[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 223 (Friday, November 20, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60244-60246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-27960]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Availability and Notice of Public Hearings for the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands 
Military Relocation

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 (NEPA); the Council of Environmental Quality (CEQ) 
Regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (Title 
40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508) and the 
Department of Navy (DON) regulations for implementing NEPA (32 CFR 
775), DON announces the availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (hereafter called the 
Draft EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts associated 
with relocating Marines from Okinawa, Japan to Guam, constructing 
transient nuclear aircraft carrier berthing facilities, and 
establishing a U.S. Army Air and Missile Defense Task Force (AMDTF) on 
Guam.
    The DON is the lead Federal agency for development of the Draft 
EIS. The agencies that have accepted the invitation to participate as 
cooperating agencies are U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal 
Highways Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency Region 9, U.S. Office of Insular 
Affairs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 
and U.S. Air Force.
    The Draft EIS examines potential environmental impacts from the 
three

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proposed actions included in the Guam and Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands (CNMI) Military Relocation. The Draft EIS also examines 
off base mission critical, mission support, and community support 
infrastructure improvements needed to ensure that Joint Region Marianas 
can provide expanded direct support of the DoD strategic mission and 
operational readiness in the Western Pacific Region.
    The Draft EIS considers reasonable alternatives for siting 
operational, training, and support facilities on Guam and CNMI in 
addition to the no-action alternative.
    The DON will conduct six (6) public hearings to receive oral and 
written comments on the Draft EIS. Federal agencies, territorial/local 
governmental agencies, and interested individuals are invited to be 
present or represented at the public hearings. This notice announces 
the dates and locations of the public hearings for this Draft EIS.
    A Notice of Intent for this Draft EIS/OEIS was published in the 
Federal Register on March 7, 2007 (72 FR 10186).

DATES: The public comment period for the Draft EIS will start at 8:45 
a.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on November 20, 2009, with the publication 
of a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register by the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency and will end at midnight (Eastern 
Standard Time) on February 17, 2010. All comments on the Draft EIS must 
be postmarked or submitted by midnight (Eastern Standard Time) on 
February 17, 2010.
    The DON will hold six (6) public hearings to receive oral and 
written comments from the public on the Draft EIS. These six (6) public 
hearings will include a two-hour open house session at the beginning of 
the public hearings where the public can learn more about the proposed 
actions and potential environmental impacts from project team members 
and subject matter experts.
    Public hearings and open house sessions will be held as follows: 
Thursday, January 7, 2010, open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and public 
hearing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Southern High School, Santa Rita, Guam; 
Saturday, January 9, 2010, open house from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and public 
hearing from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., University of Guam Field House, 
Mangilao, Guam; Monday, January 11, 2010, open house from 5 p.m. to 7 
p.m. and public hearing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Yigo Gymnasium, Yigo, 
Guam; Tuesday, January 12, 2010, open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and 
public hearing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Okkodo High School, Dededo, Guam; 
Thursday, January 14, 2010, open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and public 
hearing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Tinian Elementary School, San Jose, 
Tinian; and Friday, January 15, 2010, open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
and public hearing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Multi-Purpose Center, Susupe, 
Saipan.
    More information about the public hearings and open house sessions 
can be found on the official project Web site at http://www.guambuildupeis.us/.

