[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 182 (Tuesday, September 20, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64444-64445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-22575]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Telecommunications and Information Administration

First Responder Network Authority

[Docket Number: 160830796-6796-01]
RIN 0660-XC030


Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental 
Impact Statement for the West Region of the Nationwide Public Safety 
Broadband Network and Notice of Public Meetings

AGENCY: First Responder Network Authority, National Telecommunications 
and Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Announcement of availability of a draft programmatic 
environmental impact statement and of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: The First Responder Network Authority (``FirstNet'') announces 
the availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement for the West Region (``Draft PEIS''). FirstNet also announces 
a series of public meetings to be held throughout the West Region to 
receive comments on the Draft PEIS. The Draft PEIS evaluates the 
potential environmental impacts of the proposed nationwide public 
safety broadband network in the West Region, composed of Arizona, 
California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.

DATES: Submit comments on the Draft PEIS for the West Region on or 
before November 15, 2016. FirstNet will also hold public meetings in 
each of the six states. See SUPPLMENTARY INFORMATION section for 
meeting dates.

ADDRESSES: At any time during the public comment period, members of the 
public, public agencies, and other interested parties are encouraged to 
submit written comments, questions, and concerns about the project for 
FirstNet's consideration or to attend any of the public meetings. 
Written comments may be submitted electronically via 
www.regulations.gov, FIRSTNET-2016-0004, or by mail to Genevieve 
Walker, Director of Environmental Compliance, First Responder Network 
Authority, National Telecommunications and Information Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, M/S 243, 
Reston, VA 20192. Comments received will be made a part of the public 
record and may be posted to FirstNet's Web site (www.firstnet.gov) 
without change. Comments should be machine readable and should not be 
copy-protected. All personally identifiable information (e.g., name, 
address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly 
accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information. The Draft PEIS is 
available for download from www.regulations.gov, FIRSTNET-2016-0004. A 
CD containing the electronic files of this document is also available 
at public libraries (see Chapter 14 of the Draft PEIS for the complete 
distribution list). See SUPPLMENTARY INFORMATION section for public 
meeting addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more information on the Draft 
PEIS, contact Genevieve Walker, Director of Environmental Compliance, 
First Responder Network Authority, National Telecommunications and 
Information Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, 12201 Sunrise 
Valley Drive, M/S 243, Reston, VA 20192.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Public Meetings

    Attendees can obtain information regarding the project and/or 
submit a comment in person during public meetings. The meeting details 
are as follows:
     Olympia, Washington: October 3, 2016, from 4:00 p.m. to 
8:00 p.m., DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Olympia, 415 Capitol Way North, 
Olympia, WA 98501.
     Los Angeles, California: October 4, 2016, from 4:00 p.m. 
to 8:00 p.m., Omni Los Angeles Hotel at California Plaza, 251 South 
Olive Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.
     Sacramento, California: October 5, 2016, from 4:00 p.m. to 
8:00 p.m., Hyatt Regency Sacramento, 1209 L Street, Sacramento, CA 
95814.
     Carson City, Nevada: October 6, 2016, from 4:00 p.m. to 
8:00 p.m., Courtyard Carson City, 3870 South Carson Street, Carson 
City, NV 89701.
     Salem, Oregon: October 12, 2016, from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 
p.m., DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Salem, Oregon, 1590 Weston Court NE., 
Salem, OR 97301.
     Phoenix, Arizona: October 18, 2016, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 
p.m., Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel, 100 North 1st Street, 
Phoenix, AZ 85004.
     Pocatello, Idaho: October 20, 2016, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 
p.m., Red Lion Hotel Pocatello, 1555 Pocatello Creek Road, Pocatello, 
ID 83201.

Background

    The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Pub. L. 
112-96, Title VI, 126 Stat. 156 (codified at 47 U.S.C. 1401 et seq.)) 
(the ``Act'') created and authorized FirstNet to take all actions 
necessary to ensure the building, deployment, and operation of an 
interoperable, nationwide public safety broadband network (``NPSBN'') 
based on a single, national network architecture. The Act meets a 
longstanding and critical national infrastructure need, to create a 
single, nationwide network that will, for the first time, allow police 
officers, fire fighters, emergency medical service professionals, and 
other public safety entities to effectively communicate with each other 
across agencies and jurisdictions. The NPSBN is intended to enhance the 
ability of the public safety community to perform more reliably, 
effectively, and safely; increase situational awareness during an 
emergency; and improve the ability of the public safety community to 
effectively engage in those critical activities.
    The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347) 
(``NEPA'') requires federal agencies to undertake an assessment of 
environmental effects of their proposed actions prior to making a final 
decision and implementing the action. NEPA requirements apply to any 
federal project, decision, or action that may have a significant impact 
on the quality of the human environment. NEPA also establishes the 
Council on Environmental Quality (``CEQ''), which issued regulations 
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (see 40 CFR parts 1500-
1508). Among other considerations, CEQ regulations at 40 CFR 1508.28 
recommend the use of tiering from a ``broader environmental impact 
statement (such as a national program or policy statements) with 
subsequent narrower statements or environmental analysis (such as 
regional or basin wide statements or ultimately site-specific 
statements) incorporating by reference the general discussions and 
concentrating solely on the issues specific to the statement 
subsequently prepared.''
    Due to the geographic scope of FirstNet (all 50 states, the 
District of Columbia, and five territories) and the diversity of 
ecosystems potentially traversed by the project, FirstNet has elected 
to prepare five regional PEISs. The five PEISs were divided into the 
East, Central, West, South, and Non-

[[Page 64445]]

Contiguous Regions. The West Region consists of Arizona, California, 
Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. The Draft PEIS analyzes 
potential impacts of the deployment and operation of the NPSBN on the 
natural and human environment in the West Region, in accordance with 
FirstNet's responsibilities under NEPA.

Next Steps

    All comments received by the public and any interested stakeholders 
will be evaluated and considered by FirstNet during the preparation of 
the Final PEIS. Once a PEIS is completed and a Record of Decision (ROD) 
is signed, FirstNet will evaluate site-specific documentation, as 
network design is developed, to determine if the proposed project has 
been adequately evaluated in the PEIS or warrants a Categorical 
Exclusion, an Environmental Assessment, or an Environmental Impact 
Statement.

    Dated: September 15, 2016.
Elijah Veenendaal,
Attorney--Advisor, First Responder Network Authority.
[FR Doc. 2016-22575 Filed 9-19-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-TL-P