[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 171 (Friday, September 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45833-45834]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-21430]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement for Renewal of Authorization To Use Pinecastle Range, 
Ocala National Forest, FL

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental 
Quality Regulations (40 Code of Federal

[[Page 45834]]

Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508), the U.S. Department of the Navy 
(Navy) has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEIS) 
to evaluate potential environmental effects of significant new 
circumstances and information not available at the time the Final 
Environmental Impact Statement for Renewal of Authorization to Use 
Pinecastle Range, Ocala National Forest, Florida, (January 2002) (2002 
FEIS) was completed.
    The Navy will conduct three public hearings to provide information 
and receive oral and written comments on the Draft SEIS. Federal, 
State, and local agencies and interested individuals are invited to be 
present or represented at the public hearings. Navy representatives 
will be available to clarify information related to the Draft SEIS. 
This notice announces the date and location of the public hearings for 
this Draft SEIS.

DATES AND ADDRESSES:  Open information sessions will precede scheduled 
public hearings and will allow individuals to review data presented in 
the Draft SEIS. Navy representatives will be available during the 
information sessions to clarify information related to the Draft SEIS. 
The open information sessions are scheduled from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., 
followed by the public hearing from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
    Public hearings will be held on the following dates and at the 
following locations in Florida:

1. September 22, 2009, at the Umatilla Community Building, 1 South 
Central Avenue, Umatilla, Florida;
2. September 23, 2009, at the Eustis Community Center, 601 Northshore 
Drive, Eustis, Florida;
3. September 24, 2009, at the Ocala American Legion Building, 516 NE 
Sanchez Avenue, Ocala, Florida.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command 
Southeast (NAVFAC Southeast) P.O. Box 30, Building 903, NAS 
Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida 32212-0030; Attn: SEIS Project 
Manager; Phone (904) 542-6301; Facsimile (904) 542-6345.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SEIS supplements the Final Environmental 
Impact Statement for Renewal of Authorization to Use Pinecastle Range, 
Ocala National Forest, Florida, dated January 2002. The Record of 
Decision for the 2002 FEIS was dated March 29, 2002, and published in 
the Federal Register on April 10, 2002, (67 FR 17418). A Notice of 
Intent to prepare this Draft SEIS was published in the Federal Register 
on June 12, 2008. A public scoping period was conducted prior to the 
development of the Draft SEIS. During this period, comments were 
submitted via mail or electronically through the project Web site at 
http://www.pinecastleseis.com.
    Pursuant to 40 CFR 1502.9, this Draft SEIS was prepared for the 
limited purpose of supplementing the 2002 FEIS to analyze new 
information regarding range safety zones and assess the effectiveness 
of existing mitigation measures to determine if any additional 
mitigation measures or a modification to the range Operating Plan were 
necessary. Following completion of the 2002 FEIS, the Navy adopted a 
new safety modeling program. This new modeling program, SAFE-RANGE, 
when applied to current training operations, indicates that range 
safety zones, are larger than previously modeled. Potential impacts 
associated with this new information are the focus of the Draft SEIS.
    The Draft SEIS analyzes the potential environmental effects 
resulting from the revised range safety zones and the effectiveness of 
existing mitigation measures to determine if additional actions or 
modifications to the range Operating Plan are necessary to maintain 
public safety and ensure range sustainability. The Draft SEIS also 
evaluates past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future land use 
proposals and forestry actions from a cumulative impacts perspective. 
The Draft SEIS does not propose any changes to targets, method of 
delivery (air-to-ground), types or volumes of ordnance used at 
Pinecastle for military training and, therefore, were not re-analyzed 
in the Draft SEIS.
    The Draft SEIS has been distributed to various federal, state, and 
local agencies, elected officials, and interested parties, and is 
available for public review at the Umatilla Public Library, 412 
Hatfield Drive, Umatilla, Florida, 35784; and the Marion County Public 
Library, 2720 East Silver Springs Boulevard, Ocala, Florida, 34470. An 
electronic copy of the Draft SEIS is also available for public viewing 
at: http://www.pinecastleseis.com. Oral statements presented at the 
public hearing will be recorded by a stenographer; however, to ensure 
accuracy of the record, all statements should be submitted in writing. 
All statements, both oral and written, will become part of the public 
record on the Draft SEIS and will be responded to in the Final SEIS. 
Equal weight will be given to both oral and written statements.
    In the interest of available time and to ensure that all who wish 
to give an oral statement have the opportunity to do so, each speaker's 
comments will be limited to three minutes. If a longer statement is to 
be presented, it should be summarized at the public hearing and the 
full text submitted in writing either at the hearing, or faxed or 
mailed to: Pinecastle SEIS, c/o Naval Facilities Engineering Command 
Southeast (NAVFAC Southeast); Attn: SEIS Project Manager; P.O. Box 30, 
Building 903, NAS Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida 32212-0030; Phone 
(904) 542-6301; Facsimile (904) 542-6345.
    All written comments received or postmarked by October 19, 2009, 
will become part of the official public record and will be responded to 
in the Final SEIS.

    Dated: August 27, 2009.
A.M. Vallandingham,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-21430 Filed 9-3-09; 8:45 am]
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