[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 125 (Friday, June 30, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29855-29856]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13790]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Meetings for the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for Navy Atlantic 
Fleet Training and Testing

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969 and regulations implemented by the Council on Environmental 
Quality, the Department of the Navy (DoN) has prepared and filed with 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS)/Overseas EIS (OEIS) for public release on June 30, 
2017, to evaluate the potential environmental effects from training and 
testing activities conducted within the Navy's Atlantic Fleet Training 
and Testing (AFTT) Study Area.
    The Study Area is in the western Atlantic Ocean and encompasses the 
waters along the east coast of North America, the Gulf of Mexico, 
portions of the Caribbean Sea, Navy pierside locations and port transit 
channels, waters near civilian ports, and inland waters (e.g., lower 
Chesapeake Bay). The Study Area covers approximately 2.6 million square 
nautical miles of ocean area and includes designated Navy operating 
areas and special use airspace.
    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a Cooperating 
Agency for the EIS/OEIS.
    With the filing of the Draft EIS/OEIS, the DoN is initiating a 60-
day public comment period and has scheduled five public meetings to 
receive oral and written comments on the Draft EIS/OEIS. This notice 
announces the dates and locations of the public meetings for this Draft 
EIS/OEIS and provides supplementary information about the environmental 
planning effort.
    Dates and Addresses: The Draft EIS/OEIS public review period will 
begin June 30, 2017, and end on August 29, 2017. The Navy will hold 
five public meetings to inform the public about the Proposed Action and 
the alternatives under consideration, and to provide an opportunity for 
the public to comment on the Proposed Action, alternatives, and the 
adequacy and accuracy of the analysis in the Draft EIS/OEIS. Each of 
the public meetings will be conducted in an open-house format with 
informational stations staffed by DoN representatives. These 
representatives will be available during the public meeting to clarify 
information related to the Draft EIS/OEIS. Federal, state, and local 
agencies and officials, and interested groups and individuals are 
encouraged to provide comments in person at any of the public meetings 
or in writing during the public comment period.
    The public meetings will be held between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. on the 
following dates and at the following locations:
    1. Wednesday, July 19, 2017, Hotel Providence, 139 Mathewson 
Street, Providence, RI 02903.
    2. Tuesday, July 25, 2017, UNC Institute of Marine Sciences, 3431 
Arendell Street, Morehead City, NC 28557.
    3. Wednesday, July 26, 2017, Nauticus, 1 Waterside Drive, Norfolk, 
VA 23510.
    4. Tuesday, August 1, 2017, Prime F. Osborn III Convention Center, 
1000 Water Street, Jacksonville, FL 32204.
    5. Thursday, August 3, 2017, Gulf Coast State College Conference 
Center, 5230 W. Highway 98, Panama City, FL 32401.
    Attendees will be able to submit comments in writing or orally 
using a voice recorder at the public meetings. Equal weight will be 
given to oral and written statements. Comments may also be submitted by 
U.S. postal mail or electronically via the project Web site provided 
below. Written comments may be submitted by mail to Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command Atlantic, Attn: Code EV22KP (AFTT EIS Project 
Managers), 6506 Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23508-1278 and through 
the project Web site; all written comments must be post marked or 
received by August 29, 2017. All statements, oral or written, submitted 
during the public review period will become part of the public record 
on the Draft EIS/OEIS and will be considered in preparation of the 
Final EIS/OEIS.
    Public meeting details will also be announced in local newspapers 
and on the project Web site: www.AFTTEIS.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command 
Atlantic, Attn: Code EV22KP (AFTT EIS Project Managers), 6506 Hampton 
Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23508-1278.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare this 
DEIS/OEIS was published in the Federal Register on November 12, 2015, 
(Vol. 80, No. 218, p. 69951). A correction to the Notice of Intent was 
issued on December 1, 2015 and published in the Federal Register (Vol. 
80, No. 230, p.

[[Page 29856]]

