Ave., New Haven, CT 06512–3698 Ohio Valley, 600 Martin Luther King Jr., Mazzoli Federal Bldg., Rm 421, Louisville, KY 40202– 2251 Columbia River, 2185 SE Airport Rd., Warrenton, OR 97146– 9693 Delaware Bay, 1 Washington Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19147– 4395 Mobile, South Broad St., Mobile, AL 36615 Northern New England, 259 High St., South Portland, ME 04106– 0007 Corpus Christi, 8930 Ocean Dr., Corpus Christi, TX 78419–5220 Buffalo, 1 Fuhrmann Boulevard, Buffalo, NY 14203–3189 Jacksonville, 4200 Ocean St., Atlantic Beach, FL 2233–2416 Southern New England, Little Harbor Rd., Woods Hole, MA 02543–1099 Houston-Galveston, 9640 Clinton Dr., Houston, TX 77029–4328 Detroit, 110 Mt. Elliot Ave., Detroit, MI 48207–4380 Juneau, 2760 Sherwood Lane, Suite 2A, Juneau, AK 99801– 8545 Lower Mississippi, 2 A W Wills Ave., Memphis, TN 38105–1502 Key West, 100 Trumbo Rd., Key West, FL 33040–0005 New Orleans, 201 Old Hammond Hwy., Metairie, LA 70005 Anchorage, 510 L Street, Suite 100, Anchorage, AK 99501– 1946 Lake Michigan, 2420 S. Lincoln Memorial Dr., Milwaukee, WI 53207–1997 Miami, 100 MacArthur Causeway, Rm. 201, Miami Beach, FL 33139–5101 Guam, PSC 455, Box 176, FPO, AP 96540–1056 San Juan, 5 Calle La Puntilla Final, San Juan, PR 00901– 1800 Upper Mississippi, 1222 Spruce St., Suite 7.103, St. Louis, MO 63103–2832 srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES Hampton Roads, 4000 Coast Guard, Boulevard, Portsmouth, VA 23703–2199 Honolulu, 400 Sand Island Parkway, Honolulu, HI 96819–4398 North Carolina, 2301 East Fort Macon Rd., Atlantic Beach, NC 28512–5633 The IOC Project will complement the maritime component of the Secure Border Initiative, a comprehensive, multi-year plan to help secure America’s borders and will link capabilities across Federal, State, local, tribal, and private organizations. IOCs will provide information systems, facilities, and sensors needed to conduct daily, 24/7 tactical coordination of port-level activities. They will deliver capabilities to automate and increase throughput of VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:00 Dec 15, 2010 Jkt 223001 information for achieving Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA). Improving MDA will boost interagency communications and decision-makers’ level of knowledge, and will help the Coast Guard make informed command and control decisions. Information throughput improvements will be achieved by networking Coast Guard and interagency partner sensors and then expanding these sensor networks to monitor vessel activities and detect anomalies from a distance. The Coast PO 00000 Frm 00057 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Guard will use an information management toolset, called WatchKeeper, to compile, organize, and apply data and knowledge collected by the expanded sensor network. Preparation of the PEA In accordance with Section 102(2)(c) of NEPA as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500–1508), Department of Homeland Security Management Directive 023.1 (Environmental E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM 16DEN1 78724 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 241 / Thursday, December 16, 2010 / Notices srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES Planning Program), and Coast Guard National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures and Policy for Considering Environmental Impacts, (COMDTINST M16475.1D), the Coast Guard intends to prepare a PEA for the implementation of the IOC Project. The PEA will provide a general level of analysis of the Proposed Action and No Action alternative and the potential environmental impacts of implementation. Upon completion and acceptance of the PEA, the Coast Guard will conduct a site-specific Environmental Assessment (EA) or Categorical Exclusion (CATEX) at individual IOC locations that may warrant additional examination due to unique environmental characteristics. Proposed Action The IOC Project is currently not fully funded. However, as funding allows, the Coast Guard plans to implement the IOC Project in four phases or segments: Segment 1 will establish processes and systems to link operations and data information between interagency partners and the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard will implement the WatchKeeper tool in Segment 1 to integrate vessel targeting, operations, monitoring, and operational planning. The Coast Guard Operations System Center will host WatchKeeper, with a minimal increase in computer infrastructure installed at the Operations System Center. Interagency partners will be allowed access to the information technology network to establish initial improved coordination efforts. Segment 2 will establish an integrated interagency sensor network to link and enhance the Coast Guard’s information management capability with that of its interagency partners. The Coast Guard plans to install hardware and software at each IOC location throughout Segment 2 to establish this interagency sensor network. The Coast Guard plans to survey existing remote sensors, currently mounted on short platforms, towers, rooftops, and poles for inclusion in the sensor network upgrade as part of Segment 2 implementation. Segment 3 will expand the interagency sensor network and provide extended sensor