[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 21 (Friday, January 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5389-5391]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01910]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Meetings of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for Military 
Readiness Activities in the Northwest Training and Testing Study Area

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 of 1969, regulations implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality (40 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 1500-1508), 
and Presidential Executive Order 12114, the Department of the Navy 
(DoN) has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency a Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS). The Draft EIS/OEIS includes the evaluation 
of the potential environmental effects associated with military 
readiness training and research, development, test, and evaluation 
activities (training and testing) conducted within the Northwest 
Training and Testing (NWTT) Study Area. The National Marine Fisheries 
Service (NMFS) and the U.S. Coast Guard are cooperating agencies for 
this EIS/OEIS.
    The NWTT Study Area is composed of established maritime operating 
areas and warning areas in the eastern North Pacific Ocean, including 
the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and Western Behm Canal in 
southeastern Alaska. The NWTT Study Area includes: air and water space 
within and outside Washington state waters, and outside state waters of 
Oregon and Northern California; four existing range complexes and 
facilities (Northwest Training Range Complex [NWTRC], Naval Undersea 
Warfare Center [NUWC] Division Keyport Range Complex, Carr Inlet 
Operations Area, and Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility 
[SEAFAC]); and Navy pierside locations where sonar maintenance and 
testing

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occur (Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton, Naval Base Kitsap Bangor and Naval 
Station Everett). The land-based portions of the range complexes and 
facilities are not a part of the Study Area and will be or already have 
been addressed under separate DoN environmental planning documentation.
    With the filing of the Draft EIS/OEIS, the DoN is initiating a 60-
day public comment period and has scheduled eight public meetings to 
receive comments on the Draft EIS/OEIS. This notice announces the dates 
and locations of the public meetings and provides supplementary 
information about the environmental planning effort.
    Dates and Addresses: The 60-day Draft EIS/OEIS public review period 
will begin on January 24, 2014, and end on March 25, 2014. The DoN will 
hold eight public meetings that will include an open house information 
session, followed by a short presentation by the DoN. DoN 
representatives will be available during the open house information 
sessions to clarify information related to the Draft EIS/OEIS. Federal, 
state, and local agencies and officials, and interested organizations 
and individuals are encouraged to provide comments in writing during 
the public review period or in person at one of the scheduled public 
meetings.
    The public meetings will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with 
a DoN presentation at 6:30 p.m., on the following dates and at the 
following locations:
    1. Wednesday, February 26, 2014, at the Oak Harbor High School 
Student Union Building, 1 Wildcat Way, Oak Harbor, WA, 98277.
    2. Thursday, February 27, 2014, at the Cascade High School Student 
Commons, 801 E. Casino Road, Everett, WA, 98203.
    3. Friday, February 28, 2014, at the North Kitsap High School 
Commons, 1780 NE Hostmark St., Poulsbo, WA, 98370.
    4. Monday, March 3, 2014, at the Astoria High School Student 
Commons, 1001 W. Marine Drive, Astoria, OR, 97103.
    5. Tuesday, March 4, 2014, at the Isaac Newton Magnet School Gym, 
825 NE 7th St., Newport, OR, 97365.
    6. Thursday, March 6, 2014, at the Red Lion Hotel Redwood Ballroom, 
1929 4th St., Eureka, CA, 95501.
    7. Friday, March 7, 2014, at the Redwood Coast Senior Center West 
Room, 490 N. Harold St., Fort Bragg, CA, 95437.
    8. Tuesday, March 11, 2014, at the Southeast Alaska Discovery 
Center Lobby, 50 Main St., Ketchikan, AK, 99901.
    Attendees will be able to submit oral and written comments during 
the public meetings. Oral comments from the public will be recorded by 
a court reporter. In the interest of available time, and to ensure all 
who wish to provide an oral statement to the court reporter have the 
opportunity to do so, each speaker's comments will be limited to three 
(3) minutes, which may be extended if meeting attendance permits. Equal 
weight will be given to oral and written statements. Comments may also 
be submitted via the U.S. Postal Service to Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command Northwest, Attention: Ms. Kimberly Kler--NWTT EIS/
OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA 
98315-1101, or electronically via the project Web site 
(www.NWTTEIS.com). All comments, oral or written, submitted during the 
public review period will become part of the public record. All 
comments will be reviewed and acknowledged or responded to in the Final 
EIS/OEIS. Comments must be postmarked or received online by March 25, 
2014, for consideration in the Final EIS/OEIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command 
Northwest, Attention: Ms. Kimberly Kler--NWTT EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 
1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA 98315-1101.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Intent to prepare this Draft 
EIS/OEIS was published in the Federal Register on February 27, 2012 (77 
FR 11497).
    The DoN's Proposed Action is to conduct military readiness training 
and testing activities, to include the use of active Sound Navigation 
and Ranging (sonar) and explosives, primarily within existing range 
complexes, operating areas, and testing ranges of the NWTT Study Area. 
The Proposed Action also includes pierside sonar maintenance and 
testing within the Study Area.
    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to achieve and maintain 
military readiness to meet the requirements of Title 10 of the U.S. 
Code, thereby ensuring that the DoN accomplishes its mission to 
maintain, train, and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning 
wars, deterring aggression, and maintaining freedom of the seas. This 
Draft EIS/OEIS will also support the renewal of federal regulatory 
permits and authorizations for current training and testing activities 
and to propose future activities requiring environmental analysis.
    The Draft EIS/OEIS includes analysis of the potential environmental 
impacts of three alternatives, including the No Action Alternative. The 
No Action Alternative would continue baseline training and testing 
activities, as defined by existing environmental planning documents, 
including the NWTRC EIS/OEIS, the NUWC Division Keyport Range Complex 
Extension EIS/OEIS, and the SEAFAC EIS. Alternative 1 (Preferred 
Alternative) consists of the No Action Alternative, plus adjustments to 
the types and levels of training and testing activities conducted 
within the Study Area as necessary to support current and planned 
requirements. This alternative includes activities associated with 
force structure changes, such as those resulting from the development, 
testing, and ultimate introduction of new vessels, aircraft, and 
weapons systems into the fleet; training exercises in support of 
Civilian Port Defense; and testing activities. Alternative 2 consists 
of all activities that would occur under Alternative 1, plus additional 
adjustments to the levels of training and testing activities.
    In this EIS/OEIS, the DoN analyzes potential impacts on 
environmental resources resulting from activities under the 
alternatives. Resources evaluated include sediments and water quality, 
air quality, marine habitats, marine mammals, sea turtles, birds, 
marine vegetation, marine invertebrates, fish, cultural resources, 
Native American and Alaska Native Traditional Resources, socioeconomic 
resources, and public health and safety.
    The DoN is requesting Marine Mammal Protection Act incidental take 
authorizations from NMFS, as well as governing regulations for the 
incidental take of marine mammals that may result from the 
implementation of the activities analyzed in the Draft EIS/OEIS. In 
accordance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the DoN is 
consulting with NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the 
potential impacts of training and testing activities on federally 
listed species. In accordance with the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act, the DoN is consulting with NMFS on 
federally managed species and their essential fish habitat.
    The cumulative impacts of past, present, and other reasonably 
foreseeable future actions are expected to result in impacts on marine 
mammals and sea turtles, including Endangered Species Act-listed marine 
mammal species, in the Study Area. The Draft EIS/OEIS indicates that 
the incremental contribution of the No Action Alternative, Alternative 
1, or Alternative 2 to all other resource areas analyzed would be 
negligible.