ADDRESSES: The public can provide comments during the open houses/
public hearings through the Web site at http://www.guambuildupeis.us/, 
or by mail at: Joint Guam Program Office, c/o Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command Pacific, 258 Makalapa Drive, Suite 100, Pearl 
Harbor, Hawaii 96860-3134, Attention: GPMO.
    Electronic copies of the Draft EIS can be downloaded from the 
official project Web site at http://www.guambuildupeis.us/. Copies of 
the Draft EIS are available for public review at the following 
libraries: University of Guam Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Library, 
Government Documents, Tan Siu Lin Building, UOG Station, Mangilao, GU 
96923; Nieves M. Flores Memorial Library, 254 Martyr Street, 
Hag[aring]t[ntilde]a, GU 96910; Joeten-Kiyu Public Library, P.O. Box 
501092, Saipan, MP 96950; Olympio T. Borja Memorial Library, P.O. Box 
501250, Saipan, MP 96950 and Tinian Public Library, P.O. Box 520704, 
Tinian, MP 96952.
    Electronic copies of the Draft EIS and copies of the executive 
summary can also be obtained on the project Web site at http://www.guambuildupeis.us/, or by contacting the Joint Guam Program Office, 
c/o Naval Facilities Engineering Command Pacific, 258 Makalapa Drive, 
Suite 100, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii 96860-3134, Attention: GPMO.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The overarching purpose for the proposed 
actions is to locate U.S. military forces to meet international 
agreement and treaty obligations and fulfill U.S. government national 
security to provide mutual defense, deter aggression, and dissuade 
coercion in the Western Pacific Region. The need of the proposed 
actions is to meet various criteria based upon U.S. policy, 
international agreements, and treaties, including but not limited to 
positioning forces to defend the homeland and U.S. Pacific territories; 
respond within a timely response range; maintain regional stability; 
provide flexibility to respond to regional threats; defend U.S., Japan, 
and allied interests, and other defense related criteria. Guam's 
location as the westernmost part of the United States is critical to 
U.S. national security interests. In implementing U.S. national 
security policy, the Department of Defense would increase the role of 
Guam and the CNMI through the relocation of Marines to Guam, increased 
presence of a transient aircraft carrier, and enhanced capability to 
protect the U.S. homeland, Pacific territories, forces, and its allies 
from ballistic missile attacks.
    As a result of reviews of the U.S. defense posture in the Pacific 
region and a parallel review of U.S. force posture supporting the U.S. 
alliance with Japan, a portion of U.S. Marine Corps forces currently 
located in Okinawa, Japan would be relocated to Guam. This relocation 
is proposed to occur concurrent with proposed wharf construction in 
Guam's Apra Harbor to support the Navy transiting nuclear aircraft 
carriers. An Army AMDTF is also proposed for Guam to protect the U.S 
homeland, Pacific territories, forces and its allies against the threat 
of harm from ballistic missile attacks.
    The Draft EIS was prepared to support inform decision making based 
on an understanding of the environmental impacts of the proposed Guam 
and CNMI military relocation and take measures to protect, restore, and 
enhance the environment. The decisions to be made are whether and how 
to implement the proposed actions.
    The three proposed actions are briefly stated as follows: (1) 
Develop and construct facilities and infrastructure to support 
approximately 8,600 Marines and their 9,000 dependents relocated from 
Okinawa to Guam and to support training and operations on Guam and CNMI 
for those relocated Marines; (2) Develop and construct a new deep-draft 
wharf with shore side infrastructure improvements creating the 
capability in Apra Harbor, Guam to support a transient nuclear-powered 
aircraft carrier; and (3) Develop and construct facilities and 
infrastructure on Guam to support approximately 600 military personnel 
and their 900 dependents and to establish and operate an Army AMDTF.
    The project locations addressed in Draft EIS are on Guam and CNMI. 
Guam and CNMI are part of the Mariana Islands archipelago.
    Facilities construction and improvements would be necessary to 
accommodate the proposed actions. The proposed actions would entail 
increased operational activities associated with Marine Corps and Army 
basing, more frequent ship berthing, and the establishment of aviation 
maintenance operations and facilities. There would

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also be increased opportunities for additional military personnel to 
meet critical training requirements. Training could take the form of 
communications, command and control, combat skills, aviation, 
logistics, amphibious vehicle maneuvers, and weapons firing activities. 
Thus, required construction would include the facilities and 
infrastructure for maintaining a permanent Marine Corps and Army 
presence on Guam, and the creation of new training ranges to 
accommodate training a larger population of military personnel. In 
summary, implementation of the proposed actions would result in the 
following: a temporary increase in population related to the 
construction-related work force; a permanent increase in number of 
military and civilian personnel and dependents on Guam; an increase in 
transient presence on Guam and Tinian; an increase in number and type 
of major equipment assets to support military personnel and operations 
(e.g., aircraft, ships, amphibious watercraft); an increase in number 
and type of training activities; construction of new facilities; 
improvements to existing facilities; improvements to existing 
infrastructure (including roads and utilities); and the potential 
acquisition or long-term leasing of additional land to support the 
Marine Corps main cantonment area and live fire training ranges on 
Guam.
    To accomplish the Guam and CNMI proposed actions, the DoD has 
considered developmental and operational alternatives as required by 
NEPA. The Draft EIS analyzes a range of alternatives for the proposed 
actions including the no action alternative, which represents the 
baseline.
    The Draft EIS provides information on the affected environment and 
impacts of the proposed actions for eighteen distinct resource areas. 
Volume 1 of the Draft EIS provides an overview of the proposed actions 
and alternatives. Volumes 2 through 5 of the Draft EIS provide details 
on the impacts of individual proposed Marine Corps, Navy and Army 
actions while Volume 6 addresses island-wide impacts of utilities and 
proposed roadway improvement projects. Volume 7 provides a summary of 
the impacts of all of the proposed actions should the preferred 
alternatives be implemented as well as a discussion of cumulative 
impacts. The Draft EIS evaluates the following resource areas: 
groundwater, marine water quality, coral, terrestrial biology, 
socioeconomics, cultural resources, recreation, roadways, air quality, 
noise, and utilities (including water, power and wastewater), among 
others.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joint Guam Program Office in Guam at 
(671) 333-2302 or in Washington, DC at (703) 602-4716.

    Dated: November 16, 2009.
A.M. Vallandingham
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-27960 Filed 11-19-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P