[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 140 (Monday, July 22, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47776-47777]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-18363]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Air Force


Air Force Space Command

AGENCY: Department of the Air Force, DoD.

ACTION: Amendment of the notice of intent to prepare an Environment 
Impact Statement for actions to sustain operability of Air Force Space 
Command early warning radar sites at Cape Cod Air Force Station (AFS), 
Massachusetts (MA); Beale Air Force Base (AFB), California (CA); and 
Clear AFS, Alaska (AK).

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SUMMARY: The Air Force hereby amends its notice of intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Service Life Extension Program 
(SLEP) action at the Early Warning Radars located at Cape Cod AFS, MA; 
Beale AFB, CA; and Clear AFS, AK, as published in 65 FR 4406, published 
27 January 2000. The Air Force intends to prepare a Supplemental EIS to 
the 1979 EIS on the Operation of the PAVE PAWS Radar System at Otis 
AFB, MA. The Supplemental EIS will address concerns over the possible 
health effects from operation of the early warning radar at Cape Cod 
AFS. The Supplemental EIS will be prepared pursuant to section 
1502.9(c) (2) of the Council on Environmental Quality regulations and 
will include, among other information, the results from ongoing studies 
and efforts that are addressing concerns related to radio frequency 
energy (RFE) from the radar. These studies and efforts include a 
National Research Council study; an RFE survey at Cape Cod, MA; an 
exposure assessment using the results of the RFE survey; a waveform 
characterization study; and a review conducted by the Armed Forces 
Epidemiology Board. The Air Force made the decision to prepare a 
Supplemental EIS following a review of the SLEP EIS process. The review 
was prompted by the decreasing availability of spare parts for the 
early warning radars and increasing concern that the radars were 
becoming unsupportable due to a lack of spare parts. Through the review 
process, which took into account comments received during public 
scoping meetings, the Air Force determined that public concerns 
centered around the possible health effects arising from operation of 
the radars, rather than from the proposed action of replacing outdated 
computer hardware and rehosting software. Replacing computer hardware 
and rehosting software will not change the amount or characteristics of 
the radio frequency energy being transmitted by the radar. Based on 
present calculations, which may change, the Air Force anticipates 
releasing a draft Supplemental EIS in 2004, approximately six months 
after the results from the last of the studies is scheduled to be 
published. The Air Force will prepare site-specific

[[Page 47777]]

environmental assessments (EAs) for the SLEP actions of replacing 
computer hardware and rehosting software at each of the three early 
warning radar sites. Notices will be published in local newspapers when 
the EAs are available for public review.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Novak, HQ AFSPC/CEVP, 150 
Vandenberg Street, Suite 1105, Peterson Air Force Base, CO 80914-2370, 
Fax 719-554-3849.

Pamela D. Fitzgerald,
Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 02-18363 Filed 7-19-02; 8:45 am]
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