Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 201 / Tuesday, October 19, 2004 / Notices 61471

significantly frustrate implementation of 

a proposed agency Action. 

Due to closure of the meeting, copies 

of the minutes of the meeting will not 

be available, however a copy of the 

Notice of Determination will be 

available for public inspection and 

copying in the office of Mildred Porter, 

Director, National Medal of Technology, 

1401 Constitution Avenue, NW., Herbert 

Hoover Building, Room 4843, 

Washington, DC 20230, Phone: 202/

482–5572.

Dated: October 12, 2004. 

Phillip J. Bond, 

Under Secretary of Commerce for Technology.

[FR Doc. 04–23399 Filed 10–18–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–18–P

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy 

Record of Decision for Purchase of 

Land in Hancock County, MS for a 

Naval Special Operations Forces 

Riverine and Jungle Training Range

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of record of decision.

SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy 

announces its decision to purchase 

approximately 5,200 acres of privately 

owned property in the northwestern 

acoustic buffer of the John C. Stennis 

Space Center in Hancock County, MS to 

establish a Naval Special Operations 

Forces Riverine and Jungle Training 

Range.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Richard Davis, P.E. (Code ES12/RD), 

Southern Division Naval Facilities 

Engineering Command, P.O. Box 

190010, North Charleston, SC 29419–

9010; phone (843) 820–5589; facsimile 

(843) 820–7472; or e-mail: 

richard.a.davis1@navy.mil.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant 

to Section 102(2)(c) of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 

1969, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.; Council on 

Environmental Quality regulations (40 

CFR Parts 1500–1508); and Department 

of the Navy regulations (32 CFR 775), 

the Department of the Navy (Navy) 

announces its decision to purchase 

approximately 5,200 acres of privately 

owned property in the northwestern 

acoustic buffer of the John C. Stennis 

Space Center (SSC) in Hancock County, 

MS to establish a Naval Special 

Operations Forces (SOF) riverine and 

jungle training range. This decision 

implements Basic Training Alternative 

C, the preferred type and tempo of 

training alternative at Alternative Range 

Location 3, as described in the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). 

The range will provide Naval SOF with 

reliable and priority access to a local 

training range characterized by a 

permanent riverine and jungle 

environment and where live combat 

exercises using Short Range Training 

Ammunition (SRTA) can be conducted. 

Background and Issues: Naval SOF 

have conducted riverine and jungle 

training along the lower Pearl River and 

its tributaries within the boundaries of 

the SSC since the late 1990’s. Current 

training operations consist of transitory 

events, including riverine patrol and 

interdiction, insertion and extraction in 

the riverine and jungle environment, 

inland reconnaissance and surveillance 

operations, craft concealment and 

evasion tactics and surveillance of rivers 

and waterways. Only blank-fire is 

authorized during these training 

activities.

The timely development of SRTA has 

made it possible to consider the use of 

SRTA-fire in specific existing training 

areas where all previous weapons 

training has been limited to blank-fire. 

This training improvement allows Naval 

SOF to understand the dynamics of 

firing live ammunition, such as the 

dynamics of randomly-fired projectiles 

leaving the weapon, the reaction 

(ricochet) of ammunition hitting objects, 

and a demonstration of techniques that 

avoid friendly-fire incidents during 

combat. SRTA-fire is safer for use 

during training and SRTA-fire is safer 

potentially on the environment. 

The purpose of the proposed action is 

to significantly improve existing Naval 

SOF riverine and jungle training 

available at SSC by establishing a 

training range where Naval SOF have 

priority access to conduct live combat 

exercises using SRTA. The proposed 

range will meet the needs of Naval SOF 

for comprehensive, systematic, and 

progressive jungle and riverine training 

under realistic combat conditions. As a 

result, the readiness of Naval SOF to 

support national defense objectives will 

be increased and the potential for 

combat casualties reduced. 

The proposed property acquisition 

will be completed as quickly as 

practicable, consistent with 

Congressional appropriations and final 

assessments and negotiations with 

property owners. Military use of the 

property will continue by permission of 

existing property owners, but will be 

expanded consistent with the Final EIS 

and this Record of Decision to include 

SRTA and increased operational tempo 

only after all of the necessary parcels are 

purchased. 