75076) to update the deadline for comment submission.
    The DoN's Proposed Action is to conduct military readiness training 
activities, and research, development, testing, and evaluation 
activities in the AFTT Study Area. These military readiness activities 
include the use of active sonar and explosives within existing range 
complexes and testing ranges and additional areas located in the 
Atlantic Ocean along the eastern coast of North America, in portions of 
the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, at Navy pierside locations and 
port transit channels, near civilian ports, and in bays, harbors, and 
inland waterways (e.g., the lower Chesapeake Bay). These military 
readiness activities are generally consistent with those analyzed in 
the AFTT EIS/OEIS completed in December 2013 and are representative of 
training and testing that the Navy has been conducting in the AFTT 
Study Area for decades.
    Potential direct, indirect, cumulative, short-term, long-term, 
irreversible, and irretrievable impacts to the environment from two 
action alternatives and a No Action Alternative are evaluated in the 
Draft EIS/OEIS. Resources evaluated include air quality, sediments and 
water quality, vegetation, invertebrates, marine habitats, fish, marine 
mammals, sea turtles and other marine reptiles, birds and bats, 
cultural resources, socioeconomic resources, and public health and 
safety.
    Based on the results of the analysis, the Navy has requested from 
NMFS a Letter of Authorization (LOA) in accordance with the MMPA to 
authorize the incidental take of marine mammals that may result from 
the implementation of the activities analyzed in the AFTT Draft EIS/
OEIS. In accordance with Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, the 
Navy is consulting with NMFS and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) 
for potential impacts to federally listed species. The Navy will 
complete all required consultations and comply with other applicable 
laws and regulations.
    The Draft EIS/OEIS addresses mitigation measures designed to help 
reduce or avoid potential impacts to marine resources, including new 
mitigation measures that include expanded geographic mitigation areas, 
and updates to procedural mitigation measures. In addition, the Draft 
EIS/OEIS addresses marine species monitoring efforts designed to track 
compliance with authorizations and to investigate the effectiveness of 
mitigation measures implemented as part of the Proposed Action. The 
proposed mitigation measures, including new mitigation measures, would 
be implemented under either alternative in order to maximize the 
mitigation benefits to the environment.
    Mitigation measures are being coordinated through the consultation 
and permitting processes. The DoN will also consider public comments on 
proposed mitigation measures described in this Draft EIS/OEIS.
    Notice of the availability of the draft EIS/OEIS was distributed to 
federal, state, and local agencies, elected officials, and other 
interested individuals and organizations. Copies of the Draft EIS/OEIS 
are available for public review at the following libraries:
    1. Anne Arundel County Public Library, 5 Harry S. Truman Parkway, 
Annapolis, MD 21401.
    2. Bay County Public Library, 898 West 11th Street, Panama City, FL 
32401.
    3. Ben May Main Library, 701 Government Street, Mobile, AL 36602.
    4. Boston Public Library, Central Library, 700 Boylston Street, 
Boston, MA 02116.
    5. Camden County Public Library, 1410 Highway 40 E, Kingsland, GA 
31548.
    6. Carteret County Public Library, 1702 Live Oak Street, Suite 100, 
Beaufort, NC 28516.
    7. Charleston County Public Library, Main Library, 68 Calhoun 
Street, Charleston, SC 29401.
    8. Corpus Christi Public Library, La Retama Central Library, 805 
Comanche, Corpus Christi, TX 78401.
    9. East Bank Regional Library, 4747 West Napoleon Avenue, Metairie, 
LA 70001.
    10. Dare County Library, Manteo, 700 Highway 64/264, Manteo, NC 
27954.
    11. Havelock-Craven County Public Library, 301 Cunningham 
Boulevard, Havelock, NC 28532.
    12. Jacksonville Public Library, 303 North Laura Street, 
Jacksonville, FL 32202.
    13. Dare County Library, Kill Devil Hills, 400 Mustian Street, Kill 
Devil Hills, NC 27948.
    14. Houston Public Library, 500 McKinney Street, Houston, TX 77002.
    15. New Hanover County Public Library, 201 Chestnut Street, 
Wilmington, NC 28401.
    16. New Orleans Public Library, Main Library, 219 Loyola Avenue, 
New Orleans, LA 70112.
    17. Onslow County Public Library, 58 Doris Avenue East, 
Jacksonville, NC 28540.
    18. Pascagoula Public Library, 3214 Pascagoula Street, Pascagoula, 
MS 39567.
    19. West Florida Public Library, Pensacola Library, 239 North 
Spring Street, Pensacola, FL 32502.
    20. Portland Public Library, 5 Monument Square, Portland, ME 04101.
    21. Providence Public Library, 150 Empire Street, Providence, RI 
02903.
    22. Public Library of New London, 63 Huntington Street, New London, 
CT 06320.
    23. Slover Memorial Main Library, 235 East Plume Street, Norfolk, 
VA 23510.
    24. Walton County Library, Coastal Branch Library, 437 Greenway 
Trail, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459.
    25. Webb Memorial Library and Civic Center, 812 Evans Street, 
Morehead City, NC 28557.
    26. West Florida Public Library, Southwest Branch, 12248 Gulf Beach 
Highway, Pensacola, FL 32507.
    27. Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach, 411 Clematis Street, 
West Palm Beach, FL 33401.
    Copies of the AFTT Draft EIS/OEIS are available for electronic 
viewing at www.AFTTEIS.com. A paper copy of the Executive Summary and a 
single compact disc (CD) of the Draft EIS/OEIS will be made available 
upon written request by contacting: Naval Facilities Engineering 
Command Atlantic, Attn: Code EV22KP (AFTT EIS Project Managers), 6506 
Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23508-1278.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4332, E.O. 12114, and 40 CFR 1500-1508.

    Dated: June 27, 2017.
A.M. Nichols,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-13790 Filed 6-29-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P