Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for a Live-Fire Training Range Complex on Guam To Support the Guam Military Relocation, 6787-6788 [2012-2949]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 27 / Thursday, February 9, 2012 / Notices
bi-annual meeting of the U.S. Coral Reef
Task Force, provides a forum for
coordinated planning and action among
federal agencies, state and territorial
governments, and nongovernmental
partners. Please register in advance by
visiting the Web site listed below. This
meeting has time allotted for public
comment. All public comment must be
submitted in written format. A written
summary of the meeting will be posted
on the Web site within two months of
its occurrence.
The meeting will be held
Thursday, February 23, 2012.
Registration is requested for all
participants. Advance public comments
can be submitted to the email, fax, or
mailing address listed below from
Wednesday, February 1–Wednesday,
February 15.
Location: The meeting will be held at
the U.S. Department of the Interior,
1849 C Street NW., Washington, DC
20240.
DATES:
Beth
Dieveney, NOAA U.S. Coral Reef Task
Force Steering Committee Point of
Contact, NOAA Coral Reef Conservation
Program, 1305 East-West Highway,
Silver Spring, Maryland, 20910 (Phone:
(301) 713–3155 ext. 129, Fax: (301) 713–
4389, email: beth.dieveney@noaa.gov,
Liza Johnson, U.S. Coral Reef Task
Force Steering Committee Point of
Contact, U.S. Department of the Interior,
1849 C Street NW., Washington, DC
20240 (Phone: (202) 208–1378, email:
Liza_m_Johnson@ios.doi.gov), or visit
the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Web site
at www.coralreef.gov.)
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Established by Presidential Executive
Order 13089 in 1998, the U.S. Coral Reef
Task Force mission is to lead,
coordinate, and strengthen U.S.
government actions to better preserve
and protect coral reef ecosystems. Cochaired by the Departments of
Commerce and Interior, Task Force
members include leaders of 12 Federal
agencies, seven U.S. states and
territories, and three freely associated
states. For more information about the
meeting, registering, and submitting
public comment go to
www.coralreef.gov.
Dated: January 27, 2012.
Donna Wieting,
Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal
Resource Management, National Ocean
Service, National Oceanic Atmospheric
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2012–2957 Filed 2–8–12; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for a Live-Fire Training
Range Complex on Guam To Support
the Guam Military Relocation
Department of the Navy, DoD.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by
the Council on Environmental Quality
Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500–1508),
the Department of the Navy (DoN)
announces its intent to prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement (SEIS) to evaluate the
potential environmental consequences
that may result from construction and
operation of a live-fire training range
complex and associated infrastructure
on Guam to support the Guam Military
Relocation. The SEIS supplements the
Final EIS for the ‘‘Guam and
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands (CNMI) Military Relocation;
Relocating Marines from Okinawa,
Visiting Aircraft Carrier Berthing, and
Army Air and Missile Defense Task
Force’’ dated July 2010.
Pursuant to 40 CFR 1502.9(c), a SEIS
is being prepared for the limited
purpose of supplementing the 2010
Final EIS regarding the establishment of
a live-fire training range complex on
Guam.
The proposed action that will be
analyzed in the SEIS is to construct and
operate a live-fire training range
complex that allows for simultaneous
use of all firing ranges to support
training and operations on Guam for the
relocated Marines. The DoN has
preliminarily identified five alternatives
for the range complex: two are adjacent
to Route 15 in northeastern Guam, and
three are located at or immediately
adjacent to the Naval Magazine
(NAVMAG), also known as the Naval
Munitions Site. The SEIS will also
consider the No Action Alternative.
The purpose and need for the
proposed action is to ensure that the
relocated Marines are organized,
trained, and equipped as mandated in
section 5063 of Title 10 of the United
States Code, and to satisfy individual
live-fire training requirements as
described in the Guam and CNMI
Military Relocation Final EIS and
associated Record of Decision (ROD).
