[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 146 (Tuesday, August 1, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35767-35768]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-15939]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for Mariana Islands
Training and Testing
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969 and regulations implemented by the Council on Environmental
Quality, the Department of the Navy (DoN) announces its intent to
prepare a supplement to the 2015 Final Mariana Islands Training and
Testing (MITT) Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS).
DATES: Public scoping meetings will not be held, but public comments
will be accepted during the scoping period from August 1, 2017 to
September 15, 2017.
ADDRESSES: The DoN invites scoping comments on the MITT Supplemental
EIS/OEIS from all interested parties. Substantive comments may be
provided by mail to the address below and through the project Web site
at http://mitt-eis.com/. Comments must be postmarked or received by
September 15, 2017, for consideration during the development of the
Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Pacific, Attention: MITT Supplemental EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 258
Makalapa Drive, Suite 100, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Navy will assess the potential
environmental impacts associated with ongoing and proposed military
readiness activities conducted within the MITT EIS/OEIS Study Area
(hereafter known as the ``Study Area''). The Supplement to the 2015
Final EIS/OEIS is being prepared to support ongoing and future
activities conducted at sea and on Farallon de Medinilla (FDM) within
the Study Area beyond 2020. Military readiness activities include
training and research, development, testing, and evaluation (hereafter
known as ``testing''). The Supplemental EIS/OEIS will include an
analysis of training and testing activities using new information
available after the release of the 2015 Final MITT EIS/OEIS. New
information includes an updated acoustic effects model, updated marine
mammal density data, and other best available science. Proposed
activities are generally consistent with those analyzed in the 2015
Final MITT EIS/OEIS and are representative of training and testing
activities the DoN has been conducting in the Study Area for decades.
The Study Area remains unchanged since the 2015 Final MITT EIS/
OEIS. The Study Area includes the existing Mariana Islands Range
Complex (MIRC); areas on the high seas to the north and west of the
MIRC; a transit corridor between the MIRC and the Hawaii Range Complex,
starting at the International Date Line; and Apra Harbor and select DoN
pierside and harbor locations. The Study Area includes only the in-
water components of the range complex and FDM; land components
associated with the range complex are not included in the Study Area.
As part of this process the DoN will seek the issuance of
regulatory permits and authorizations under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act and Endangered Species Act to support training and
testing requirements within the Study Area, beyond 2020, thereby
ensuring critical Department of Defense requirements are met.
Pursuant to 40 CFR 1501.6, the DoN will invite the National Marine
Fisheries Service to be a cooperating agency in preparation of the
Supplemental EIS/OEIS.
[[Page 35768]]
The DoN's lead action proponent is Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet.
Additional action proponents include Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval
Air Systems Command, and the Office of Naval Research.
The DoN's Proposed Action is to conduct military training and
testing activities within the Study Area. Activities include the use of
active sonar and explosives while employing appropriate marine species
protective mitigation measures. The Proposed Action does not alter the
DoN's original purpose and need as presented in the 2015 MITT Final
EIS/OEIS.
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to maintain a ready force,
which is needed to ensure the military can accomplish its mission to
maintain, train, and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning
wars, deterring aggression, and maintaining freedom of the seas,
consistent with Congressional direction in section 5062 of Title 10 of
the U.S. Code. A Supplemental EIS/OEIS is considered the appropriate
document, as there is recent scientific information including revised
acoustic criteria to consider, in furtherance of NEPA, relevant to the
environmental effects of the DoN's Proposed Action, and the analysis
will support Marine Mammal Protection Act authorization requests.
Proposed training and testing activities are generally consistent
to those analyzed in the 2015 MITT Final EIS/OEIS. The Supplemental
EIS/OEIS will propose changes to the tempo and types of training and
testing activities, accounting for the introduction of new
technologies, the evolving nature of international events, advances in
war fighting doctrine and procedures, and changes in the organization
of vessels, aircraft, weapon systems, and military personnel. The MITT
Supplemental EIS/OEIS will reflect the compilation of training and
testing activities required to fulfill the DoN's military readiness
requirements beyond 2020, and therefore includes the analysis of newly
proposed activities and changes to previously analyzed activities.
In the Supplemental EIS/OEIS, the DoN will evaluate the potential
environmental impacts of a No Action Alternative and action
alternatives. Resources to be evaluated include, but are not limited
to, marine mammals, sea turtles, essential fish habitat, and threatened
and endangered species.
The scoping process is used to identify public concerns and local
issues to be considered during the development of the Draft
Supplemental EIS/OEIS. Federal agencies, local agencies, the public,
and interested persons are encouraged to provide substantive comments
to the DoN on environmental resources and issue areas of concern the
commenter believes the DoN should consider.
Comments must be postmarked or received online by September 15,
2017, for consideration during the development of the Draft
Supplemental EIS/OEIS. Comments can be mailed to: Naval Facilities
Engineering Command Pacific, Attention: MITT Supplemental EIS/OEIS
Project Manager, 258 Makalapa Drive, Suite 100, Pearl Harbor, HI,
96869-3134. Comments can be submitted online via the project Web site
at http://mitt-eis.com/.
Dated: July 20, 2017.
A.M. Nichols,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-15939 Filed 7-31-17; 8:45 am]
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