[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 159 (Friday, August 15, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47959-47961]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-18871]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No.USCG-2008-0751]


Proposed Modernization of the Coast Guard; Draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: United States Coast Guard (USCG), DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The USCG announces the availability of the draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment (PEA) for Coast Guard modernization. Through 
this modernization effort, the USCG intends to update its command 
structure, support systems, and business practices to position itself 
for sustainable and effective mission execution into the twenty-first 
century. The Draft PEA is an important document informing these 
efforts, and we request public input into the Draft PEA for more fully 
informed decision making during this process.

DATES: Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management 
Facility on or before September 15, 2008.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by USCG Docket number 
USCG-2008-0751 to the Docket Management Facility at the U.S. Department 
of Transportation (DOT). To avoid duplication, please use only one of 
the following methods:
    (1) Online: http://www.regulations.gov.
    (2) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (3) Fax: 202-493-2251.
    (4) Hand Delivery: Room W12-140 on the Ground Floor of the West 
Building, 1200 New Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 AM 
and 5 PM,

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except Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
please contact Ms. Kebby Kelly, USCG, telephone (202) 475-5690, e-mail: 
[email protected], or Mr. Frank Esposito, USCG, telephone (202) 
372-3746, e-mail: [email protected]. If you have questions 
on viewing or sending materials to the docket, call Ms. Renee Wright, 
Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Request for Comments

    The Coast Guard encourages submission of comments and related 
material on the Draft PEA. All comments received will be posted, 
without change, to www.regulations.gov and will include any personal 
information you have provided. The Coast Guard has an agreement with 
the U.S. DOT to use the DOT Docket Management Facility. Please see 
DOT's ``Privacy Act'' paragraph, below.

Submitting Comments

    If you submit a comment, please include your name and address, 
identify the docket number to this notice (USCG-2008-0751), and give 
the reason for each comment. Comments and materials may be submitted by 
electronic means, mail, fax, or hand delivery to the Docket Management 
Facility at the address listed under ADDRESSES, but please submit 
comments and materials by only one means. If you submit comments and 
materials by mail or delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no 
larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic 
filing. If you submit them by mail and would like to know that they 
reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard 
or envelope. The USCG will consider all comments and materials received 
during the comment period.

Viewing the Comments and Draft PEA

    To view the comments and the Draft PEA, go to http://www.regulations.gov. Conduct a search on the Coast Guard docket number: 
USCG-2008-0751. You may also visit the Docket Management Facility in 
Room W12-140 on the Ground Floor of the DOT West Building, 1200 New 
Jersey Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590, between 9 AM and 5 PM, except 
Federal holidays.

Privacy Act

    Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments received into 
any of the dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment 
(or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.). You may review the DOT's Privacy Act 
Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (65 FR 
19477), or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.

Background and Purpose

    The USCG intends to modernize its command structure, support 
systems, and business practices to position itself for sustainable and 
effective mission execution into the twenty-first century. As part of 
the modernization process the USCG would reorganize its Headquarters to 
improve the way it develops policy and manages resources. Operational 
policy and planning functions would be reorganized under a Deputy 
Commandant for Operations, who would serve as the single Headquarters 
element to develop regulations and standards and to reconcile strategic 
operational plans, policies, and capabilities with budget and legal 
considerations. Mission support functions would be reorganized under a 
Deputy Commandant for Mission Support to oversee the Coast Guard's 
support and logistics systems and processes. These changes would occur 
primarily in the Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC areas.
    Part of the creation of the mission support organization would be 
the establishment of logistics and service centers. A Surface Forces 
Logistics Center (SFLC) would be created in newly constructed space at 
Coast Guard Yard, Curtis Bay, MD, or in leased space in the Portsmouth/
Norfolk, Virginia area. A Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center (SILC) 
would be created in leased space in either Alameda, California, or 
Norfolk, Virginia. In addition, a new Personnel Service Center (PSC) 
(Note: Current PSC in Topeka, KS, will be renamed) and a Command, 
Control, Communications, Computers, and Information Technology (C4IT) 
Service Center would be created in leased space in the Washington, DC 
area.
    Under modernization, the Atlantic and Pacific Area Commands would 
be restructured into an operational command (OPCOM) and a force 
readiness command (FORCECOM). OPCOM would be formed by reorganizing the 
USCG command and control structure for operations and placing 
responsibility for all USCG operations under the direction of one field 
command instead of two Area Commands. OPCOM would serve as the single 
point of accountability for planning and executing USCG operations and 
would reside primarily at existing USCG facilities in the Portsmouth/
Norfolk, Virginia area. FORCECOM would be created by transforming the 
Pacific Area Command into a second primary field command. FORCECOM 
would be responsible for the current and future readiness of the USCG 
workforce and platforms and for ensuring that the USCG maintains the 
capabilities to execute its missions. FORCECOM would reside primarily 
at existing USCG facilities in the Alameda/Oakland, California area. 
There are no plans to restructure Sectors or subordinate units, to move 
other operational units, or to reduce the overall USCG workforce under 
modernization.
    The USCG has prepared a Draft PEA that identifies and examines the 
reasonable alternatives for modernization and assesses their potential 
environmental impacts. The Draft PEA identifies potential direct, 
indirect, and cumulative impacts associated with the USCG modernization 
program alternatives, including USCG mission-related impacts and site-
specific impacts.
    The USCG has developed two action alternatives to achieve 
modernization, a full modernization alternative and a partial 
modernization alternative. These two alternatives represent the upper 
and lower levels of change required to achieve the purpose and need of 
the modernization program and therefore capture the range of social, 
economic, and environmental impacts that would occur while implementing 
the program. The full modernization alternative emphasizes co-location 
of Coast Guard mission support and operations resources and functions. 
This alternative evaluates the effects of increased billet levels (a 
billet is a USCG employment position) at each of the three geographic 
areas affected (though increases would depend upon where the USCG 
decided to ultimately site logistics and service centers), leasing 
additional facility space, and potential construction at Coast Guard 
Yard. The partial modernization alternative would focus on operating 
from existing locations rather than on co-locating functional resources 
in a single location. This alternative evaluates a decrease in billet 
levels in some geographic locations, minimizes leasing, and would 
include no new construction. The partial modernization alternative 
would minimally achieve the purpose and need for modernization, while 
the full modernization alternative would allow the USCG to fully reach 
the envisioned functionality of modernization. The

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USCG prefers the full modernization alternative. Either modernization 
alternative would be implemented over at least five years.
    The USCG is requesting public comments on the Draft PEA, including 
environmental impacts and resources analyzed in the Draft PEA or 
possible sources of data or information not included in the Draft PEA. 
Public comments will be considered in preparing the Final PEA.

    Dated: August 8, 2008.
Clifford I. Pearson,
Vice Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. E8-18871 Filed 8-14-08; 8:45 am]
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