The live-fire training range complex
will consist of a Known Distance (KD)
rifle range, KD pistol range, Modified
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
6787
Record of Fire Range, nonstandard small
arms range, Multipurpose Machine Gun
range, and a hand grenade range. The
proposed action also includes
associated roadways and supporting
infrastructure.
The DoN encourages government
agencies, private-sector organizations,
and the general public to participate in
the NEPA process for the training range
complex. Because the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) will have to
approve airspace associated with the
training range complex at any of the five
preliminary alternatives being
considered, the DoN will invite the FAA
to participate as a cooperating agency in
the preparation of the SEIS.
The DoN invites comments on the
proposed scope and content of the SEIS
from all interested parties. Comments
on the scope of the SEIS may be
provided by mail and through the SEIS
Web site at: https://bit.ly/Guam_LFTRC_
SEIS. In addition, the DoN will conduct
public open-house scoping meetings on
Guam to obtain comments on the scope
of the SEIS and to identify specific
environmental concerns or topics for
consideration in the SEIS. Meetings will
be held at the following locations and
times:
Saturday, March 17, 2012, from 1 p.m. to
5 p.m., University of Guam Field House,
Mangilao, Guam;
Monday, March 19, 2012, from 5 p.m. to
9 p.m., Southern High School, Santa Rita,
Guam;
Tuesday, March 20, 2012, from 5 p.m. to
9 p.m., Yigo Gymnasium, Yigo, Guam.
Interested agencies, individuals, and
groups unable to attend the open-house
scoping meetings are encouraged to
submit comments by April 6, 2012.
Mailed comments should be postmarked
no later than April 6, 2012, Chamorro
Standard Time (ChST) to ensure they
are considered. Mail comments to: Joint
Guam Program Office Forward, P.O.
153246, Santa Rita, GU 96915.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Catherine Norton, Public Affairs Officer,
NAVFAC Marianas; phone (671) 349–
4053; email:
Catherine.norton@fe.navy.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DoN’s
proposed action is to construct and
operate a live-fire training range
complex and associated infrastructure
in support of the Guam Military
Relocation.
A ROD for the Guam and CNMI
Military Relocation Final EIS was
signed on September 20, 2010, and
published in the Federal Register on
September 30, 2010 (Volume 75,
Number 189, Page 60438). This ROD
deferred a decision on the specific site
E:\FR\FM\09FEN1.SGM
09FEN1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
6788
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 27 / Thursday, February 9, 2012 / Notices
for a live-fire training range complex
due to the significant number of public
comments during the EIS process
regarding the DoN’s preferred
alternative located on areas southeast of
Andersen South referred to in the Guam
and CNMI Military Relocation Final EIS
as the Route 15 area. Two primary
concerns were raised over this location:
(1) The use of non-DoD property, and (2)
the impact on the community’s ability
to access the cultural sites of Pagat
Village and Pagat Cave. In response to
comments and concerns raised by the
Government of Guam, Guam
Legislature, and other interested parties
about locating Surface Danger Zones for
the ranges over Pagat Village and Pagat
Cave, in January 2011, the Under
Secretary of the Navy committed that
the DoN would conduct training
activities in such a manner that would
not impact access to Pagat Village and
Cave via the existing trail. The DoN
further committed to 24/7 access to
Pagat Village and Cave during National
Historic Preservation Act consultation
with the Guam State Historic
Preservation Office and other consulting
parties as documented in a
Programmatic Agreement signed in
March 2011.
Since that time, the DoN has been
evaluating options to satisfy this
commitment while also meeting the
training requirements of the relocating
Marines. This analysis resulted in the
application of a probabilistic
methodology which takes into account
site-specific conditions and reduced the
boundaries of the training range
complex while providing the same
margin of safety. The DoN then
reviewed previously discarded sites to
determine if any of those sites might be
a reasonable alternative with
application of the probabilistic
methodology (i.e., the site-specific
methodology). As a result of this review,
the DoN has preliminarily identified
five alternatives for the range complex:
Two are adjacent to Route 15 in
northeastern Guam, and three are
located at or immediately adjacent to
the NAVMAG, also known as the Naval
Munitions Site. The SEIS will also
consider the No Action Alternative.
