[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 158 (Tuesday, August 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49792-49793]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20680]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Introduction of the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle to First Marine 
Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: 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), the Department of the 
Navy intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to 
evaluate the environmental effects of introducing the Advanced 
Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV) to First Marine Expeditionary Force, 
and replacing existing support facilities for maintenance and training 
of their crews at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton.

DATES: Scoping comments are due by September 30, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The Marine Corps will hold public scoping meetings on August 
29, 2000, from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm, at the City of Oceanside Civic 
Center (Community Room) located at 300 North Coast Highway, Oceanside, 
California; on August 31, 2000, from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm, at the City 
of San Clemente Community Center (Ole Hanson Room) located at 100 North 
Seville, San Clemente, California; and on September 7, 2000, from 5:00 
pm to 8:30 pm, at the Coronado Public Library (Winn Room) located at 
640 Orange Avenue, Coronado, California. The public can attend the 
meetings at Oceanside and San Clemente anytime between 7:00 and 10:30 
pm, and at Coronado anytime between 5:00 pm and 8:30 pm to provide 
their comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Commander, Southwest Division, Naval 
Facilities Engineering Command, 1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 
92132-5190 (Attn: Mrs. Jo Ellen Anderson, Telephone: 619-532-4142).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The AAAV represents a new technology in 
armored amphibious assault vehicles. It uses different propulsion 
systems when operating in the water and on land and will replace the 
aging Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7A1 currently used by the Marine 
Corps. The first AAAV is scheduled for delivery to the Marine Corps in 
2005.
    The AAAV mission will be to provide the principle means of land 
mobility, water mobility and fire support to Marine infantry units 
during operations in all terrain and climates. It will be capable of 
providing high-speed transport of embarked Marines from ships located 
beyond the horizon to inland objectives. It will operate in all 
climates and terrain, at night, on land, at sea and in all-weather 
conditions. The AAAV will function on land as an armored personnel 
carrier and as such the infantry carried inside will dismount to fight/
engage.
    It will be a tracked-amphibious vehicle possessing both land and 
water mobility and is designed to have an endurance of 250 miles after 
a high-speed water march of 25 nautical miles. The estimated weight of 
the AAAV is 38 tons and it will measure approximately 30 feet long, 12 
feet wide, and 10 feet high. The vehicle mounts a 30mm Automatic Gun 
and a 7.62mm co-axial machine gun. The AAAV vehicle will be operated/
maintained by a crew of 3 Marines and have a troop carrying capacity of 
up to 18 infantry Marines.
    The Marine Corps intends to introduce the AAAV into the Fleet 
Marine Force in three phases, beginning with the First Marine 
Expeditionary Force. AAAV introduction to Second and Third Marine 
Expeditionary Forces would commence after introduction to the First 
Marine Expeditionary Force is complete.
    The proposal being evaluated in this EIS is the replacement of 
existing Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7A1s with AAAVs in the First Marine 
Expeditionary Force, the replacement of the training facility used for 
the Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7A1, and renovation of the existing 
maintenance and testing facilities used for the Amphibious Assault 
Vehicle 7A1. Third Amphibious Assault Battalion would receive 169 AAAV 
vehicles,

[[Page 49793]]

Amphibious Assault Schools Battalion would receive 35 AAAV vehicles, 
and Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch would receive 7 AAAV vehicles.
    Introduction of the AAAV to First Marine Expeditionary Force at MCB 
Camp Pendleton would involve conducting training exercises on existing 
ranges, roads and trails within existing training areas of MCB Camp 
Pendleton, expanding the ocean training area outward (past 24 nautical 
miles) from the MCB Camp Pendleton beaches to conduct over-the-horizon 
training, and conducting exercises and operations using AAAVs at San 
Clemente Island, Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Coronado, and Naval Radio 
Receiving Facility (NRRF) Imperial Beach. No sea to sea, or sea to 
shore, live firing will be conducted at MCB Camp Pendleton. However, 
sea-to-shore live firing exercises are proposed for the Shore 
Bombardment Area of San Clemente Island. Finally, administrative 
landings on NAB Coronado and NRRF Imperial Beach are proposed; no 
extensive land maneuvering or live-fire would be conducted.
    Alternatives identified so far include no action, and construction, 
designation and operation of facilities and training areas on several 
locations at Camp Pendleton.
    Environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS include: geological 
resources, biological resources, water resources, noise, air quality, 
land use compatibility, cultural resources, socioeconomic, 
environmental justice, public health and safety, transportation/
circulation, aesthetics, utilities, hazardous materials, and solid 
waste.
    The Marine Corps is initiating a scoping process for the purpose of 
determining the extent of issues to be addressed and identifying the 
significant issues related to this action. The Marine Corps will hold 
public scoping meetings on August 29, 2000, from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm, 
at the City of Oceanside Civic Center (Community Room) located at 300 
North Coast Highway, Oceanside, California; on August 31, 2000, from 
7:00 pm to 10:30 pm, at the City of San Clemente Community Center (Ole 
Hanson Room) located at 100 North Seville, San Clemente, California; 
and on September 7, 2000, from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Coronado 
Public Library (Winn Room), located at 640 Orange Avenue, Coronado, 
California. The public can attend the meetings at Oceanside and San 
Clemente anytime between 7:00 pm and 10:30 pm, and at Coronado anytime 
between 5:00 pm and 8:30 pm to provide their comments. These meetings 
will be advertised in area newspapers.
    Marine Corps representatives will be available at these meetings to 
receive comments from the public regarding issues of concern to the 
public. Federal, state and local agencies, and interested individuals 
are encouraged to take this opportunity to identify environmental 
concerns that should be addressed during the preparation of the EIS. 
Agencies and the public are also invited and encouraged to provide 
written comment on scoping issues in addition to, or in lieu of, oral 
comments at the public meeting. To be most helpful, scoping comments 
should clearly describe specific issues or topics that the commentor 
believes the EIS, should address. Written statements and or questions 
regarding the scoping process should be mailed to: Commander, Southwest 
Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 1220 Pacific Highway, 
San Diego, CA 92132-5190 (Attn: Mrs. Jo Ellen Anderson, telephone 619-
532-4142). All comments must be received no later than September 30, 
2000.

    Dated: August 9, 2000
 Duncan Holaday,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Facilities).
[FR Doc. 00-20680 Filed 8-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P