Army Department – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New England District is preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to maintenance dredge the federal navigation channels landward of Spectacle Island in Boston Harbor, MA. Maintenance dredging of the navigation channels landward of Spectacle Island is needed to remove shoals and restore the navigation channels to their authorized depths. Ships are currently experiencing tidal delays and potential damage from grounding. Material dredged from the federal channels will either be disposed at the Massachusetts Bay Disposal Site (if the material is suitable for ocean disposal) or, if the material is not suitable for ocean disposal, in confined aquatic disposal (CAD) cell(s). Major navigation channel improvements (depending) were made in 1999 through 2001 in the Reserved Channel, the Mystic River, Inner Confluence and the Chelsa River. A final EIS was prepared for this previous navigation improvement project in June of 1995 in which the use of CAD cells in the Mystic River, Inner Confluence, and Chelsea River were investigated. CAD cells not used during the construction of the previous navigation improvement project will be investigated for acceptability during the preparation of this SEIS.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District have developed the six guidance memoranda required by the programmatic regulations for the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan for approval by the Secretary of the Army. The public is invited to review and comment on the final draft of the guidance memoranda prepared by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District.

The United States Army Intelligence and Security Command has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) of the potential environmental consequences of constructing a new U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command Information Dominance Center (IDC) building addition at a previously developed site on Fort Belvoir, VA. This Environmental Assessment has been prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA); the Council on Environmental Quality regulations implementing the NEPA; Department of Defense (DoD) Directive 6050.1; Environmental Effects in the United States of DoD Actions; and instructions implementing NEPA. The U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) has identified a requirement to construct a building addition to accommodate its IDC. Construction and operation of the IDC facility conforms to Fort Belvoir's current Master Planning strategy. HQ INSCOM and Fort Belvoir have thoroughly reviewed the Proposed Action, Action Alternatives, a No Action Alternative to the Proposed Action, and environmental consequences associated with each. Based on this review and consideration of all relevant factors, HQ INSCOM and Fort Belvoir have determined and concluded that the Proposed Action will not have direct, indirect, or cumulatively significant impacts on the surrounding human environment. An Environmental Impact Statement, therefore, is not required and will not be prepared. HQ INSCOM and Fort Belvoir will consider public comment and concerns prior to making a final determination to proceed with the proposed action. INSCOM evaluated six alternatives to meet requirements for an expanded IDC facility. These alternatives included: a no action alternative (status quo); renovation of existing HQ INSCOM facilities; renovation of other government facilities; lease of off-post facilities in the general vicinity of Fort Belvoir; construction of new facilities on Fort Belvoir; and construction of an addition to existing HQ INSCOM facilities on Fort Belvoir. Several possible locations were considered in this evaluation, with each alternative being evaluated for mission support and economic, environmental, and security considerations. It is anticipated that construction will begin in Fiscal Year (FY) 2008. Project completion is anticipated in FY2010.

The Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC), as the Department of Defense (DOD) Traffic Manager for the Household Goods and Personal Property Program, is announcing the publication of the Families First Business Rules for review and comment. This announcement is being made to afford the public an opportunity to review and comment on the business rules changes before commencing Families First. The business rules will be posted to the SDDC Web site located at https://www.sddc.army.mil, under Families First. The site offers industry access to updates on the business rules and information on the various Phases of the program.

In accordance with 37 CFR 404.6 and 404.7, announcement is made of the availability for licensing of U.S. Patent Application No. 10/987,533 entitled ``Prophylactic and Therapeutic Monoclonal Antibodies,'' filed November 12, 2004. Foreign rights are also available (PCT/US04/38480). The United States Government, as represented by the Secretary of the Army, has rights in this invention.

The Department of the Army is publishing our rule concerning motor vehicle traffic supervision. The regulation prescribes policies and procedures on motor vehicle traffic supervision on military installations in the continental United States and overseas areas, including registration of privately owned vehicles; granting, suspending, or revoking the privilege to operate a privately owned vehicle on a military installation; administration of the vehicle registration program; driver improvement programs; police traffic supervision; and off-installation traffic activities.

