[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 81 (Thursday, April 26, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18319-18321]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-08795]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket Number USCG-2018-0193]
Polar Icebreaker Program; Preparation of Environmental Impact
Statement
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS); notice of public meeting; and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard, as lead agency, is providing notice of
their intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) in
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the
Polar Icebreaker Program's design and build of up to six polar
icebreakers (PIB). Notice is hereby given that the public scoping
process has begun for the preparation of an EIS that will address the
impacts and alternatives of the Proposed Action. The purpose of the
scoping process is to solicit public comments regarding the range of
issues, including potential environmental impacts and alternatives that
should be addressed in the EIS. This notice also notifies the public
that the U.S. Coast Guard intends to hold public meetings to discuss
potential issues, concerns and reasonable alternatives that should be
considered in the EIS. Following the scoping meetings and comment
period, a Draft EIS will be prepared and ultimately circulated for
public comment.
DATES: Comments and related material must be received by the U.S. Coast
[[Page 18320]]
Guard on or before June 25, 2018. The public meetings will be held in
May 2018 in Anchorage, Utqia[gdot]vik (Barrow), Nome, and Kotzebue. The
exact days and times of the public meetings will be announced through
notice in the local papers (The Arctic Sounder, The Anchorage Daily
News, and The Nome Nugget) and online at http://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Assistant-Commandant-for-Acquisitions-CG-9/Programs/Surface-Programs/Polar-Icebreaker/.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by docket number USCG-
2018-0193 using the Federal portal at http://www.regulations.gov. See
the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion of the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for further instructions on
submitting comments. Written comments and related material may also be
submitted to U.S. Coast Guard personnel specified at the public
meetings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about this
notice of intent, email Mr. Ahmed Majumder, Deputy Program Manager,
Polar Icebreaker Program, U.S. Coast Guard; email
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Table of Abbreviations
CFR Code of Federal Regulations
CGC Coast Guard Cutter
EIS Environmental Impact Statement
FR Federal Register
NEPA National Environmental Policy Act
PIBs Polar Icebreakers
U.S.C. United States Code
II. Background and Purpose
The U.S. Coast Guard's current fleet of PIBs consists of two heavy
icebreakers, Coast Guard Cutter (CGC) POLAR STAR and CGC POLAR SEA, and
one medium icebreaker, CGC HEALY. The U.S. Coast Guard's heavy
icebreakers have both exceeded their designed 30 year service life. CGC
POLAR STAR was commissioned in 1976 and CGC POLAR SEA in 1978. CGC
POLAR STAR began reactivation in 2010 and completed a service life
extension in 2013 to allow CGC POLAR STAR to operate for an additional
seven to ten years. CGC POLAR SEA has remained out of service since
2010 and is not expected to be reactivated. The current PIB program
acquisition strategy is approved to construct up to three heavy PIBs
and may (at a future date) potentially expand to include up to three
medium icebreakers, with planned service design lives of 30 years each.
The first of these new PIBs is expected to delivered in 2023. Because
the first new PIB would not be operational in the Polar Regions until
at least 2023, new information may become available after the
completion of this EIS. In that case, supplemental NEPA documentation
may, as appropriate, be prepared in support of individual proposed
actions. Examples of new information may include, but are not limited
to, changes to a species listing status or any other applicable laws
and directives, and information regarding mission, training,
homeporting, maintenance, and eventual decommissioning of the new PIBs.
A new PIB would be designed to carry out the U.S. Coast Guard's
primary missions supported by the current polar icebreaker fleet.
Expected missions include Ice Operations, Defense Readiness, Aids to
Navigation, Living Marine Resources, Marine Safety, Marine
Environmental Protection, Other Law Enforcement, Ports, Waterways, and
Coastal Security, and Search and Rescue.
In executing its various missions, the U.S. Coast Guard protects
the public, the environment, and U.S. economic and security interests
in any maritime region, including international waters and the Nation's
coasts, ports, and inland waterways, as required to support national
security. Legislation and Executive orders assign the U.S. Coast Guard
a wide range of responsibilities applicable to Polar regions. The U.S.
