[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 93 (Monday, May 13, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 22028]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-11860]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Construction and Operation of an East Coast Shallow Water Training 
Range

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 12114, and the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508), the Department of 
Navy announces its intent to prepare an environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the construction and operation of a shallow water training 
range (SWTR) near the coast of the United States. The proposed action 
involves the establishment of an instrumented range in water depths of 
120 to 1200 feet.
    The project is proposed to meet the new need for shallow water 
submarine training for the Atlantic Fleet. The action seaward of 12 
nautical miles (nm), which will be evaluated under EO 12114, includes 
installation of bottom-mounted transducers, which will collect 
information about naval units training in the SWTR. This information 
will be used to monitor and evaluate the performance of these units 
during training operations. The SWTR will also be used in conjunction 
with other offshore air, land, and water-based training activities. The 
SWTR will be built in four phases of 125 square nautical miles each. 
The transducers will be connected to the shore by cable, and may be 
trenched in using standard telephone cabling technology. The action to 
be evaluated under NEPA includes the cable placement and the shore-
based construction associated with the SWTR.
    Alternatives to be addressed in the EIS will focus on means of 
meeting training requirements, including alternative onshore 
construction sites, and offshore training sites. In order to take 
advantage of nearby naval facilities such as homeports and training 
facilities, four sites were evaluated in a site alternatives study: 
offshore of Cape Ann, Massachusetts (in the Gulf of Maine); offshore of 
Wallops Island, Virginia; offshore of the New River, North Carolina; 
and offshore of Charleston, South Carolina. The Cape Ann and Charleston 
sites were eliminated as unreasonable because they did not meet 
operational requirements. The site off of Wallops Island, Virginia, and 
the site offshore of the New River, North Carolina are the reasonable 
alternatives that will be evaluated in the EIS.

ADDRESSES: Agencies and the public are encouraged to provide written 
scoping comments. To be most helpful, comments should clearly describe 
specific issues or topics which the EIS should address. Written 
comments should be postmarked by June 3, 1996, and should be mailed to 
Commanding Officer, Altantic Division, Naval Facilities Engineering 
Command, 1510 Gilbert Street, Norfolk, VA 23511-6287, (Attn: Mr. Jim 
Haluska, Code 2032JH), telephone (804) 322-4889, facsimile (804) 322-
4894.

    Dated: April 30, 1996.
M.A. Waters,
LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 96-11860 Filed 5-10-96; 8:45 am]
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