[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 48 (Thursday, March 12, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12985-12986]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05638]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System
(GTMO SFOC); Environmental Assessment (EA)/Finding of No Significant
Impact (FONSI)
AGENCY: U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is announcing
that it has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) and issued a
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) relating to DISA's evaluation
of the Proposed Action and Alternatives to installing Submarine Fiber
Optic Cable (SFOC) for communication purposes between the DISN
Facilities at Miami FL and U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
(GTMO) in order to supply high Bandwidth to DoD activities at GTMO.
This SFOC will improve long-haul communications between the continental
U.S. (CONUS) and GTMO. The FONSI reports the studies that prove that
there will be no significant environmental impact from the installation
of this SFOC. This notice announces the availability of the final EA
and FONSI to concerned agencies and the public.
ADDRESSES: Requests to receive a copy of the EA or FONSI should be
mailed to Defense Information Systems Agency, Public Affairs Officer,
P.O. Box 549, Ft. Meade, MD 20755-0549. Arrangements must be made in
advance to pick the documents, due to facility security requirements.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: DISA Public Affairs at 301-225-8100 or
disa.meade.SPI.mbx.disa-pao or DISA, P.O. box 549, Ft. Meade, MD 20755-
0549.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ)
regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR]
parts 1500-1508) and 32 CFR part 188, Environmental Effects in the
United States of DoD Actions, the U.S. Defense Information Systems
Agency (DISA) prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the
installation of a submarine fiber optic cable connecting the Defense
Information System Network (DISN) node located at Guantanamo Bay
(GTMO), Cuba to the DISN node located in Miami, FL. The DISA is a
Department of Defense (DoD) combat support agency under the direction,
authority and control of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (ASD [C31]).
The Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable
System involves two existing, shore-based U.S. naval facilities where
the GTMO SFOC will be landed end-to-end. On the CONUS end, the cable
will be landed at the U.S. Navy's South Florida Ocean Measurement
Facility (SFOMF) at Dania Beach, Florida; from there, the GTMO SFOC
will span the entirety of Florida's Territorial Waters (3 nautical
miles [nm]), extending through the U.S. Territorial Sea (12 nm) and
Contiguous Zone (24 nm), with the majority of the cable system passing
through a combination of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the
Bahamian EEZ, and the Cuban EEZ to the nearshore landing at the
American Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NAVSTAGTMO). The DISA will lease
commercial dark fiber to facilitate the terrestrial connection between
SFOMF and the Network Access Point (NAP) of the Americas in Miami,
Florida to provide DISN node-to-node connection.
Purpose and Need: The purpose of the Proposed Action is to improve
long-haul communications between the continental U.S. (CONUS) and GTMO.
Long-haul communications requirements at GTMO are currently provided by
commercial satellite services. A Submarine Fiber Optic Cable (SFOC)
provides significantly more bandwidth than satellite services, exhibits
very low latency, and is not subject to adverse atmospheric conditions,
such as severe weather (for example, tropical rain storms and
hurricanes). Therefore, the SFOC will increase the level and
reliability of communication service between CONUS and GTMO. The
attached EA and this FONSI were prepared in compliance with the NEPA
(42 U.S.C. 4321-4347), CEQ regulations for implementing the procedural
provisions of the NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts
1500-1508), and 32 CFR part 188, Environmental Effects in the United
States of DoD Actions. The attached EA considers all potential impacts
of the Proposed Action and Alternatives, including the No Action
Alternative. This Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) summarizes
the DISA's evaluation of the Proposed Action and Alternatives.
Alternatives Considered: Dania Beach, Florida Nearshore Cable Route
Alternatives--Two action alternatives were analyzed for the nearshore
installation route proposed at Dania Beach, Florida within the 12 nm
limit of NEPA applicability. Of these two alternatives, Alternative 2
(Preferred) involving the bundling of the GTMO SFOC to the existing CS-
125 cable that has been installed through the nearshore coral reef
tracks was selected. This alternative provides the greatest degree of
natural resource protection as it is co-located through a corridor that
has previously received environmental agency clearances.
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Nearshore Cable Route Alternatives--Of the
three alternatives considered, Alternative 3 (Glass Beach) was selected
as the preferred landing site which contains an existing concrete
landing station supporting two subaqueous utility lines and
communication infrastructure coming ashore at this location. Co-
locating the GTMO SFOC cable within this existing corridor provides the
greatest degree of environmental impact
[[Page 12986]]
avoidance and minimization within the nearshore environment.
Deepwater Cable Route Alternatives--Three deepwater route
alternatives with a common divergence point outside the U.S. were
evaluated as part of the route planning process. These alternatives
were not analyzed with respect to impacts on the human or natural
environment because the DISA determined that the action of a one time,
direct-laid SFOC system on the seabed has been demonstrated in past
project actions at SFOMF and worldwide to ordinarily have only a minor,
localized, and transient effect on the environment. Therefore, the
action lacks the potential to cause significant harm to the environment
outside the U.S. and meets the exemption requirement (E2.3.3.1.1) to
prepare environmental documentation under Executive Order (E.O.) 12114,
Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions.
No Action Alternative--The No Action Alternative would be not to
proceed with the GTMO SFOC system project linking NAVSTAGTMO at
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with the SFOMF facility at Dania Beach, Florida.
NAVSTAGTMO would continue to operate with existing satellite
communication capabilities which would not meet the operational need
for reliability and additional bandwidth.
Conclusion: The GTMO SFOC EA was prepared and evaluated pursuant to
NEPA, CEQ regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508, and 32 CFR part 188.
It has been concluded that, based on the analyses presented in the GTMO
SFOC EA, the DISA has determined that no significant direct, indirect,
or cumulative impacts would occur as a result of the Proposed Action.
Therefore, no further study under NEPA is required, and a FONSI is thus
warranted. In addition, the Proposed Action lacks the potential to
cause significant harm to the environment outside the U.S. and thus is
exempt from further environmental analyses under Executive Order 12114.
Accordingly, the DISA approved the installation and operation of the
GTMO SFOC.
Dated: March 9, 2015.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2015-05638 Filed 3-11-15; 8:45 am]
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