[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 251 (Friday, December 29, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 82983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-33281]
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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: 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 possible deployment of the NMD system.
COMMENTS: The review period for the FEIS will end on January 29, 2001
and comments must be received by this date. Written comments and
inquiries on the FEIS or a request for a copy of the FEIS should be
directed to: SMDC-EN-V (Ms. Julia Hudson), U.S. Army Space and Missile
Defense Command, PO Box 1500, Huntsville, AL 35807-3801, 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. A
decision on implementation of the EWR upgrades for NMD, however, is
contingent upon the outcome of the U.S. Air Force's EIS that addresses
modernization, maintenance, and sustainment of operations of the three
radar facilities. Since the In-Flight Interceptor Communications System
(IFICS) Data Terminals locations have not been identified, no preferred
location has been selected.
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, Falmount, Mashpee, Sandwich, and West Barnstable in
Massachusetts. The library locations and the FEIS are also available on
the BMDO internet site: www.acq.osd.mil/bmdo/bmdolink/html/nmd.html.
Dated: December 1, 2000.
L.M. Bynum,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liason Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 00-33281 Filed 12-28-00; 8:45 am]
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