Notice of Intent To Prepare the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Joint Military Training Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement, 16257-16259 [2013-05837]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 50 / Thursday, March 14, 2013 / Notices
cleanup of installation remediation
sites.
The DoN is initiating a 30-day scoping
period to receive comments on the
scope of the EIS, including the range of
actions, alternatives, and environmental
concerns that should be addressed.
Public scoping meetings will be held in
the City of Concord, California, to
provide information and receive written
comments on the scope of the EIS.
Federal, state, and local agencies and
interested individuals are encouraged to
comment on the scope of the EIS or
attend the public scoping meetings. To
be most helpful, scoping comments
should clearly describe specific issues
or topics that the commenter believes
the EIS should address.
Comments can be made in the
following ways: (1) Written comments at
the scheduled public scoping meetings;
or (2) written comments mailed to the
DoN BRAC PMO address in this notice;
or (3) written comments faxed to the
DoN BRAC PMO fax number in this
notice; or (4) comments submitted via
email using the DoN BRAC PMO email
address in this notice.
Written comments must be
postmarked, faxed, or emailed by
midnight Friday, April 19, 2013, and
sent to: Director, NAVFAC BRAC PMO
West, Attn: Mr. Ronald Bochenek, 1455
Frazee Road, Suite 900, San Diego,
California 92108–4310, telephone 619–
532–0906, fax 619–532–9858, email:
ronald.bochenek.ctr@navy.mil.
Requests for special assistance, sign
language interpretation for the hearing
impaired, language interpreters, or other
auxiliary aids for the scheduled public
scoping meetings must be sent by mail
or email by Friday, March 29, 2013 to
the address provided in this notice.
C.K. Chiappetta,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge
Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Federal
Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013–05925 Filed 3–13–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare the
Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands Joint Military Training
Environmental Impact Statement/
Overseas Environmental Impact
Statement
Department of the Navy, DoD.
Notice of intent.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Pursuant to section (102)(2)(c)
of the National Environmental Policy
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:51 Mar 13, 2013
Jkt 229001
Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by
the Council on Environmental Quality
Regulations (40 Code of Federal
Regulations parts 1500–1508), and
Executive Order 12114, and United
States (U.S.) Marine Corps NEPA
implementing regulations in Marine
Corps Order P5090.2A, Marine Corps
Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC), as the
Executive Agent designated by the U.S.
Pacific Command (PACOM), announces
its intent to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS)/Overseas EIS
(OEIS) to evaluate the potential impacts
associated with preliminary alternatives
for meeting PACOM Service
Components’ unfilled unit level and
combined level military training
requirements in the Western Pacific.
The proposed action is to establish a
series of live-fire and maneuver Ranges
and Training Areas (RTAs) within the
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands (CNMI) to meet this purpose.
Existing Department of Defense (DoD)
RTAs and support facilities in the
Western Pacific, particularly those in
the Mariana Islands, are insufficient to
support PACOM Service Components’
U.S. Code (U.S.C.) Title 10 training
requirements for the region. The
expansion of existing RTAs and
construction of new RTAs will satisfy
identified training deficiencies for
PACOM forces that are based in or
regularly train in the CNMI. These RTAs
will be available to U.S. forces and their
allies on a continuous and
uninterrupted schedule. These RTAs are
needed to support ongoing operational
requirements, changes to U.S. force
structure and geographic positioning of
forces, and U.S. training relationships
with allied nations.
MARFORPAC, as the Executive
Agent, has invited the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA); International
Broadcasting Bureau (IBB); U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers; National Marine
Fisheries Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service; and U.S. Department of
Interior, Office of Insular Affairs, to
participate as cooperating agencies in
the preparation of the EIS/OEIS.
MARFORPAC has also developed a
Memorandum of Understanding with
the military services regarding their
support and engagement in the
development of the EIS/OEIS.
MARFORPAC encourages
governmental agencies, private-sector
organizations, and the general public to
participate in the NEPA process for the
EIS/OEIS. MARFORPAC is initiating the
scoping process for the EIS/OEIS with
this Notice of Intent (NOI). Scoping
assists MARFORPAC in identifying
community concerns and specific issues
to be addressed in the EIS/OEIS. All
PO 00000
Frm 00015
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
16257
interested parties are invited to attend
the scoping meetings and are
encouraged to provide comments.
MARFORPAC will consider these
comments in determining the scope of
the EIS/OEIS.
