[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 90 (Tuesday, May 11, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26269-26270]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-11033]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID FEMA-2010-0017]


Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment for the Integrated 
Public Alert and Warning Program's Construction Projects

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has prepared a 
draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) to address the 
potential impacts to the human environment resulting from construction-
related actions taken under the Integrated Public Alert and Warning 
Program (IPAWS). The construction actions will be taken to ensure that 
FEMA meets its responsibilities under Executive Order 13407, Public 
Alert and Warning System, by providing robust and survivable power 
generation, fuel storage, and other measures to ensure an effective, 
reliable, integrated, flexible, and comprehensive system to alert and 
warn the American people in situations of war, terrorist attack, 
natural disaster, or other hazards to public safety and well being. The 
purpose of the PEA is to evaluate these actions and facilitate FEMA's 
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by 
providing a framework to address the potential environmental impacts of 
these projects.

DATES: Comments on the draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment may 
be submitted on or before June 10, 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket ID FEMA-2010-
0017, by one of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for 
Docket ID FEMA-2010-0017 and follow the instructions for submitting 
comments.
    E-mail: [email protected]. Include Docket ID FEMA-2010-0017 in 
the subject line of the message.
    Fax: 703-483-2999
    Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Office of Chief Counsel, Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street, SW., Room 835, Washington, 
DC 20472-3100.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and Docket ID. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or 
material, all submissions will be posted, without change, to the 
Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, and will 
include any personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting 
this information makes it public. You may wish to read the Privacy Act 
notice that is available via a link in the footer of http://www.regulations.gov.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read the draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment or comments submitted by the public on these 
documents, go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov and search for docket ID FEMA-2010-0017. These 
documents may also be inspected at FEMA, Office of Chief Counsel, Room 
835, 500 C Street, SW., Washington, DC 20472-3100.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jomar Maldonado, Environmental 
Officer, Office of Environmental Planning and Historic Preservation, 
FEMA, 500 C Street, SW., Washington, DC 20472-3100; phone (202) 646-
2741.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the draft Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment (PEA) is to evaluate construction-related 
actions of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning Program (IPAWS) and 
facilitate FEMA's compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) by providing a framework to address the potential environmental 
impacts of those actions. Pursuant to Executive

[[Page 26270]]

Order 13407, the IPAWS Program goal is to identify, develop, and/or 
adopt appropriate standards to enable implementation of interoperable 
public alert and warning systems, to identify technologies and 
standards that improve security, reliability, addressability, 
accessibility, interoperability, coverage, and resilience of the public 
alert and warning systems, and to integrate these capabilities via a 
common IPAWS Aggregator. Certain construction-related actions may be 
taken, such as modification of existing transmitter structures to 
current code and standards, trenching for utility lines, removal of 
existing underground or above ground fuel storage tanks and the 
placement of above-ground fuel storage tanks of increased capacity, 
placement of generators, placement of pre-cast concrete shelter 
modules, and fencing, to meet the IPAWS Program goal.
    The PEA provides the public and decision-makers with the 
information required to understand and evaluate the potential 
environmental consequences of actions funded by FEMA. In addition to 
meeting the goals of impact identification and disclosure, the PEA 
addresses the need to streamline the NEPA review process in the 
interest of national preparedness and homeland security.
    The analysis presented in the PEA relies on FEMA's experience 
regarding environmental impacts that can be expected with actions that 
would be undertaken through IPAWS. FEMA will consider the analysis in 
the PEA to determine whether a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) 
or a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement is 
appropriate for the proposed actions described and assessed in the PEA.
    The PEA will also assist in determining when more site-specific 
information is needed and what level of environmental analysis and 
documentation is required in order for more complex projects to comply 
with NEPA.

    Authority:  National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), as 
amended, 42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.; 40 CFR part 1500; 44 CFR part 10.

    Dated: May 4, 2010.
W. Craig Fugate,
Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency.
[FR Doc. 2010-11033 Filed 5-10-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111-AB-P