[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 21 (Friday, January 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5389-5391]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01910]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Public Meetings of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for Military
Readiness Activities in the Northwest Training and Testing Study Area
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, regulations implemented by the Council on
Environmental Quality (40 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 1500-1508),
and Presidential Executive Order 12114, the Department of the Navy
(DoN) has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS). The Draft EIS/OEIS includes the evaluation
of the potential environmental effects associated with military
readiness training and research, development, test, and evaluation
activities (training and testing) conducted within the Northwest
Training and Testing (NWTT) Study Area. The National Marine Fisheries
Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Coast Guard are cooperating agencies for
this EIS/OEIS.
The NWTT Study Area is composed of established maritime operating
areas and warning areas in the eastern North Pacific Ocean, including
the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and Western Behm Canal in
southeastern Alaska. The NWTT Study Area includes: air and water space
within and outside Washington state waters, and outside state waters of
Oregon and Northern California; four existing range complexes and
facilities (Northwest Training Range Complex [NWTRC], Naval Undersea
Warfare Center [NUWC] Division Keyport Range Complex, Carr Inlet
Operations Area, and Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility
[SEAFAC]); and Navy pierside locations where sonar maintenance and
testing
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occur (Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton, Naval Base Kitsap Bangor and Naval
Station Everett). The land-based portions of the range complexes and
facilities are not a part of the Study Area and will be or already have
been addressed under separate DoN environmental planning documentation.
With the filing of the Draft EIS/OEIS, the DoN is initiating a 60-
day public comment period and has scheduled eight public meetings to
receive comments on the Draft EIS/OEIS. This notice announces the dates
and locations of the public meetings and provides supplementary
information about the environmental planning effort.
Dates and Addresses: The 60-day Draft EIS/OEIS public review period
will begin on January 24, 2014, and end on March 25, 2014. The DoN will
hold eight public meetings that will include an open house information
session, followed by a short presentation by the DoN. DoN
representatives will be available during the open house information
sessions to clarify information related to the Draft EIS/OEIS. Federal,
state, and local agencies and officials, and interested organizations
and individuals are encouraged to provide comments in writing during
the public review period or in person at one of the scheduled public
meetings.
The public meetings will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with
a DoN presentation at 6:30 p.m., on the following dates and at the
following locations:
1. Wednesday, February 26, 2014, at the Oak Harbor High School
Student Union Building, 1 Wildcat Way, Oak Harbor, WA, 98277.
2. Thursday, February 27, 2014, at the Cascade High School Student
Commons, 801 E. Casino Road, Everett, WA, 98203.
3. Friday, February 28, 2014, at the North Kitsap High School
Commons, 1780 NE Hostmark St., Poulsbo, WA, 98370.
4. Monday, March 3, 2014, at the Astoria High School Student
Commons, 1001 W. Marine Drive, Astoria, OR, 97103.
5. Tuesday, March 4, 2014, at the Isaac Newton Magnet School Gym,
825 NE 7th St., Newport, OR, 97365.
6. Thursday, March 6, 2014, at the Red Lion Hotel Redwood Ballroom,
1929 4th St., Eureka, CA, 95501.
7. Friday, March 7, 2014, at the Redwood Coast Senior Center West
Room, 490 N. Harold St., Fort Bragg, CA, 95437.
8. Tuesday, March 11, 2014, at the Southeast Alaska Discovery
Center Lobby, 50 Main St., Ketchikan, AK, 99901.
Attendees will be able to submit oral and written comments during
the public meetings. Oral comments from the public will be recorded by
a court reporter. In the interest of available time, and to ensure all
who wish to provide an oral statement to the court reporter have the
opportunity to do so, each speaker's comments will be limited to three
(3) minutes, which may be extended if meeting attendance permits. Equal
weight will be given to oral and written statements. Comments may also
be submitted via the U.S. Postal Service to Naval Facilities
Engineering Command Northwest, Attention: Ms. Kimberly Kler--NWTT EIS/
OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA
98315-1101, or electronically via the project Web site
(www.NWTTEIS.com). All comments, oral or written, submitted during the
public review period will become part of the public record. All
comments will be reviewed and acknowledged or responded to in the Final
EIS/OEIS. Comments must be postmarked or received online by March 25,
2014, for consideration in the Final EIS/OEIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Northwest, Attention: Ms. Kimberly Kler--NWTT EIS/OEIS Project Manager,
1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA 98315-1101.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Intent to prepare this Draft
EIS/OEIS was published in the Federal Register on February 27, 2012 (77
FR 11497).
The DoN's Proposed Action is to conduct military readiness training
and testing activities, to include the use of active Sound Navigation
and Ranging (sonar) and explosives, primarily within existing range
complexes, operating areas, and testing ranges of the NWTT Study Area.
The Proposed Action also includes pierside sonar maintenance and
testing within the Study Area.
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to achieve and maintain
military readiness to meet the requirements of Title 10 of the U.S.
