[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 208 (Tuesday, October 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61469-61471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-27156]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Comprehensive Environmental 
Evaluation (CEE) for the Development and Implementation of Overland 
Traverse Capabilities in Antarctica

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation proposes to develop and 
implement overland traverse capabilities in Antarctica to meet various 
logistical and scientific goals of the United States Antarctic Program 
(USAP). The purpose of this Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation 
(CEE) is to identify the potential environmental impacts associated 
with USAP's performance of overland traverses and foster the 
development of a transportation strategy which optimizes a combination 
of airlift and overland traverse capabilities as conditions warrant.
    The ability of the USAP to use overland traverses will enhance 
current logistical capabilities (e.g., transportation of cargo) by 
supplementing existing airlift mechanisms needed to support various 
facilities and science in Antarctica. In addition, the overland 
traverse capability will provide a continued means and expertise to 
support future advanced land-based scientific studies at remote 
locations in Antarctica. The methodology and equipment to conduct 
overland traverses in Antarctica is currently available. Various 
Antarctic Treaty nations, including the United States, have 
successfully performed traverses to meet numerous logistical and 
scientific goals.
    The United States has periodically performed overland traverses in 
Antarctica on a limited basis since the 1957-58 International 
Geophysical Year (IGY). In recent years, the USAP has conducted annual 
overland traverses to resupply two small outlying facilities within 100 
kilometers of McMurdo Station (i.e., Black Island Telecommunications 
Facility, Marble Point Refueling Facility). Since 1999, the U.S. has 
been a participant in the International Trans Antarctic Scientific 
Expedition (ITASE) along with 19 other nations and performed overland

[[Page 61470]]

traverses in Antarctica for research data gathering purposes.
    The USAP intends to develop and utilize an overland traverse 
capability to cost-effectively complement existing airlift resources 
for the resupply of South Pole station, in the process develop the 
equipment, knowledge and expertise to complement the support for future 
scientific research similar to the recent ITASE experience. Each year, 
the USAP provides extensive logistical support to resupply existing 
facilities, establish or decommission temporary field camps, and 
provide specialized support to scientific research at numerous field 
sites. Because the overland traverse and airlift transport mechanisms 
are complementary, the USAP intends to fully develop the surface 
traverse capability and utilize one or a combination of the two, 
depending on the specific needs of the mission and the environmental 
conditions.
    For example, the USAP currently relies exclusively on the use of 
ski-equipped LC-130 cargo aircraft to transport personnel, fuel, 
construction materials, and other supplies 1,600 kilometers from 
McMurdo Station to the Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole. The 
LC-130 aircraft transport cargo quickly and reliably but in the case of 
the South Pole, the aircraft consumes more fuel for each liter of fuel 
delivered vs the surface traverse. In other words, the benefits of the 
aircraft's speed in transporting cargo may be offset by its relatively 
high fuel consumption particularly when the time sensitive delivery of 
cargo is not a necessity. The USAP intends to have the overland 
traverse capability available and utilize it to transport cargo to the 
South Pole or other locations where airlift support may not be the 
optimum transport choice. In so doing, the USAP anticipates the 
increased availability of airlift support to expand science and related 
missions in Antarctica.
    The Director of the Office of Polar Programs of the National 
Science Foundation intends to prepare a Comprehensive Environmental 
Evaluation (CEE) within the procedures of the Protocol on Environmental 
Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and consistent with implementing 
regulations for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the 
decision to develop overland traverse capabilities in Antarctica.

