[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 126 (Monday, June 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36957-36958]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-14773]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
U.S. Maritime Administration
Availability of a Draft Environmental Assessment
[Docket No. 2008-0060]
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Maritime
Administration.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Draft Programmatic Environmental
Assessment.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. Maritime Administration
is issuing a Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (EA) for the
Removal of Non-Retention Vessels from National Defense Reserve Fleet
(NDRF) Sites for Disposal. The Draft EA has been prepared pursuant to
the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (U.S.C. 4231 et
seq.) in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR
1500-1508). The Maritime Administration invites comments on the Draft
EA.
The purpose of the Programmatic EA is to evaluate the potential
environmental impacts from and alternatives to the Removal of Non-
Retention Vessels from National Defense Reserve Fleet Sites for
Disposal proposed by the Maritime Administration. The Maritime
Administration is charged with disposing of obsolete ``non-retention''
U.S. government-owned merchant type vessels of 1,500 gross tons or more
per Section 203 of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act
of 1949, as amended (40 U.S.C. 548 (2008)). Non-retention vessels are
vessels that have been determined by the Maritime Administration to be
of insufficient value for commercial or military operation by the
Federal Government to merit further preservation. 46 U.S.C. 57102
(2008). The Maritime Administration's non-retention ships are located
at three fleet anchorages in the James River, Virginia; Beaumont,
Texas; and Suisun Bay, California.
The Maritime Administration is proposing to tow obsolete vessels
from these three fleet anchorages either to one of seven Maritime
Administration-approved or provisionally approved recycling facilities
across the United States, or to various locations (to be determined on
a case-by-case basis) to be used as artificial reefs, or sold for reuse
as limited by applicable law, or to be donated for use as memorials and
museums, or to be used by the U.S. Navy in at-sea training exercises
referred to as Sinking Exercises, or SINKEX, during which the Navy
fires live munitions at the vessel to give trainees a better sense of
the capabilities of Navy weaponry. Following the use of live fire,
vessels are allowed to sink to the sea bottom.
DATES: Written comments on this Draft Programmatic EA will be accepted
on or before August 14, 2008.
Address for Further Information: To send comments or for more
information, contact: Carolyn E. Junemann, U.S. Maritime
Administration, Office of Environment, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., W25-
217, Washington, DC 20590, or e-mail: [email protected].
A copy of the Draft Programmatic EA can be obtained or viewed
online at http://www.regulations.gov. The files are in a portable
document format (pdf); in order to review or print the document, users
need to obtain a free copy of Acrobat Reader. The Acrobat Reader can be
obtained from http://www.adobe.com/prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html.
Copies of the Draft Programmatic EA will also be available for
public review during normal business hours at the following locations:
Beaumont Public Library, 801 Pearl St, Beaumont, TX 77701; Surry Public
Library, 11640 Rolfe Hwy., Surry, VA 23882; Virgil I. Grissom Public
Library, 366 DeShazor Drive, Newport News, VA 23608; and Benicia Public
Library, 150 E L St., Benicia, CA 94510.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The mission of the Maritime Administration
is to strengthen the U.S. maritime transportation system, including
infrastructure, industry, and labor, to meet the economic and security
needs of the United States, and to promote the development and
maintenance of an adequate, well-balanced U.S. merchant marine,
sufficient to carry the nation's domestic waterborne commerce and a
substantial portion of its waterborne foreign commerce, and capable of
service as a naval and military auxiliary in time of war or national
emergency. The Maritime Administration also seeks to ensure that the
United States maintains adequate shipbuilding and repair services,
efficient ports, effective intermodal water and land transportation
systems, and reserve shipping capacity for use in time of national
emergency.
The Maritime Administration is charged with disposing of obsolete
``non-retention'' U.S. government-owned merchant type vessels of 1,500
gross tons or more per Section 203 of the Federal Property and
Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended (40 U.S.C. 548 (2008)).
Non-retention vessels are vessels that have been determined by the
Maritime Administration to be of insufficient value for commercial or
military operation by the Federal Government to merit further
preservation by the Federal Government. 46 U.S.C. 57102 (2008). The
Maritime Administration's non-retention ships are located at three
fleet anchorages in the James River, Virginia; Beaumont, Texas; and
Suisun Bay, California.
Ongoing maintenance of non-retention vessels is limited to that
which is necessary to maintain the integrity of the hull and keeping
the established preservation systems in good order. The majority of
non-retention NDRF vessels are systematically being recycled. However,
some vessels have been loaned to other Government agencies, sold for
reuse in accordance with applicable law, used as artificial reefs, used
as museums, and used for military and civilian training. All of the
vessels to be removed are obsolete non-retention vessels that Congress
has directed the Maritime Administration to dispose of under the
Merchant Marine Act of 1936, as amended.
The Maritime Administration continues to consider domestic
dismantling (recycling) as the predominant means of vessel disposal,
but continually evaluates alternative means of disposal such as
artificial reefing, sale for reuse, deep-water sinking through the
Navy's SINKEX Program, and donations to historic organizations when
possible.
Domestic recyclers of obsolete NDRF vessels are required to follow
all Federal, state, and local laws and regulations governing worker
safety and environmental protection. Specific authority to pay for
recycling provided in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for
Fiscal Year 2001 (Pub. L. 106-259 Sec. 8136), was enacted on August 9,
2000, and included a budget for the accelerated recycling of those
vessels in the ``worst condition.'' All other alternatives for disposal
are required to be in accordance with all federal, state, and local
laws and regulations. Selection of recycling facilities was included in
the 2000
[[Page 36958]]
Congressional amendments to section 6(c)(1) of the National Maritime
Heritage Act (NMHA), which directed the Maritime Administration to
dispose of all obsolete vessels ``in the manner that provides the best
value to the Government'' (Pub. L. 106-398, Sec. 3502(a)). In
addition, it provided subsection (b) Selection of Scrapping Facilities,
which stated that:
The Secretary of Transportation may recycle obsolete vessels
pursuant to Section 6(c)(1) of the NMHA of 1994 [16 United States
Code (USC) Sec. 5405(c)(1)] through qualified dismantlement
facilities, using the most expeditious recycling methodology and
location practicable. Dismantlement facilities shall be selected
under that section on a best value basis consistent with the Federal
Acquisition Regulation (FAR), as in effect on the date of the
enactment of this Act * * * taking into consideration, among other
things, the ability of facilities to dismantle vessels; (1) at least
cost to the Government; (2) in a timely manner; (3) giving
consideration to worker safety and the environment; and (4) in a
manner that minimizes the geographic distance that a vessel must be
towed when towing a vessel poses a serious threat to the environment
(Pub. L. 106-398, Sec. 3502(b), 114 Stat. 1654a-490 (2000)).
With this notice, the Maritime Administration invites any affected
Federal, State, and local Agencies and other interested persons to
comment on the Draft Programmatic EA. Comments may be submitted by mail
to the Docket Clerk, Docket Management Facility; U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Room W12-140, Washington,
DC 20590-0001. Comments may be hand delivered to Room W12-140 on the
plaza level of the U.S. Department of Transportation at 1200 New Jersey
Avenue, SE., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal Holidays. Written comments should refer to
docket number MARAD 2008-0060. All comments will become part of this
docket and will be available for inspection and copying at the above
address between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., E.T., Monday through Friday, except
Federal holidays. An electronic version of this document and all
documents entered into this docket are available at http://www.regulations.gov. No comments will be accepted after August 14,
2008.
(Authority: 49 CFR 1.66)
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Dated: June 24, 2008.
Murray Bloom,
Acting Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-14773 Filed 6-27-08; 8:45 am]
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