[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 237 (Friday, December 11, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65761-65763]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-29565]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for the Gulf of 
Alaska Navy Training Activities

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 on Environmental Quality Regulations for 
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (Title 40 Code of 
Federal Regulations Parts 1500-1508); and Executive Order 12114, 
Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions, the Department 
of the Navy (Navy) has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS) for public release on 
December 11, 2009. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a 
Cooperating Agency for the EIS/OEIS.
    The Draft EIS/OEIS evaluates the potential environmental effects of 
the Proposed Action from Navy training activities conducted in the Gulf 
of Alaska and Alaska's inland training areas, collectively referred to 
as the Alaska Training Areas (ATA). The Draft EIS/OEIS addresses 
ongoing and proposed military training activities, as well as proposed 
force structure changes and the introduction of new weapons and systems 
to the Fleet. The Proposed Action serves to achieve and maintain Fleet 
readiness using the ATA to support and conduct current, emerging, and 
future training activities. A Notice of Intent for this Draft EIS/OEIS 
was published in the Federal Register on March 17, 2008 (73 FR 14237).
    The Navy will conduct five public hearings to receive oral and 
written comments on the Draft EIS/OEIS. Federal, State, and local 
agencies, elected officials, and other interested individuals and 
organizations 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/OEIS.
    An open house session will precede the scheduled public hearing at 
each of the locations listed below, and will allow individuals to 
review the information presented in the Draft EIS/OEIS. Navy 
representatives will be available during the open house sessions to 
clarify information related to the Draft EIS/OEIS.
    Dates and Addresses: Five public hearings will be held in Alaska to 
receive oral and written comments on the Draft EIS/OEIS. All meetings 
will start with an open house session from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed 
by a presentation and formal public comment period from 7 p.m. to 8:30 
p.m. Public hearings will be held on the following dates and at the 
following locations:

[[Page 65762]]