Coast Guard derives its authority for the use of icebreaking from
several statutes governing execution of its missions. These include 14
U.S.C. 81 (Coast Guard establishment, maintenance, and operation of
aids to navigation), 14 U.S.C. 88 (Coast Guard saving of life and
property), 14 U.S.C. 89 (Coast Guard law enforcement), 14 U.S.C. 90
(Arctic maritime transportation), 14 U.S.C. 91 (controlling anchorage
and movement of vessels), 14 U.S.C. 94 (conduct oceanographic
research), and 14 U.S.C. 141 (cooperation with agencies, States,
territories, and others). In addition, Executive Order 7521 (Use of
Vessels for Icebreaking in Channels and Harbors), 1 FR 2184, Dec. 24,
1936, directs the U.S. Coast Guard to assist in keeping channels and
harbors open to navigation by means of icebreaking operations.
The U.S. Coast Guard proposes to conduct polar icebreaker
operations and training exercises to meet Coast Guard mission
responsibilities in the U.S. Arctic and Antarctic regions of operation,
in addition to vessel performance testing post-dry dock in the Pacific
Northwest near the probable polar icebreaker homeport of Seattle,
Washington (the exact location for homeporting has not been determined,
but the current fleet of polar icebreakers is homeported in Seattle,
Washington).
Polar regions are becoming increasingly important to U.S. national
interests. The changing environment in these regions could lead to a
rise in human activity and increased commercial ship, cruise ship, and
naval surface ship operations, as well as increased exploration for oil
and other resources, particularly in the Arctic. One of the U.S. Coast
Guard's highest priorities is safety of life at sea. This entails the
artic responsibilities described above as well as assisting with
McMurdo Station; Antarctica Logistics. Long term-projected increases in
U.S. Coast Guard mission demand in the Polar Regions would require
additional support from PIBs. A lack of infrastructure, polar
environmental conditions, distance between operating areas and support
bases, all influence the U.S. Coast Guard's ability to provide
comparable service and presence provided in other non-polar areas of
operation with existing Coast Guard assets.
Although the total number of new PIBs is subject to change, no more
than six are proposed or anticipated, and therefore, the EIS will
analyze the potential impacts of the range of up to six new PIBs, as
this will be the highest number projected to be operational in the
Polar Regions. Fewer than six new PIBs is also possible, but the
analysis will cover impacts of fewer vessels and it is expected that
fewer icebreakers will result in either similar impacts or some
combination that should result in fewer impacts than what will be
discussed and evaluated in the EIS. Potential environmental stressors
include acoustic (underwater acoustic transmissions, vessel noise,
icebreaking noise, aircraft noise, and gunnery noise), and physical
(vessel movement, aircraft or in-air device movement, in-water device
movement, icebreaking, and marine expended materials).
III. Scoping Process
The U.S. Coast Guard intends to follow the Council on Environmental
Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing the NEPA (40 CFR 1500 et seq.)
by scoping through public comment and public meetings. Scoping, which
is integral to the process for implementing NEPA, provides a process to
ensure that (1) issues are identified early and properly studied; (2)
issues of little significance do not consume substantial time and
effort; (3) the draft EIS is thorough and balanced; and (4) delays
caused by an inadequate EIS are avoided.
[[Page 18321]]
Public scoping is a process for determining the scope of issues to
be addressed in this EIS and for identifying the issues related to the
proposed action that may have a significant effect on the project
environment. The scoping process begins with publication of this notice
and ends after the U.S. Coast Guard has:
[ssquf] Invited the participation of Federal, State, and local
agencies, any affected Indian tribe, and other interested persons;
[ssquf] Consulted with affected Federally Recognized Tribes on a
government-to-government basis, and with affected Alaska Native
corporations, in accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other
policies. Native concerns, including impacts on Indian trust assets and
potential impacts to cultural resources, will be given appropriate
consideration;
[ssquf] Requested the Environmental Protection Agency, the United
States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries
Service, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers to serve as
cooperating agencies in the preparation of this EIS. With this Notice
of Intent, we are asking Federal, State, and local agencies with
jurisdiction or special expertise with respect to environmental issues
in the project area, in addition to those we have already contacted, to
formally cooperate with us in the preparation of this EIS;
[ssquf] Determined the scope and the issues to be analyzed in depth
in the EIS;
[ssquf] Allocated responsibility for preparing the EIS components;
[ssquf] Indicated any related environmental assessments or
environmental impact statements that are not part of this EIS;
[ssquf] Identified other relevant environmental review and
consultation requirements, such as Coastal Zone Management Act
consistency determinations, and threatened and endangered species and
habitat impacts;
[ssquf] Indicated the relationship between timing of the
environmental review and other aspects of the application process; and
[ssquf] Exercised our option under 40 CFR 1501.7(b) to hold the
public scoping meeting announced in this notice.
