[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 108 (Friday, June 6, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24109-24111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-09429]
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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 the Mariana
Islands Training and Testing (ID# EISX-007-17-USN-1744382878)
AGENCY: Department of the Navy (DoN), Department of Defense (DoD).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, DoN regulations, and
Presidential Executive Order 12114, the DoN (including both the United
States (U.S.) Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC)) as the lead
agency, jointly with the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Army, and the U.S.
Coast Guard (referred to as ``Action Proponents''), announce their
intent to prepare a supplement to the 2015 Mariana Islands Training and
Testing (MITT) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Overseas EIS (OEIS)
and the 2020 MITT Supplemental EIS (SEIS)/OEIS. The MITT SEIS/OEIS will
include an analysis of training activities (referred to as
``training''); research, development, testing, and evaluation (referred
to as ``testing'') activities; and range modernization and sustainment
that will be conducted in the MITT Study Area beginning in July 2027.
When discussed together, these activities are referred to as ``military
readiness activities.''
DATES: The 45-day public scoping period begins on June 7, 2025, and
ends on July 22, 2025, Chamorro Standard Time (ChST). The scoping
period is extended 15 calendar days (from the usual 30-day period) to
allow more time to provide comments. The DoN will host a virtual
presentation and have public outreach material on the project website
during the scoping period to
[[Page 24110]]
provide information related to the Proposed Action, its purpose and
need, alternatives under consideration, environmental resource areas to
be analyzed in the SEIS/OEIS, the NEPA process, the consultation under
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), and
public involvement opportunities.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the scope of the SEIS/OEIS or information
regarding the project's potential to affect historic properties
pursuant to section 106 of the NHPA through the project website at
www.nepa.navy.mil/mitteis or by mail to: Naval Facilities Engineering
Systems Command Pacific, Attention: MITT SEIS/OEIS Project Manager, 258
Makalapa Drive, Suite 100, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: U.S. Pacific Fleet Command, Attention:
Ms. Heather Paynter, Environmental Public Affairs Specialist, 808-471-
3769, [email protected], or visit the project website at
www.nepa.navy.mil/mitteis.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Within the DoN, the lead action proponent
is Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet. Additional DoN action proponents
include Naval Sea Systems Command, Naval Air Systems Command, Office of
Naval Research, and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC). In addition to DoN
action proponents, this SEIS/OEIS includes certain activities by the
U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, and U.S. Coast Guard when those activities
are similar to Navy or USMC activities and are scheduled on DoN
controlled at-sea ranges.
Proposed military readiness activities are generally consistent
with those analyzed in the 2015 MITT EIS/OEIS and the 2020 MITT SEIS/
OEIS and are representative of activities that the services have been
conducting off Guam and around Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands for decades.
The MITT Study Area (hereafter referred to as the ``Study Area'')
is the same Study Area used for the 2015 MITT EIS/OEIS and the 2020
MITT SEIS/OEIS analysis, which includes in-water areas within the
Mariana Islands Range Complex (MIRC), areas on the high seas to the
north and west of the MIRC, a transit corridor between the MIRC and the
Hawaii Range Complex, and pier side within Apra Harbor. The Study Area
excludes land-based training areas located on Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and
Rota that were included in the 2015 MITT EIS/OEIS. Similar to the 2020
MITT SEIS/OEIS, this action does not propose any changes to land-based
activities on these islands that were analyzed in the 2015 MITT EIS/
OEIS. Thus, activities on these islands are not reanalyzed in this
supplement. As in the 2020 SEIS/OEIS, the only land component included
in the Study Area is Farallon de Medinilla.
The Proposed Action is to continue to conduct military readiness
activities within the Study Area. These activities include the use of
active sonar and explosives while employing appropriate marine species
protective mitigation measures.
