[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 49 (Friday, March 12, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11845-11846]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-5633]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Shock Trial of a SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17) Class Amphibious 
Assault Ship

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(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), the 
Department of the Navy (Navy) announces its intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS/OEIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts associated 
with conducting a shock trial on a SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17) Class 
Amphibious Assault Ship, at a site located off the East Coast or Gulf 
Coast of the United States. Pursuant to 40 CFR 1501.6, the Navy has 
requested that the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) act as a 
Cooperating Agency.
    A ``shock trial'' is necessary to evaluate the effect that shock 
waves, resulting from a series of underwater explosions and designed to 
emulate conditions encountered in combat, have when they propagate 
through a ship's hull. The congressionally mandated (10 U.S.C. 2366) 
Live Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E) Program requires realistic 
survivability testing on each new class of Navy ships. A ``shock 
trial'' is a component of the Navy's LFT&E program to ensure 
survivability. The shock trial results provide important information 
that is applied to follow-on ships and is used to improve the initial 
ship design and enhance the effectiveness and overall survivability of 
the ship and crew. Shock trials have proven their value as recently as 
the Persian Gulf War when ships were able to survive battle damage and 
continue their mission because of ship design, crew survivability, and 
crew training lessons learned during previous shock tests.

DATES: Public scoping meetings will be held in Norfolk, VA; 
Jacksonville/Atlantic Beach, FL; and Pascagoula, MS, to receive oral 
and/or written comments on environmental concerns that should be 
addressed in the EIS/OEIS. The public meeting dates are:

    1. Tuesday, April 20, 2004, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in Norfolk, VA.
    2. Wednesday, April 21, 2004, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in 
Jacksonville/Atlantic Beach, FL.
    3. Thursday, April 22, 2004, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., in Pascagoula, 
MS.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting locations are:
    1. Norfolk, VA: Lafayette Branch Public Library, 1610 Cromwell 
Drive, Norfolk, VA 23509.
    2. Jacksonville/Atlantic Beach, FL: Mayport Elementary School Media 
Center, 2753 Shangri-La Drive, Atlantic Beach, FL 32233-2999.
    3. Pascagoula, MS: Le Maison Gautier, 2800 Oak Street, Gautier, MS 
39553.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Sea Systems Command, Attn: Ms. 
Lyn Carroll (04RE), 1331 Isaac Hull Ave., SE., Washington Navy Yard, DC 
20376; (703) 412-7521.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action (shock trial) would 
subject a SAN ANTONIO (LPD 17) Class Amphibious Assault Ship to no more 
than four explosive charges, approximately 10,000 pounds each, while 
monitoring the effects on the ship. The EIS/OEIS will thoroughly 
address reasonable alternatives to the proposed action, the existing 
environments of the proposed test areas, and the impact to the 
environment at those areas. An initial evaluation identified beyond the 
600-foot depth curve (no closer than 9 nm from shore) and within 120 nm 
of Jacksonville, FL; Pascagoula, MS; and Norfolk, VA, as potential 
shock trial locations because they effectively meet the operational 
criteria necessary to conduct a shock trial on an amphibious ship. The 
proposed shock trial is planned for the late 2006/early 2007 timeframe.
    The EIS/OEIS will evaluate the potential environmental impacts 
associated with the test locations. Issues

[[Page 11846]]

to be addressed will include, but are not limited to, the following 
resource areas: Wildlife including threatened and endangered species 
and marine mammals, fisheries including an analysis of water quality, 
air quality, commercial fishing, commercial shipping, recreation, and 
socioeconomics. The evaluation will include an evaluation of the 
direct, indirect, short-term, and cumulative impacts. No decision will 
be made to conduct a shock trial until the NEPA process is completed.
    The Navy is initiating the scoping process to identify community 
concerns and local issues that should be addressed in the EIS/OEIS. 
Federal, state, local agencies, and interested persons are encouraged 
to provide oral and/or written comments to the Navy to identify 
specific issues or topics of environmental concern for consideration in 
the EIS/OEIS. The Navy will consider these comments in determining the 
scope of the EIS/OEIS.
    Written comments on the scope of the EIS/OEIS should be submitted 
by May 20, 2004, and should be mailed to: LPD 17 Program Manager, C/O 
Booz Allen Hamilton, 1725 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Suite 1100, Arlington, 
VA 22202, Attn: LPD 17 EIS.

    Dated: March 8, 2004.
S.A. Hughes,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-5633 Filed 3-11-04; 8:45 am]
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