[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 88 (Thursday, May 6, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25376-25377]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-10315]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Notice of Availability of the Mobile Launch Platform 
Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact

AGENCY: Missile Defense Agency, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
regulations, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is initiating a public 
review and comment period for an Environmental Assessment (EA) and 
Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). This notice announces 
the availability of the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) EA that analyzes 
the potential environmental impacts of activities associated with using 
the existing MLP as a platform for testing sensors and launching target 
and interceptor missiles. THe MLP could operate from any of the 
following locations: Western Range, Pacific Missile Range Facility 
(PMRF)/Kauai Test Facility (KTF), U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA)/
Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS), and the Board 
Ocean Area (BOA) of the Pacific Ocean. The EA considers the impacts 
resulting from the proposed use of the MLP to support specific tests. 
The EA also considers cumulative impacts associated with the proposed 
use of the MLP to support test events.
    Based on the analysis documented in the EA, the MDA has concluded 
that no significant impacts are expected to result from the proposed 
action. The Draft FONSI was prepared to document this preliminary 
conclusion.

DATES: The public review and comment period for this EA and Draft FONSI 
begins with the publication of this notice in the Federal Register. All 
comments on this EA and Draft FONSI

[[Page 25377]]

must be received by the MDA no later than June 7, 2004.
    Copies of the EA and Draft FONSI will be made available for review 
at the following public libraries:
     Hawaii State Library, Hawaii Documents Center, 478 South 
King Street, HI 96813.
     Lihu'e Regional Library, 4344 Hardy Street, Lihu'e, HI 
96766-1251.
     California State Library, Library and Courts Building, 914 
Capitol Mall, Sacramento, CA 05814.
     Lompoc Public Library, 501 E. North Avenue, Lompoc, CA 
93436.
    A downloadable electronic version of the EA and Draft FONSI are 
available on the MDA Internet site: http://www.acq.osd.mil/bmdo/bmdolink/html/.

ADDRESSES: Written and oral comments regarding the EA and Draft FONSI 
should be submitted to MLP EA, c/o ICF Consulting, 9300 Lee Highway, 
Fairfax, VA 22031; via toll-free fax 1-877-851-5451; or via e-mail 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MDA has a requirement to develop, test, 
deploy, and plan for decommissioning a Ballistic Missile Defense System 
(BMDS) to provide a defensive capability for the United States, its 
deployed forces, friends, and allies from ballistic missile threats. 
The proposed action would provide the MDA with the capability to 
conduct launches using multiple realistic target and interceptor 
trajectories in existing test ranges and the BOA. In addition, the 
proposed action would allow MDA the capability to use sensors at test 
support positions in remote areas of the ocean by locating these 
sensors onboard the MLP.
    The sensors that would be used from the MLP include radars, 
telemetry, and optical systems. Examples of radars that could be used 
include: TPS-X, Mk-74, and Coherent Signal Processor radars that 
already exist, and the BMDS radar, being developed by the MDA. 
Telemetry systems could include the Transportable Telemetry System and 
mobile range safety systems. Mobile optical systems such as the 
Stabilized High-Accuracy Optical Tracking System could also be placed 
on the MLP. Additional sensor systems may be temporarily based on the 
MLP as required. The targets that would be launched from the MLP 
include: pre-fueled and non-pre-fueled liquid propellant missiles and 
solid propellant missiles. The interceptor missiles that would be 
launched from the MLP use solid propellant. The MLP would be designed 
to operate from any of the following locations: Western Range, PMRF/
KTF, USAKA/RTS, and the BOA. Two alternatives to the proposed action 
were considered in the EA. The first alternative would include using 
the MLP for the launch of missiles but not for testing sensors. The 
second alternative would include using the MLP to test sensors and 
launch pre-fueled liquid propellant missiles and solid propellant 
missiles but not non-pre-fueled liquid propellant missiles.
    Potential impacts of the proposed action and alternatives were 
analyzed in the EA. Potential environmental impacts of the proposed 
action and alternatives include impacts to air quality, airspace, 
biological resources, geology and soils, health and safety, hazardous 
materials and hazardous waste, noise, transportation and 
infrastructure, and water resources. Potential impacts of the No Action 
Alternative were analyzed in the EA. Under the No Action Alternative, 
activities to be conducted from the MLP that have already been analyzed 
would continue and additional activities using the MLP would be 
considered on a case-by-case basis. The No Action Alternative would 
result in no impact to the environmental baseline as described for the 
affected environment in the EA; however, it could severely limit the 
MDA's ability to cost-effectively conduct and monitor realistic testing 
of the BMDS.
    Potential cumulative impacts resulting from the proposed use of the 
MLP to support specific test events are also addressed in the EA.

    Dated: April 30, 2004.
L.M. Bynum,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 04-10315 Filed 5-5-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-M