network and components to fill critical situational awareness gaps and increase knowledge and data collected by the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard plans to acquire and install new sensors and the required network infrastructure to support the sensors, including wireless and wired hardware. The Coast Guard plans to install between 1 and 15 new sensors at each IOC location. New sensors will be mounted on existing short platforms, VerDate Mar<15>2010 18:00 Dec 15, 2010 Jkt 223001 towers, rooftops, and poles similar to the installation of existing sensors. If the broad activities analyzed in the PEA do not adequately cover the site-specific actions required to install and mount new sensors or hardware, then the Coast Guard will tier follow-on EAs and CATEXs as appropriate on a case-bycase basis. Segment 4 will expand existing facilities through upgrades to existing SCCs and lease or build new facilities to allocate additional work space capacity to the Coast Guard and its interagency partners, and through enhancing the existing information technology and electronics infrastructure at these locations. Segment 4 will require 4 new leases, 3 relocations, and 28 construction projects at existing SCCs to accommodate the space, infrastructure, and security requirements of the Coast Guard and its interagency partners. Facilities modifications to transform SCCs into IOCs will include increasing the capacity of the spaces used by Coast Guard personnel operating the IOC equipment, ensuring the co-location of the Sector Commander and the Command Center, and providing space to support Coast Guard surge-operations staff and interagency partner staff. If the broad activities analyzed in the PEA do not adequately cover the sitespecific actions required to construct, lease, or relocate IOC facilities, then the Coast Guard will tier follow-on EAs and CATEXs as appropriate on a case-bycase basis. The Coast Guards plans to implement Segment 4 in a parallel effort with Segments 1, 2, and 3, as funding allows. The PEA will address the general environmental impacts of the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative. The No Action Alternative will serve as a baseline against which to compare the potential impacts of the Proposed Action. The Coast Guard defines the No Action Alternative as not implementing the IOC Project, not complying with the mandate of the SAFE Port Act, and preventing the existing approximately 35 SSC facilities from being upgraded. The Proposed Action is the full implementation of Segments 1 through 4 described above. The broad analysis of the PEA will not cover site-specific actions. The Coast Guard will address site-specific actions on a case-by-case basis as actions during the implementation of the four Segments and across the approximately 35 various SCC locations. The Coast Guard will conduct sitespecific NEPA analyses and produce subsequent NEPA documentation coincident with project implementation during any Segment and in any SCC PO 00000 Frm 00058 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 location to address environmental or human health impacts from any sensor mounting, installation, or facility construction project if necessary. Although the Coast Guard does not foresee major site-specific impacts at this time, the Coast Guard expects that the PEA will serve to facilitate and expedite the preparation of follow-on, project-specific NEPA documents, if applicable, at the SCC locations. The Coast Guard does not expect that the Proposed Action will result in significant environmental or human health impacts. The Coast Guard plans to establish the IOC facilities and install the required sensors in previously developed sites within Coast Guard installations or other similar Federal or private locations. Any major infrastructure changes will be addressed in future site-specific NEPA documents. Any potentially significant impacts to any aspect of the affected environment including cultural resources, biological resources, water and marine resources, air quality, and public safety will be addressed and analyzed by the Coast Guard on a case-by-case basis in future site-specific NEPA documents. Scoping Process The Coast Guard encourages public participation in the PEA process. The scoping period will start with publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Please see the section on Public Participation and Request for Comments above for instructions on how to submit comments. Following the scoping process, the Coast Guard will prepare the draft PEA and will publish a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register to make it available to the public and solicit comments on the draft PEA. Authority This notice is issued under authority of 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq., and 40 CFR 1508.22. Dated: December 9, 2010. Alan Arsenault, Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Project Manager, Interagency Operation Centers Project. [FR Doc. 2010–31639 Filed 12–15–10; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 9110–04–P E:\FR\FM\16DEN1.SGM 16DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 241 (Thursday, December 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78722-78724]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-31639]