DATES: Three public scoping meetings,
using an open-house format, will be
held on the following dates and
locations in the CNMI:
• Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 5:00
p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Dandan Elementary
School Cafeteria, Dandan Road, Dandan,
Saipan, CNMI 96960
• Thursday, April 11, 2013, 4:00 p.m.
to 7:00 p.m., Tinian Gym, San Jose,
Tinian, CNMI 96950
• Friday, April 12, 2013, 5:00 p.m. to
8:00 p.m., Carolinian Utt, Garapan,
Saipan, CNMI 96960
Concurrent with the NEPA process,
MARFORPAC is initiating National
Historic Preservation Act Section 106
Consultation to determine the potential
effects of the proposed action on
historic properties. During each of the
above meetings, MARFORPAC will hold
Section 106 meetings in a separate area
where subject matter experts will
explain the Section 106 process and
solicit public input on the identification
of historic properties and potential
effects of the proposed action on
historic properties.
Comments on the proposed action
and preliminary alternatives may be
submitted during the 45-day public
scoping comment period. Comments
should be postmarked or received by
April 29, 2013, Chamorro Standard
Time (ChST). There are three ways to
submit written comments: (1) providing
comments at one of the public scoping
meetings; (2) submitting comments
through the project Web site:
www.cnmijointmilitarytrainingeis.com;
and (3) mailing comments to the
following address: Naval Facilities
Engineering Command, Pacific, Attn:
EV21, CNMI Joint Military Training EIS/
OEIS Project Manager, 258 Makalapa
Drive, Suite 100, JBPHH, HI 96860–
3134.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Please visit the project Web site or
contact the CNMI Joint Military
Training EIS/OEIS Project Manager by
telephone at 808–472–1253 or by email
via the project Web site. Please submit
requests for special assistance, sign
language interpretation for the hearing
impaired, or other auxiliary aids needed
at the public scoping open house to the
Project Manager by March 25, 2013.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S.
military is charged with upholding the
U.S. Constitution, defending the United
E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM
14MRN1
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
16258
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 50 / Thursday, March 14, 2013 / Notices
States from all enemies foreign and
domestic, and honoring commitments
made in treaties and other international
agreements. In particular, five of the
seven treaties of mutual defense involve
the Western Pacific. In order to
accomplish these missions, Title 10 of
the U.S.C. requires the Services to
maintain, train, and equip combat-ready
forces capable of winning wars,
deterring aggression, and maintaining
freedom of the seas. Modern warfare
and security operations are complex
undertakings, and U.S. military
personnel must train regularly to
maintain the necessary skills required to
accomplish their constitutional and
statutory mandates.
Beginning in 2009 with the Institute
for Defense Analyses’ (IDA)
‘‘Department of Defense Training in the
Pacific Study,’’ and culminating in the
January 2013 DoN Commonwealth of
the Northern Mariana Islands Joint
Military Training Requirements and
Siting Study (RSS), DoD has
documented joint military training
deficiencies throughout the PACOM
Area of Responsibility (AOR), and
specifically within the CNMI. The 2009
IDA Study examined training
capabilities utilized by the DoD in the
PACOM AOR and concluded that
current training deficiencies exist. The
IDA study examined several potential
solutions and concluded that the
Mariana Islands’ strategic location in the
PACOM AOR makes these islands a
prime location to support forces
throughout the AOR. The IDA Study
recommended that planning be initiated
to analyze the ability to construct new,
or expand existing training capabilities
and support facilities in the Mariana
Islands.
The need for joint service training in
the Western Pacific was also recognized
in the 2010 Quadrennial Defense
Review (QDR). Specifically, the QDR
concluded that the U.S. should develop
additional training capabilities for joint
and combined forces in the Western
Pacific to assure readiness of U.S. forces
to carry out military operations as well
as humanitarian assistance, disaster
relief, and maritime security.
Furthermore, the QDR found that the
available land within U.S. jurisdiction
in the Pacific provided the potential for
leveraging U.S. engagement with allied
and partner militaries to build
multilateral security relationships and
operational capacity among the
countries of the region.
The April 2012 DoN Training Needs
Assessment: An Assessment of Current
Training Ranges and Supporting
Facilities in the U.S. Pacific Command
Area of Responsibility further examined
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:51 Mar 13, 2013
Jkt 229001
training deficiencies in the Western
Pacific by dividing the PACOM AOR
into four independent geographic areas
or ‘‘hubs’’ representing the largest
concentrations of U.S. forces: Japan
(including Okinawa), Korea, Hawaii,
and the Mariana Islands (Guam/CNMI).
