[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 112 (Tuesday, June 10, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32682-32683]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12993]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
TRIDENT Support Facilities Explosives Handling Wharf, Naval Base 
Kitsap-Bangor, Silverdale, Kitsap County, WA and To Announce Public 
Scoping Meeting

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, and the regulations implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Department of the 
Navy (Navy) announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts 
associated with the construction and operation of a proposed new 
Explosives Handling Wharf (EHW) located adjacent to, but separate from, 
the existing EHW on Hood Canal, NBK-Bangor, WA, to support TRIDENT 
submarines.
    The proposed action consists of in-water and land-based 
construction and infrastructure enhancements including a covered 
ordnance operations area, a support building on the wharf, and a 
warping wharf. As part of the Navy's sea-based strategic deterrence 
mission, the Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) directs research, 
development, manufacturing, test, evaluation, and operational support 
of the TRIDENT Fleet Ballistic Missile program. SSP is the Action 
Proponent and the Navy is the lead agency for this project.
    The Navy will hold a public scoping meeting for the purpose of 
further identifying the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. 
Federal, State, and local agencies and the public are invited to 
participate in the scoping process for the EIS. Comments are being 
solicited to help identify significant issues or concerns related to 
the proposed action, determine the scope of issues to be addressed in 
the EIS, and identify and refine alternatives to the proposed action.
    The Navy will conduct a public scoping meeting to receive oral and/
or written comments on environmental concerns that should be addressed 
in the EIS. The public scoping meeting will be conducted in English and 
will be arranged in an informal, open house format. Attendees will be 
asked to sign in and will be directed to various stations manned by 
Navy representatives and technical staff assigned to provide 
information and answer questions. Several large display boards will be 
located throughout the meeting location to assist attendees in 
understanding the project and the alternatives. A comment table, 
supplied with comment sheets, will be placed in an easily accessible 
and comfortable location. Fact sheets about the project and 
alternatives will be available to participants.

Dates and Addresses: The public scoping meeting will be held on 
Thursday, June 26, 2008 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Silverdale 
Community Center, 9729 Silverdale Way, NW., Evergreen Room, Silverdale, 
WA 98383.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jack Spiller, Public Affairs 
Officer, Department of the Navy, Strategic Systems Programs, 2521 South 
Clark Street, Suite 1000, Arlington, VA 22202-3930, telephone: 703-601-
9009, e-mail at: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action is to construct and 
operate a proposed new EHW located adjacent to, but separate from, the 
existing EHW on Hood Canal, NBK-Bangor, WA, to support TRIDENT 
submarines. The purpose of the proposed action is to meet current and 
future technical program requirements for the TRIDENT mission. The need 
for the proposed action is to provide capability for loading and 
unloading missiles and torpedoes on submarines homeported at NBK-
Bangor.
    The new EHW is needed to maintain operational availability of the 
TRIDENT Program. The original plan for the TRIDENT base at Bangor, 
described in an environmental impact statement dated July 1974 provided 
for three EHWs. Two EHWs were constructed for the TRIDENT base at Kings 
Bay, Georgia, and operations at Kings Bay have demonstrated the 
efficiency and

[[Page 32683]]

effectiveness that can be achieved by a second EHW. Eight of the Navy's 
14 TRIDENT submarines are now homeported at Bangor, increasing the need 
to construct the second EHW envisioned in the original plan for Bangor.
    Alternatives for the proposed action were identified based on 
capability for meeting TRIDENT Program mission requirements, ability to 
avoid or minimize environmental impacts, siting requirements including 
proximity to existing infrastructure, availability of waterfront 
property, constructability of essential project features, and master 
planning issues such as explosives safety restrictions.
    Alternatives to be considered include: (1) Deep-Water Trestle EHW; 
(2) Onshore Trestle EHW; (3) No Action Alternative. For both action 
alternatives, the EHW would be located in deep water, parallel to and 
600 feet from the shore, and placement of structures over the 
intertidal zone would be minimized. The new EHW would include a covered 
operations area approximately 600 feet long and 250 feet wide, 
supplemented by an uncovered wharf extension approximately 700 feet 
long and 40 feet wide.
    The wharf would either be an anchored floating structure or a 
structure supported by piles. Separate pile-supported entrance and exit 
trestles, or bridges, would provide a roadway for missile transport 
vehicles to travel from shore to the EHW and back to shore. For both 
action alternatives, the entrance trestle would be constructed from the 
end of the existing EHW access road to connect to the north end of the 
new EHW. The two action alternatives differ in the location of the exit 
trestle, which would connect the south end of the new EHW to the 
existing EHW access road.
    Under the Deep-Water Trestle alternative, parallel entry and exit 
trestles would be constructed to transport ordnance to and from the 
wharf. The exit trestle would be constructed over deep water to the 
extent possible, crossing the intertidal zone and returning to land at 
the existing EHW access road. The Deep-Water Trestle alternative would 
require approximately 1,000 feet of additional in-water construction 
but would avoid construction of a road on the steep embankment adjacent 
to the proposed site for the EHW.
    For the Onshore Trestle alternative, the exit trestle would be 
constructed to take the shortest distance to shore from the south end 
of the new EHW. This alternative would require extension of the exit 
trestle approximately 1,400 feet along the edge of the steep embankment 
on the shore, away from the intertidal zone, to connect to the existing 
access road.
    No decision will be made to implement any alternative until the EIS 
process is completed and a Record of Decision is signed by the 
Assistant Secretary of the Navy. Phased construction of the project 
would be completed in four years.
    The impacts to be evaluated include, but will not be limited to, 
impacts on fish and marine mammals, essential fish habitat, effects on 
endangered and threatened species, impacts relating to underwater 
noise, loss of underwater habitat, decreased opportunities for 
migratory and transient movement within the waterfront, impacts on 
cultural resources, reduction in water quality, impacts on wetlands, 
terrestrial impacts, effects on tribal resources, and consistency with 
the Coastal Zone Management Act.
    The analysis will include an evaluation of direct, indirect, short 
term, and long term impacts and will account for cumulative impacts 
from other Navy and non-Navy activities in the project area.
    The Navy is initiating the scoping process to identify community 
concerns and local issues to be addressed in the EIS. Federal agencies, 
state agencies, local agencies, and interested persons are encouraged 
to provide written comments in addition to, or in lieu of, oral 
comments at scheduled public scoping meetings.
    Written comments must be postmarked by midnight July 14, 2008 and 
should be submitted to: Mr. Jack Spiller, Public Affairs Officer, 
Department of the Navy, Strategic Systems Programs, 2521 South Clark 
Street, Suite 1000, Arlington, VA 22202-3930, telephone: 703-601-9009, 
e-mail at: [email protected].

    Dated: June 5, 2008.
L.R. Almand,
Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Alternate Federal 
Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-12993 Filed 6-9-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P