The Onondaga Lake Watershed Management Plan (OLWMP) project has been initiated through the Onondaga Lake Partnership (OLP) to help coordinate and implement various improvement projects in the watershed to benefit the public. The project entails developing a multi-purpose/ multi-objective evaluation of the Onondaga Lake watershed to (1) integrate existing projects/plans/studies; (2) assess program/project progress; and (3) plan future lake and watershed revitalization programs and projects into a comprehensive Onondaga Lake Watershed Management Plan. The final product will be used as a tool for the OLP to move toward the rehabilitation of the Onondaga Lake watershed. Projects shall be consistent with the 1993 Onondaga Lake Management Plan and comply with the Amended Consent Judgment (ACJ) and the Project Labor Agreement (PLA) for the environmental restoration, conservation, and management of Onondaga Lake. Within the framework of the OLWMP project, an integrated rehabilitation approach will be applied to recognize Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA) and National Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) activities within the lake and watershed. While CERCLA and NRDA are pursued under those authorities (Superfund) and are not subject to NEPA, per se, processes are similar. The Onondaga Lake Watershed Management Plan reports will discuss and provide an overview of all pertinent on-going watershed programs and projects in appropriate relative detail. Study efforts will include: Identification of various study/project authorities; identification of existing and anticipated lake and watershed conditions (including completed and ongoing projects); identification of lake and watershed water resources problems, needs, goals, and objectives; identification of considered alternatives; assessment of impacts of considered alternatives; evaluation (trade-off analyses) of alternatives and associated impacts (including required planning and environmental coordination and compliance, and consideration of agency and public views); and selection and pursuit of appropriate lake and watershed water resources alternatives/projects. Studies shall also provide tools, as appropriate, for continued study/ project development, management, and monitoring purposes.

This publication was last published October 10, 1990. It has been updated and revised to include best value acquisition practices, acquisition streamlining, participation in the government/ nonappropriated fund (NAF) purchase card program, implementation of a NAF automated procurement system, and reassignment of signature authority in keeping with the Army's recent restructuring that resulted in the establishment of the new Installation Management Agency (IMA). The public was not and will not be invited to comment on AR 215-4, NAF Contracting Regulation. Although the policy contained in this regulation affects the public as defined in Title 44, this regulation will not be codified. This notice is being published for the purpose of notifying the public as to how Nonapproporiated Fund Contracting activities will conduct its business.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kansas City District, intends to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and Dam Safety Assurance Program (DSAP) Evaluation Report for Harlan County Lake. Harlan County Lake is located near the cities of Alma and Republican City, Nebraska, immediately north of the Nebraska-Kansas border. The dam provides irrigation water supply to areas on both sides of the state line and flood control for the Republican River Basin between Harlan County, Nebraska and Milford Lake located in east central Kansas near Junction City, in Clay and Geary counties. The DEIS study will analyze the economic, environmental, and social impacts that may occur as a result of the various alternatives solutions being considered in the DSAP Report for Harlan County Lake, The DSAP Report will analyze both structural and non-structural solutions for Harlan County Dam's current tainter gate operational issues, the dam's overall hydrologic adequacy, spillway stability and the interdependence of all these factors on the performance of the dam.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is proposing to amend its regulations by modifying seven existing restricted areas and one danger zone to incorporate changes to the types of restriction, the area affected by the restriction, and/or the administration of the restricted area and to disestablish one existing restricted area. Additionally, the Corps is proposing to establish two new restricted areas. The restricted areas and danger zone are located within the State of Florida. The proposed regulations will enable the affected units of the U.S. Military to enhance safety and security around active military establishments. These regulations are necessary to safeguard military vessels and United States Government facilities from sabotage and other subversive acts, accidents, or incidents of similar nature. These regulations are also necessary to protect the public from potentially hazardous conditions that may exist as a result of military use of the area.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is issuing this notice to advise the public that a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) has been prepared for the San Luis Obispo Creek Watershed Waterway Management Plan within the City and County of San Luis Obispo, California and is available for review and comment.

In accordance with section 10(a)(2) of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463), announcement is made of the following meeting: Name of Committee: Board of Visitors, United States Military Academy. Date: Wednesday, April 13, 2005. Place of Meeting: Veterans Affairs Conference room, Room 418, Senate Russell Building, Washington, DC. Start Time of Meeting: Approximately 9 a.m.