DATES: The final Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation is expected to 
be available to the public approximately mid-January 2004. Comments on 
this notice of intent will be of most use if they are received before 
December 10, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Dr. Polly A. 
Penhale, Program Manager, Office of Polar Programs, Room 755, National 
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Polly A. Penhale at the Office of 
Polar Programs, National Science Foundation TEL: (703) 292-8033, FAX: 
(703) 292-9080, EMAIL: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation (NSF) 
manages and funds United States activities in Antarctica. The NSF is 
responsible for the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) as well as operation 
of three active U.S. research stations in Antarctica and a number of 
outlying facilities and unmanned instrumentation sites. These 
facilities are operated to support research efforts in aeronomy and 
astrophysics, biology and medicine, ocean and climate studies, geology 
and geophysics, glaciology and the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) 
program. McMurdo Station is the USAP's largest facility and a central 
supply hub supporting many of these outlying facilities.
    Each year the USAP operates various aircraft in Antarctica to 
logistically support scientific research on the continent. The USAP 
operates ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft (for heavyweight or 
bulky cargo missions) as well as Dehaviland Twin Otter aircraft. 
Helicopters are also operated and, due to their limited range and 
transport capability, are primarily assigned missions in the McMurdo 
area and Dry Valleys. The aircraft are only flown during the austral 
summer operating season, typically from October through February. In 
general, larger field camps that are used as base facilities for 
scientific research activities are only established at locations which 
can be safely accessed by aircraft, while smaller field camps (i.e., 
tent camps) may be supported by aircraft or small tracked vehicles 
(e.g., Spryte, Pisten Bully, snowmobiles) operating from a base camp.
    The LC-130 is the largest ski-equipped cargo aircraft available to 
the USAP that is capable of operating on snow-covered field sites in 
Antarctica. The LC-130 has 105 m\3\ of cargo space (12.3 m long, 3.1 m 
wide, 2.7 m high) and can safely transport up to and 11,800 kg of 
cargo.
    During the past several years, the USAP has operated an average of 
400 LC-130 missions per year representing approximately 3,000 flight 
hours. The majority of these LC-130 missions were conducted at the 
South Pole (280 missions), while the remainder (120 missions) were 
flown to a variety of locations providing support to outlying 
facilities and research activities. The Amundsen-Scott Station is 
supported exclusively by the LC-130 aircraft and in recent years has 
received 3,500,000 kilograms of cargo annually. The surface capability 
would change the ratio of missions.
    The USAP currently maintains a limited overland traverse 
capability. Traverses are performed annually to resupply the Black 
Island Telecommunications facility, located approximately 35 kilometers 
from McMurdo Station, and the Marble Point Refueling Facility, 
approximately 100 kilometers from McMurdo. Since 1999, the U.S. has 
participated in traverse activities for scientific research 
applications (ITASE). To support the ITASE science traverse, LC-130 
aircraft provided airdrops of fuel and other materials at strategic 
locations in the field.
    The USAP is currently engaged in a ``proof of concept'' program to 
evaluate equipment and procedures needed to support a traverse 
capability and a route from McMurdo Station to the South Pole over the 
Leverett Glacier. Based on the experience gained through the proof of 
concept and from previous traverses conducted by the U.S. and other 
nations, the USAP intends to develop a traverse capability and enhance 
the program's transportation strategy by optimally combining airlift 
and overland traverse capabilities to suit the specific needs and 
conditions of the mission. In addition, the successful development of 
overland traverse resources may allow the USAP to provide logistical 
support or perform research activities at locations or during time 
periods which are not currently possible.
    Relative to this environmental review, the scale of an overland 
traverse intended to be used for resupply or scientific research 
missions would typically include several motorized tracked vehicles 
towing sleds or trailers which contain fuel for the tractors, living 
and working modules for the traverse personnel, and cargo. Overland 
traverses used for resupply missions would typically follow established 
routes. Traverses used for scientific purposes would follow routes 
based on the intended research and may depend on airdrops or 
strategically placed caches for periodic resupply.
    Each traverse would have the resources and equipment to refuel the

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tractors, perform routine maintenance, and collect all wastes (e.g., 
nonhazardous, hazardous, sanitary) for subsequent disposition at 
supporting stations. In some cases, sanitary wastewater may be 
discharged in snow covered areas as allowed by the Antarctic Treaty.
    Alternative A for the proposed action involves the USAP's 
development of a traverse capability and the routine use of this 
resource to optimally complement existing airlift support mechanisms. 
Other alternatives considered in this environmental review include the 
development of the traverse capability and use of it on a minimal 
frequency basis only (Alternative B), or under reduced intensity 
operating conditions (Alternative C), or with minimal support from 
remote resources in the field such as caches, depots, or airdrops 
(Alternative D). Although it may be possible to operate overland 
traverses only on established routes (Alternative E) this could 
preclude or severely limit the use of traverses for scientific research 
applications. The No Action Alternative, that is not proceeding with 
development of an overland traverse capability, is Alternative F. 
Several other alternatives were identified but were eliminated from 
detailed analysis because they either failed to meet the required level 
of performance or the specific parameters needed to identify and 
evaluate all associated environmental impacts could not be adequately 
identified.
    The potential environmental impacts of the proposed action that 
will be identified and evaluated in detail in the Comprehensive 
Environmental Evaluation include:
    [sbull] Physical disturbance to the snow and ice environment
    [sbull] Air emissions
    [sbull] Releases to the snow and environment
    [sbull] Impacts to McMurdo Station operations
    [sbull] Impacts to operations at other USAP facilities
    [sbull] Impacts to other scientific research in the USAP
    Selected mitigating measures, representing specific actions or 
options that would be taken to reduce or avoid impacts to the 
environment, will be identified in the Comprehensive Environmental 
Evaluation, as well as additional measures that will be under 
consideration during the implementation of the Project activities.
    The public is invited to comment on any aspect of the proposal. The 
comment period on the draft comprehensive environmental evaluation will 
be a minimum of 90 days from the date the National Science Foundation 
publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.

Polly A. Penhale,
Program Manager.
[FR Doc. 03-27156 Filed 10-27-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-U