    1. Thursday, January 7, 2010, at Kodiak High School Cafeteria, 722 
Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, Alaska;
    2. Friday, January 8, 2010, at Fairview Recreation Center Main 
Gymnasium, 1121 E. 10th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska;
    3. Saturday, January 9, 2010, at West Homer Elementary School 
Gymnasium, 995 Soundview Avenue, Homer, Alaska;
    4. Monday, January 11, 2010, at Juneau Arts and Culture Center Main 
Hall, 350 Whittier Street, Juneau, Alaska;
    5. Tuesday, February 12, 2010, at Orca Adventure Lodge Meeting Room 
& Caf[eacute], 2500 Orca Road, Cordova, Alaska.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command 
Northwest, Attention: Mrs. Amy Burt, Gulf of Alaska Navy Training 
Activities EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, 
Silverdale, WA 98315-1101; or http://www.GulfofAlaskaNavyEIS.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Air and sea training activities are 
conducted within the Gulf of Alaska Temporary Maritime Activities Area 
(TMAA) which is part of the ATA. The land, air, and sea components of 
the ATA provide the space and resources needed to realistically train 
Navy Sailors to achieve and maintain Fleet readiness. Navy air and sea 
training activities originate from Navy ships located within the TMAA. 
The TMAA is situated south of Prince William Sound and east of Kodiak 
Island and includes 42,146 square nautical miles of airspace, sea 
space, and undersea space. The Navy also conducts activities in 
established U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army inland training areas, which 
include more than 65,000 square miles of airspace and land area. The 
ATA serve as the principal training venue for annual joint training 
exercises, which can involve forces from the U.S. Navy, Air Force, 
Army, Coast Guard, and local, state, and nongovernmental agencies. The 
ATA are used for training activities including operating aircraft, 
ships, and submarines; conducting training against moving ships and 
aircraft; practicing aerial surveillance; and detecting and locating 
submarines.
    The purpose of the Navy's Proposed Action is to: Achieve and 
maintain Fleet readiness using the ATA to support and conduct current, 
emerging, and future training activities.
    The need for the Proposed Action is to: (1) Maintain current levels 
of military readiness by training in the ATA; (2) accommodate future 
increases in levels of training activities in the ATA; (3) adequately 
support the training need for new aircraft, ships, submarines, and 
weapons systems; (4) identify shortfalls in training, particularly 
training instrumentation, and address through enhancements; (5) 
maintain the long-term viability of the ATA as a Navy training area 
while protecting human health and the environment, and enhancing the 
quality, capabilities, and safety of the training area; and (6) be able 
to bring U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard assets together 
into one geographic area for joint training.
    Under the No Action Alternative, training activities within the ATA 
would continue at current levels over a maximum time frame of 14 days. 
This alternative includes one annual Carrier Strike Group training 
exercise and excludes the use of mid-frequency active sonar. 
Alternative 1 proposes an increase in the number of training activities 
from current levels as necessary to support Fleet exercise requirements 
over a maximum time frame of 21 days in the summer months (April--
October), to include the use of active sonar; and accommodates training 
enhancement instrumentation, including the use of a Portable Undersea 
Tracking Range, and force structure changes associated with the 
introduction of new weapon systems, vessels, and aircraft into the 
Fleet. Alternative 2, the Preferred Alternative, consists of all 
elements of Alternative 1. In addition, Alternative 2 includes an 
increase in the number of training activities over Alternative 1 levels 
by conducting a second annual Carrier Strike Group training exercise, 
which could also last up to 21 days in the summer months, and 
conducting a Sinking Exercise during each summertime exercise (a 
maximum of two).
    The Draft EIS/OEIS addresses potential environmental impacts on 
multiple resources, including but not limited to: Air quality; water 
resources; biological resources; cultural resources; socioeconomics; 
and public health and safety.
    No significant impacts are identified for most resources within the 
ATA that cannot be mitigated. The results of the analysis indicate, 
however, that while there is the possibility for physiological effects 
and altered behavior from sound in the water from active sonar and 
explosives, no mortality to marine mammals is anticipated. Furthermore, 
the estimation of sound exposures does not consider the Navy's use of 
protective measures, which would reduce the likelihood of exposures at 
the highest sound levels. The Navy has requested from NMFS a Letter of 
Authorization (LOA) in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act 
to authorize the incidental take of marine mammals that may result from 
the implementation of the activities analyzed in the Gulf of Alaska 
Navy Training Activities Draft EIS/OEIS.
    In accordance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the 
Navy is consulting with NMFS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 
for potential impacts to federally listed species. Navy analysis has 
indicated that under the Clean Air Act requirements, while emissions 
over current levels may occur, these emissions would not exceed air 
quality standards, and under the Clean Water Act there would be no 
significant impacts to water quality. Analysis under the National 
Historic Preservation Act, in addition to other applicable laws and 
regulations, indicates that no significant impacts to cultural 
resources would occur if the Proposed Action or alternatives were 
implemented. Implementation of the Proposed Action or alternatives 
would not result in a significant adverse effect on the population of a 
migratory bird and fish species.
    The decision to be made by the Navy is to determine which of the 
alternatives analyzed in the EIS/OEIS best meet the operational needs 
of the Navy given that all reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts 
have been considered.
    The Draft EIS/OEIS was distributed to Federal, State, and local 
agencies, elected officials, and other interested individuals and 
organizations. The public comment period will end on January 25, 2010. 
Copies of the Draft EIS/OEIS are available for public review at the 
following libraries: Z.J. Loussac Library, Government Documents, 3600 
Denali Street, Anchorage, AK; Alaska State Library, Government 
Documents, 333 Willoughby Avenue, 8th Floor, Juneau, AK; A. Holmes 
Johnson Memorial Library, 319 Lower Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, AK; 
University of Alaska Fairbanks, Rasmussen Library, Government 
Documents, 310 Tanana Loop, Fairbanks, AK; Cordova Public Library, 622 
First Street, Cordova, AK; Copper Valley Community Library, Mile 186 
Glenn Highway, Glennallen, AK; Seward Community Library, 238 5th 
Avenue, Seward, AK; Homer Public Library, 500 Hazel Avenue, Homer, AK.
    The Gulf of Alaska Navy Training Activities Draft EIS/OEIS is also 
available for electronic public viewing at: http://www.GulfofAlaskaNavyEIS.com. A paper copy of the Executive Summary or a 
single CD with the Draft EIS/OEIS

[[Page 65763]]

will be made available upon written request by contacting Naval 
Facilities Engineering Command Northwest, Attention: Mrs. Amy Burt, 
Gulf of Alaska Navy Training Activities EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 1101 
Tautog Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA 98315-1101.
    Federal, State, and local agencies, elected officials, and 
interested individuals and organizations are invited to be present or 
represented at the public hearing. Written comments can also be 
submitted during the open house sessions preceding the public hearings.
    Oral statements will be heard and transcribed by a stenographer; 
however, to ensure the accuracy of the record, all statements should be 
submitted in writing. All statements, both oral and written, will 
become part of the public record on the Draft EIS/OEIS and will be 
responded to in the Final EIS/OEIS. Equal weight will be given to both 
oral and written statements. In the interest of available time, and to 
ensure all who wish to give an oral statement have the opportunity to 
do so, each speaker's comments will be limited to three (3) minutes. If 
you have prepared a written statement, you may read it out loud if you 
can do so within the three minute time limit, or you may turn it in at 
the public hearing or mail the statement to Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command Northwest, Attention: Mrs. Amy Burt, Gulf of Alaska 
Navy Training Activities EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, 
Suite 203, Silverdale, WA 98315-1101. In addition, comments may be 
submitted online at http://www.GulfofAlaskNavyEIS.com during the 
comment period. All written comments must be postmarked by January 25, 
2010, to ensure they become part of the official record. All comments 
will be addressed in the Final EIS/OEIS.

    Dated: December 7, 2009.
A.M. Vallandingham,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-29565 Filed 12-10-09; 8:45 am]
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