=======================================================================
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2010-1104]

Intent To Prepare Programmatic Environmental Assessment Statement
for the Nationwide Implementation of the Interagency Operations Centers

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of intent and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces its intent to prepare a Programmatic
Environmental Assessment (PEA) for the proposed nationwide
implementation of the Interagency Operations Centers (IOC) Project and
requests public comments on the scope of the PEA.

DATES: Comments and related material must either be submitted to our
online docket via https://www.regulations.gov on or before January 18,
2011 or reach the Docket Management Facility by that date.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2010-1104 using any one of the following methods:
(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
(2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
(3) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
(4) Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone
number is 202-366-9329.
To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods.
See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion of
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on
submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice,
please contact CAPT Alan Arsenault, Coast Guard, telephone 202-475-3717
or e-mail alan.n.arsenault@uscg.mil. If you have questions on viewing
or submitting material to the docket, call Renee V. Wright, Program
Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Request for Comments

We encourage you to submit comments and related material on the
scope of this PEA. Specifically, the Coast Guard requests input on any
environmental concerns that the public may have related to the
development of IOCs throughout the United States, sources of relevant
data or information, and any suggested analysis methods for inclusion
in the PEA. All comments received will be posted, without change, to
https://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information
you have provided.
Submitting comments: If you submit a comment, please include the
docket number for this notice (USCG-2010-1104) and provide a reason for
each suggestion or recommendation. You may submit your comments and
material online, or by fax, mail or hand delivery, but please use only
one of these means. We recommend that you include your name and a
mailing address, an e-mail address, or a telephone number in the body
of your document so that we can contact you if we have questions
regarding your submission.
To submit your comment online, go to https://www.regulations.gov,
click on the ``submit a comment'' box, which will then become
highlighted in blue. In the ``Document Type'' drop down menu select
``Notices'' and insert ``USCG-2010-1104'' in the ``Keyword'' box. Click
``Search'' then click on the balloon shape in the ``Actions'' column.
If you submit your comments by mail or hand 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 them by mail and would
like to know that they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped,
self-addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and
material received during the comment period.
Viewing the comments: To view the comments, go to https://www.regulations.gov, click on the ``read comments'' box, which will
then become highlighted in blue. In the ``Keyword'' box insert ``USCG-
2010-1104'' and click ``Search.'' Click the ``Open Docket Folder'' in
the ``Actions'' column. If you do not have access to the Internet, you
may view the docket online by visiting the Docket Management Facility
in Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the Department of Transportation
West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590,
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays. We have an agreement with the Department of Transportation to
use the Docket Management Facility.
Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of 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 a
Privacy Act system of records notice regarding our public dockets in
the January 17, 2008, issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

Background and Purpose

SAFE Port Act and the IOC Project

The Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006 (SAFE
Port Act), Public Law 109-347, 120 Stat. 1884, was enacted to improve
maritime and United States port security through enhanced layered
defenses. Section 108 of the SAFE Port Act directs the establishment of
IOCs at all high priority ports that ``utilize, as appropriate, the
compositional and operations characteristics of existing centers'' and
are ``organized to fit the security needs, requirements, and resources
of the individual port area at which each is operating.''
The Coast Guard IOC Project will satisfy this mandate through the
development and transformation of approximately 35 existing Coast Guard
Sector Command Centers (SCCs) over the next 12 years into coordinated
planning and operations centers.

