[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 242 (Friday, December 15, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 78475]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32046]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Notice of Availability of The National Missile Defense Deployment 
Final Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Ballistic Missile Defense 
Organization, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) announces 
the availability of the National Missile Defense (NMD) Deployment Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The FEIS assesses the potential 
impacts associated with the deployment of the NMD system.

DATES: The review period for the FEIS will end on January 16, 2001 and 
comments must be received by this date.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and inquiries on the FEIS or a request for 
a copy of the FEIS should be directed to: SMDC-EM-V (Ms. Julia Hudson), 
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, PO Box 1500, Huntsville, 
AL 35807-3801, telephone (256) 955-4822.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Julia Hudson, telephone (256) 955-
4822.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BMDO announced the availability of the 
National Missile Defense Deployment Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) on October 1, 1999 (64 FR 190 53364) providing notice 
that the DEIS was available for comment. The public review period was 
from October 1, 1999 through January 19, 2000. Public hearings were 
held October 26 through November 9, 1999. Comments from the DEIS review 
and public hearings have been considered and included along with 
responses in the FEIS. Additionally, availability of an Upgraded Early 
Warning Radar Supplement to the NMD Deployment DEIS was announced on 
March 3, 2000 (65 FR 43 11560) with the public comment period from 
March 3, 2000 to May 12, 2000. This analysis and the comments and 
responses to the supplement to the DEIS have been included in the NMD 
Deployment FEIS.
    The NMD system would be a fixed, land-based, non-nuclear missile 
defense system with a land and space-based detection system capable of 
responding to limited strategic ballistic missile threats to the United 
States. Potential deployment locations for the NMD elements include 
sites in Alaska and North Dakota. In addition, as the operational 
requirements are refined other regions may be identified.
    The Preferred Alternative is deployment of a NMD system with up to 
100 Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) silos and Battle Management Command 
and Control (BMC2) facilities at Fort Greely, Alaska; and an X-Band 
Radar (XBR) at Eareckson Air Station (AS) (Shemya Island), Alaska. 
Under the Preferred Alternative, the NMD system would make use of the 
existing Early Warning Radars (EWR), upgraded for NMD and the existing 
space-based detection system that would be in place at the time of 
deployment. The existing EWRs are located at Beale Air Force Base 
(AFB), California, Clear AS, Alaska, and Cape Cod AS, Massachusetts. If 
the proposed action to modify the EWRS to support a NMD deployment is 
selected, its implementation is contingent upon the outcome of the Air 
Force EIS that addresses modernization, maintenance, and sustainment of 
operations at the three radar facilities. The BMDO would reassess its 
proposed usage of the EWR facilities in light of the results of the Air 
Force EIS prior to installation of the NMD modifications. Due to the 
ongoing development of the operational requirements, proposed In-Flight 
Interceptor Communication System (IFICS) Data Terminals locations were 
not identified as the EIS was being drafted. The FEIS therefore 
analyzed the expected impacts on a programmatic basis. The BMDO will 
perform supplemental, site-specific environmental analysis for the 
IFICS data terminals and fiber optic cable line alignments, as 
required, based on the initial analysis in the FEIS.
    Copies of the FEIS have been distributed to Federal, state, and 
local agencies; public officials; and organizations and individuals 
that previously requested copies of the DEIS or FEIS. Copies of the 
FEIS will be available for review at public libraries in communities 
adjacent to the potential NMD deployment sites. These communities 
include: Cavalier, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Langdon in North Dakota; 
Anchorage, Anderson, Delta Junction, Fairbanks, Healy, Kodiak, and 
Nenana in Alaska; Live Oak, Marysville, and Yuba City in California; 
Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, Sandwich, and West Barnstable in 
Massachusetts. The library locations and the FEIS are also available on 
the BMDO internet site:

www.acq.ods.mil/bmdo/bmdolink/html/nmd.html.

    Dated: December 11, 2000.
Patricia L. Toppings,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 00-32046 Filed 12-14-00; 8:45 am]
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