[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 57 (Friday, March 23, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16186-16187]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-7234]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Defense Logistics Agency


Notice of Public Scoping Meetings on the Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Long Term Management of the 
National Defense Stockpile Inventory of Excess Mercury

AGENCY: Defense National Stockpile Center (DNSC), DoD.

ACTION: Notice of public scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: In the February 5, 2001 Federal Register (pages 8947-8949), 
DNSC announced in a Notice of Intent (NOI) that it will prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) that will evaluate alternative 
strategies for managing the Department of Defense stockpile of excess 
mercury, and hold public scoping meetings. The Notice of Intent (NOI) 
did not include the specific details of the public scoping meetings. 
This notice announces the locations, dates, times and format of the 
scoping meetings. This notice is provided in accordance with the 
Council on Environmental Quality's regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) 
and the Defense Logistic Agency's (DLA) regulations (DLAR 1000.22) 
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Because some 
of the excess mercury to be considered in the Mercury Management EIS is 
currently stored at the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Y-12 National 
Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, DOE is a cooperating agency 
for the preparation of this EIS.

DATES: Public scoping meetings are scheduled to be held as follows: 
April 19, 2001 in Niles, OH; April 24 in New Haven, IN; May 1 in 
Washington, DC; May 8 in Oak Ridge, TN; and May 22 in Hillsborough, NJ. 
The times and locations of the meetings are provided in the 
Supplementary Information section. The scoping period ends on June 30, 
2001. Comments on the scope of the Mercury Management EIS must be 
postmarked, e-mailed, or otherwise submitted no later than this date.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to: Project Manager, Mercury 
Management EIS; DNSC-E; Defense Logistics Agency; Defense National 
Stockpile Center, 8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 4616, Fort Belvoir, 
VA. 22060-6223.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for information can be made 
by: leaving a voice message at 1-888-306-6682; faxing a message to 1-
888-306-8818; emailing a request to [email protected]; or 
accessing the Mercury Management EIS web-site at www.mercuryeis.com.
    For information concerning DOE's NEPA process, contact Ms. Carol 
Borgstrom, Director, Office of NEPA Policy and Compliance (EH-42), U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington DC, 
20585. Telephone 202-586-4610, leaving a message at 1-800-472-2756, or 
access tis.eh.doe.gov/NEPA.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In the February 5, 2001 Federal Register (pages 8947-8949), DNSC, 
part of the DLA within the U.S. Department of Defense, announced that 
it will prepare an EIS that assesses alternative ways of managing the 
National Defense Stockpile inventory of excess mercury. Because the 
mercury has been declared excess to national defense needs, DNSC must 
decide on a strategy for managing the excess mercury. DNSC is 
responsible for the safe, secure, and environmentally sound stewardship 
for all commodities in the National Defense Stockpile inventory, 
including the inventory of excess mercury. The inventory of 
approximately 4,890 tons (4,440 metric tons) of excess mercury is 
currently stored in enclosed warehouses at four locations. Most of the 
excess inventory, about 2,882 tons (75,980 flasks), is stored at the 
Somerville Depot near Somerville, NJ; Approximately 770 tons (20,276 
flasks) are stored at the DOE Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak 
Ridge, TN; and 621 tons (16,355 flasks) are stored at the Warren Depot 
near Warren, OH. The remainder, approximately 614 tons (16,151 flasks), 
is stored at the Casad Depot near New Haven, IN. DNSC will use the EIS 
process to involve the public and to ensure that the public has an 
opportunity to comment on what should be done regarding the management 
of this mercury.

Scoping

    DNSC invites Federal agencies, state, local and tribal governments, 
the general public, and the international community to comment on both 
the scope of environmental and socioeconomic issues and the management 
alternatives that should be addressed in the EIS. The public scoping 
period began with the publication of the Notice of Intent in the 
Federal Register on February 5, 2001 and will continue until June 30, 
2001. DNSC will consider all comments received or postmarked by the end 
of the comment period in defining the

[[Page 16187]]

scope of this EIS. Comments received after that date will be considered 
to the extent practicable.
    As part of the scoping process, DNSC has scheduled public meetings 
at the following locations:

April 19, 2001, 5:30 to 9 pm
McMenamy's Multipurpose Complex
325 Youngstown-Warren Road
Niles, Ohio