Purpose of the IOC Project

The purpose of the proposed nationwide implementation of the IOC
Project is to improve unity of effort among Federal, State, tribal, and
local port partners with shared port security responsibilities by
providing interagency command and control

[[Page 78723]]

facilities to monitor approaching water-borne traffic at high priority
ports in the United States and United States territories. The IOC's
information systems, facilities, and sensor networks will provide the
partner organizations with the ability to coordinate planning and
operational activities to gain a proactive posture in preventing,
protecting, responding, and recovering from emergency and illicit
activities in the ports. In addition, the IOC Project will facilitate
collaboration to gain efficiencies in operations execution, reduce
redundant activities (e.g., multiple boardings of a vessel by different
agencies), and share resources. The IOCs will improve tactical
decision-making, situational awareness, operations monitoring/
interoperability, rules-based processing, and joint planning in a
coordinated interagency environment.

IOC Implementation

The Coast Guard plans to implement the development of the IOCs
through upgrades or reconfiguration of current facilities, and through
leasing or building new facilities to increase the capacity and space
provided for security operations and interagency partners. Each IOC
will be tailored to the individual needs of the ports, and will be
operated in coordination with multiple partner agencies and
organizations including Federal agencies, State, tribal, and local law
enforcement, and port authorities.
The following table lists existing SCC locations being considered
for reconfiguration to IOCs.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Addresses of SCC
Locations
Considered for
Transformation
to IOC
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hampton Roads, San Francisco, 1 Boston, 427 Charleston, 196
4000 Coast Yerba Buena Commercial Tradd St.,
Guard, Island, San Street, Boston, Charleston, SC
Boulevard, Francisco, CA MA 02109-1027 29401-1817
Portsmouth, VA 94130-9309
23703-2199
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tampa-St. San Diego, 2710 New York, 212 Sault Ste.
Petersburg, 600 Harbor Drive, N. Coast Guard Marie, 337
8th Avenue SE, San Diego, CA Drive, Staten Water St.,
St. Petersburg, 92101-1028 Island, NY Sault Ste.,
FL 33701-5099 10305 Marie, MI 49783-
9501
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Los Angeles/Long Puget Sound, 1519 Baltimore, 2401 Long Island, 120
Beach, 1001 S. Alaskan Way Hawkins Point Woodward Ave.,
Seaside Ave., South, Seattle, Rd., Baltimore, New Haven, CT
Bldg. 20, San WA 98134-1192 MD 21226-1797 06512-3698
Pedro, CA 90731-
0208
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ohio Valley, 600 Columbia River, Delaware Bay, 1 Mobile, South
Martin Luther 2185 SE Airport Washington Broad St.,
King Jr., Rd., Warrenton, Avenue, Mobile, AL
Mazzoli Federal OR 97146-9693 Philadelphia, 36615
Bldg., Rm 421, PA 19147-4395
Louisville, KY
40202-2251
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern New Corpus Christi, Buffalo, 1 Jacksonville,
England, 259 8930 Ocean Dr., Fuhrmann 4200 Ocean St.,
High St., South Corpus Christi, Boulevard, Atlantic Beach,
Portland, ME TX 78419-5220 Buffalo, NY FL 2233-2416
04106-0007 14203-3189
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Southern New Houston- Detroit, 110 Mt. Juneau, 2760
England, Little Galveston, 9640 Elliot Ave., Sherwood Lane,
Harbor Rd., Clinton Dr., Detroit, MI Suite 2A,
Woods Hole, MA Houston, TX 48207-4380 Juneau, AK
02543-1099 77029-4328 99801-8545
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lower Key West, 100 New Orleans, 201 Anchorage, 510 L
Mississippi, 2 A Trumbo Rd., Key Old Hammond Street, Suite
W Wills Ave., West, FL 33040- Hwy., Metairie, 100, Anchorage,
Memphis, TN 0005 LA 70005 AK 99501-1946
38105-1502
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lake Michigan, Miami, 100 Guam, PSC 455, San Juan, 5
2420 S. Lincoln MacArthur Box 176, FPO, Calle La
Memorial Dr., Causeway, Rm. AP 96540-1056 Puntilla Final,
Milwaukee, WI 201, Miami San Juan, PR
53207-1997 Beach, FL 33139- 00901-1800
5101
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Upper Honolulu, 400 North Carolina, ................
Mississippi, Sand Island 2301 East Fort
1222 Spruce St., Parkway, Macon Rd.,
Suite 7.103, St. Honolulu, HI Atlantic Beach,
Louis, MO 63103- 96819-4398 NC 28512-5633
2832
------------------------------------------------------------------------

