[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 137 (Wednesday, July 19, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33167-33168]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-15082]
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POSTAL SERVICE
Notice of Availability: Draft Programmatic Environmental
Assessment for Commercial Off-the-Shelf Vehicle Acquisitions,
Nationwide
AGENCY: Postal Service.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a Programmatic Environmental
Assessment.
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SUMMARY: To comply with the requirements of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA), the Postal Service has prepared and is making
available for comments a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment
(PEA) for Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Vehicle Acquisitions (the
Proposed Action), which is national in scope. This PEA evaluated the
environmental impacts of the Proposed Action and an Alternative Action
versus taking No Action. The Draft PEA can be reviewed online at http://about.usps.com/what-we-are-doing/green/pdf/cots-pea.pdf.
DATES: Comments should be received no later than 5:00 p.m. ET, August
3, 2017.
ADDRESSES: Direct written comments to: Davon Collins, Environmental
Counsel, U.S. Postal Service, Room 6333, 475 L'Enfant Plaza SW.,
Washington, DC 20260, email [email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Davon M. Collins, (202) 268-4570.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: To stabilize its delivery fleet pending the
development of a longer-term solution to its vehicle needs and in
furtherance of its statutory Universal Service Obligation, the Postal
Service is considering the purchase of an estimated 26,000 COTS
delivery vehicles to accommodate route growth over the next three
years, and to replace accident-damaged, aged and high-maintenance-cost
vehicles.
Pursuant to the requirements of NEPA, the Postal Service's
implementing procedures at 39 CFR 775, and the President's Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Postal
Service has prepared a PEA to evaluate the environmental impacts of the
following three actions on the physical, biological, cultural, and
socioeconomic environments. To assist in this process, the Postal
Service is soliciting the public's input and comments.
The Proposed Action would accommodate an increase in delivery
points and routes anticipated over each of the next three years through
the purchase of an estimated 7,000 new delivery vehicles and
establishment of new delivery routes; and replace an estimated 19,000
accident-damaged, aged and high-maintenance-cost delivery vehicles, and
aged minivans with new COTS vehicles. The Alternative Action would
accommodate the expected increase in routes through the lease of
additional vehicles, and provide for replacement of high-maintenance-
cost and aged vehicles with leased vehicles. Under the No Action
Alternative, the Postal Service would not implement the COTS Vehicle
Acquisitions. The existing delivery fleet would be maintained at the
status quo; existing delivery vehicles would continue to be used and
incur increasingly higher maintenance costs as the vehicles continued
to age; and existing delivery routes would be expanded to address
annual city and rural delivery growth, incurring additional mileage and
corresponding increased costs for maintenance and repair ofexisting
vehicles.
The Draft PEA concludes that the Proposed Action would not result
in significant adverse impacts on the physical, biological, cultural,
and socioeconomic environments. The Proposed Action would result in
beneficial impacts to current air quality nationwide, as the new
vehicles would have better emission controls than the vehicles being
replaced, and therefore decrease emissions as compared with the No
Action Alternative, and at a significantly lower cost than the
Alternative Action. Adverse impacts to other aspects of the environment
such as biological, water, and cultural resources; energy resources;
waste management; and community services would be minor to
insignificant. The Proposed Action would also have an insignificant but
beneficial socioeconomic impact nationwide, as new hires and additional
related material purchases would produce beneficial economic results.
Unless substantive comments are received during the 15-day comment
period and significant issues are identified, the Postal Service will
finalize the PEA, issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), and
proceed with the project. Should a FONSI be issued, it will be
available for public viewing at http://about.usps.com/what-we-are-doing/green/welcome.htm, and the Postal Service would not publish
another notice for this project. In the event significant issues are
identified, the Postal Service will either issue a Mitigated FONSI,
listing required mitigation measures, or publish a new
[[Page 33168]]
Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement.
Stanley F. Mires,
Attorney, Federal Compliance.
[FR Doc. 2017-15082 Filed 7-18-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7710-12-P