Proposed Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project; Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Scoping Meeting, 51787-51788 [2015-21133]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 165 / Wednesday, August 26, 2015 / Notices
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5. Identify the mechanisms of climate
impacts on ecosystems, living marine
resources and resource-dependent
human communities.
6. Track trends in living marine
resources and resource-dependent
human communities and provide early
warning of change.
7. Build and maintain the science
infrastructure needed to fulfill NOAA
Fisheries mandates with changing
climate conditions.
Implementing the Strategy is crucial
for fulfilling NOAA Fisheries mandates,
reducing climate-related impacts and
increasing the resilience of living
marine resources and resourcedependent communities in a changing
climate. The Strategy recommends
specific near- and medium-term actions
that address common information needs
across NOAA Fisheries mandates and
regions.
The draft Climate Science Strategy
underwent public review from January
thru March 2015 (80 FR 3558, January
23, 2015) and received approximately
35 stakeholder comments from fishery
management councils, states, tribes,
academics, Non-Governmental
Organizations and members of the
public. The comments were generally
positive with agreement on the need for
action and support for both the content
of the strategy and its implementation.
The Strategy is designed to be
customized and implemented through
Regional Action Plans that focus on
building regional capacity and
partnerships to address the Strategy’s
seven objectives. In 2015–2016, NOAA
Fisheries Science Centers and Regional
Offices will develop Regional Action
Plans to identify strengths, weaknesses,
priorities, and actions to address the
Strategy over the next 5 years.
Development of the Regional Action
Plans will include opportunity for input
from science and management partners
and others. The Strategy is a key part of
NOAA Fisheries efforts to respond to
growing demands for information to
help reduce impacts and increase the
resilience of living marine resources and
the communities that depend on them
in a changing climate.
Dated: August 21, 2015.
Ned Cyr,
Director, Office of Science and Technology,
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2015–21172 Filed 8–25–15; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
Proposed Monterey Peninsula Water
Supply Project; Intent To Prepare a
Draft Environmental Impact Statement;
Scoping Meeting
Office of National Marine
Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare
environmental impact statement;
Scoping meeting.
AGENCY:
A permit application has been
submitted by California American Water
Company (CalAm) to Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) to
construct and operate a seawater reverse
osmosis (SWRO) desalination facility
project (Project) in Monterey County,
California. The permit review process
will be conducted concurrently with a
public process conducted pursuant to
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA; 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). NOAA
is soliciting information and comments
on the range of issues and the
significant issues to be analyzed in
depth related to the Project proposed
within MBNMS boundaries.
DATES: Comments must be received by
October 2, 2015. A public meeting will
be held as detailed below:
Date: September 10, 2015.
Location: Sally Griffin Active Living
Center.
Address: 700 Jewell Avenue, Pacific
Grove 93950.
Time: The meeting will begin at 2:00
p.m.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be
submitted by either of the following
methods:
• Electronic Submissions: Submit all
electronic public comments via the
Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NOS-20150105, click the ‘‘Comment Now!’’ icon,
complete the required fields and enter
or attach your comments.
• Mail: MBNMS Project Lead for
CalAm Desalination Project, 99 Pacific
Ave., Bldg. 455a, Monterey, CA 93940.
Instructions: Comments sent by any
other method, to any other address or
individual, or received after the end of
the comment period, may not be
considered by NOAA. All comments
received are a part of the public record
and will generally be posted for public
viewing on www.regulations.gov
without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.),
SUMMARY:
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51787
confidential business information, or
otherwise sensitive information
submitted voluntarily by the sender will
be publicly accessible. ONMS will
accept anonymous comments (enter ‘‘N/
A’’ in the required fields if you wish to
remain anonymous).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Karen Grimmer at 99 Pacific Ave., Bldg.
455a, Monterey, CA 93940 or
mbnms.comments@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background Information
I. Background
A permit application has been
submitted by CalAm for construction
and operation of its proposed Monterey
Peninsula Water Supply Project
(MPWSP or Project). The purpose of the
MPWSP is to replace existing water
supplies for CalAm’s Monterey District
service area.
