[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 93 (Monday, May 13, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 22028]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-11860]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Construction and Operation of an East Coast Shallow Water Training
Range
SUMMARY: Pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 12114, and the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on
Environmental Quality Regulations (40 CFR 1500-1508), the Department of
Navy announces its intent to prepare an environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the construction and operation of a shallow water training
range (SWTR) near the coast of the United States. The proposed action
involves the establishment of an instrumented range in water depths of
120 to 1200 feet.
The project is proposed to meet the new need for shallow water
submarine training for the Atlantic Fleet. The action seaward of 12
nautical miles (nm), which will be evaluated under EO 12114, includes
installation of bottom-mounted transducers, which will collect
information about naval units training in the SWTR. This information
will be used to monitor and evaluate the performance of these units
during training operations. The SWTR will also be used in conjunction
with other offshore air, land, and water-based training activities. The
SWTR will be built in four phases of 125 square nautical miles each.
The transducers will be connected to the shore by cable, and may be
trenched in using standard telephone cabling technology. The action to
be evaluated under NEPA includes the cable placement and the shore-
based construction associated with the SWTR.
Alternatives to be addressed in the EIS will focus on means of
meeting training requirements, including alternative onshore
construction sites, and offshore training sites. In order to take
advantage of nearby naval facilities such as homeports and training
facilities, four sites were evaluated in a site alternatives study:
offshore of Cape Ann, Massachusetts (in the Gulf of Maine); offshore of
Wallops Island, Virginia; offshore of the New River, North Carolina;
and offshore of Charleston, South Carolina. The Cape Ann and Charleston
sites were eliminated as unreasonable because they did not meet
operational requirements. The site off of Wallops Island, Virginia, and
the site offshore of the New River, North Carolina are the reasonable
alternatives that will be evaluated in the EIS.
ADDRESSES: Agencies and the public are encouraged to provide written
scoping comments. To be most helpful, comments should clearly describe
specific issues or topics which the EIS should address. Written
comments should be postmarked by June 3, 1996, and should be mailed to
Commanding Officer, Altantic Division, Naval Facilities Engineering
Command, 1510 Gilbert Street, Norfolk, VA 23511-6287, (Attn: Mr. Jim
Haluska, Code 2032JH), telephone (804) 322-4889, facsimile (804) 322-
4894.
Dated: April 30, 1996.
M.A. Waters,
LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 96-11860 Filed 5-10-96; 8:45 am]
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