The assessment confirmed the earlier
findings that the greatest number of
training deficiencies exists in the
Mariana Islands hub. The CNMI’s
criticality to providing an environment
for joint training and stabilizing
influence in the PACOM AOR was
specifically mentioned in the April 2012
2+2 Statement between Japan and the
U.S. wherein both nations expressed a
keen desire to improve training
capabilities in the CNMI.
The January 2013 RSS continued the
analysis by focusing on those
deficiencies found in the Mariana
Islands and specifically in the CNMI.
Service training operates on a crawlwalk-run continuum progressing from
individual skills, to unit level to
combined level training. The majority of
individual skills training will be
accomplished outside of the CNMI. The
42 unfilled training requirements
documented in the January 2013 RSS
are for unit level and combined level
training. Unit level training consists of
troops with similar military
occupational specialties training on
both live-fire and maneuver ranges to
develop the skills necessary for the unit
to carry out its mission. Combined level
arms training brings several units
together working as a team towards a
single objective. Combined level
training also involves maneuver and use
of live-fire ranges and training areas;
however, because of the greater number
of units and tasks, this training requires
larger areas. Because of the nature of
unit and combined level training, along
with the frequency of this training,
separate range complexes are required
to support each type of training.
The RSS further defined and
developed the purpose and need for the
proposed action of improving military
training capabilities; refined and
applied operational siting criteria for
assessing preliminary alternatives
within the CNMI; and applied those
criteria to potential candidate locations
within the CNMI in order to meet
PACOM Service Components’ unfilled
training requirements. Of the 14 CNMI
islands, the RSS found that only Tinian
and Pagan are capable of meeting unit
level and combined level screening
criteria, and could potentially satisfy
most of the unfilled training
requirements for the CNMI. Neither
Tinian nor Pagan can support all
identified unfilled training requirements
PO 00000
Frm 00016
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
alone; however, in combination they
present a variety of preliminary
alternative RTA configurations.
Preliminary Alternatives: As part of
this scoping effort, MARFORPAC has
developed preliminary alternatives on
the islands of Tinian and Pagan to meet
the requisite training capabilities and
capacity. The EIS/OEIS will also
consider any other reasonable
alternatives that are identified during
the scoping period. MARFORPAC seeks
to minimize impacts to non-DoD lands
and the environment by establishing
multi-purpose ranges with overlapping
impact areas and surface danger zones,
where possible, on existing DoDcontrolled lands.
Preliminary alternatives are the
improvement, development, and use of
existing and new military training areas
on the islands of Tinian and Pagan, to
include surrounding U.S. and
international water and airspace. With
regards to Tinian, preliminary
alternatives for unit level training
consider laydowns with and without
relocating the IBB Voice of America
facility. To date, all Tinian preliminary
alternatives require the use of all
military leased land, including that
which has been leased-back to the CNMI
government for agricultural uses. For
Pagan, all the preliminary alternatives
for combined-level training propose
using the entire island for military
purposes.
Special use airspace will be needed
over any island proposed for RTAs and
MARFORPAC, as Executive Agent, will
seek designation of such airspace in
coordination with FAA once a Record of
Decision has been completed for the
EIS/OEIS. In addition, maritime danger
zones may be required along the
coastlines adjacent to DoD-controlled
property.
Under the No Action Alternative, the
proposed RTAs would not be
constructed on the islands of Tinian and
Pagan. The identified training deficit
would persist and the existing Western
Pacific RTAs would remain insufficient
to support PACOM Service
Components’ Title 10 training
requirements for the region. The No
Action Alternative would continue
current training activities, which
include limited non-tactical live-fire
and other non-live fire training,
including amphibious warfare and
urban warfare activities that are
currently approved by DoD Service
Components on Tinian and Pagan, as
well as the other approved existing
RTAs within the CNMI, as well as
development of the four ranges on
Tinian that were the subject of the 2010
Guam EIS Record of Decision. The No
E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM
14MRN1
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 50 / Thursday, March 14, 2013 / Notices
Action Alternative does not meet the
purpose and need of the proposed
action.
