[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 105 (Friday, June 1, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30557-30559]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-10629]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE


Defense Representative Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of Palau; Notice 
of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas 
Environmental Impact Statement for the Mariana Islands Range Complex 
and To Announce Public Scoping Meetings

AGENCY: Department of Defense Representative Guam, Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Republic 
of Palau.

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), and 
Executive Order 12114 (Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal 
Actions), the Department of Defense Representative Guam, Commonwealth 
of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and 
Republic of Palau (DoD REP) announces its intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Overseas Environmental Impact 
Statement (OEIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts 
associated with conducting military readiness activities in the Mariana 
Islands Range Complex (MIRC). The DoD REP proposes to support current 
and emerging training operations and research, development, testing, 
and evaluation (RDT&E) activities in the MIRC by: (1) Maintaining 
baseline

[[Page 30558]]

operations at current levels; (2) increasing training operations from 
current levels as necessary to support Military Service training 
requirements; (3) increasing and accommodating potential RDT&E 
operations; and (4) implementing new and enhanced range complex 
capabilities.
    Dates and Addresses: Public scoping meetings will be held on Guam, 
Saipan, and Tinian to receive oral and/or written comments on 
environmental concerns that should be addressed in the EIS. The public 
scoping meetings will be held at the following dates, times, and 
locations:
    1. Monday, June 18, 2007, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Guam Hilton, 202 Hilton 
Road, Tumon Bay, Guam.
    2. Wednesday, June 20, 2007, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Hyatt Regency Saipan, 
Garapan Village (Across from American Memorial Park), Garapan, Saipan, 
CNMI.
    3. Thursday, June 21, 2007, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Dynasty Hotel, One 
Broadway, San Jose Village, Tinian, CNMI.
    Details of the meetings will be announced in local newspapers. 
Additional information concerning the scoping meetings will be 
available on the EIS/OEIS Web page located at: http://www.MarianasRangeComplexEis.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LT Donnell Evans, U.S. Naval Forces 
Marianas Public Affairs Officer, ATTN: Code N00PA, PSC 455 Box 152, FPO 
AP 96540-1000, Building 3190, Sumay Drive, Santa Rita, Guam 96915; 
phone (671) 339-2115; e-mail at: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commander Naval Forces Marianas 
(COMNAVMAR) as the Department of Defense Representative Guam, 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of 
Micronesia and Republic of Palau is the Executive Agent for the 
Commander United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) on all matters of 
MIRC management and sustainment. COMNAVMAR coordinates Joint Service 
planning and use of MIRC ranges and training areas. COMNAVMAR's role is 
to provide resources, range complex management, and training support to 
U.S. military forces in the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) Theater.
    COMNAVMAR's mission in the MIRC is to support Army, Navy, Marine 
Corps, Air Force, U.S. Coast Guard, Army Reserves, and Guam National 
Guard tactical training by maintaining and operating facilities and 
range infrastructure and by providing services and material. The MIRC 
consists of multiple ranges and training areas of land, sea space 
(nearshore and offshore), undersea space, and air space under different 
controlling authorities in the Territory of Guam, the Commonwealth of 
the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and surrounding waters.
    The mission of USPACOM is to provide interoperable, trained, and 
combat-ready military forces to support the National Security Strategy 
of the United States in the WESTPAC Theater. United States military 
forces from all Services use the MIRC as a training venue to prepare 
for contingency warfare.
    The MIRC is the westernmost military training complex in U.S. 
territory. The MIRC has range and training area assets in Guam and the 
Northern Mariana Islands archipelago. Guam is located roughly three 
quarters the distance from Hawaii to the Philippines, 1,600 miles east 
of Manila and 1,550 miles southeast of Tokyo. The southern extent of 
CNMI is located 40 miles north of Guam (Rota Island) and extends 330 
miles to the northwest. The CNMI capital, Saipan, is 3,300 miles west 
of Honolulu and 1,470 miles south-southeast of Tokyo. The location of 
the MIRC allows for training of U.S. military forces in WESTPAC, 
without having to return to Hawaii or the continental United States.
