[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]
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