[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 27 (Thursday, February 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6787-6788]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-2949]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement for a Live-Fire Training Range Complex on Guam To Support the 
Guam 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) of 1969, as implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the 
Department of the Navy (DoN) announces its intent to prepare a 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to evaluate the 
potential environmental consequences that may result from construction 
and operation of a live-fire training range complex and associated 
infrastructure on Guam to support the Guam Military Relocation. The 
SEIS supplements the Final EIS for the ``Guam and Commonwealth of the 
Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Military Relocation; Relocating Marines 
from Okinawa, Visiting Aircraft Carrier Berthing, and Army Air and 
Missile Defense Task Force'' dated July 2010.
    Pursuant to 40 CFR 1502.9(c), a SEIS is being prepared for the 
limited purpose of supplementing the 2010 Final EIS regarding the 
establishment of a live-fire training range complex on Guam.
    The proposed action that will be analyzed in the SEIS is to 
construct and operate a live-fire training range complex that allows 
for simultaneous use of all firing ranges to support training and 
operations on Guam for the relocated Marines. The DoN has preliminarily 
identified five alternatives for the range complex: two are adjacent to 
Route 15 in northeastern Guam, and three are located at or immediately 
adjacent to the Naval Magazine (NAVMAG), also known as the Naval 
Munitions Site. The SEIS will also consider the No Action Alternative.
    The purpose and need for the proposed action is to ensure that the 
relocated Marines are organized, trained, and equipped as mandated in 
section 5063 of Title 10 of the United States Code, and to satisfy 
individual live-fire training requirements as described in the Guam and 
CNMI Military Relocation Final EIS and associated Record of Decision 
(ROD).
    The live-fire training range complex will consist of a Known 
Distance (KD) rifle range, KD pistol range, Modified Record of Fire 
Range, nonstandard small arms range, Multipurpose Machine Gun range, 
and a hand grenade range. The proposed action also includes associated 
roadways and supporting infrastructure.
    The DoN encourages government agencies, private-sector 
organizations, and the general public to participate in the NEPA 
process for the training range complex. Because the Federal Aviation 
Administration (FAA) will have to approve airspace associated with the 
training range complex at any of the five preliminary alternatives 
being considered, the DoN will invite the FAA to participate as a 
cooperating agency in the preparation of the SEIS.
    The DoN invites comments on the proposed scope and content of the 
SEIS from all interested parties. Comments on the scope of the SEIS may 
be provided by mail and through the SEIS Web site at: http://bit.ly/Guam_LFTRC_SEIS. In addition, the DoN will conduct public open-house 
scoping meetings on Guam to obtain comments on the scope of the SEIS 
and to identify specific environmental concerns or topics for 
consideration in the SEIS. Meetings will be held at the following 
locations and times:

    Saturday, March 17, 2012, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., University of 
Guam Field House, Mangilao, Guam;
    Monday, March 19, 2012, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Southern High 
School, Santa Rita, Guam;
    Tuesday, March 20, 2012, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Yigo Gymnasium, 
Yigo, Guam.

    Interested agencies, individuals, and groups unable to attend the 
open-house scoping meetings are encouraged to submit comments by April 
6, 2012. Mailed comments should be postmarked no later than April 6, 
2012, Chamorro Standard Time (ChST) to ensure they are considered. Mail 
comments to: Joint Guam Program Office Forward, P.O. 153246, Santa 
Rita, GU 96915.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Catherine Norton, Public Affairs 
Officer, NAVFAC Marianas; phone (671) 349-4053; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DoN's proposed action is to construct 
and operate a live-fire training range complex and associated 
infrastructure in support of the Guam Military Relocation.
    A ROD for the Guam and CNMI Military Relocation Final EIS was 
signed on September 20, 2010, and published in the Federal Register on 
September 30, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 189, Page 60438). This ROD 
deferred a decision on the specific site