    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to: Achieve and maintain 
military readiness using the MIRC to conduct and support current, 
emerging, and future military training and RDT&E operations on existing 
DoD lands and ranges and adjacent air and ocean areas; and, upgrade and 
modernize range complex capabilities to enhance and sustain military 
training and RDT&E operations and to expand the Services warfare 
missions.
    The Proposed Action stems from the need to: (1) Maintain current 
levels of military readiness by training in the MIRC; (2) accommodate 
future increases in operational training tempo on existing ranges and 
adjacent air and ocean areas in the MIRC and support the rapid 
deployment of military units and strike groups; (3) achieve and sustain 
readiness so that the Military Services can quickly surge required 
combat power in the event of a national crisis or contingency operation 
consistent with Service training requirements; (4) support the 
acquisition, testing, training, and fielding of advanced platforms and 
weapons systems into Service force structure; and, (5) maintain the 
long-term viability of the MIRC while protecting human health and the 
environment, enhancing the quality of training, communications, and 
safety within the range complex.
    The EIS/OEIS will consider two action alternatives to accomplish 
these objectives, in addition to the No-Action Alternative. The No-
Action Alternative is the continuation of training operations, RDT&E 
activities and on-going base operations. This includes all multi-
Service training activities and operations on Navy and Non-Navy ranges 
and training areas including: Andersen Air Force Base (Main Base, 
Northwest Field, Andersen South, and Tarague Beach); Naval Station Guam 
and its off-shore areas; Farallon de Medinilla; Tinian; Saipan; and Air 
Traffic Control Assigned Airspace (ATCAA). Alternative 1 includes the 
activities described in the No-Action Alternative with the addition of 
increased training operations as a result of upgrades and modernization 
of existing ranges and training areas, and of operations on existing 
ranges that are required to support the relocation of military units to 
the DoD REP Area of Responsibility (AOR). Alternative 2 would include 
all the operations described in Alternative 1 with the addition of new 
operations on existing ranges and training areas and adjacent air and 
ocean areas with upgraded and modernized capabilities. In addition, 
Alternative 2 would incorporate the increased operations resulting from 
increased operational tempo and training event frequency to optimize 
training throughput in support of current and future contingencies.
    Previously, the Navy's Joint Guam Program Office (JGPO) published a 
Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS/OEIS for the Relocation of U.S. 
Marine Corps Forces to Guam (Federal Register, 72 FR 10186, March 7, 
2007). JGPO's proposed EIS/OEIS will examine potential impact from 
activities associated with the Marine Corps units' relocation from 
Okinawa, Japan to Guam, including operations, infrastructure changes 
and training. Since the proposed MIRC EIS/OEIS will cover all DoD 
training on existing DoD land and operating areas in and around Guam 
and CNMI, there will be some overlap between the two proposed EIS/
OEISs. Therefore, preparation of these documents will be closely 
coordinated to ensure consistency.
    Environmental issues that will be addressed in the EIS/OEIS include 
but are not limited to: Airspace; biological resources (including 
marine mammals and threatened and endangered species); cultural 
resources; health and safety; and noise. The analysis will include an 
evaluation of direct and indirect impacts, and will account for 
cumulative impacts.

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    The DoD REP is initiating the scoping process to identify community 
concerns and issues that must be addressed in the EIS/OEIS. Federal 
agencies, Government of Guam and CNMI agencies, the public, and other 
interested stakeholders are encouraged to provide oral and written 
comments to the Navy to identify specific issues or topics of concern 
for consideration in the EIS/OEIS. The DoD REP will hold three public 
scoping meetings. Each meeting will consist of an informal information 
session, staffed by Navy representatives. Members of the public can 
contribute oral or written comments at the scoping meetings or 
subsequent to the meetings by mail, fax, or e-mail. All comments, oral 
and written, will receive the same consideration during EIS/OEIS 
preparation. Written comments on the scope of the EIS/OEIS must be 
postmarked by July 16, 2007, and should be mailed to: MIRC TAP EIS, 258 
Makalapa Drive, Suite 100, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134, Attention: EV2. 
Comments can be faxed to 808-474-5419 or e-mailed to 
[email protected].

    Dated: May 24, 2007.
L.R. Almand,
Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Federal Register 
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E7-10629 Filed 5-31-07; 8:45 am]
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