[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 88 (Friday, May 6, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27409-27410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-10698]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Telecommunications and Information Administration
First Responder Network Authority
[Docket Number: 160429380-6380-01]
RIN 0660-XC025
Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement for the East Region of the Nationwide Public Safety
Broadband Network and Notice of Public Meetings
AGENCY: First Responder Network Authority, National Telecommunications
and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Announcement of availability of a draft programmatic
environmental impact statement and of public meetings.
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SUMMARY: The First Responder Network Authority (``FirstNet'') announces
the availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement for the East Region (``Draft PEIS''). FirstNet also announces
a series of public meetings to be held throughout the East Region to
receive comments on the Draft PEIS. The Draft PEIS evaluates the
potential environmental impacts of the proposed nationwide public
safety broadband network in the East Region, composed of Connecticut,
Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont,
Virginia, and West Virginia.
DATES: Submit comments on the Draft PEIS for the East Region on or
before July 6, 2016. FirstNet will also hold public meetings in each of
the 13 states and the District of Columbia. See SUPPLMENTARY
INFORMATION section for meeting dates.
ADDRESSES: At any time during the public comment period, members of the
public, public agencies, and other interested parties are encouraged to
submit written comments, questions, and concerns about the project for
FirstNet's consideration or to attend any of the public meetings.
Written comments may be submitted electronically via
www.regulations.gov, FIRSTNET-2016-0002, or by mail to Amanda Goebel
Pereira, NEPA Coordinator, First Responder Network Authority, National
Telecommunications and Information Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, M/S 243, Reston, VA 20192.
Comments received will be made a part of the public record and may be
posted to FirstNet's Web site (www.firstnet.gov) without change.
Comments should be machine readable and should not be copy-protected.
All personally identifiable information (e.g., name, address)
voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do
not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or
protected information. The Draft PEIS is available for download from
www.regulations.gov, FIRSTNET-2016-0002. A CD containing the electronic
files of this document is also available at public libraries (see
Chapter 22 of the Draft PEIS for the complete distribution list). See
SUPPLMENTARY INFORMATION section for public meeting addresses.
[[Page 27410]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information on the Draft
PEIS, contact Amanda Goebel Pereira, NEPA Coordinator, First Responder
Network Authority, National Telecommunications and Information
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 12201 Sunrise Valley
Drive, M/S 243, Reston, VA 20192.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Meetings
Attendees can obtain information regarding the project and/or
submit a comment in person during public meetings. The meeting details
are as follows:
Washington, DC, May 16, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., 200 I St.
SE., 1st Floor, Washington, DC 20003
Annapolis, MD, May 19, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Children's
Theater of Annapolis, 1661 Bay Head Rd., Annapolis, MD 21409
Bangor, ME, May 24, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Bangor Public
Library, 145 Harlow St., Bangor, ME 04401
New York City, NY, May 24, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., New
York Marriott Marquis, 160 Central Park South, New York, NY 10019
Boston, MA, May 25, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Boston
Offices, Exchange Place Boston, 53 State St., Boston, MA 02109
New Haven, CT, May 25, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., New Haven
Public Library, Ives Main Branch, 133 Elm St., New Haven, CT 06510
Providence, RI, May 26, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Rhode
Island Convention Center, 1 Sabin St., Providence, RI 02903
Albany, NY, May 26, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Albany Public
Library, Arbor Hill/West Hill Branch, 148 Henry Johnson Blvd., Albany,
NY 12210
Richmond, VA, May 31, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., T. Edward
Temple Building, 901 W. Main St., Richmond, VA 23219
Burlington, VT, May 31, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Fletcher
Free Library, 235 College St., Burlington, VT 05401
Manchester, NH, June 1, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.,
Manchester Historic Association, Millyard Museum, 200 Bedford St.,
Manchester, NH 03101
Charleston, WV, June 2, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.,
Charleston Civic Center, 200 Civic Center Dr., Charleston, WV 25301
Harrisburg, PA, June 14, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Madeline
L. Olewine Memorial Library, 2410 N. Third St., Harrisburg, PA 17110
Trenton, NJ, June 15, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., New Jersey
State Museum, 205 W. State St., Trenton, NJ, 08608
Dover, DE, June 16, 2016, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Dover Public
Library, 35 E. Loockerman St., Dover, DE 19901
Background
The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Pub. L.
112-96, Title VI, 126 Stat. 156 (codified at 47 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.))
(the ``Act'') created and authorized FirstNet to take all actions
necessary to ensure the building, deployment, and operation of an
interoperable, nationwide public safety broadband network (``NPSBN'')
based on a single, national network architecture. The Act meets a
longstanding and critical national infrastructure need, to create a
single, nationwide network that will, for the first time, allow police
officers, fire fighters, emergency medical service professionals, and
other public safety entities to effectively communicate with each other
across agencies and jurisdictions. The NPSBN is intended to enhance the
ability of the public safety community to perform more reliably,
effectively, and safely; increase situational awareness during an
emergency; and improve the ability of the public safety community to
effectively engage in those critical activities.
The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347)
(``NEPA'') requires federal agencies to undertake an assessment of
environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making a final
decision and implementing the action. NEPA requirements apply to any
federal project, decision, or action that may have a significant impact
on the quality of the human environment. NEPA also establishes the
Council on Environmental Quality (``CEQ''), which issued regulations
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (see 40 CFR parts 1500-
1508). Among other considerations, CEQ regulations at 40 CFR 1508.28
recommend the use of tiering from a ``broader environmental impact
statement (such as a national program or policy statements) with
subsequent narrower statements or environmental analysis (such as
regional or basin wide statements or ultimately site-specific
statements) incorporating by reference the general discussions and
concentrating solely on the issues specific to the statement
subsequently prepared.''
Due to the geographic scope of FirstNet (all 50 states, the
District of Columbia, and five territories) and the diversity of
ecosystems potentially traversed by the project, FirstNet has elected
to prepare five regional PEISs. The five PEISs will be divided into the
East, Central, West, South, and Non-Contiguous Regions. The East Region
consists of Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. The
Draft PEIS analyzes potential impacts of the deployment and operation
of the NPSBN on the natural and human environment in the East Region,
in accordance with FirstNet's responsibilities under NEPA.
Next Steps
All comments received by the public and any interested stakeholders
will be evaluated and considered by FirstNet during the preparation of
the Final PEIS. Once a PEIS is completed and a Record of Decision (ROD)
is signed, FirstNet will evaluate site-specific documentation, as
network design is developed, to determine if the proposed project has
been adequately evaluated in the PEIS or warrants a Categorical
Exclusion, an Environmental Assessment, or an Environmental Impact
Statement.
Dated: May 3, 2016.
Amanda Goebel Pereira,
NEPA Coordinator, First Responder Network Authority.
[FR Doc. 2016-10698 Filed 5-5-16; 8:45 am]
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