[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 61 (Friday, March 29, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15275-15276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-7569]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG-2000-8229]


Notice of Availability, Final Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Integrated Deepwater System Project

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) announces the availability of the 
Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) on the 
Integrated Deepwater System Project. This PEIS covers general issues in 
a broad program-oriented analysis encompassing the replacement systems 
proposed by industry and the No-action alternative. The Coast Guard 
seeks public and agency input on the Final PEIS.

DATES: The PEIS will be available on March 29, 2002. Comments must 
reach the Coast Guard on or before April 29, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted in several ways. To make sure your 
comments and related material are not entered more than once in the 
docket, please submit them by only one of the following means:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility [USCG-2000-8229], US 
Department of Transportation, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (2) By delivery to Room PL-401 on the Plaza Level of the Nassif 
Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (3) By fax to the Docket Management Facility at 202-493-2251.
    (4) Electronically through the Web site for the Docket Management 
System at http://dms.dot.gov.
    The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this 
notice. Comments will become part of this docket and will be available 
along with the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for 
inspection or copying at Room PL-401, located on the Plaza Level of the 
Nassif Building at the above address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, expect for Federal holidays. You may also view this 
docket, including this notice and comments, on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
the proposed project, or the associated statement, call LCDR Eric 
Johnson, Deepwater Environmental & Facilities Planner by telephone at 
202-267-1665, or by e-mail at [email protected] or at the Coast 
Guard's Deepwater EIS Web page at http://www.deepwatereis.com/. If you 
have questions on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call 
Dorothy Beard, Chief, Dockets, Department of Transportation, telephone 
202-366-9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

    NEPA provides for a 30-day comment period after publication of the 
Final PEIS, during which the public may comment on the adequacy of 
responses to comments and the Final PEIS. Persons submitting comments 
should include their names and addresses, identify the docket number 
[USCG-2000-8229], and the reason for each comment. You may submit your 
comments by mail, hand delivery, fax or electronic means to the Docket 
Management Facility at the address given under Addresses, but please 
submit your comments and materials by only one means. If you submit 
them by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no 
larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic 
filing. If you submit them by mail and would like to know if they 
reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard 
or envelope. For additional information about this notice of the 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, contact Joan Lang, 
Deepwater Program NEPA Coordinator (under contract to the Coast Guard), 
202-267-0284 or via e-mail at [email protected].

Proposed Action

    In accordance with section 202[2][c] of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), Department 
of Transportation (DOT) Order 5610.1C (Procedures for Considering 
Environmental Impacts), and Coast Guard Policy (NEPA: Implementing 
Procedures and Policy for Considering Environmental Impacts, COMDTINST 
M16475.1D), the Coast Guard has prepared a Final PEIS on the Deepwater 
Program. The purpose of a PEIS is to develop a high-level approach and 
direction for implementing a broad policy or program. The Deepwater 
Program meets those criteria. As a first tier EIS, this PEIS covers 
general issues in a broader program-oriented analysis encompassing the 
replacement systems proposed by industry and the No-action alternative. 
Subsequent NEPA documentation will concentrate on specific implementing 
actions, such as home basing of new ships and aircraft, as required.
    The Coast Guard published a Notice of Intent and Request for Public 
Comments on November 9, 2000 (65 FR 67441). That same Notice included 
the dates and locations of several meetings that were held around the 
country to accept comments on what the Coast Guard should consider in 
its PEIS. During this scoping process, and based on Federal Agency 
comments, it was determined that the PEIS should address two 
alternatives: Action and No-action. The Action Alternatives includes 
the proposed system replacements discussed in the NOI. The Coast Guard 
determined that the best way to describe the impacts of the Action 
Alternative in the programmatic EIS was by combining all of the 
proposals into ranges of asset quantities and types and ranges of 
environmental impacts. This approach protects the procurement-sensitive 
information regarding the specific number and types of assets proposed 
by each industry team. However, to more accurately identify potential 
environmental impacts, the actual numbers and types of each teams' 
assets were used in the impact modes.
    The Coast Guard's ability to predict future environmental impacts 
of this multi-decade acquisition with 100% accuracy is drastically 
reduced by uncertainties with regard to funding, technology, political, 
social and logistic changes. When viewed from a programmatic level, 
these uncertainties more than outweigh any differences that may exist 
among the various proposed system replacements. Therefore, the use of 
ranges to show possible impacts from the two alternatives provides an 
analysis commensurate with the level of detail of the decision being 
made, protects procurement-sensitive information, and provides the 
public with sufficient information to submit informed comments.
    The specific industry team proposal information will be maintained 
in the

[[Page 15276]]

administrative record for Coast Guard agency use only, as described in 
the NOI.
    The Coast Guard published a Notice of Availability of the Draft 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on October 26, 2001 (66 FR 
54324). Comments were originally due on December 10, 2001. However, due 
to delivery problems resulting from anthrax concerns, comments were 
received in January that had been mailed prior to the original 
deadline. These comments were accepted and included in the Final PEIS. 
A total of 28 letters were received from various agencies and the 
public. All comments are discussed, along with any changes made in 
response to the comments, in Appendix M of the Final PEIS. No requests 
for public hearings were received.
    After the 30-day comment period described in the Request for 
Comments section of this notice, a Record of Decision (ROD) detailing 
the Coast Guard's decision of the selected alternative will be prepared 
and published in the Federal Register. The entire ROD will be made 
available for public review at that time.

    Dated: March 13, 2002.
P.M. Stillman,
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Program Executive Officer, Integrated 
Deepwater System.
[FR Doc. 02-7569 Filed 3-28-02; 8:45 am]
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