The MPWSP comprises various
facilities and improvements, including:
A sub-surface seawater intake system; a
9.6-million-gallons-per-day (mgd)
seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO)
desalination plant; desalinated water
storage and conveyance facilities; and
expanded Aquifer Storage and Recovery
(ASR) facilities.
The desalination facility would be
capable of producing 10,627 acre-feet
per year (AFY) of potable water on a 46acre site located north of the City of
Marina on unincorporated Monterey
County property. The MPWSP proposes
ten subsurface slant wells to draw
seawater from beneath the ocean floor in
Monterey Bay to produce the source
water for the desalination plant. The
subsurface slant wells would be located
primarily within the City of Marina, in
the active mining area of the CEMEX
sand mining facility. The slant wells
would be approximately 700 to 1000
feet in length, with well tips located at
approximately 200 to 220 feet below
mean sea level. Up to 24.1 mgd of
source water would be needed to
produce 9.6 mgd of desalinated product
water.
The desalination plant would
generate approximately 13.98 mgd of
brine, including 0.4 mgd of decanted
backwash water. The brine would be
discharged into Monterey Bay via a 36inch diameter pipeline to a new
connection with the existing Monterey
Regional Water Pollution Control
Agency’s (MRWPCA) outfall and
diffuser located at the wastewater
facility.
II. Need for Action
This notice of intent (NOI) to prepare
a draft environmental impact statement
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51788
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 165 / Wednesday, August 26, 2015 / Notices
and conduct scoping is published in
accordance with: Section 102(2)(C) of
the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended; and the
White House Council on Environmental
Quality Regulations for Implementing
the Procedural Provisions of NEPA
(CEQ NEPA Regulations).
The Project was subject to a Draft
Environmental Impact Report (EIR),
under the provisions of the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA),
published by the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC) in April
2015. The NEPA environmental
documentation will include an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS),
which may be issued as a stand-alone
document or as a joint draft CEQA/
NEPA (EIR/EIS) document with the
CPUC.
The environmental document will
identify and assess potential
environmental impacts associated with
the proposed Project and a range of
alternatives. Federal agencies would use
the EIS to consider related permits or
other approvals for the Project as
proposed. Possible alternatives could
include not approving the Project,
approving a reduced size Project, or
approving the Project with additional
modifications identified as part of the
terms and conditions of a permit or
other approval.
Publication of this notice initiates the
public scoping process to solicit public
and agency comment, in writing or at
the public meeting, regarding the full
spectrum of environmental issues and
concerns relating to the scope and
content of the EIS, including:
• Analyses of the human and marine
resources that could be affected;
• the nature and extent of the
potential significant impacts on those
resources;
• a reasonable range of alternatives to
the proposed action; and
• mitigation measures.
rmajette on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
This notice also advises the public
that NOAA will coordinate its
consultation responsibilities under
section 7 of the Endangered Species Act
(ESA), Essential Fish Habitat (EFH)
under the Magnuson Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act
(MSA), section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA, 16
U.S.C. 470), and Federal Consistency
review under the Coastal Zone
Management Act (CZMA), along with its
ongoing NEPA process including the
use of NEPA documents and public and
stakeholder meetings to also meet the
requirements of other federal laws.
In fulfilling its consultation
responsibility under the ESA, MSA,
NHPA, CZMA and NEPA, NOAA
intends to identify consulting parties
and involve the public in accordance
with NOAA’s NEPA procedures, and
develop in consultation with identified
consulting parties alternatives and
proposed measures that might avoid,
minimize or mitigate any adverse effects
on endangered species, essential fish
habitat, historic properties, or coastal
zone management issues, and describe
them in any environmental assessment
or draft environmental impact
statement.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.
Dated: August 20, 2015.
John Armor,
Acting Director for the Office of National
Marine Sanctuaries.
[FR Doc. 2015–21133 Filed 8–25–15; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
[Docket ID: DoD–2015–OS–0088]
Proposed Collection; Comment
Request
Office of the Assistant
Secretary of Defense for Personnel and
Readiness, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
III. Process
This NOI is published by NOAA/
MBNMS, the lead federal agency.
