Department of Defense March 3, 2016 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Draft Environmental Assessment (EA) is being prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations (40 CFR, 1500-1517), and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) implementing regulation, Policy and Procedures for Implementing NEPA, Engineer Regulation (ER) 200-2-2 (1988). The study is being conducted in accordance with the requirements of 36 CFR 327.30, dated July 27, 1990 and ER 1130-2-406, dated October 31, 1990. The EA will evaluate potential impacts (beneficial and adverse) to socioeconomic conditions, cultural and ecological resources, recreation, aesthetics, infrastructure, lake water quality, terrestrial and aquatic fish and wildlife habitats, federally-listed threatened and endangered species, and cumulative impacts associated with past, current, and reasonably foreseeable future actions at Beaver Lake. Following the public scoping period and after consideration of all comments received during scoping, USACE will prepare a Draft EA. The Draft EA will be made available for public review and comment. Based on the EA analysis, USACE will either issue a Finding of No Significant Impact or announce its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS). If USACE determines that an EIS is needed, either during preparation of the EA or after completing the EA, USACE will issue in the Federal Register a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS. In that case, the current scoping process would serve as the scoping process that normally would follow an NOI to prepare an EIS. USACE would not solicit additional scoping comments but would consider any comments on the scope of the EA received during this scoping process in preparing the EIS.

The Department of Defense is publishing the unclassified text of a section 36(b)(1) arms sales notification. This is published to fulfill the requirements of section 155 of Public Law 104-164 dated July 21, 1996.

The Department of the Navy (DoN) is amending its certifications and exemptions under the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, 1972 (72 COLREGS), to reflect that the Deputy Assistant Judge Advocate General (DAJAG) (Admiralty and Maritime Law) has determined that USS JOHN P MURTHA (LPD 26) is a vessel of the Navy which, due to its special construction and purpose, cannot fully comply with certain provisions of the 72 COLREGS without interfering with its special function as a naval ship. The intended effect of this rule is to warn mariners in waters where 72 COLREGS apply.