[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 212 (Monday, November 3, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65196-65197]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26035]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Availability of a Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement/Supplemental Overseas Environmental Impact Statement 
for Surveillance Towed Array Sensor System Low Frequency Active 
(SURTASS LFA) Sonar

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act as 
implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR 
parts 1500-1508) and Executive Order 12114, the Department of the Navy 
(DoN) has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (USEPA) a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/
Supplemental Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEIS/SOEIS) 
to analyze the potential impact of SURTASS LFA sonar on the five common 
bottlenose dolphin stocks comprising the Hawaiian Islands Stock Complex 
(Kauai/Niiahu, Oahu, 4-Islands, Hawaii Island, and Hawaii Pelagic). 
USEPA published their notice of availability of the SURTASS LFA sonar 
draft supplement on October 24, 2014 (79 FR 63622).

DATES: Public comment period will end on December, 8, 2014.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on the SURTASS LFA Sonar Draft SEIS/SOEIS 
should be addressed to: SURTASS LFA Sonar SEIS/SOEIS Program Manager, 
4201 Wilson Blvd. #110-185, Arlington, Virginia 22203; or email: 
lfa-eis.com">eisteam@surtass-lfa-eis.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chief of Naval Operations, Code N2/
N6F24, c/o SURTASS LFA Sonar SEIS/SOEIS Program Manager, 4201 Wilson 
Blvd. #110-185, Arlington, Virginia 22203; or email: lfa-eis.com">eisteam@surtass-lfa-eis.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Although the most recent Final SEIS/SOEIS 
for SURTASS LFA sonar was completed in June 2012, during subsequent 
litigation (Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. et al. v. Pritzger 
et al., No. 12-cv-05380-EDL [E.D. Cal. October 18, 2012]), the court 
found that the SEIS/SOEIS was deficient in one limited respect in that 
the DoN failed to use the best available data from the 2010 Pacific 
Stock Assessment Report to analyze the potential impact of SURTASS LFA 
sonar on the individual stocks that comprise the Hawaiian Islands Stock 
Complex of common bottlenose dolphins. The court upheld the current 
SEIS/SOEIS in all other respects. The Draft SEIS/SOEIS in this notice 
was prepared for the limited purpose of addressing the single 
deficiency identified by the court.
    The Draft SEIS/SOEIS has been distributed to appropriate Federal 
and state government agencies and officials and other interested 
parties. In addition, copies of the Draft SEIS/SOEIS have been 
distributed to the following regional libraries for public review:

1. Hawaii Documents Center, Hawaii State Library, 478 South King St, 
Honolulu, HI 96813.
2. Kaneohe Public Library, 45-829 Kamehameha Highway, Kaneohe, HI 
96744.
3. Hilo Public Library, 300 Waianuenue Ave, Hilo, HI 96720.
4. Wailuku Public Library, 251 High St, Wailuku, HI 96793.
5. Lihue Public Library, 4344 Hardy St, Lihue, HI 96766.
    The Draft SEIS/SOEIS is available for public viewing and 
downloading at: lfa-eis.com">http://www.surtass-lfa-eis.com. CD copies of the Draft 
SEIS/SOEIS are

[[Page 65197]]

available upon request from: SURTASS LFA Sonar SEIS/SOEIS Program 
Manager, 4201 Wilson Blvd. #110-185, Arlington, Virginia 22203; or 
email: lfa-eis.com">eisteam@surtass-lfa-eis.com.
    Written comments on the Draft SEIS/SOEIS can be submitted by mail: 
SURTASS LFA Sonar SEIS/SOEIS Program Manager, 4201 Wilson Blvd. #110-
185, Arlington, Virginia 22203; or email: lfa-eis.com">eisteam@surtass-lfa-eis.com. 
All written comments must be postmarked by December 8, 2014 to ensure 
that they become part of the official record. All timely comments will 
be addressed in the Final SEIS/SOEIS. No public hearings or meetings 
will be held.

    Dated: October 27, 2014.
N. A. Hagerty-Ford,
Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register 
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-26035 Filed 10-31-14; 8:45 am]
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