[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 141 (Monday, July 24, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37883-37884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-18110]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for Construction and Operation of a Relocatable Over the 
Horizon Radar, Puerto Rico

    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 Common wealth of Puerto 
Rico Public Law Number Nine, Section 4(c), the Department of Navy, has 
prepared and filed with the US Environmental Protection Agency the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the construction and 
operation of a Relocatable Over the Horizon Radar (ROTHR) system in 
Puerto Rico.
    The ROTHR is a land-based, wide area surveillance, high frequency 
(HF), radar system, which permits detection and tracking 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 the source countries. It 
will complement existing ROTHR systems in Virginia and Texas by 
providing coverage of 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 Chesapeake, Virginia.
    The Transmitter will require approximately 50 acres of land and 
will consist of 35 antennas, 14 equipment shelters, and a 6,500 square 
foot building. The towers would range in height from 71 feet to 125 
feet.
    The Receiver will require an area of about 100 acres and would 
contain 372 pairs of 19-foot high aluminum monopole antennas, each 
about six inches in diameter, and 17 equipment shelters. This 100-acre 
area would be accessed and used only by the Navy. An additional area of 
about 850 acres would be required to serve as a buffer from development 
that could produce radio interference. One hundred acres of the 850-
acre area would be subject to height restrictions. Farming and grazing 
could continue in the buffer area.
    Alternatives for both the Transmitter and Receiver sites, including 
the no action alternative, have been addressed in the DEIS. Three 
Transmitter site alternatives are located on Navy property on Vieques 
Island; two in the Camp Garcia area and one site, the preferred site, 
is located north of Playa Grande. Two alternative Receiver sites in the 
Valle de Lajas have been addressed in the DEIS. The preferred 
alternative for the Receiver site is located on private property in the 
Valle de Lajas, northwest of the Enseda Community, Guanica and 
southwest of the town of Lajas.
    The DEIS has been prepared to address the environmental 
consequences of construction and operation of the ROTHR on Puerto Rico. 
Potential impacts addressed include, but are not limited to, land use, 
wetlands, threatened and endangered species, historic and pre-historic 
cultural resources, water resources, and electromagnetic effects.
    The DEIS has been distributed to various federal, Commonwealth, and 
local agencies, elected officials, special interest groups, and 
libraries. The DEIS is available for review at the following locations: 
Town Hall, Municipality of Vieques, Vieques Island, PR; Public Library, 
Municipality of Lajas, PR; and Mayor's Office, Lajas, PR.
    The Department of the Navy will hold two public hearings to inform 
the public of the DEIS findings and to solicit comments. Hearings will 
be held on August 8, 1995 from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM at the Municipal 
Theater, Lajas, PR; and August 10, 1995 from 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM at the 
Town Hall Community Center, Vieques, PR.
    Following a brief overview of the proposed action (presented in 
both English and Spanish at each public hearing), comments will be 
heard. Each attendee will be requested to indicate when registering 
whether he/she intends to deliver oral comments at the hearing. 
Comments may be made in either English or Spanish. In the interest of 
available time, each speaker will be asked to limit oral comments to 
five minutes. All federal, Commonwealth, local agencies, and interested 
persons are invited and encouraged to attend one or both of these 
hearings or to submit comments in writing as described below.
    Written statements and/or comments regarding the DEIS should be 
mailed to: Department of the Navy, Commander, Atlantic Division, Naval 
Facilities Engineering Command, 1510 Gilbert Street, Norfolk, VA 23511-
2699 (Attn. Ms. Linda Blount, Code 2032LB). Questions may be directed 
to Ms. Linda Blount, (804) 322-4892 or Sr. Jose Negron, Commander Fleet 
Air, Caribbean, (809) 865-4429. All comments must be postmarked no 
later 

[[Page 37884]]
than September 5, 1995 to become part of the official record.

    Dated: July 19, 1995.
W.A. Miller,
CDR, JAGC, USN, Acting Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 95-18110 Filed 7-21-95; 8:45 am]
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