Environmental Issues and Resources
To Be Examined: After scoping is
complete, the EIS/OEIS analysis will
evaluate potential environmental
impacts associated with each alternative
selected for full analysis. Issues to be
addressed include, but are not limited
to, noise, cultural resources,
transportation, utilities,
socioeconomics, biological resources,
geology and soils, water quality, air
quality, airspace, land use, recreation,
safety, hazardous materials and waste,
visual resources, and environmental
justice.
Resources, activities, and issues
identified through the scoping process
will be considered in the EIS/OEIS. The
analysis will include an evaluation of
direct and indirect impacts and will
account for cumulative impacts from
other relevant past, present and
reasonably foreseeable future actions in
the Mariana Islands.
Agency Consultations: MARFORPAC,
as Executive Agent, will undertake
appropriate consultations with
regulatory entities pursuant to the
Endangered Species Act, National
Historic Preservation Act, Coastal Zone
Management Act, Clean Water Act, and
other applicable laws or regulations.
Consultation may include, but will not
be limited to, the following federal,
state, and local agencies: U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, National Marine
Fisheries Service, the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers, National Park Service,
CNMI Historic Preservation Office, and
the CNMI Coastal Resources
Management Office.
Schedule: This NOI initiates a 45-day
scoping comment period to identify
issues to be addressed in the EIS/OEIS
and reasonable and feasible alternatives
to implement the proposed action. The
next step in the NEPA process occurs
with publication of a Notice of
Availability (NOA) in the Federal
Register and local media, announcing
release of the Draft EIS/OEIS and
commencement of a 45-day public
comment period. A notice will be
published in local newspapers to
advertise public scoping meetings for
the project during the 45-day comment
period. MARFORPAC, as the Executive
Agent, will consider and respond to all
comments received on the Draft EIS/
OEIS when preparing the Final EIS/
OEIS. MARFORPAC, as the Executive
Agent, intends to issue the Final EIS/
OEIS in late 2015, at which time an
NOA will be published in the Federal
Register and local media. The NOA will
initiate a 30-day waiting period, after
VerDate Mar<15>2010
16:51 Mar 13, 2013
Jkt 229001
which the Assistant Secretary of the
Navy will issue a Record of Decision.
Dated: March 8, 2013.
C.K. Chiappetta,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge
Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Federal
Register Liaison Officer.
16259
Federal Officer, Naval Postgraduate
School, 1 University Circle, Monterey,
CA 93943–5001 or by fax 831–656–3145
by April 16, 2013.
[FR Doc. 2013–05837 Filed 3–13–13; 8:45 am]
C.K. Chiappetta,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge
Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Federal
Register Liaison Officer.
BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P
[FR Doc. 2013–05926 Filed 3–13–13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Department of the Navy
Subcommittee Meeting of the Board of
Advisors to the President, Naval
Postgraduate School
Department of the Navy, DoD.
Notice of Open Meeting.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
Pursuant to the provisions of
The Federal Advisory Committee Act
(Pub. L. 92–463, as amended), notice is
hereby given that the following meeting
of the aforementioned subcommittee
will be held. (Parent Committee is:
Board of Advisors (BOA) to the
Presidents of the Naval Postgraduate
School and the Naval War College
(NPS). This meeting will be open to the
public.
DATES: The meeting will be held on
Wednesday, April 24, 2013, from 8:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Thursday,
April 25, 2012, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00
p.m. Pacific Time Zone.
ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at
the Naval Postgraduate School, Ingersoll
Hall, Room 361, 1 University Circle,
Monterey, CA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Jaye Panza, Naval Postgraduate School,
Monterey, CA 93943–5001, telephone
number 831–656–2514.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
purpose of the meeting is to elicit the
advice of the Board on the Naval
Service’s Postgraduate Education
Program and the collaborative exchange
and partnership between NPS and the
Air Force Institute of Technology. The
board examines the effectiveness with
which the NPS is accomplishing its
mission. To this end, the board will
inquire into the curricula; instruction;
physical equipment; administration;
state of morale of the student body,
faculty, and staff; fiscal affairs; and any
other matters relating to the operation of
the NPS as the board considers
pertinent. Individuals without a DoD
government/CAC card require an escort
at the meeting location. For access,
information, or to send written
comments regarding the NPS BOA
contact Ms. Jaye Panza, Designated
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00017
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
[Docket No. ED–2013–ICCD–0029]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Comment Request;
Integrated Postsecondary Education
Data System (IPEDS) 2013–2016
National Center for Education
Statistics (NCES), Institute of Education
Sciences (IES), ED.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), ED is proposing a revision of a
current information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before May 13,
2013.