[[Page 6788]]

for a live-fire training range complex due to the significant number of 
public comments during the EIS process regarding the DoN's preferred 
alternative located on areas southeast of Andersen South referred to in 
the Guam and CNMI Military Relocation Final EIS as the Route 15 area. 
Two primary concerns were raised over this location: (1) The use of 
non-DoD property, and (2) the impact on the community's ability to 
access the cultural sites of Pagat Village and Pagat Cave. In response 
to comments and concerns raised by the Government of Guam, Guam 
Legislature, and other interested parties about locating Surface Danger 
Zones for the ranges over Pagat Village and Pagat Cave, in January 
2011, the Under Secretary of the Navy committed that the DoN would 
conduct training activities in such a manner that would not impact 
access to Pagat Village and Cave via the existing trail. The DoN 
further committed to 24/7 access to Pagat Village and Cave during 
National Historic Preservation Act consultation with the Guam State 
Historic Preservation Office and other consulting parties as documented 
in a Programmatic Agreement signed in March 2011.
    Since that time, the DoN has been evaluating options to satisfy 
this commitment while also meeting the training requirements of the 
relocating Marines. This analysis resulted in the application of a 
probabilistic methodology which takes into account site-specific 
conditions and reduced the boundaries of the training range complex 
while providing the same margin of safety. The DoN then reviewed 
previously discarded sites to determine if any of those sites might be 
a reasonable alternative with application of the probabilistic 
methodology (i.e., the site-specific methodology). As a result of this 
review, the DoN has preliminarily identified five alternatives for the 
range complex: Two are adjacent to Route 15 in northeastern Guam, and 
three are located at or immediately adjacent to the NAVMAG, also known 
as the Naval Munitions Site. The SEIS will also consider the No Action 
Alternative.
    Under the No Action Alternative, Marine Corps units would not be 
provided live-fire training ranges. The No Action Alternative is not a 
reasonable alternative as it would not satisfy the need for training 
requirements for the relocated Marines as mandated in section 5063 of 
Title 10 of the United States Code, or satisfy individual live-fire 
training requirements as described in the Guam and CNMI Military 
Relocation Final EIS and ROD. NEPA requires the lead agency to consider 
the alternative of no action as a baseline for comparison of 
environmental impacts regardless of whether or not it would meet the 
purpose and need of the proposed action. The SEIS will evaluate 
environmental effects associated with: Geology and soils; water 
resources, which may include water, floodplains, wetlands, wild and 
scenic rivers; terrestrial biology; threatened and endangered species 
and their designated critical habitat (if applicable); air quality; 
noise; airspace; cultural resources; socioeconomics; environmental 
justice (minority and low income populations and children); land use 
and coastal zone management federal consistency; transportation; 
hazardous materials/hazardous waste/installation restoration; public 
health and safety; and other environmental concerns as identified 
through scoping. The analysis will include an evaluation of direct and 
indirect impacts, and will account for cumulative impacts from other 
relevant activities in the area of Guam. Additionally, the DoN will 
undertake any consultations required by all applicable laws or 
regulations.
    No decision will be made to implement any alternative until the 
SEIS process is completed and a ROD is signed by the Assistant 
Secretary of the Navy (Energy, Installations and Environment) or 
designee.
    By publishing this Notice, the DoN is initiating a scoping process 
to identify community concerns and issues that should be addressed in 
the SEIS. Federal, Territory, and local agencies, and interested 
parties and persons are encouraged to provide comments on the proposed 
action that clearly describe specific issues or topics of environmental 
concern that the commenter believes the DoN should consider. In 
addition to this Notice, an information report is available for review 
on the project Web site (see link below). This information report 
provides additional background information on the environmental 
planning efforts which have occurred since the Final EIS ROD was signed 
in September 2010. Additional information will be made available on the 
project Web site as it becomes available.
    Comments may be submitted in writing at one of the public scoping 
meetings, through the project Web site at: http://bit.ly/Guam_LFTRC_SEIS or may be mailed to: Joint Guam Program Office Forward, P.O. 
153246, Santa Rita, GU 96915.
    To ensure consideration, all written comments on the scope of the 
SEIS must be submitted or postmarked by April 6, 2012 ChST.

    Dated: February 3, 2012.
J.M. Beal,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-2949 Filed 2-8-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P