[[Page 5391]]

    The Draft EIS/OEIS was distributed to federal, state, and local 
agencies, elected officials, and other interested organizations and 
individuals.
    Copies of the Draft EIS/OEIS are available for public review at the 
following public libraries:
    1. Everett Main Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave., Everett, WA 98201.
    2. Gig Harbor Library, 4424 Point Fosdick Drive NW., Gig Harbor, WA 
98335.
    3. Jefferson County Library--Port Hadlock, 620 Cedar Ave., Port 
Hadlock, WA 98339.
    4. Kitsap Regional Library--Poulsbo, 700 NE Lincoln Road, Poulsbo, 
WA 98370.
    5. Kitsap Regional Library--Sylvan Way (Bremerton), 1301 Sylvan 
Way, Bremerton, WA 98310.
    6. Oak Harbor Public Library, 1000 SE Regatta Drive, Oak Harbor, WA 
98277.
    7. Port Angeles Main Library, 2210 S. Peabody St., Port Angeles, WA 
98362.
    8. Port Townsend Public Library, 1925 Blaine St., Port Townsend, WA 
98368.
    9. Timberland Regional Library--Aberdeen, 121 E. Market St., 
Aberdeen, WA 98520.
    10. Timberland Regional Library--Hoquiam, 420 7th St., Hoquiam, WA 
98550.
    11. Astoria Public Library, 450 10th St., Astoria, OR 97103.
    12. Driftwood Public Library, 801 SW Highway 101, Lincoln City, OR 
97367.
    13. Newport Public Library, 35 NW Nye St., Newport, OR 97365.
    14. Tillamook Main Library, 1716 Third St., Tillamook, OR 97141.
    15. Fort Bragg Branch Library, 499 Laurel St., Fort Bragg, CA 
95437.
    16. Humboldt County Public Library, Arcata Branch Library, 500 7th 
St., Arcata, CA 95521.
    17. Humboldt County Public Library, Eureka Main Library, 1313 3rd 
St., Eureka, CA 95501.
    18. Juneau Public Library, Downtown Branch, 292 Marine Way, Juneau, 
AK 99801.
    19. Ketchikan Public Library, 1110 Copper Ridge Lane, Ketchikan, AK 
99901.
    The Draft EIS/OEIS is also available for electronic viewing at 
www.NWTTEIS.com. A compact disc of the Draft EIS/OEIS will be made 
available upon written request by contacting: Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command Northwest, Attention: Ms. Kimberly Kler--NWTT EIS/
OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA 
98315-1101.

    Dated: January 23, 2014.
N. A. Hagerty-Ford,
Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U. S. Navy. Federal 
Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-01910 Filed 1-30-14; 8:45 am]
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