Code, thereby ensuring that the DoN accomplishes its mission to
maintain, train, and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning
wars, deterring aggression, and maintaining freedom of the seas. This
Draft EIS/OEIS will also support the renewal of federal regulatory
permits and authorizations for current training and testing activities
and to propose future activities requiring environmental analysis.
The Draft EIS/OEIS includes analysis of the potential environmental
impacts of three alternatives, including the No Action Alternative. The
No Action Alternative would continue baseline training and testing
activities, as defined by existing environmental planning documents,
including the NWTRC EIS/OEIS, the NUWC Division Keyport Range Complex
Extension EIS/OEIS, and the SEAFAC EIS. Alternative 1 (Preferred
Alternative) consists of the No Action Alternative, plus adjustments to
the types and levels of training and testing activities conducted
within the Study Area as necessary to support current and planned
requirements. This alternative includes activities associated with
force structure changes, such as those resulting from the development,
testing, and ultimate introduction of new vessels, aircraft, and
weapons systems into the fleet; training exercises in support of
Civilian Port Defense; and testing activities. Alternative 2 consists
of all activities that would occur under Alternative 1, plus additional
adjustments to the levels of training and testing activities.
In this EIS/OEIS, the DoN analyzes potential impacts on
environmental resources resulting from activities under the
alternatives. Resources evaluated include sediments and water quality,
air quality, marine habitats, marine mammals, sea turtles, birds,
marine vegetation, marine invertebrates, fish, cultural resources,
Native American and Alaska Native Traditional Resources, socioeconomic
resources, and public health and safety.
The DoN is requesting Marine Mammal Protection Act incidental take
authorizations from NMFS, as well as governing regulations for the
incidental take of marine mammals that may result from the
implementation of the activities analyzed in the Draft EIS/OEIS. In
accordance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the DoN is
consulting with NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the
potential impacts of training and testing activities on federally
listed species. In accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act, the DoN is consulting with NMFS on
federally managed species and their essential fish habitat.
The cumulative impacts of past, present, and other reasonably
foreseeable future actions are expected to result in impacts on marine
mammals and sea turtles, including Endangered Species Act-listed marine
mammal species, in the Study Area. The Draft EIS/OEIS indicates that
the incremental contribution of the No Action Alternative, Alternative
1, or Alternative 2 to all other resource areas analyzed would be
negligible.
[[Page 5391]]
The Draft EIS/OEIS was distributed to federal, state, and local
agencies, elected officials, and other interested organizations and
individuals.
Copies of the Draft EIS/OEIS are available for public review at the
following public libraries:
1. Everett Main Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave., Everett, WA 98201.
2. Gig Harbor Library, 4424 Point Fosdick Drive NW., Gig Harbor, WA
98335.
3. Jefferson County Library--Port Hadlock, 620 Cedar Ave., Port
Hadlock, WA 98339.
4. Kitsap Regional Library--Poulsbo, 700 NE Lincoln Road, Poulsbo,
WA 98370.
5. Kitsap Regional Library--Sylvan Way (Bremerton), 1301 Sylvan
Way, Bremerton, WA 98310.
6. Oak Harbor Public Library, 1000 SE Regatta Drive, Oak Harbor, WA
98277.
7. Port Angeles Main Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., Port Angeles, WA
98362.
8. Port Townsend Public Library, 1925 Blaine St., Port Townsend, WA
98368.
9. Timberland Regional Library--Aberdeen, 121 E. Market St.,
Aberdeen, WA 98520.
10. Timberland Regional Library--Hoquiam, 420 7th St., Hoquiam, WA
98550.
11. Astoria Public Library, 450 10th St., Astoria, OR 97103.
12. Driftwood Public Library, 801 SW Highway 101, Lincoln City, OR
97367.
13. Newport Public Library, 35 NW Nye St., Newport, OR 97365.
14. Tillamook Main Library, 1716 Third St., Tillamook, OR 97141.
15. Fort Bragg Branch Library, 499 Laurel St., Fort Bragg, CA
95437.
16. Humboldt County Public Library, Arcata Branch Library, 500 7th
St., Arcata, CA 95521.
17. Humboldt County Public Library, Eureka Main Library, 1313 3rd
St., Eureka, CA 95501.
18. Juneau Public Library, Downtown Branch, 292 Marine Way, Juneau,
AK 99801.
19. Ketchikan Public Library, 1110 Copper Ridge Lane, Ketchikan, AK
99901.
The Draft EIS/OEIS is also available for electronic viewing at
www.NWTTEIS.com. A compact disc of the Draft EIS/OEIS will be made
available upon written request by contacting: Naval Facilities
Engineering Command Northwest, Attention: Ms. Kimberly Kler--NWTT EIS/
OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA
98315-1101.
Dated: January 23, 2014.
N. A. Hagerty-Ford,
Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U. S. Navy. Federal
Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-01910 Filed 1-30-14; 8:45 am]
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