Department of the Navy September 12, 2008 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 and regulations implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and Executive Order (EO) 12114, Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions, the Department of the Navy (Navy) has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a Draft Overseas Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Statement (OEIS/EIS) on September 12, 2008. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a Cooperating Agency for the OEIS/EIS. The Draft OEIS/EIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts of the construction and operation of an Undersea Warfare Training Range (USWTR) associated with Navy Atlantic Fleet training activities. The construction of the proposed USWTR would entail the instrumentation of a 500-square nautical mile (NM\2\) area of the sea floor with undersea cables and sensor nodes, connected to the shore via a single trunk cable. The western edge of the range would be located approximately 50 NM off the coast of Jacksonville, FL. The USWTR would allow ships, submarines, and aircraft to perform anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training in littoral, or near shore, waters. A Notice of Intent (NOI) for the OEIS/EIS was published in the Federal Register on May 13, 1996 (Federal Register, Volume 61, No. 93, pp 22028). A Revised NOI for this Draft OEIS/EIS and Notice of Request for Public Scoping Comments were published in the Federal Register on September 21, 2007 (Federal Register, Volume 72, No. 183, pp 54015-54016). The Navy will conduct four public hearings to receive oral and written comments on the Draft OEIS/EIS. Federal agencies, state agencies, local agencies, and interested individuals are invited to be present or represented at the public hearings. This notice announces the dates and locations of the public hearings for this Draft OEIS/EIS. An open house session will precede the scheduled public hearing at each of the locations listed below and will allow individuals to review the information presented in the USWTR Draft OEIS/EIS. Navy representatives will be available during the open house sessions to clarify information related to the Draft OEIS/EIS. Dates and Addresses: Public hearings will be held on the following dates and times at the following locations: 1. September 29, 2008, at the Chincoteague Center (open house poster session from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and formal hearing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.), 6155 Community Drive, Chincoteague, VA; 2. October 1, 2008 at the Crystal Coast Civic Center (open house poster session from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and formal hearing from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.), 3505 Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC; 3. October 6, 2008 at the Sheraton North CharlestonConvention Center (open house poster session from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and formal hearing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.), 4770 Goer Drive, North Charleston, SC; 4. October 7, 2008 at the University of North FloridaUniversity Center (open house poster session from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and formal hearing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.), 12000 Alumni Drive, Jacksonville, FL.

Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 4321); the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508); Department of the Navy Procedures for Implementing NEPA (32 CFR part 775); Executive Order (EO) 12114, Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions; and Department of Defense (DoD) regulations implementing EO 12114 (32 CFR Part 187), the Department of the Navy (Navy) has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/ Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS) on September 2, 2008. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a Cooperating Agency for the EIS/OEIS. This notice announces the dates and locations of the public hearings for this Draft EIS/OEIS, and provides supplementary information about the environmental planning effort. The EIS/OEIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts over a 10-year planning horizon associated with Navy Atlantic Fleet and Marine Corps training; research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) activities; and associated range capabilities enhancements (including infrastructure improvements) within the existing Navy Cherry Point (Navy CHPT) Range Complex. The Navy CHPT Range Complex encompasses 18,617 square nautical miles (nm\2\) of offshore surface and subsurface operating area (OPAREA); 12,529 nm\2\ of deep ocean area greater than 100 fathoms (600 feet), and 18,966 nm\2\ of overlying Special Use Airspace (SUA) off the coast of North Carolina. The geographic scope of the EIS/OEIS, referred to as the Navy Cherry Point Study Area, includes the OPAREA and SUA, plus the 3 NM strip of coastal water from mean high tide line extending seaward to the western OPAREA boundary. A Notice of Intent for this Draft EIS/OEIS was published in the Federal Register on April 30, 2007 (Vol. 72, No. 82, pp. 21248-21249). The Navy will conduct two public hearings to receive oral and written comments on the Draft EIS/OEIS. Federal, state and local agencies and interested individuals are invited to be present or represented at the public hearings. An open house session will precede the scheduled public hearing at each of the locations listed below and will allow individuals to review the information presented in the Navy CHPT Range Complex Draft EIS/OEIS. Navy and Marine Corps representatives will be available during the open house sessions to clarify information related to the Draft EIS/OEIS.