April 24, 2001, 5:30 to 9 pm
Park Hill Learning Center
1000 Prospect Avenue
New Haven, Indiana

May 1, 2001, 1:30 to 5 pm
Marriott Metro Center
775 12th Street, NW
Washington, DC

May 8, 2001, 5:30 to 9 pm
Garden Plaza Hotel
215 S. Illinois Avenue
Oak Ridge, Tennessee

May 22, 2001, 5:30 to 9 pm
Hillsborough High School
466 Raider Boulevard
Hillsborough, New Jersey

    The registration desk and the exhibit area will open at 5:30 pm 
(1:30 pm for the Washington, DC meeting) and remain open for three and 
one-half hours. The exhibit area will be staffed by DNSC officials and 
others who can answer questions about the scope and content of the 
Mercury Management EIS.
    At 7 pm (3 pm for the Washington, DC meeting), DNSC will provide a 
short presentation on the EIS process and the anticipated scope of the 
Mercury Management EIS. Following the DNSC presentation, elected or 
appointed officials, organizations, and individuals will be invited to 
offer their verbal comments. Speakers will be allotted five minutes 
each. The meetings will be managed by a facilitator who will help keep 
the meetings focused on obtaining public input on the scope and content 
of the EIS.
    Advance registration for the public meetings is requested but not 
required. Requests to speak at the scoping meetings may be made by 
writing to the Mercury Management EIS project manager (see ADDRESSES, 
above), by calling the toll free phone number (1-888-306-6682) by 4 pm 
EST the day before the meeting, or in person at the meeting. If you 
call to pre-register, please leave your name, the organization you 
represent, and the location of the meeting you plan to attend. Speakers 
will be heard on a first-come, first-served basis as time permits. 
Speakers do not have to pre-register, but are encouraged to do so to 
ensure that they are allotted a time to speak. Comments will be 
recorded by a court reporter and will become a part of the meeting 
record. Speakers are encouraged to provide written versions of their 
spoken comments. The facilitator and DNSC staff may ask questions to 
clarify the speaker's comments.
    Written comments will be accepted at the meetings and comment forms 
will be provided for this purpose. Written and spoken comments will be 
given equal weight in the scoping process. For those individuals who 
prefer to make verbal comments prior to or after the formal 
presentation, a court reporter will be available in the exhibit area.
    All meeting facilities are handicapped accessible. Persons that are 
hearing impaired or have other special requirements should contact the 
Project Manager in advance so that arrangements may be made to 
accommodate their needs.
    Input from the scoping meetings along with comments received by 
other means (i.e., mail, phone, fax, email, and web-site) will be used 
by DNSC in refining the scope of the EIS. Issues raised at the scoping 
meetings will be documented in the Scope of Statement for the Mercury 
Management EIS. The objective of this report is to summarize the 
essence of the comments received in a clear, concise manner, and 
accurately portray the planned scope of the EIS. The Scope of Statement 
will be distributed to information repositories near the scoping 
meeting locations, accessible via the EIS web site, and mailed out upon 
request. The repository locations are listed below and are also 
provided on the Mercury Management EIS web site at www.mercuryeis.com.

Allen County Public Library
435 Ann Street
New Haven, Indiana 46774

Bridgewater Branch Library
N. Bridge Street and Vogt Drive
Bridgewater, New Jersey 08807

Fairfax County Public Library
12000 Government Center Parkway, Suite 324
Fairfax, VA 22035

Martin Luther King Jr. Library
901 G Street NW
Washington, DC 20001

Oak Ridge Public Library
1401 Oak Ridge Turnpike
Oak Ridge, TN 37830

Raritan Valley Community College
Evelyn S. Field Library, North Branch
Route 28 and Lamington Road
Somerville, New Jersey 08876

Somerville Public Library
35 West End Avenue
Somerville, New Jersey 08876

Warren-Trumbull County Public Library
444 Mahoning Avenue, NW
Warren, Ohio 44483

West End Branch Library
1101 24th and L Street, NW
Washington, DC 20037


    Issued in Fort Belvoir, VA, on this 16th day of March 2001.
Richard J. Connelly,
Administrator, Defense National Stockpile Center.
[FR Doc. 01-7234 Filed 3-22-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3620-01-M