ADDRESSES: Comments submitted in
response to this notice should be
submitted electronically through the
Federal eRulemaking Portal at https://
www.regulations.gov by selecting
Docket ID number ED–2013–ICCD–0029
or via postal mail, commercial delivery,
or hand delivery. Please note that
comments submitted by fax or email
and those submitted after the comment
period will not be accepted. Written
requests for information or comments
submitted by postal mail or delivery
should be addressed to the Director of
the Information Collection Clearance
Division, U.S. Department of Education,
400 Maryland Avenue SW., LBJ Room
2E117, Washington, DC 20202–4537.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Electronically mail
ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Please do not
send comments here.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires
that Federal agencies provide interested
parties an early opportunity to comment
on information collection requests. The
Director, Information Collection
Clearance Division, Privacy, Information
and Records Management Services,
Office of Management, publishes this
notice containing proposed information
collection requests at the beginning of
the Departmental review of the
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\14MRN1.SGM
14MRN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 50 (Thursday, March 14, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16257-16259]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-05837]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands Joint Military Training Environmental Impact Statement/
Overseas Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 Code of Federal Regulations parts
1500-1508), and Executive Order 12114, and United States (U.S.) Marine
Corps NEPA implementing regulations in Marine Corps Order P5090.2A,
Marine Corps Forces, Pacific (MARFORPAC), as the Executive Agent
designated by the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM), announces its intent to
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Overseas EIS (OEIS) to
evaluate the potential impacts associated with preliminary alternatives
for meeting PACOM Service Components' unfilled unit level and combined
level military training requirements in the Western Pacific. The
proposed action is to establish a series of live-fire and maneuver
Ranges and Training Areas (RTAs) within the Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) to meet this purpose.
Existing Department of Defense (DoD) RTAs and support facilities in
the Western Pacific, particularly those in the Mariana Islands, are
insufficient to support PACOM Service Components' U.S. Code (U.S.C.)
Title 10 training requirements for the region. The expansion of
existing RTAs and construction of new RTAs will satisfy identified
training deficiencies for PACOM forces that are based in or regularly
train in the CNMI. These RTAs will be available to U.S. forces and
their allies on a continuous and uninterrupted schedule. These RTAs are
needed to support ongoing operational requirements, changes to U.S.
force structure and geographic positioning of forces, and U.S. training
relationships with allied nations.
MARFORPAC, as the Executive Agent, has invited the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA); International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB); U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers; National Marine Fisheries Service; U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service; and U.S. Department of Interior, Office of
Insular Affairs, to participate as cooperating agencies in the
preparation of the EIS/OEIS. MARFORPAC has also developed a Memorandum
of Understanding with the military services regarding their support and
engagement in the development of the EIS/OEIS.
MARFORPAC encourages governmental agencies, private-sector
organizations, and the general public to participate in the NEPA
process for the EIS/OEIS. MARFORPAC is initiating the scoping process
for the EIS/OEIS with this Notice of Intent (NOI). Scoping assists
MARFORPAC in identifying community concerns and specific issues to be
addressed in the EIS/OEIS. All interested parties are invited to attend
the scoping meetings and are encouraged to provide comments. MARFORPAC
will consider these comments in determining the scope of the EIS/OEIS.
DATES: Three public scoping meetings, using an open-house format, will
be held on the following dates and locations in the CNMI:
Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Dandan
Elementary School Cafeteria, Dandan Road, Dandan, Saipan, CNMI 96960
Thursday, April 11, 2013, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Tinian
Gym, San Jose, Tinian, CNMI 96950
Friday, April 12, 2013, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Carolinian
Utt, Garapan, Saipan, CNMI 96960
Concurrent with the NEPA process, MARFORPAC is initiating National
Historic Preservation Act Section 106 Consultation to determine the
potential effects of the proposed action on historic properties. During
each of the above meetings, MARFORPAC will hold Section 106 meetings in
a separate area where subject matter experts will explain the Section
106 process and solicit public input on the identification of historic
properties and potential effects of the proposed action on historic
properties.