Once the scoping process is complete, the U.S. Coast Guard will
prepare a draft EIS, and will publish a Federal Register notice
announcing its public availability. We will provide the public with an
opportunity to review and comment on the draft EIS. Comments received
during the draft EIS review period will be available in the public
docket and made available in the final EIS. After the U.S. Coast Guard
considers those comments, we will prepare the final EIS and similarly
announce its availability and solicit public review and comment.
IV. Information Requested
We are seeking comments on the potential environmental impacts that
may result from the development, building, testing, and operation of up
to three heavy polar icebreakers and potentially three medium
icebreakers to help in the development of an EIS. NEPA requires Federal
agencies to consider environmental impacts that may result from a
proposed action, to inform the public of potential impacts and
alternatives, and to facilitate public involvement in the assessment
process. An EIS would include, among other matters, discussions of the
purpose and need for the proposed action, a description of
alternatives, a description of the affected environment, and an
evaluation of the environmental impacts of the proposed action and
alternatives.
As required by the NEPA, the U.S. Coast Guard also will analyze the
No Action Alternative as a baseline for comparing the impacts of the
proposed action. For the purposes of this proposed action, the No
Action Alternative is defined as not approving the design and build of
new polar icebreakers. The U.S. Coast Guard encourages public
participation in the EIS process. The scoping period will begin upon
publication of this notice in the Federal Register and continue for a
period of sixty (60) days. As part of the scoping process, and as
authorized by 40 CFR 1508.22(b)(4), the U.S. Coast Guard will hold a
public scoping meeting and informational open house in Anchorage,
Utqia[gdot]vik (Barrow), Nome, and Kotzebue, Alaska in May 2018. Public
comments will be accepted at those meetings and can also be submitted
to the docket, as previously described under ADDRESSES.
V. Public Participation and Request for Comments
Pursuant to the CEQ regulations, the U.S. Coast Guard invites
public participation in the NEPA process. This notice requests public
participation in the scoping process, establishes a public comment
period, and provides information on how to participate.
We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal portal at
http://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be submitted using
http://www.regulations.gov, contact the person in the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document for alternate
instructions. In your submission, please include the docket number for
this notice of intent and provide a reason for each suggestion or
recommendation.
We accept anonymous comments. All comments received will be posted
without change to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any
personal information you have provided. For more about privacy and the
docket, visit http://www.regulations.gov/privacyNotice.
Documents mentioned in this notice of intent as being available in
the docket, and all public comments, will be in our online docket at
http://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by following that
website's instructions.
We plan to hold public meetings in Anchorage, Utqia[gdot]vik
(Barrow), Nome, and Kotzebue to receive oral comments on this notice of
intent. The dates, times, and locations of the public meetings will be
announced in the local papers (The Arctic Sounder, The Anchorage Daily
News, and The Nome Nugget) and online at http://www.dcms.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Assistant-Commandant-for-Acquisitions-CG-9/Programs/Surface-Programs/Polar-Icebreaker/. If special assistance is required
to attend the meetings, such as sign language interpretation or other
reasonable accommodations, contact the U.S. Coast Guard as indicated in
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
Dated: April 23, 2018.
Ahmedur Majumder,
Deputy Program Manager, Polar Icebreaker Program, United States Coast
Guard.
[FR Doc. 2018-08795 Filed 4-25-18; 8:45 am]
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