[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 55 (Thursday, March 21, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17383-17384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-06535]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

[Docket ID DoD-2013-OS-0055]


Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment and Draft 
Finding of No Significant Impact Regarding DLA Energy's Mobility Fuel 
Purchasing Programs

AGENCY: Defense Logistics Agency Energy (DLA Energy), DoD.

ACTION: Finding of no significant impact.

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SUMMARY: As required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), an environmental assessment (EA) has been 
prepared to assess the potential environmental impacts associated with 
the proposed action to continue DLA Energy's current domestic mobility 
fuel purchase programs. DLA Energy currently operates two programs for 
mobility fuel contracts, Direct Delivery Fuels (DDF) and Bulk 
Petroleum, which were considered as part of the EA. The EA also 
analyzed the no-action alternative. Based on the analysis in the EA, 
DLA Energy has determined that the proposed action is not a major 
federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human 
environment within the context of NEPA. Therefore, the preparation of 
an environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required.

DATES: Comments on the Draft Finding of No Significant Impact must be 
postmarked or emailed by April 22, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by the docket ID and 
title, by any of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected]. Include the docket ID in the subject 
line of the message.
     Mail: Project Manager for NEPA, DLA Installation Support 
for Energy, 8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 2828, Fort Belvoir, VA 
22060.

    Note:  Before including your address, phone number, email 
address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, 
be advised that your entire comment, including your personal 
identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask in your comment to withhold from public review 
your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of this FONSI, the accompanying 
EA, and further information concerning the proposed action are 
available from: Project Manager for NEPA, DLA Installation Support for 
Energy, 8725 John J. Kingman Road, Suite 2828, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060, 
(703) 767-8312, [email protected]. Additional information about the NEPA 
process can be obtained from the Council on Environmental Quality at 
http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Need for the Proposed Action: DLA Energy is 
proposing to continue purchases of mobility fuels on behalf of the U.S. 
Department of Defense (DOD) and other government agencies. The purpose 
of the proposed action is to fulfill DLA Energy's mission to provide 
DOD and other government agencies with energy solutions in the most 
effective and efficient manner possible. The program is needed to 
fulfill the mobility fuel requirements of the military services and the 
federal civilian agencies.
    Proposed Action: As authorized by federal regulation (10 U.S.C. 
chapter 137, and DOD Directives 4140.25, 5101.8, and 4140.26-M), DLA 
Energy acquires and distributes nearly all of the refined petroleum, 
oil, and lubricants used by the U.S. military through contracting 
programs that follow the policies defined in the Federal Acquisition 
Regulation and the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement. 
DLA Energy currently operates two programs for mobility fuel contracts, 
DDF and Bulk Petroleum, which were considered as part of the EA.
    Alternatives Considered: The EA for DLA Energy's Mobility Fuel 
Purchase Programs, November 2012, evaluates the proposed action and the 
no-action alternative. Other alternatives were reviewed during the EA 
development process under the requirements of NEPA but were eliminated 
from further detailed analysis in the EA because they

[[Page 17384]]

did not meet the stated purpose and need for the action or were not 
practicable, for the reasons stated in the EA. The only practicable 
alternative is described in the ``Proposed Action'' section. The no-
action alternative is the same as the proposed action; discontinuing 
DLA Energy's mobility fuel purchase programs is not reasonable.
    Potential Environmental Impacts: The attached EA presents 
assessments of potential impacts to human health and the human 
environment. DLA Energy evaluated the following resources for potential 
impacts associated with the proposed action, as described below: 
Energy; transportation and infrastructure; air quality, including 
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; safety and human health; aquatic and 
terrestrial resources; and cultural resources.
    Energy--With DLA Energy mobility fuel procurements representing 2 
percent of the domestic mobility fuels market, and DLA Energy's 
continued efforts to procure, certify, and approve alternative fuels, 
the proposed action would have a negligible effect on the national 
energy market. The proposed action would have a negligible effect on 
the acquisition, handling, and processing of any crude oil feedstock 
including heavy crudes.
    Transportation and Infrastructure--Under the proposed action, DLA 
would continue using existing transport systems and does not propose 
any specific structural changes to the national transportation 
infrastructure; any future structural modifications would undergo NEPA 
review on a case-by-case basis. In compliance with established 
regulations, the proposed action would have a negligible effect on 
transportation and infrastructure.
    Air Quality--Unlike emissions from specific DOD services, emissions 
associated with the proposed action would not be attributable to a 
particular installation; emissions associated with the distribution of 
fuel to DLA Energy customers would be transient and distributed 
nationally. Forty-nine percent of DLA domestic fuel transport, by 
volume, occurs through pipelines, which have negligible GHG emissions 
in comparison to other transportation modes. The other 51 percent of 
DLA domestic fuel, by volume, is transported using mobile sources 
(truck, rail, and marine). DLA Energy's implementation of a systemic 
change to the use of commercial standard Jet A aviation fuel in most 
aircraft could significantly reduce fuel transport distances and 
associated emissions. Within the project scope and in compliance with 
federal, state, and local regulations, criteria air pollutant and GHG 
emissions would be negligible.
    Safety and Human Health--Risks to health and safety are minimal if 
the operations comply with applicable regulations, release detection is 
properly planned, and response actions are undertaken swiftly. Under 
the proposed action, DLA would continue to use existing and highly 
regulated methods of fuel transportation and storage, including the 
current safety policies. The proposed action would have a negligible 
impact on human health and safety.
    Aquatic, Terrestrial, and Cultural Resources--Transport and storage 
of fuel products is highly regulated. DLA Energy's customers are 
military installations and federal agencies that comply separately with 
biological and cultural resource protection requirements. Under the 
proposed action, DLA would continue using existing commercial methods 
for fuel distribution; any future structural modifications would 
undergo NEPA review on a case-by-case basis. Within the project scope 
and in compliance with established regulations, the proposed action 
would have no effects on aquatic and terrestrial resources, including 
threatened and endangered species. The proposed action would have no 
effects on cultural resources, including historic properties. Based on 
the analysis of the potential impacts to the human environment, the EA 
concludes that the proposed action would produce no significant adverse 
impacts.
    Determination: Based on the results of the analyses performed 
during the preparation of the EA, I conclude that the proposed action 
does not constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the 
quality of the human environment within the context of NEPA. Therefore, 
an EIS for the proposed action is not required.

    Dated: March 18, 2013.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2013-06535 Filed 3-20-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P