Alternatives Considered: In 

identifying a reasonable range of 

alternatives that will satisfy the Navy’s 

purpose and need, Naval Special 

Warfare Command 

(NAVSPECWARCOM) initially 

evaluated the feasibility of training at 

existing military and Federal 

installations within the southeast 

United States where 

NAVSPECWARCOM units had 

previously conducted (or had submitted 

a request to conduct) riverine training, 

as well as locations known to have 

specifically developed a riverine 

training capability, including: Fort 

Knox, KY; Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), 

FL; Camp Lejeune, NC; and SSC, MS. A 

screening analysis, based upon 

operational factors set out in the Final 

EIS was conducted to determine 

whether these potential range locations 

could be considered reasonable 

alternatives. Only the SSC area was 

found to be consistent with the 

operational screening factors and as a 

result, Fort Knox, Eglin AFB, and Camp 

Lejeune were eliminated from further 

evaluation. 

Additional operational factors were 

applied to the analysis of alternative 

training range sites in the vicinity of 

SSC. These operational factors 

considered the extent to which realistic 

training scenarios could be conducted 

and the safety of Naval SOF personnel 

and the public. Of the five candidate 

ranges evaluated, only Alternative 

Range Location 3 was found to meet all 

identified operational factors. 

In addition to the no action 

alternative, three operational 

alternatives (Basic Training Alternatives 

A, B, and C) were analyzed in detail, in 

the Final EIS. The basic training 

alternatives are differentiated by 

training type and tempo. However, all of 

the alternatives would involve 36 weeks 

per year of training on the East Pearl 

River, an increase of 11 weeks per year 

compared to existing conditions. Even 

with implementation of any of the 

proposed alternatives, Naval SOF will 

continue to conduct necessary live-fire 

training at the Army ranges at Fort 

Knox, KY. 

Basic Training Alternative A would 

allow Naval SOF to conduct basic 

training activities within the selected 

range location. This would include 

small arms training with SRTA and the 

use of High Mobility Multi-purpose 

Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs). 

Basic Training Alternative B builds 

upon the activities identified for Basic 

Training Alternative A and would allow 

possible use of the range by other SOF 

elements such as Army SOF 

Surveillance and Reconnaissance 

61472 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 201 / Tuesday, October 19, 2004 / Notices 

elements. Other authorized operations 

on the range could involve the use of 

maritime unmanned aerial vehicles 

(UAVs), and unmanned riverine 

observation craft (UROCs). The UAVs 

would operate at treetop height above 

the river, and UROCs would be limited 

to areas located in front of the 

controlling watercraft. In addition, 36 

helicopter insertion and extraction 

events would be conducted annually. 

Each event will consist of 10 helicopters 

conducting arrival, SOF insertion/

deployment, SOF extraction, and 

departure movements. All flight plans 

would be filed and Notice to Airmen 

(NOTAM) issued for any planned 

helicopter operations. 

Basic Training Alternative C, which 

has been identified as the preferred 

alternative by NAVSPECWARCOM, 

would allow Naval SOF to conduct all 

of the activities identified for Basic 

Training Alternative B and provide for 

conducting 24 additional helicopter 

insertion and extraction events, for a 

total of 60 annual events with ten 

helicopters each, participating in joint 

combined operations with Army SOF 

units. 

Ensuring the safety of proposed range 

users and the public at large is of 

paramount importance to the Navy. 

NAVSPECWARCOM will develop a 

‘‘SRTA-Fire Range Safety Procedures 

Plan’’ for controlling water-to-land and 

land-to-land SRTA-fire range 

operations. The plan will require that 

the full flight profile of all ordnance 

used on the range will be safely 

contained within the range perimeter 

and established safety zone. The safety 

plan will specify procedures for 

notifying the public of planned range 

operations that may affect access to the 

East Pearl River or adjacent lands, list 

range safety personnel and their roles 

and responsibilities, and identify the 

procedures to be followed in the event 

of injuries to personnel or the public.

To insure public safety during 

operations conducted on or adjacent to 

the East Pearl River, the Navy may 

request the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers (consistent with the 

conditions of 33 CFR 334, Danger Zone 

and Restricted Area Regulations), to 

establish an area to be temporarily 

restricted from public passage on the 

East Pearl River and Mikes River during 

SRTA-fire or other sensitive training. 

