[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 225 (Thursday, November 21, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70289-70290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-29652]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG-1998-3584]


Proposed Modernization of the Coast Guard National Distress and 
Response System

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability of finding of no significant impact.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) and the Council on Environmental Quality's Regulations for 
Implementing NEPA, the U.S. Coast Guard announces that it has approved 
its Supplemental Program Environmental Assessment (SPEA) and has made 
available its Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the proposed 
modernization of the National Distress and Response System (NDRS) known 
as ``Rescue 21.''

[[Page 70290]]


ADDRESSES: Both the SPEA and FONSI are available for review or copying 
at the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of Transportation, 
Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between the hours 
9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The 
telephone number is 202-366-9329. The documents may also be viewed on 
the Internet at Web address: http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
the proposed project, the Supplemental Program Environmental 
Assessment, or the Finding of No Significant Impact, call Ms. Donna M. 
Meyer, Environmental Program Manager, National Distress and Response 
System Modernization Project, U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, at 202-
267-1496. For questions on viewing material in the docket, call Ms. 
Dorothy Beard, Chief, Dockets, Department of Transportation, at 202-
366-5149.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and the 
Council on Environmental Quality's Regulations for Implementing NEPA 
(40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Coast Guard is announcing that it has 
approved its Supplemental Program Environmental Assessment (SPEA) and 
has made available its Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the 
proposed modernization of the National Distress and Response System 
(NDRS) known as ``Rescue 21.''

Supplemental Program Environmental Assessment

    The Coast Guard prepared an SPEA that assessed the impacts of the 
no action alternative and three action alternatives that could meet the 
system requirements for modernizing the National Distress and Response 
System (NDRS). On September 30, 2002, we published a notice of 
availability of the SPEA in the Federal Register (67 FR 61372). We also 
circulated 183 copies of the SPEA to interested persons. During the 
comment period, September 27, 2002, to October 28, 2002, a total of 18 
comment letters were received. We reviewed the comments but they 
revealed no new or additional environmental information.

Finding of No Significant Impact

    After considering the comments received during the review and 
comment period, the Coast Guard issued a Finding of No Significant 
Impact as a result of modernizing the National Distress and Response 
System. The modernization of the NDRS will utilize a combination of all 
three of the action alternatives analyzed in the SPEA by using existing 
antenna towers, leasing antenna space from a service provider, or 
constructing a new antenna tower site.
    The purpose of this notice is to inform local, State, and Federal 
government agencies and the public that the Supplemental PEA and FONSI 
are available for review.

    Dated: November 12, 2002.
C.D. Wurster,
RADM, U.S. Coast Guard, Assistant Commandant for Acquisitions.
[FR Doc. 02-29652 Filed 11-20-02; 8:45 am]
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