The IOC Project will complement the maritime component of the
Secure Border Initiative, a comprehensive, multi-year plan to help
secure America's borders and will link capabilities across Federal,
State, local, tribal, and private organizations.
IOCs will provide information systems, facilities, and sensors
needed to conduct daily, 24/7 tactical coordination of port-level
activities. They will deliver capabilities to automate and increase
throughput of information for achieving Maritime Domain Awareness
(MDA). Improving MDA will boost interagency communications and
decision-makers' level of knowledge, and will help the Coast Guard make
informed command and control decisions. Information throughput
improvements will be achieved by networking Coast Guard and interagency
partner sensors and then expanding these sensor networks to monitor
vessel activities and detect anomalies from a distance. The Coast Guard
will use an information management toolset, called WatchKeeper, to
compile, organize, and apply data and knowledge collected by the
expanded sensor network.

Preparation of the PEA

In accordance with Section 102(2)(c) of NEPA as implemented by the
Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508),
Department of Homeland Security Management Directive 023.1
(Environmental

[[Page 78724]]

Planning Program), and Coast Guard National Environmental Policy Act
Implementing Procedures and Policy for Considering Environmental
Impacts, (COMDTINST M16475.1D), the Coast Guard intends to prepare a
PEA for the implementation of the IOC Project.
The PEA will provide a general level of analysis of the Proposed
Action and No Action alternative and the potential environmental
impacts of implementation. Upon completion and acceptance of the PEA,
the Coast Guard will conduct a site-specific Environmental Assessment
(EA) or Categorical Exclusion (CATEX) at individual IOC locations that
may warrant additional examination due to unique environmental
characteristics.

