[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 100 (Wednesday, May 25, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-12767]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 25, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy

 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Construction and Operation of a Relocatable Over the Horizon Radar, PR

    Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and the Commonwealth of Puerto 
Rico Public Law Number Nine, Section 4(c), the Department of Navy, in 
coordination with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, announces its intent 
to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the 
potential environmental effects of constructing and operating a 
Relocatable Over the Horizon Radar (ROTHR) system, Puerto Rico.
    The ROTHR is a land-based, wide area surveillance, high frequency 
(HF), radar system, which permits detection and tracking of aircraft, 
and supports requirements for the early detection and monitoring of 
illegal drug activity. The installation of the ROTHR in Puerto Rico is 
proposed as an addition to the national and local counter-narcotic 
strategy by focusing detection and enforcement efforts at their 
sources. It will complement ROTHR systems in Virginia and Texas and 
other surveillance installations to provide virtually complete coverage 
of the Caribbean Basin and the northern portion of South America.
    The ROTHR system has three components; Transmitter, Receiver, and 
an Operation Control Center. The proposed action would locate a 
Transmitter on Vieques Island and a Receiver in southwestern Puerto 
Rico. The Operation Control Center functions will be performed at a 
currently existing facility in Norfolk, Virginia. The Transmitter will 
require approximately 100 acres of land, and will consist of 34 metal, 
vertical antenna towers and 34 wooden, vertical poles, supporting a 
curtain of antenna wires. Towers would range in height from 71 feet to 
125 feet. The Receiver will require approximately 200 acres of land, 
and will consist of 372 pairs of aluminum, monopole antennas, each 
about 17 feet high and extending approximately 8,600 linear feet.
    Alternatives for both the Transmitter and Receiver sites, including 
the no action alternative, will be addressed in the EIS. Three 
Transmitter site alternatives are located on Navy property on Vieques 
Island, two in the Camp Garcia area and one north of Playa Grande. No 
preferred alternative for the Transmitter site has been identified. A 
preferred alternative for the Receiver site is located on private 
property in the Valle de Lajas, northwest of the Ensenada Community, 
Guanica and southeast of the town of Lajas. The Puerto Rico Industrial 
Development Corporation (PRIDCO) would obtain individual leases from 
property owners and assemble these as one lease to the Navy. 
Alternative Receiver sites, another in the Valle de Lajas and a site 
east of the city of Salinas, have also been identified.
    Major environmental issues identified to be addressed in the EIS 
include wetlands, threatened and endangered species, floodplains, 
historic and pre-historic cultural resources, soil erosion, aesthetics, 
and electromagnetic effects. The Draft EIS is planned to be available 
to the public in early 1995.
    The Department of the Navy will hold two public scoping meetings to 
ensure that all interested parties have the opportunity to identify 
significant issues related to the proposed action. Scoping meetings 
will be held as follows:
     June 9, 1994 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Community 
Center (main street next to public library), La Parguera, PR.
     June 11, 1994 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the 
Municipal Assembly Hall, Vieques, PR.
    Following a brief overview of the proposed action (presented in 
both English and Spanish at each scoping meeting), comments will be 
heard. Each attendee will be requested to indicate, when registering, 
whether he/she intends to deliver oral comments at the meeting. 
Comments may be made in either English or Spanish and will be 
translated sequentially in summary form. In the interest of available 
time, each speaker will be asked to limit oral comments to five 
minutes. All interested federal, Commonwealth, and local agencies, and 
interested persons are invited and encouraged to attend one or both of 
these meetings to submit comments in writing as described below.
    Written statements and/or questions regarding the scoping process 
should be mailed to: Commander, Atlantic Division, Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command, Norfolk, Virginia 23511-6287, Attn: Ms. Linda 
Blount (Code 2032LB), telephone (804) 445-2304. Questions may also be 
directed to Mr. Jose Negron, (809) 865-4429, or CDR Lou Marchett, (809 
865-4152, at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads, or to LCDR Michael 
McCloskey at Commander, Forces Air Caribbean (809) 723-9844. All 
comments must be received no later than June 30, 1994, to ensure 
consideration in preparation of the EIS.

    Dated: May 20, 1994.
Lewis T. Booker, Jr.,
LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 94-12767 Filed 5-24-94; 8:45 am]
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