[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 161 (Tuesday, August 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39779-39780]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-17618]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for Northwest 
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) announces its intent to 
prepare a supplement to the 2015 Final Northwest Training and Testing 
(NWTT) Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS/OEIS).

DATES: Public comments will be accepted during the 30-day scoping 
period from August 22, 2017 to September 21, 2017. Public scoping 
meetings will not be held. However, public meetings are planned to 
occur following the release of the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS in early 
2019.

ADDRESSES: The DoN invites scoping comments on the NWTT Supplemental 
EIS/OEIS from all interested parties. Substantive comments may be 
provided by mail to the address below and through the project Web site 
at http://nwtteis.com/. Comments must be postmarked or received online 
by September 21, 2017 for consideration during the development of the 
Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: John Mosher, (360) 257-3234, 
[email protected]. Naval Facilities Engineering Command Northwest, 
Attention: NWTT Supplemental EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 3730 North 
Charles Porter Avenue, Building 385, Oak Harbor, Washington 98278-3500.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DoN will assess the potential 
environmental effects associated with ongoing and future at-sea 
military readiness activities conducted within the NWTT EIS/OEIS Study 
Area (hereafter known as the ``Study Area'') beyond 2020. Military 
readiness activities include training and research, development, 
testing, and evaluation (hereafter known as ``testing''). The 
Supplemental EIS/OEIS will include an analysis of training and testing 
activities using new information available after the release of the 
2015 Final EIS/OEIS. New information includes an updated acoustic 
effects model, updated marine mammal density data, and evolving and 
emergent best available science. Proposed activities are generally 
consistent with those analyzed in the 2015 Final EIS/OEIS and are 
representative of training and testing activities the DoN has been 
conducting in the Study Area for decades.
    The Study Area remains unchanged since the 2015 Final EIS/OEIS. The 
Study Area is comprised of established maritime operating areas and 
warning areas in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, including areas within 
the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Puget Sound, and the Western Behm Canal in 
southeastern Alaska. The Study Area includes air and water space within 
and outside Washington state waters, air and water space outside state 
waters of Oregon and Northern California, and DoN pierside locations 
where sound navigation and ranging (sonar) maintenance and testing 
occur. In the supplement to the 2015 Final EIS/OEIS, the DoN will only 
analyze those training and testing activities conducted at sea within 
the Study Area.
    As part of this process, the DoN will seek the issuance of federal 
regulatory permits and authorizations under the Marine Mammal 
Protection Act and Endangered Species Act to support on-going and 
future at-sea military readiness activities within the Study Area 
beyond 2020.
    Pursuant to 40 CFR 1501.6, the DoN will invite the National Marine 
Fisheries Service and the U.S. Coast Guard to be cooperating agencies 
in preparation of the Supplemental EIS/OEIS.
    The DoN's lead action proponent is Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. 
Additional action proponents include Naval Sea Systems Command and 
Naval Air Systems Command.
    The DoN's Proposed Action is to conduct at-sea training and testing 
activities within the Study Area. Activities include the use of active 
sonar and explosives while employing marine species protective 
mitigation measures. The Proposed Action does not alter the DoN's 
original purpose and need as discussed in the 2015 Final EIS/OEIS.
    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to maintain a ready force, 
which is needed to ensure the DoN can accomplish its mission to 
maintain, train, and equip combat-ready naval

[[Page 39780]]

forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression, and maintaining 
freedom of the seas, consistent with Congressional direction in section 
5062 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code. A Supplemental EIS/OEIS is 
considered the appropriate document, as there is recent scientific 
information including revised acoustic criteria to consider, in 
furtherance of NEPA, relevant to the environmental effects of the DoN's 
Proposed Action. The analysis will support Marine Mammal Protection Act 
authorization requests.
    Proposed training and testing activities are generally consistent 
with those analyzed in the 2015 Final EIS/OEIS. In the Supplemental 
EIS/OEIS, the DoN will analyze the proposed changes to the tempo and 
types of training and testing activities, accounting for the 
introduction of new technologies, the evolving nature of international 
events, advances in warfighting doctrine and procedures, and changes in 
the organization of vessels, aircraft, weapons systems, and DoN 
personnel. In the NWTT Supplemental EIS/OEIS, the DoN will reflect the 
compilation of training and testing activities required to fulfill the 
DoN's military readiness requirements beyond 2020, and therefore 
includes the analysis of newly proposed activities and changes to 
previously analyzed activities.
    In the Supplemental EIS/OEIS, the DoN will evaluate the potential 
environmental effects of a no action alternative and action 
alternatives. Resources to be evaluated include, but are not limited 
to, marine mammals, sea turtles, essential fish habitat, threatened and 
endangered species, and American Indian and Alaska Native Traditional 
Resources.
    The scoping process is used to identify public concerns and local 
issues to be considered during the development of the Draft 
Supplemental EIS/OEIS. Federal agencies, state agencies, local 
agencies, the public, and interested persons are encouraged to provide 
substantive comments to the DoN on environmental resources and issue 
areas of concern the commenter believes the DoN should consider.
    Comments must be postmarked or received online by September 21, 
2017 for consideration during the development of the Draft Supplemental 
EIS/OEIS. Comments can be mailed to: Naval Facilities Engineering 
Command Northwest, Attention: NWTT Supplemental EIS/OEIS Project 
Manager, 3730 North Charles Porter Avenue, Building 385, Oak Harbor, 
Washington 98278-3500. Comments can be submitted online via the project 
Web site at http://www.nwtteis.com/. Also at this Web site, those 
interested in receiving electronic project updates can subscribe to 
receive notifications via email for key milestones throughout the 
environmental planning process.

    Dated: August 16, 2017.
A.M. Nichols,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-17618 Filed 8-21-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P