Actual firing time will usually be 

limited to increments of about 10 to 15 

minutes infrequently throughout the 

training cycle. Public passage will be 

allowed to resume when it is safe to do 

so. 

In addition to the basic training 

alternatives, the Final EIS evaluates the 

consequences of implementing the No 

Action Alternative. Under this 

alternative, privately owned property in 

Hancock County, MS would not be 

purchased nor would the Naval SOF 

training range be established. Naval SOF 

training operations conducted in the 

area would remain at current levels and 

Naval SOF boat detachments would 

continue to conduct only blank-fire 

exercises. Live-fire exercises would 

continue to be scheduled at the Army 

training range at Fort Knox, KY. The No 

Action Alternative is the 

environmentally preferred alternative 

because it involves no change to the 

physical environment. However, it 

would not meet the Navy’s purpose and 

need for the proposed action. 

Environmental Impacts: The Final EIS 

assesses the direct, indirect, and 

cumulative environmental effects of 

implementing the three basic training 

alternatives and the no action 

alternative on earth resources, air 

quality, noise, water resources, solid 

and hazardous materials, biological 

resources, land use and aesthetics, 

socioeconomics and environmental 

justice, public health and safety, 

transportation, recreation, and cultural 

resources. No significant environmental 

impacts were identified for any resource 

area for any alternative; however, to 

reduce even further the potential 

environmental impacts of the proposed 

action, the Navy will: (1) Implement a 

spill contingency plan to reduce or 

eliminate the potential for 

contamination of soils from accidental 

spills and releases from vehicles, 

watercraft, and aircraft; (2) implement 

fugitive dust controls on roadways; (3) 

prohibit the release of bilge water from 

watercraft during training exercises; (4) 

limit activities that generate hazardous 

waste, such as hull maintenance, 

weapons maintenance, and outboard 

motor maintenance and overhaul, to the 

boat storage and maintenance yard and 

the SBT–22 training facility; and (5) 

conduct all refueling of Naval SOF 

watercraft, HMMWVs, and helicopters 

at approved facilities outside the 

proposed range. 

Since the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers has indicated that the 

majority of the proposed range area is 

subject to their jurisdiction under 

Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, 

some construction/maintenance 

activities, such as the potential road 

maintenance and culvert repair/

replacement, could require a 

Department of the Army permit. The 

need for a permit would depend on the 

specific location of the proposed 

activities and projected impacts. For 

those actions that will result in impacts 

to any Section 404 jurisdictional areas, 

permitting activities will be initiated. 

In addition, the Navy intends to allow 

hunting to occur within the proposed 

range. The hunting program will be 

consistent with state and local hunting 

programs, but will be developed such 

that it will not interfere with the 

military training mission of the area and 

will adequately provide for the safety of 

participants in the program. 

Response to Comments Received 

Regarding the FEIS: The Final EIS was 

distributed to government agencies and 

the public on August 6, 2004, for a 30-

day public review period. During this 

period only two comment letters were 

received, one from U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency and the other from 

the Louisiana Department of 

Environmental Quality. No new 

substantive issues were raised in the 

comments received. All of the issues 

raised in the comment letters were 

thoroughly discussed in the Final EIS. 

Conclusions: After carefully 

considering the purpose and need for 

the proposed action, the analyses 

contained in the Final EIS, and the 

comments received on the Draft and 

Final EIS from Federal, state, and local 

agencies, non-governmental 

organizations, and individual members 

of the public, I have determined that 

purchase of the proposed acreage at SSC 

(Alternative Range Location 3) and 

establishment of a Naval SOF riverine 

and jungle training range to conduct 

training, as described in Basic Training 

Alternative C will best meet the needs 

of Naval SOF to train under realistic 

combat conditions, thereby increasing 

their readiness to support national 

defense objectives and ultimately 

reducing combat casualties.

Dated: October 6, 2004. 

Wayne Arny, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy 

(Installations and Facilities).

[FR Doc. 04–23334 Filed 10–18–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request

AGENCY: Department of Education.

SUMMARY: The Leader, Information 

Management Case Services Team, 

Regulatory Information Management 

Services, Office of the Chief Information 

Officer invites comments on the 

submission for OMB review as required 

by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995.