MBNMS has requested CPUC to re-issue
the Project EIR as part of a joint draft
CEQA/NEPA document. If the CPUC, as
CEQA lead agency, determines that a
joint CEQA/NEPA document is
appropriate, the two agencies will
prepare a joint draft EIR/EIS after
completion of the federal scoping
process. The NEPA scoping session
begins at 2:00 p.m., on Thursday,
September 10, 2015 at Sally Griffin
Active Living Center in Pacific Grove,
CA.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
IV. Federal Consultations
14:29 Aug 25, 2015
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In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Office of the Assistant Secretary of
Defense for Personnel and Readiness
announces a proposed public
information collection and seeks public
comment on the provisions thereof.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
SUMMARY:
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practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the information collection on
respondents, including through the use
of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
DATES: Consideration will be given to all
comments received by October 26, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments,
identified by docket number and title,
by any of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://
www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Mail: Department of Defense, Office
of the Deputy Chief Management
Officer, Directorate of Oversight and
Compliance, Regulatory and Audit
Matters Office, 9010 Defense Pentagon,
Washington, DC 20301–9010.
Instructions: All submissions received
must include the agency name, docket
number and title for this Federal
Register document. The general policy
for comments and other submissions
from members of the public is to make
these submissions available for public
viewing on the Internet at https://
www.regulations.gov as they are
received without change, including any
personal identifiers or contact
information.
Any associated form(s) for this
collection may be located within this
same electronic docket and downloaded
for review/testing. Follow the
instructions at https://
www.regulations.gov for submitting
comments. Please submit comments on
any given form identified by docket
number, form number, and title.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request more information on this
proposed information collection or to
obtain a copy of the proposal and
associated collection instruments,
please write to the Deputy Assistant
Secretary of Defense, Military
Community and Family Policy, ATTN:
Casualty Affairs, 4000 Defense
Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301–4000.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title; Associated Form; and OMB
Number: Questionnaire of Local
Inhabitants, DD Form 1074; Disposition
of Civilian Remains, DD Form 3004;
OMB Control Number 0704–XXXX.
Needs and Uses: The information
collection requirement is necessary to
obtain and document information from
local inhabitants on the location and
circumstances surrounding the death of
U.S. personnel for whom the
Department has responsibility to recover
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[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 165 (Wednesday, August 26, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51787-51788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21133]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Proposed Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project; Intent To
Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement; Scoping Meeting
AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare environmental impact statement;
Scoping meeting.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: A permit application has been submitted by California American
Water Company (CalAm) to Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS)
to construct and operate a seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination
facility project (Project) in Monterey County, California. The permit
review process will be conducted concurrently with a public process
conducted pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 42
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). NOAA is soliciting information and comments on
the range of issues and the significant issues to be analyzed in depth
related to the Project proposed within MBNMS boundaries.
DATES: Comments must be received by October 2, 2015. A public meeting
will be held as detailed below:
Date: September 10, 2015.
Location: Sally Griffin Active Living Center.
Address: 700 Jewell Avenue, Pacific Grove 93950.
Time: The meeting will begin at 2:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by either of the following
methods:
Electronic Submissions: Submit all electronic public
comments via the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal. Go to
www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=NOAA-NOS-2015-0105, click the
``Comment Now!'' icon, complete the required fields and enter or attach
your comments.
Mail: MBNMS Project Lead for CalAm Desalination Project,
99 Pacific Ave., Bldg. 455a, Monterey, CA 93940.
Instructions: Comments sent by any other method, to any other
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period,
may not be considered by NOAA. All comments received are a part of the
public record and will generally be posted for public viewing on
www.regulations.gov without change. All personal identifying
information (e.g., name, address, etc.), confidential business
information, or otherwise sensitive information submitted voluntarily
by the sender will be publicly accessible. ONMS will accept anonymous
comments (enter ``N/A'' in the required fields if you wish to remain
anonymous).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Grimmer at 99 Pacific Ave.,
Bldg. 455a, Monterey, CA 93940 or mbnms.comments@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background Information
I. Background
A permit application has been submitted by CalAm for construction
and operation of its proposed Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project
(MPWSP or Project). The purpose of the MPWSP is to replace existing
water supplies for CalAm's Monterey District service area.