The Department of the Army announces the execution of a Record of Decision (ROD) to grant an easement to the City of El Paso, El Paso Water Utilities (EPWU), for land in the South Training Areas of Fort Bliss for construction and operation of a desalination plant and support facilities, including wells, pipelines, and disposal sites for the residual brine, referred to as concentrate, resulting from the desalination process. The ROD was signed on March 7, 2005, pursuant to the completion of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) dated December 2004.

The Walla Walla District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) is withdrawing its intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to the July 2002 Final Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS): McNary Reservoir and Lower Snake River Reservoirs (DMMP/EIS). The Notice of Intent was for the SEIS published in the Federal Register on June 5, 2003 (68 FR 33684). The Corps is now re-evaluating channel maintenance needs and has determined that an SIES is not appropriate at this time.

The Department of Defense published a document in the Federal Register of February 25, 2005, the Department of the Army is proposing to amend the Preamble to its Compilation of Privacy Act systems of records notices by updating the telephone number of the Point of Contact. The point of contact and phone number is incorrect.

The Jacksonville District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hereby cancels its Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Acme Basin B Discharge Project, as published in Federal Register on Friday, May 24, 2002 (67 FR 36577). The notice is canceled because, during scoping for this project and development of alternatives, it appeared that each of the alternatives would affect the same 410 acres of agricultural lands, converting sugar cane into functional wetlands, resulting in discharge of cleaner water into Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (WCA-1), increasing the spatial extent of Everglades wetlands and reducing freshwater flows into Lake Worth Lagoon. While all of these effects are environmentally beneficial, the relative magnitude of the impacts in the context of greater Everglades's restoration was determined not to be significant. There are not expected to be any adverse impacts on public health and safety; the affected area (Acme Basin B) is not environmentally unique; the significant WCA-1 wetlands will benefit by a relatively small increment, as will Lake Worth Lagoon. No public controversy related to the proposed alternatives developed during scoping for this project, nor are there high levels of uncertainty, unique or unknown risks associated with the study, nor have surveys revealed the presence of any significant wildlife, cultural resource elements or contaminants. An environmental Assessment will be prepared and coordinated for the proposed action. This document is expected to be available in August 2005.

The Department of the Army is proposing to alter a system of records notice in its existing inventory of records systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended. The Department of the Army is proposing to alter the existing system of records by adding a new purpose, i.e., to support the families of service members, and two new routine uses as follows: Information from these records may be disclosed to the Department of Veterans Affairs, and other Federal agencies in connection with eligibility, notification and assistance in obtaining benefits due. `Information from these records may be released to family members of injury or killed DoD personnel to aid in the settlement of the member's estate or other affairs.

In accordance with 37 CFR 404.6 and 404.7, announcement is made of the availability for licensing of U.S. Patent No. 6,672,323 entitled ``Multi-Purpose Self-Erecting Structure Having Advanced Insect Protection and Storage Characteristics,'' issued January 6, 2004. The United States Government, as represented by the Secretary of the Army, has rights in this invention.

The Department of the Army is proposing to amend a system of records notice in its existing inventory of records systems subject to the Privacy Act of 1974, (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended.

The Department of the Army is proposing to add an exemption rule for the system of records A0195-2c USACIDC, entitled `DoD Criminal Investigation Task Force Files'. The exemption ((j)(2)) will increase the value of the system of records for criminal law enforcement purposes.

The Department of the Army announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) to fully integrate the Overhills property into the Fort Bragg Training Program, Fort Bragg, Cumberland and Harnett Counties, North Carolina. Presently, realistic training in Fort Bragg's Northern Training Area (NTA), one of Fort Bragg's largest training areas, is hampered by the two sets of training rules that govern training in the units. Although no physical barriers separate the Overhills training units, NTA V-VII, from NTA units I-IV, the Overhills Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) limits the number of personnel and types of activities during training exercises, effectively creating a training barrier. Applying the same training regulation to the Overhills that governs training on the rest of the installation's training program, and maximize training possibilities through the NTA.