Proposed Action

The IOC Project is currently not fully funded. However, as funding
allows, the Coast Guard plans to implement the IOC Project in four
phases or segments:
Segment 1 will establish processes and systems to link operations
and data information between interagency partners and the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard will implement the WatchKeeper tool in Segment 1 to
integrate vessel targeting, operations, monitoring, and operational
planning. The Coast Guard Operations System Center will host
WatchKeeper, with a minimal increase in computer infrastructure
installed at the Operations System Center. Interagency partners will be
allowed access to the information technology network to establish
initial improved coordination efforts.
Segment 2 will establish an integrated interagency sensor network
to link and enhance the Coast Guard's information management capability
with that of its interagency partners. The Coast Guard plans to install
hardware and software at each IOC location throughout Segment 2 to
establish this interagency sensor network. The Coast Guard plans to
survey existing remote sensors, currently mounted on short platforms,
towers, rooftops, and poles for inclusion in the sensor network upgrade
as part of Segment 2 implementation.
Segment 3 will expand the interagency sensor network and provide
extended sensor network and components to fill critical situational
awareness gaps and increase knowledge and data collected by the Coast
Guard. The Coast Guard plans to acquire and install new sensors and the
required network infrastructure to support the sensors, including
wireless and wired hardware. The Coast Guard plans to install between 1
and 15 new sensors at each IOC location. New sensors will be mounted on
existing short platforms, towers, rooftops, and poles similar to the
installation of existing sensors. If the broad activities analyzed in
the PEA do not adequately cover the site-specific actions required to
install and mount new sensors or hardware, then the Coast Guard will
tier follow-on EAs and CATEXs as appropriate on a case-by-case basis.
Segment 4 will expand existing facilities through upgrades to
existing SCCs and lease or build new facilities to allocate additional
work space capacity to the Coast Guard and its interagency partners,
and through enhancing the existing information technology and
electronics infrastructure at these locations. Segment 4 will require 4
new leases, 3 relocations, and 28 construction projects at existing
SCCs to accommodate the space, infrastructure, and security
requirements of the Coast Guard and its interagency partners.
Facilities modifications to transform SCCs into IOCs will include
increasing the capacity of the spaces used by Coast Guard personnel
operating the IOC equipment, ensuring the co-location of the Sector
Commander and the Command Center, and providing space to support Coast
Guard surge-operations staff and interagency partner staff.
If the broad activities analyzed in the PEA do not adequately cover
the site-specific actions required to construct, lease, or relocate IOC
facilities, then the Coast Guard will tier follow-on EAs and CATEXs as
appropriate on a case-by-case basis. The Coast Guards plans to
implement Segment 4 in a parallel effort with Segments 1, 2, and 3, as
funding allows.
The PEA will address the general environmental impacts of the
Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative. The No Action
Alternative will serve as a baseline against which to compare the
potential impacts of the Proposed Action. The Coast Guard defines the
No Action Alternative as not implementing the IOC Project, not
complying with the mandate of the SAFE Port Act, and preventing the
existing approximately 35 SSC facilities from being upgraded. The
Proposed Action is the full implementation of Segments 1 through 4
described above.
The broad analysis of the PEA will not cover site-specific actions.
The Coast Guard will address site-specific actions on a case-by-case
basis as actions during the implementation of the four Segments and
across the approximately 35 various SCC locations. The Coast Guard will
conduct site-specific NEPA analyses and produce subsequent NEPA
documentation coincident with project implementation during any Segment
and in any SCC location to address environmental or human health
impacts from any sensor mounting, installation, or facility
construction project if necessary. Although the Coast Guard does not
foresee major site-specific impacts at this time, the Coast Guard
expects that the PEA will serve to facilitate and expedite the
preparation of follow-on, project-specific NEPA documents, if
applicable, at the SCC locations.
The Coast Guard does not expect that the Proposed Action will
result in significant environmental or human health impacts. The Coast
Guard plans to establish the IOC facilities and install the required
sensors in previously developed sites within Coast Guard installations
or other similar Federal or private locations. Any major infrastructure
changes will be addressed in future site-specific NEPA documents. Any
potentially significant impacts to any aspect of the affected
environment including cultural resources, biological resources, water
and marine resources, air quality, and public safety will be addressed
and analyzed by the Coast Guard on a case-by-case basis in future site-
specific NEPA documents.

Scoping Process

The Coast Guard encourages public participation in the PEA process.
The scoping period will start with publication of this notice in the
Federal Register. Please see the section on Public Participation and
Request for Comments above for instructions on how to submit comments.
Following the scoping process, the Coast Guard will prepare the
draft PEA and will publish a Notice of Availability in the Federal
Register to make it available to the public and solicit comments on the
draft PEA.

Authority

This notice is issued under authority of 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.,
and 40 CFR 1508.22.

Dated: December 9, 2010.
Alan Arsenault,
Captain, U.S. Coast Guard, Project Manager, Interagency Operation
Centers Project.
[FR Doc. 2010-31639 Filed 12-15-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110-04-P

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