[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 169 (Friday, August 31, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50333-50335]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-17360]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/
Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for Navy Atlantic Fleet 
Training in the Gulf of Mexico Range Complex and To Announce Public 
Scoping Meetings

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 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 the Navy (Navy) announces its intent to prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS) to 
evaluate the potential environmental effects associated with naval 
training in the Gulf of Mexico (GOMEX) Range Complex. The Navy proposes 
to support current and emerging training

[[Page 50334]]

operations and Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation (RDT&E) 
activities at the GOMEX Range Complex by: (1) Maintaining baseline 
training and RDT&E operations at current levels; (2) increasing 
training and RDT&E operations from current levels as necessary to 
support the Fleet Readiness Training Plan (FRTP); (3) accommodating 
mission requirements associated with force structure changes, including 
those resulting from the introduction of new platforms (vessels, 
aircraft and weapons systems); and (4) implementing enhanced range 
complex capabilities.
    The EIS/OEIS study area is the GOMEX Range Complex, which 
encompasses portions of the Gulf, as well as portions of the 
southeastern states of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and 
Texas. The GOMEX Range Complex consists of targets and instrumented 
areas, airspace, surface and subsurface operations areas (OPAREAs), and 
land range facilities. Together the GOMEX Range Complex encompasses: 15 
square nautical miles (nm\2\) of land area; 43,390 nm\2\ of special use 
airspace (SUA); 17,520 nm\2\ of off-shore surface and subsurface 
OPAREA; and 12,072 nm\2\ of shallow ocean area less than 100 fathoms 
(600 feet).
    The scope of actions to be analyzed in this EIS/OEIS includes 
current and proposed future Navy training and RDT&E activities within 
Navy-controlled operating areas, airspace, and ranges. It also includes 
proposed Navy-funded range capabilities enhancements, including 
infrastructure improvements supporting range complex training and RDT&E 
activities. Training activities involving use of active sonar are 
conducted in the GOMEX Range Complex; however, those potential effects 
are being analyzed in detail in a separate document, the Atlantic Fleet 
Active Sonar Training (AFAST) EIS/OEIS. This separate sonar EIS/OEIS 
addresses active sonar use as a whole by the Atlantic Fleet in the 
western Atlantic Ocean and in the Gulf of Mexico. The analysis of the 
AFAST EIS/OEIS will be incorporated into the GOMEX Range Complex EIS/
OEIS to account for active sonar effects that could occur within the 
geographic area of the GOMEX Range Complex.

DATES: Four public scoping meetings will be held. The meeting dates 
are:
    1. Monday, September 24, 2007, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Panama City, FL.
    2. Tuesday, September 25, 2007, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Pensacola, FL.
    3. Wednesday, September 26, 2007, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Kenner, LA.
    4. Friday, September 28, 2007, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Corpus Christi, TX 
78401.