Under the No Action Alternative,
Marine Corps units would not be
provided live-fire training ranges. The
No Action Alternative is not a
reasonable alternative as it would not
satisfy the need for training
requirements for the relocated Marines
as mandated in section 5063 of Title 10
of the United States Code, or satisfy
individual live-fire training
requirements as described in the Guam
and CNMI Military Relocation Final EIS
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18:04 Feb 08, 2012
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and ROD. NEPA requires the lead
agency to consider the alternative of no
action as a baseline for comparison of
environmental impacts regardless of
whether or not it would meet the
purpose and need of the proposed
action. The SEIS will evaluate
environmental effects associated with:
Geology and soils; water resources,
which may include water, floodplains,
wetlands, wild and scenic rivers;
terrestrial biology; threatened and
endangered species and their designated
critical habitat (if applicable); air
quality; noise; airspace; cultural
resources; socioeconomics;
environmental justice (minority and low
income populations and children); land
use and coastal zone management
federal consistency; transportation;
hazardous materials/hazardous waste/
installation restoration; public health
and safety; and other environmental
concerns as identified through scoping.
The analysis will include an evaluation
of direct and indirect impacts, and will
account for cumulative impacts from
other relevant activities in the area of
Guam. Additionally, the DoN will
undertake any consultations required by
all applicable laws or regulations.
No decision will be made to
implement any alternative until the
SEIS process is completed and a ROD is
signed by the Assistant Secretary of the
Navy (Energy, Installations and
Environment) or designee.
By publishing this Notice, the DoN is
initiating a scoping process to identify
community concerns and issues that
should be addressed in the SEIS.
Federal, Territory, and local agencies,
and interested parties and persons are
encouraged to provide comments on the
proposed action that clearly describe
specific issues or topics of
environmental concern that the
commenter believes the DoN should
consider. In addition to this Notice, an
information report is available for
review on the project Web site (see link
below). This information report
provides additional background
information on the environmental
planning efforts which have occurred
since the Final EIS ROD was signed in
September 2010. Additional information
will be made available on the project
Web site as it becomes available.
Comments may be submitted in
writing at one of the public scoping
meetings, through the project Web site
at: https://bit.ly/Guam_LFTRC_SEIS or
may be mailed to: Joint Guam Program
Office Forward, P.O. 153246, Santa Rita,
GU 96915.
To ensure consideration, all written
comments on the scope of the SEIS must
PO 00000
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Fmt 4703
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be submitted or postmarked by April 6,
2012 ChST.
Dated: February 3, 2012.
J.M. Beal,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate
General’s Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012–2949 Filed 2–8–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Meeting of the U.S. Naval Academy
Board of Visitors
Department of the Navy, DoD.
Notice of Partially Closed
Meeting.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The U.S. Naval Academy
Board of Visitors will meet to make such
inquiry, as the Board shall deem
necessary, into the state of morale and
discipline, the curriculum, instruction,
physical equipment, fiscal affairs, and
academic methods of the Naval
Academy. The executive session of this
meeting from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on
March 5, 2012, will include discussions
of disciplinary matters, law enforcement
investigations into allegations of
criminal activity, and personnel issues
at the Naval Academy, the disclosure of
which would constitute a clearly
unwarranted invasion of personal
privacy. For this reason, the executive
session of this meeting will be closed to
the public.
