[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 197 (Thursday, October 12, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53171-53172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-25271]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Disposal of U.S. Navy Shipboard Solid Waste

    Pursuant to Executive Order 12114 (Environmental Effects Abroad of 
Major Federal Actions) and Section 102(2)(c) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council 
on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the 
Department of the Navy is announcing its intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for disposal of U.S. Navy 
shipboard solid waste as defined in the International Convention for 
the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL V) (1973).
    The work process will entail the compilation, analysis, and 
extrapolation of relevant data necessary to investigate specific issues 
and potential environmental impacts associated with disposal of U.S. 
Navy shipboard solid waste for Navy vessels operating world wide, with 
special emphasis given to the special areas identified under MARPOL V.
    The Department of the Navy initially announced its intent to 
develop a plan for compliance with Regulation 5 of Annex V to the 
MARPOL Convention in the Federal Register on July 21, 1994. That 
Federal Register Notice discussed the background issues surrounding 
shipboard solid waste disposal, the underlying requirements of 
international conventions and U.S. domestic laws, the requirement to 
submit a special area compliance plan to Congress by November 1996, and 
the requirement to ensure public participation in the development of 
that plan. The Department of the Navy held a public meeting in 
September 1994 to solicit public comments on preparation of a special 
area compliance plan.
    The Department of the Navy has determined that it is appropriate at 
this time to evaluate the environmental impacts of alternative methods 
for disposal of shipboard solid waste identified in the July 21, 1994 
Federal Register Notice. The Department of the Navy intends to use the 
EIS to support recommendations in a report to be submitted to Congress 
by November 1996. Even though the scope of the geographic area covered 
in the EIS will be broader than that covered by the special area 
compliance plan, the EIS and the plan will discuss the same range of 
alternatives. Consequently, comments received during the EIS scoping 
process will be considered as comments on the development of the 
special area compliance plan as well.
    The Navy will evaluate the potential environmental impacts 
associated with the following solid waste disposal alternatives for 
Navy vessels:
    a. Store and/or retrograde all non-food solid waste; discharge food 
waste overboard in accordance with current restrictions and 
requirements.
    b. Store and retrograde plastics; discharge food waste overboard in 
accordance with current restrictions and requirements; pulp or shred 
and discharge all other solid waste.
    c. Store and retrograde plastics; discharge food waste overboard in 
accordance with current restrictions and requirements; develop high-
tech Thermal Destruction solution (e.g., incineration and plasma arc 
pyrolysis) for all other solid waste.
    d. No-action: Discharge solid waste overboard in accordance with 
the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships [33 U.S.C. 1902(c)(3)] and the 
Navy's Environment and Natural Resources Program Manual [Chief of Naval 
Operations Instruction 5090.1B], i.e., discharge of non-plastic 

[[Page 53172]]
solid waste at distances greater than 25 NM from the coast.
    Analysis of alternatives will include, at a minimum, the following 
components:
    a. Cause/effect relationship of discharge (by alternative type) 
within the marine and nearshore environs of all designated special 
areas and world-wide oceans through direct use and/or extrapolation of 
available data/information or compiled from review of pertinent 
scientific literature.
    b. Impact on health and morale of ship crews.
    c. Impact on operational readiness.
    Federal, state, and local agencies, and interested individuals are 
encouraged to participate in the scoping process for the EIS to 
determine the range of issues and alternatives to be addressed. Two 
public scoping meetings to receive oral and written comments will be 
held: (1) At 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 24, 1995, at Old Colony Inn, 
625 First Street, Alexandria, VA 22314; and (2) at 7:00 p.m. on 
Thursday, October 26, 1995, at Clift Hotel, 495 Geary Street, San 
Francisco, CA 94102. In the interest of available time, each speaker 
will be asked to limit oral comments to five (5) minutes. Longer 
comments should be summarized at the public meeting or mailed to the 
address listed at the end of this announcement.
    All written comments should be submitted no later than 30 November 
1995 to Mr. Robert Ostermueller, Planner In Charge (PIC), Northern 
Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 10 Industrial Highway, 
Mail Stop #82, Lester, PA 19113-2090, telephone (610) 595-0759, fax 
(610) 595-0778.

    Dated: October 6, 1995.
M.D. Schetzsle,
Lt, JAGS, USN, Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 95-25271 Filed 10-11-95; 8:45 am]
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