[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Page 59494]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-24187]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Preparation of a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement 
(SEIS) for the Airborne Laser (ABL) Program

AGENCY: Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: MDA announces the availability of a draft supplement to the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Program Definition and 
Risk Reduction (PDRR) Phase of the Airborne Laser Program (April 1997) 
(FEIS) and Record of Decision (September 1997). This draft Supplemental 
EIS (SEIS) analyzes proposed ABL Program test activities at Kirtland 
Air Force Base (KAFB), Holloman Air Force Base (HAFB), and White Sands 
Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico; and Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), 
Vandenberg Air Force Base (VAFB), and the adjacent Naval Air Warfare 
Center Weapons Division (NAWCWPNS) Sea Range, Point Mugu, California. 
The draft SEIS has been prepared in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq.), and the 
Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for implementing the 
procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508).
    The ABL is a laser weapon system installed on a Boeing 747-400F 
aircraft capable of operating for extended periods of time. Up to two 
such aircraft would be developed. The ABL weapon system would include 
four lasers:
    [sbull] Active Ranging System (ARS) Laser (a small carbon dioxide 
laser used to begin tracking a target),
    [sbull] Track Illuminator Laser (TILL), (a solid state laser used 
to provide detailed tracking of a target),
    [sbull] Beacon Illuminator Laser (BILL), (a solid state laser used 
to measure atmospheric distortion), and
    [sbull] High-Energy Laser (HEL), (i.e., Chemical Oxygen-Iodine 
Laser (COIL), which is a chemical laser used to destroy a target.
    An additional laser, a surrogate for the High-Energy Laser (SHEL), 
will be used during testing in place of the HEL. The SHEL is a low-
power solid-state laser that would be used in both ground- and flight-
testing. The ABL also would include an Infrared Search and Track sensor 
(IRST) (a passive infrared device used to identify heat sources). The 
1997 PDRR ABL FEIS analyzed use of a COIL HEL on board an aircraft to 
destroy ballistic missiles on the boost phase. The Record of Decision 
(ROD) on the FEIS documented the Air Force's decision to proceed with 
PDRR phase ABL home base activities at EAFB, diagnostic test activities 
over WSMR, and expanded area test activities at VAFB and the NAWCWPNS 
Sea Range. Since completion of the FEIS, specific proposed test 
activities have been identified and additional information made 
available about the proposed testing that warrant preparation of a 
SEIS.

Comments

    To obtain a copy of the supplement to the 1997 FEIS and Record of 
Decision, please write to: Mr. Charles J. Brown, Environmental 
Coordinator, Project Execution Division, Headquarters, Air Force Center 
for Environmental Excellence, 3207 Sidney Brooks Road, Building 532, 
Brooks AFB, TX 78235-5363 or a copy of it can also be accessed at 
``http://www.hqafcee.brooks.af.mil/ec/EIS/ABL/D-SEIS.pdf''. Individuals 
or organizations may provide comment on the supplement by sending 
written comments to: Ms. Pamelia Bain, Director, External Affairs, 
Missile Defense Agency, 7100 Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC 20301-
7100.

    Dated: September 16, 2002.
Patricia L. Toppings,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 02-24187 Filed 9-20-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-08-M