[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 151 (Monday, August 6, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38317-38318]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16760]
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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 Availability and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard, as lead agency, announces the
availability of a draft Programmatic 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. The U.S. Coast Guard requests public comments on the draft
EIS.
DATES: Comments must be submitted to the online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or before September 20, 2018.
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.
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 polar icebreakers (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
[[Page 38318]]
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 current polar icebreaker homeport of Seattle,
Washington. The exact location for future 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
Antarctica logistics at McMurdo Station. 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, and long distances between operating areas
and support bases all influence the U.S. Coast Guard's ability to
provide comparable service and presence in Polar Regions as compared to
that provided in other non-polar areas of operation with existing Coast
Guard assets.
This EIS will analyze the potential impacts of up to six new PIBs,
as this is the maximum number anticipated to be operational in the
Polar Regions under the current PIB program acquisition strategy; A
lesser number of icebreakers is expected to result in a similar or
reduced impact than what will be discussed and evaluated in this 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 conducted scoping in accordance with Council
on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing the NEPA (40
CFR 1500 et seq.) through public comment and public meetings. A summary
of the scoping process can be found in the draft EIS.
IV. Public Participation and Request for Comments
We encourage you to submit comments (or related material) on the
draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement. We will consider all
submissions and may adjust our final action based on your comments. If
you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this notice,
indicate the specific section of this document to which each comment
applies, and provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation.
We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking
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. Documents mentioned in this notice, and all public
comments, are in our online docket at http://www.regulations.gov and
can be viewed by following that website's instructions. Additionally,
if you go to the online docket and sign up for email alerts, you will
be notified when comments are posted or a final EIS is published.
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, you may review a Privacy Act notice regarding the Federal
Docket Management System in the March 24, 2005, issue of the Federal
Register (70 FR 15086).
This notice is issued under authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a).
Dated: June 31, 2018.
Ahmed Majumder,
U.S. Coast Guard, Program Manager, Polar Icebreaker Program.
[FR Doc. 2018-16760 Filed 8-3-18; 8:45 am]
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