The MPWSP comprises various facilities and improvements, including:
A sub-surface seawater intake system; a 9.6-million-gallons-per-day
(mgd) seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) desalination plant; desalinated
water storage and conveyance facilities; and expanded Aquifer Storage
and Recovery (ASR) facilities.
The desalination facility would be capable of producing 10,627
acre-feet per year (AFY) of potable water on a 46-acre site located
north of the City of Marina on unincorporated Monterey County property.
The MPWSP proposes ten subsurface slant wells to draw seawater from
beneath the ocean floor in Monterey Bay to produce the source water for
the desalination plant. The subsurface slant wells would be located
primarily within the City of Marina, in the active mining area of the
CEMEX sand mining facility. The slant wells would be approximately 700
to 1000 feet in length, with well tips located at approximately 200 to
220 feet below mean sea level. Up to 24.1 mgd of source water would be
needed to produce 9.6 mgd of desalinated product water.
The desalination plant would generate approximately 13.98 mgd of
brine, including 0.4 mgd of decanted backwash water. The brine would be
discharged into Monterey Bay via a 36-inch diameter pipeline to a new
connection with the existing Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control
Agency's (MRWPCA) outfall and diffuser located at the wastewater
facility.
II. Need for Action
This notice of intent (NOI) to prepare a draft environmental impact
statement
[[Page 51788]]
and conduct scoping is published in accordance with: Section 102(2)(C)
of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended;
and the White House Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for
Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (CEQ NEPA Regulations).
The Project was subject to a Draft Environmental Impact Report
(EIR), under the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA), published by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)
in April 2015. The NEPA environmental documentation will include an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), which may be issued as a stand-
alone document or as a joint draft CEQA/NEPA (EIR/EIS) document with
the CPUC.
The environmental document will identify and assess potential
environmental impacts associated with the proposed Project and a range
of alternatives. Federal agencies would use the EIS to consider related
permits or other approvals for the Project as proposed. Possible
alternatives could include not approving the Project, approving a
reduced size Project, or approving the Project with additional
modifications identified as part of the terms and conditions of a
permit or other approval.
Publication of this notice initiates the public scoping process to
solicit public and agency comment, in writing or at the public meeting,
regarding the full spectrum of environmental issues and concerns
relating to the scope and content of the EIS, including:
Analyses of the human and marine resources that could be
affected;
the nature and extent of the potential significant impacts
on those resources;
a reasonable range of alternatives to the proposed action;
and
mitigation measures.
III. Process
This NOI is published by NOAA/MBNMS, the lead federal agency. MBNMS
has requested CPUC to re-issue the Project EIR as part of a joint draft
CEQA/NEPA document. If the CPUC, as CEQA lead agency, determines that a
joint CEQA/NEPA document is appropriate, the two agencies will prepare
a joint draft EIR/EIS after completion of the federal scoping process.
The NEPA scoping session begins at 2:00 p.m., on Thursday, September
10, 2015 at Sally Griffin Active Living Center in Pacific Grove, CA.
IV. Federal Consultations
This notice also advises the public that NOAA will coordinate its
consultation responsibilities under section 7 of the Endangered Species
Act (ESA), Essential Fish Habitat (EFH) under the Magnuson Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (MSA), section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA, 16 U.S.C. 470), and Federal
Consistency review under the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), along
with its ongoing NEPA process including the use of NEPA documents and
public and stakeholder meetings to also meet the requirements of other
federal laws.
In fulfilling its consultation responsibility under the ESA, MSA,
NHPA, CZMA and NEPA, NOAA intends to identify consulting parties and
involve the public in accordance with NOAA's NEPA procedures, and
develop in consultation with identified consulting parties alternatives
and proposed measures that might avoid, minimize or mitigate any
adverse effects on endangered species, essential fish habitat, historic
properties, or coastal zone management issues, and describe them in any
environmental assessment or draft environmental impact statement.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.
Dated: August 20, 2015.
John Armor,
Acting Director for the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
[FR Doc. 2015-21133 Filed 8-25-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-NK-P
