[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 158 (Tuesday, August 17, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44716-44717]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-21318]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for the San Clemente Island 
Range Complex

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) as implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and 
Executive Order 12114 (Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal 
Actions), the Department of the Navy (Navy) announces its intent to 
prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Overseas Environmental 
Impact Statement (OEIS) to evaluate the potential environmental effects 
of enhancing the capabilities and increasing the frequency and scale of 
training on the San Clemente Island Range Complex (SCIRC).

DATES: The meetings will be held September 14-16, 1999, beginning at 
6:00 p.m. each day. Additional information concerning meeting times 
will be available at the San Clemente Island EIS web page located at: 
http://www.cnbsd.navy.mil/Facility/sci.htm.

ADDRESSES: The first meeting will be held at Bayside Convention Center, 
2575 Stockton Road, Building 623 (the old Base Chapel), Naval Training 
Center San Diego. The second meeting will be held at Sheraton Los 
Angeles Harbor Hotel, 601 S. Palos Verdes Street, San Pedro, 
California. The third meeting will be held at DoubleTree Guest Suites, 
34555 Casitas Place, Dana Point, CA. The meetings will be announced in 
local newspapers.
    Written statements and/or questions regarding the scoping process 
should be mailed no later than October 1, 1999 to: Naval Air Station, 
North Island, Environmental Department, (Attn: Carrie Anne Downey, San 
Clemente Island, Environmental Impact Statement Comments) P.O. Box 
357088 San Diego, CA 92135-7088. To be most helpful, comments should 
clearly describe specific issues or topics which the commentator 
believes the EIS should address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carrie Anne Downey, Naval Air Station, 
North Island, Environmental Department, San Clemente Island, P.O. Box 
357088 San Diego, CA 92135-7088, telephone (619) 545-3845, FAX (619) 
545-3489, e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SCIRC consists of San Clemente Island 
(SCI) land, air and sea training ranges and designated operational 
areas to the south and west of SCI which are controlled by a single 
command and control system on SCI.
    The geographic scope of the EIS/OEIS is the SCIRC. This integrated 
set of ranges and operational areas covers approximately 2,620 square 
nautical miles (nm) and is located 68 nm west of San Diego. The command 
and control system and supporting infrastructure emanate from SCI which 
is approximately 21 nm (39 km) long and 4 and one-half nm (8.3 km) at 
its widest point. The SCIRC consists of more than six dozen ranges and 
operational areas. The extent of these areas range from the ocean floor 
to an altitude of 80,000 feet. The study area extends from the shore of 
SCI about 10 nm (18 km) to the north and east and 60 nm (111 km) to the 
west and south.
    San Clemente Island has been operated by Navy as a tactical 
training range and testing area for over 70 years. Tactical training 
ranges and operational areas provide space and facilities where U.S. 
military forces can conduct exercises in a safe, controlled 
environment. The SCIRC is the cornerstone of tactical training in the 
Southern California region. The primary purpose of the Complex is to 
provide readiness training for units and personnel who deploy overseas 
to meet the national strategy of forward presence and global 
engagement. Among the evolving needs that precipitated the proposed 
action are the need for more training in: littoral warfare, including 
mine counter-measures; electronic warfare; missile firing; operations 
in the shore bombardment area (SHOBA), amphibious operations; and Naval 
Special Warfare. Increased need for test and evaluation activities is 
also anticipated.
    The proposed action would enhance the capabilities of the SCIRC to 
meet current and anticipated fleet training and readiness needs, and 
support research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) activities 
by: (a) Instrumenting a shallow water extension to the current deep-
water range; (b) expanding the scope of amphibious operations to 
include a battalion size landing; (c) defining land training areas and 
ranges (TARS); (d) increasing the frequency of training and testing 
activities currently conducted at SCIRC; (e) reviewing the optimum

[[Page 44717]]

configuration of land uses on San Clemente Island; and (f) developing 
procedures to ensure statutory obligations for endangered species, 
natural, and cultural resources are met while minimizing operational 
constraints. Each of these qualitative actions is needed for Navy and 
Marine Corps units to reach the fully ready level required for 
deployment.
    The EIS/OEIS will consider a range of alternatives consisting of 
various combinations of the above elements. The No Action Alternative, 
consisting of training and testing activities at current levels of 
operations, will also be evaluated.
    Environmental issues that will be addressed in the EIS/OEIS include 
but are not limited to: air quality, noise, vegetation and wildlife 
(including marine mammals and endangered species), cultural resources, 
land use, water quality, public health and safety and socioeconomics 
(including environmental justice).
    In accordance with NEPA, Navy will initiate a public scoping 
process to assist in identifying relevant environmental issues to be 
analyzed in this EIS/OEIS. Federal, state, and local agencies and other 
interested parties are invited and encouraged to participate in the 
scoping process. Navy will hold three public meetings. Each meeting 
will consist of an informal information session, staffed by Navy 
representatives, to be followed by a brief presentation which discusses 
current operations in the SCI Range Complex and a description of the 
proposed action and alternatives. Comments will be entered into the 
official record in several ways. Members of the public can contribute 
oral or written comments at the scoping meetings, or subsequent to the 
meetings by mail, fax, or e-mail. Technical statements or statements of 
considerable length should be submitted in writing. Oral comments may 
be made at the scoping meeting and will be limited to 3 minutes per 
individual. All comments, whether oral or written, will receive the 
same consideration during EIS/OEIS preparation. Individuals or groups 
with special needs, such as accessibility, foreign language 
translation, assistance for the blind or hearing impaired, should 
contact this agency by September 5, 1999.

    Dated: August 11, 1999.
J.L. Roth,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-21318 Filed 8-16-99; 8:45 am]
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