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to ensure the U.S. military
services, to include the U.S. Coast Guard, can organize, train, and
equip service members and personnel to meet their respective national
defense missions in accordance with their Congressionally-mandated
requirements \1\ and advance joint interoperability in Navy led
exercises with other military services including foreign allies. A
SEIS/OEIS is considered the appropriate level of analysis as there are
updated activities which are similar to those analyzed in the 2015 MITT
EIS/OEIS and the MITT 2020 SEIS/OEIS, and scientific information and
acoustic effects criteria that are relevant to understanding the
environmental effects of the Proposed Action. New information since the
2015 EIS/OEIS and the 2020 SEIS/OEIS will be considered in furtherance
of NEPA and will support Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)
authorization requests.
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\1\ 10 U.S.C. 8062 (Navy), 8063 (USMC), 9062 (U.S. Air Force),
and 7062 (U.S. Army); and 14 U.S.C. 101-102 (U.S. Coast Guard).
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The Action Proponents have identified two preliminary action
alternatives to carry forward for analysis in the SEIS/OEIS along with
the No Action Alternative. Alternative 1 reflects a representative year
of training and testing to account for the natural fluctuation of
training cycles and deployment schedules that generally limit the
maximum level of training and testing occurring every year over any
seven-year period. Alternative 2 reflects the maximum number of
training and testing activities that could occur within a given year
and assumes that the maximum level of activity would occur every year
over any seven-year period. As required by NEPA for the purpose of
establishing a baseline for analysis, a No Action Alternative will be
evaluated which represents a scenario where no military readiness
activities are conducted in the Study Area. The tempo and types of
military readiness activities have fluctuated because of the
introduction of new technologies, the evolving nature of international
events, advances in war fighting doctrine and procedures, and changes
in force structure (organization and basing of ships, submarines,
aircraft, weapons, and Sailors). Such developments influence the
frequency, type, duration, intensity, and location of required military
readiness activities. The MITT SEIS/OEIS will reflect the current
compilation of training and testing activities required to fulfill the
military readiness requirements, and therefore both action alternatives
include the analysis of newly proposed activities and changes to
previously analyzed activities. Additionally, both action alternatives
will include range modernization and sustainment necessary to support
military readiness activities.
Environmental resources that are determined to be potentially
affected are carried forward for full analysis. Resources to be
evaluated include, but are not limited to, biological resources
(including marine mammals and other protected species), sediments and
water quality, air quality, noise, cultural resources, socioeconomics,
and public health and safety. The Action Proponents will also analyze
measures that would avoid, minimize, or mitigate environmental effects.
The Action Proponents will conduct all coordination and consultation
activities required by the MMPA, NHPA, ESA, Magnuson[hyphen]Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act, Coastal Zone Management Act,
Clean Air Act, and other laws and regulations determined to be
applicable to the project. As part of this process, the DoN will seek
the reissuance of authorizations under MMPA and ESA to support at-sea
military readiness requirements within the Study Area beginning in July
2027.
Pursuant to NEPA, the Action Proponents invited the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries
Service to be a cooperating agency in preparation of the SEIS/OEIS.
The scoping process is helpful in identifying public concerns and
local issues to be considered during the development of the SEIS/OEIS.
Federal agencies, Territorial agencies, the public, and interested
persons are invited to comment on the scope of the SEIS/OEIS, including
identifying potential alternatives or issues that should be addressed
in the NEPA analysis, relaying environmental concerns, and providing
information or analysis relevant to the Proposed Action or the
project's potential to affect historic properties pursuant to Section
106 of the NHPA.
[[Page 24111]]
Scoping comments submitted via the project website or mailed to the
address provided in the ADDRESSES section will be considered during the
development of the Draft SEIS/OEIS. Scoping comments should be
postmarked or received online by 11:59 p.m. ChST on July 22, 2025, for
consideration in the Draft SEIS/OEIS.
After the scoping period, the Action Proponents will coordinate
with participating and cooperating agencies to develop a Draft SEIS/
OEIS. The Action Proponents intends to release the Draft SEIS/OEIS in
the winter of 2026, release the Final SEIS/OEIS in the winter of 2027,
and sign a Record of Decision following the 30-day Final SEIS/OEIS wait
period.
Dated: May 21, 2025.
A.R. DeMaio,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2025-09429 Filed 6-5-25; 8:45 am]
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