ADDRESSES: Four public scoping meetings will be held in Florida, 
Louisiana, and Texas to receive oral and/or written comments on 
environmental concerns that should be addressed in the EIS/OEIS. These 
public scoping open houses will be held at the following locations:
    1. Monday, September 24, 2007, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Gulf Coast Community 
College, 5230 West Highway 98, Panama City, FL 32401.
    2. Tuesday, September 25, 2007, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Pensacola Junior 
College (Warrington Campus), 5555 Highway 98 West, Pensacola, FL 32507.
    3. Wednesday, September 26, 2007, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Alfred Bonnabel 
High School, 2801 Bruin Drive, Kenner, LA 70065.
    4. Friday, September 28, 2007, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., Holiday Inn-Emerald 
Beach Hotel, 1102 South Shoreline Boulevard, Corpus Christi, TX 78401.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command 
Southeast, Post Office Box 30 (Building 135 North, Ajax Street), Naval 
Air Station Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL, 32212-0030, ATTN: Mr. Bob 
Riley (Code OPC5), telephone: 904-542-6125.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Navy's mission is to maintain, train, 
and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring 
aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas. For that reason, Title 
10 U.S.C. Section 5062 directs the Chief of Naval Operations to train 
all naval forces for combat. The Chief of Naval Operations meets that 
direction, in part, by conducting at-sea training exercises and 
ensuring naval forces have access to ranges, OPAREAs and airspace where 
they can develop and maintain skills for wartime missions and conduct 
RDT&E of naval weapons systems. As such, Navy ranges, OPAREAs, and 
airspace must be maintained and/or enhanced to accommodate necessary 
training and testing activities in support of national security 
objectives. The purpose of the proposed action is to achieve and 
maintain Fleet readiness using the GOMEX Range Complex to support 
current, emerging, and future training operations; RDT&E operations; 
expand warfare missions; and upgrade and modernize existing range 
capabilities to enhance and sustain Navy training and RDT&E.
    The need for the proposed action is to provide range facilities for 
the training and equipping of combat capable naval forces ready to 
deploy worldwide. In this regard, the GOMEX Range Complex furthers the 
Navy's execution of roles and responsibilities under U.S.C Title 10, 
Section 5062. To implement this mandate, the Navy needs to: Maintain 
current levels of military readiness by training in the GOMEX Range 
Complex; accommodate future increases in operational training tempo in 
the GOMEX Range Complex and support rapid deployment of naval units or 
strike groups; achieve and sustain readiness of ships and squadrons so 
the Navy can quickly surge significant combat power in the event of a 
national crisis or contingency operation, and as is consistent with the 
FRTP; support acquisition and implementation into the Fleet of advanced 
military technology and testing and training needed for new platforms 
(vessels, aircraft and weapons systems); and maintain long-term 
viability of the GOMEX Range Complex while protecting human health and 
the environment, and enhancing the quality, communication capability, 
and safety of the GOMEX range complex.
    Three alternatives will be evaluated in this EIS/OEIS: (1) The No 
Action Alternative is the continuation of current operations and 
support of existing range capabilities; (2) Alternative 1 consists of 
all elements of the No Action Alternative plus increased operational 
training, expanded warfare missions, accommodation of force structure 
changes, and implementation of enhancements, to the minimal extent 
possible to meet the components of the proposed action; and (3) 
Alternative 2 consists of all elements of Alternative 1 plus an 
additional increase in operational tempo and frequency of training 
events optimizing training in the GOMEX Range Complex in support of 
future contingencies, and better exploitation of the Joint National 
Training Capability (JNTC). Exploitation of the JNTC includes an 
increase in post Base Realignment and Closure Gulf-based F-18 and E-2 
aircraft, and transient Navy participation in Navy and joint training 
opportunities afforded by proximity to DoD installations in the 
southeastern United States.
    This EIS/OEIS will evaluate the environmental effects associated 
with: airspace; noise; range safety; natural land resources; water 
resources; air quality; biological resources, including threatened and 
endangered species; land use; socioeconomic resources; infrastructure; 
and cultural resources. The analysis will include an evaluation of 
direct and indirect impacts, and will account for cumulative impacts 
from other Navy activities in the GOMEX

[[Page 50335]]

Range Complex. No decision will be made to implement any alternative 
until the EIS/OEIS process is completed and a Record of Decision is 
signed by the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and 
Environment).
    The Navy is initiating the scoping process to identify community 
concerns and local issues to be addressed in this EIS/OEIS. Federal 
agencies, state agencies, 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 that should 
be addressed in the EIS/OEIS. Written comments must be postmarked by 
November 5, 2007 and should be mailed to: Naval Facilities Engineering 
Command Southeast, Post Office Box 30 (Building 135 North, Ajax 
Street), Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Jacksonville, FL 32212-0030, 
Attention: Mr. Bob Riley (Code OPC5), telephone: 904-542-6125. Comments 
can also be submitted no later than November 5, 2007 via the project 
Web site: http://www.GOMEXRangeComplexEIS.com.

    Dated: August 23, 2007.
T. M. Cruz,
Lieutenant, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register 
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E7-17360 Filed 8-30-07; 8:45 am]
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