Comments on the proposed action and preliminary alternatives may be
submitted during the 45-day public scoping comment period. Comments
should be postmarked or received by April 29, 2013, Chamorro Standard
Time (ChST). There are three ways to submit written comments: (1)
providing comments at one of the public scoping meetings; (2)
submitting comments through the project Web site:
www.cnmijointmilitarytrainingeis.com; and (3) mailing comments to the
following address: Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Pacific, Attn:
EV21, CNMI Joint Military Training EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 258
Makalapa Drive, Suite 100, JBPHH, HI 96860-3134.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please visit the project Web site or
contact the CNMI Joint Military Training EIS/OEIS Project Manager by
telephone at 808-472-1253 or by email via the project Web site. Please
submit requests for special assistance, sign language interpretation
for the hearing impaired, or other auxiliary aids needed at the public
scoping open house to the Project Manager by March 25, 2013.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. military is charged with upholding
the U.S. Constitution, defending the United
[[Page 16258]]
States from all enemies foreign and domestic, and honoring commitments
made in treaties and other international agreements. In particular,
five of the seven treaties of mutual defense involve the Western
Pacific. In order to accomplish these missions, Title 10 of the U.S.C.
requires the Services to maintain, train, and equip combat-ready forces
capable of winning wars, deterring aggression, and maintaining freedom
of the seas. Modern warfare and security operations are complex
undertakings, and U.S. military personnel must train regularly to
maintain the necessary skills required to accomplish their
constitutional and statutory mandates.
Beginning in 2009 with the Institute for Defense Analyses' (IDA)
``Department of Defense Training in the Pacific Study,'' and
culminating in the January 2013 DoN Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands Joint Military Training Requirements and Siting Study
(RSS), DoD has documented joint military training deficiencies
throughout the PACOM Area of Responsibility (AOR), and specifically
within the CNMI. The 2009 IDA Study examined training capabilities
utilized by the DoD in the PACOM AOR and concluded that current
training deficiencies exist. The IDA study examined several potential
solutions and concluded that the Mariana Islands' strategic location in
the PACOM AOR makes these islands a prime location to support forces
throughout the AOR. The IDA Study recommended that planning be
initiated to analyze the ability to construct new, or expand existing
training capabilities and support facilities in the Mariana Islands.
The need for joint service training in the Western Pacific was also
recognized in the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). Specifically,
the QDR concluded that the U.S. should develop additional training
capabilities for joint and combined forces in the Western Pacific to
assure readiness of U.S. forces to carry out military operations as
well as humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and maritime
security. Furthermore, the QDR found that the available land within
U.S. jurisdiction in the Pacific provided the potential for leveraging
U.S. engagement with allied and partner militaries to build
multilateral security relationships and operational capacity among the
countries of the region.
The April 2012 DoN Training Needs Assessment: An Assessment of
Current Training Ranges and Supporting Facilities in the U.S. Pacific
Command Area of Responsibility further examined training deficiencies
in the Western Pacific by dividing the PACOM AOR into four independent
geographic areas or ``hubs'' representing the largest concentrations of
U.S. forces: Japan (including Okinawa), Korea, Hawaii, and the Mariana
Islands (Guam/CNMI). The assessment confirmed the earlier findings that
the greatest number of training deficiencies exists in the Mariana
Islands hub. The CNMI's criticality to providing an environment for
joint training and stabilizing influence in the PACOM AOR was
specifically mentioned in the April 2012 2+2 Statement between Japan
and the U.S. wherein both nations expressed a keen desire to improve
training capabilities in the CNMI.
The January 2013 RSS continued the analysis by focusing on those
deficiencies found in the Mariana Islands and specifically in the CNMI.
Service training operates on a crawl-walk-run continuum progressing
from individual skills, to unit level to combined level training. The
majority of individual skills training will be accomplished outside of
the CNMI. The 42 unfilled training requirements documented in the
January 2013 RSS are for unit level and combined level training. Unit
level training consists of troops with similar military occupational
specialties training on both live-fire and maneuver ranges to develop
the skills necessary for the unit to carry out its mission. Combined
level arms training brings several units together working as a team
towards a single objective. Combined level training also involves
maneuver and use of live-fire ranges and training areas; however,
because of the greater number of units and tasks, this training
requires larger areas. Because of the nature of unit and combined level
training, along with the frequency of this training, separate range
complexes are required to support each type of training.
The RSS further defined and developed the purpose and need for the
proposed action of improving military training capabilities; refined
and applied operational siting criteria for assessing preliminary
alternatives within the CNMI; and applied those criteria to potential
candidate locations within the CNMI in order to meet PACOM Service
Components' unfilled training requirements. Of the 14 CNMI islands, the
RSS found that only Tinian and Pagan are capable of meeting unit level
and combined level screening criteria, and could potentially satisfy
most of the unfilled training requirements for the CNMI. Neither Tinian
nor Pagan can support all identified unfilled training requirements
alone; however, in combination they present a variety of preliminary
alternative RTA configurations.