DATES: The open session of the meeting
will be held on March 5, 2012, from
8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. The closed session
of this meeting will be the executive
session held from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held in
the Bo Coppege Room at the Naval
Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The
meeting will be handicap accessible.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lieutenant Commander Travis Haire,
USN, Executive Secretary to the Board
of Visitors, Office of the Superintendent,
U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
21402–5000, (410) 293–1503.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
notice of meeting is provided per the
Federal Advisory Committee Act, as
amended (5 U.S.C. App.). The executive
session of the meeting from 11 a.m. to
12 p.m. on March 5, 2012, will consist
of discussions of law enforcement
investigations into allegations of
criminal activity, new and pending
administrative/minor disciplinary
infractions and nonjudicial
punishments involving the Midshipmen
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\09FEN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 27 (Thursday, February 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6787-6788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-2949]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for a Live-Fire Training Range Complex on Guam To Support the
Guam Military Relocation
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the
Department of the Navy (DoN) announces its intent to prepare a
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to evaluate the
potential environmental consequences that may result from construction
and operation of a live-fire training range complex and associated
infrastructure on Guam to support the Guam Military Relocation. The
SEIS supplements the Final EIS for the ``Guam and Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Military Relocation; Relocating Marines
from Okinawa, Visiting Aircraft Carrier Berthing, and Army Air and
Missile Defense Task Force'' dated July 2010.
Pursuant to 40 CFR 1502.9(c), a SEIS is being prepared for the
limited purpose of supplementing the 2010 Final EIS regarding the
establishment of a live-fire training range complex on Guam.
The proposed action that will be analyzed in the SEIS is to
construct and operate a live-fire training range complex that allows
for simultaneous use of all firing ranges to support training and
operations on Guam for the relocated Marines. The DoN has preliminarily
identified five alternatives for the range complex: two are adjacent to
Route 15 in northeastern Guam, and three are located at or immediately
adjacent to the Naval Magazine (NAVMAG), also known as the Naval
Munitions Site. The SEIS will also consider the No Action Alternative.
The purpose and need for the proposed action is to ensure that the
relocated Marines are organized, trained, and equipped as mandated in
section 5063 of Title 10 of the United States Code, and to satisfy
individual live-fire training requirements as described in the Guam and
CNMI Military Relocation Final EIS and associated Record of Decision
(ROD).
The live-fire training range complex will consist of a Known
Distance (KD) rifle range, KD pistol range, Modified Record of Fire
Range, nonstandard small arms range, Multipurpose Machine Gun range,
and a hand grenade range. The proposed action also includes associated
roadways and supporting infrastructure.
The DoN encourages government agencies, private-sector
organizations, and the general public to participate in the NEPA
process for the training range complex. Because the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) will have to approve airspace associated with the
training range complex at any of the five preliminary alternatives
being considered, the DoN will invite the FAA to participate as a
cooperating agency in the preparation of the SEIS.
The DoN invites comments on the proposed scope and content of the
SEIS from all interested parties. Comments on the scope of the SEIS may
be provided by mail and through the SEIS Web site at: https://bit.ly/Guam_LFTRC_SEIS. In addition, the DoN will conduct public open-house
scoping meetings on Guam to obtain comments on the scope of the SEIS
and to identify specific environmental concerns or topics for
consideration in the SEIS. Meetings will be held at the following
locations and times:
Saturday, March 17, 2012, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., University of
Guam Field House, Mangilao, Guam;
Monday, March 19, 2012, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Southern High
School, Santa Rita, Guam;
Tuesday, March 20, 2012, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Yigo Gymnasium,
Yigo, Guam.
Interested agencies, individuals, and groups unable to attend the
open-house scoping meetings are encouraged to submit comments by April
6, 2012. Mailed comments should be postmarked no later than April 6,
2012, Chamorro Standard Time (ChST) to ensure they are considered. Mail
comments to: Joint Guam Program Office Forward, P.O. 153246, Santa
Rita, GU 96915.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Catherine Norton, Public Affairs
Officer, NAVFAC Marianas; phone (671) 349-4053; email:
Catherine.norton@fe.navy.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DoN's proposed action is to construct
and operate a live-fire training range complex and associated
infrastructure in support of the Guam Military Relocation.
A ROD for the Guam and CNMI Military Relocation Final EIS was
signed on September 20, 2010, and published in the Federal Register on
September 30, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 189, Page 60438). This ROD
deferred a decision on the specific site
[[Page 6788]]
for a live-fire training range complex due to the significant number of
public comments during the EIS process regarding the DoN's preferred
alternative located on areas southeast of Andersen South referred to in
the Guam and CNMI Military Relocation Final EIS as the Route 15 area.
Two primary concerns were raised over this location: (1) The use of
non-DoD property, and (2) the impact on the community's ability to
access the cultural sites of Pagat Village and Pagat Cave. In response
to comments and concerns raised by the Government of Guam, Guam
Legislature, and other interested parties about locating Surface Danger
Zones for the ranges over Pagat Village and Pagat Cave, in January
2011, the Under Secretary of the Navy committed that the DoN would
conduct training activities in such a manner that would not impact
access to Pagat Village and Cave via the existing trail. The DoN
further committed to 24/7 access to Pagat Village and Cave during
National Historic Preservation Act consultation with the Guam State
Historic Preservation Office and other consulting parties as documented
in a Programmatic Agreement signed in March 2011.
Since that time, the DoN has been evaluating options to satisfy
this commitment while also meeting the training requirements of the
relocating Marines. This analysis resulted in the application of a
probabilistic methodology which takes into account site-specific
conditions and reduced the boundaries of the training range complex
while providing the same margin of safety. The DoN then reviewed
previously discarded sites to determine if any of those sites might be
a reasonable alternative with application of the probabilistic
methodology (i.e., the site-specific methodology). As a result of this
review, the DoN has preliminarily identified five alternatives for the
range complex: Two are adjacent to Route 15 in northeastern Guam, and
three are located at or immediately adjacent to the NAVMAG, also known
as the Naval Munitions Site. The SEIS will also consider the No Action
Alternative.
Under the No Action Alternative, Marine Corps units would not be
provided live-fire training ranges. The No Action Alternative is not a
reasonable alternative as it would not satisfy the need for training
requirements for the relocated Marines as mandated in section 5063 of
Title 10 of the United States Code, or satisfy individual live-fire
training requirements as described in the Guam and CNMI Military
Relocation Final EIS and ROD. NEPA requires the lead agency to consider
the alternative of no action as a baseline for comparison of
environmental impacts regardless of whether or not it would meet the
purpose and need of the proposed action. The SEIS will evaluate
environmental effects associated with: Geology and soils; water
resources, which may include water, floodplains, wetlands, wild and
scenic rivers; terrestrial biology; threatened and endangered species
and their designated critical habitat (if applicable); air quality;
noise; airspace; cultural resources; socioeconomics; environmental
justice (minority and low income populations and children); land use
and coastal zone management federal consistency; transportation;
hazardous materials/hazardous waste/installation restoration; public
health and safety; and other environmental concerns as identified
through scoping. The analysis will include an evaluation of direct and
indirect impacts, and will account for cumulative impacts from other
relevant activities in the area of Guam. Additionally, the DoN will
undertake any consultations required by all applicable laws or
regulations.
No decision will be made to implement any alternative until the
SEIS process is completed and a ROD is signed by the Assistant
Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment) or
designee.
By publishing this Notice, the DoN is initiating a scoping process
to identify community concerns and issues that should be addressed in
the SEIS. Federal, Territory, and local agencies, and interested
parties and persons are encouraged to provide comments on the proposed
action that clearly describe specific issues or topics of environmental
concern that the commenter believes the DoN should consider. In
addition to this Notice, an information report is available for review
on the project Web site (see link below). This information report
provides additional background information on the environmental
planning efforts which have occurred since the Final EIS ROD was signed
in September 2010. Additional information will be made available on the
project Web site as it becomes available.
Comments may be submitted in writing at one of the public scoping
meetings, through the project Web site at: https://bit.ly/Guam_LFTRC_SEIS or may be mailed to: Joint Guam Program Office Forward, P.O.
153246, Santa Rita, GU 96915.
To ensure consideration, all written comments on the scope of the
SEIS must be submitted or postmarked by April 6, 2012 ChST.
Dated: February 3, 2012.
J.M. Beal,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-2949 Filed 2-8-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P