Preliminary Alternatives: As part of this scoping effort, MARFORPAC
has developed preliminary alternatives on the islands of Tinian and
Pagan to meet the requisite training capabilities and capacity. The
EIS/OEIS will also consider any other reasonable alternatives that are
identified during the scoping period. MARFORPAC seeks to minimize
impacts to non-DoD lands and the environment by establishing multi-
purpose ranges with overlapping impact areas and surface danger zones,
where possible, on existing DoD-controlled lands.
Preliminary alternatives are the improvement, development, and use
of existing and new military training areas on the islands of Tinian
and Pagan, to include surrounding U.S. and international water and
airspace. With regards to Tinian, preliminary alternatives for unit
level training consider laydowns with and without relocating the IBB
Voice of America facility. To date, all Tinian preliminary alternatives
require the use of all military leased land, including that which has
been leased-back to the CNMI government for agricultural uses. For
Pagan, all the preliminary alternatives for combined-level training
propose using the entire island for military purposes.
Special use airspace will be needed over any island proposed for
RTAs and MARFORPAC, as Executive Agent, will seek designation of such
airspace in coordination with FAA once a Record of Decision has been
completed for the EIS/OEIS. In addition, maritime danger zones may be
required along the coastlines adjacent to DoD-controlled property.
Under the No Action Alternative, the proposed RTAs would not be
constructed on the islands of Tinian and Pagan. The identified training
deficit would persist and the existing Western Pacific RTAs would
remain insufficient to support PACOM Service Components' Title 10
training requirements for the region. The No Action Alternative would
continue current training activities, which include limited non-
tactical live-fire and other non-live fire training, including
amphibious warfare and urban warfare activities that are currently
approved by DoD Service Components on Tinian and Pagan, as well as the
other approved existing RTAs within the CNMI, as well as development of
the four ranges on Tinian that were the subject of the 2010 Guam EIS
Record of Decision. The No
[[Page 16259]]
Action Alternative does not meet the purpose and need of the proposed
action.
Environmental Issues and Resources To Be Examined: After scoping is
complete, the EIS/OEIS analysis will evaluate potential environmental
impacts associated with each alternative selected for full analysis.
Issues to be addressed include, but are not limited to, noise, cultural
resources, transportation, utilities, socioeconomics, biological
resources, geology and soils, water quality, air quality, airspace,
land use, recreation, safety, hazardous materials and waste, visual
resources, and environmental justice.
Resources, activities, and issues identified through the scoping
process will be considered in the EIS/OEIS. The analysis will include
an evaluation of direct and indirect impacts and will account for
cumulative impacts from other relevant past, present and reasonably
foreseeable future actions in the Mariana Islands.
Agency Consultations: MARFORPAC, as Executive Agent, will undertake
appropriate consultations with regulatory entities pursuant to the
Endangered Species Act, National Historic Preservation Act, Coastal
Zone Management Act, Clean Water Act, and other applicable laws or
regulations. Consultation may include, but will not be limited to, the
following federal, state, and local agencies: U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, National Marine Fisheries Service, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, National Park Service, CNMI Historic Preservation Office,
and the CNMI Coastal Resources Management Office.
Schedule: This NOI initiates a 45-day scoping comment period to
identify issues to be addressed in the EIS/OEIS and reasonable and
feasible alternatives to implement the proposed action. The next step
in the NEPA process occurs with publication of a Notice of Availability
(NOA) in the Federal Register and local media, announcing release of
the Draft EIS/OEIS and commencement of a 45-day public comment period.
A notice will be published in local newspapers to advertise public
scoping meetings for the project during the 45-day comment period.
MARFORPAC, as the Executive Agent, will consider and respond to all
comments received on the Draft EIS/OEIS when preparing the Final EIS/
OEIS. MARFORPAC, as the Executive Agent, intends to issue the Final
EIS/OEIS in late 2015, at which time an NOA will be published in the
Federal Register and local media. The NOA will initiate a 30-day
waiting period, after which the Assistant Secretary of the Navy will
issue a Record of Decision.
Dated: March 8, 2013.
C.K. Chiappetta,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-05837 Filed 3-13-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P
