### 70979 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 221 / Wednesday, November 16, 2011 / Notices

**DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE**

**Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers** 

**Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for**  **the Proposed Point Thomson Project, North Slope Borough, AK** 

**AGENCY :**  Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army, Department of Defense.

**ACTION :**  Notice of Availability.

**SUMMARY :**  In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District, has prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the proposed development by the Exxon Mobil Corporation and PTE Pipeline LLC (Applicant). The Draft EIS evaluates project alternatives and potential impacts to the environment which may occur from the Applicant’s proposal to construct industrial infrastructure and produce liquid hydrocarbon resources near Point Thomson, Alaska. The proposed project includes the construction of structures in navigable waters of the United States (U.S.) and the discharge of dredged and/ or fill materials into waters of the U.S., including wetlands. The proposed work requires authorization from the Corps of Engineers under Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act (RHA) of 1899 and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA). The Draft EIS will be used to evaluate the Applicant’s Department of the Army permit application and compliance with NEPA.

Draft EIS Availability: Electronically available for viewing, copying, or printing at: http://www.pointthomson projecteis.com

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A printed Executive Summary, which includes 2 Compact Discs containing the entire Draft EIS, can be obtained electronically through the project Web site address immediately above.

Draft EIS Comment Period: The 45- day review and comment period begins on November 18, 2011 and ends on January 3, 2012.

Send written comments, postmarked by January 3, 2012, to: Harry A. Baij Jr., U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District, Regulatory Division, Post Office Box 6898, JBER, AK 99506–0898.

Send electronic comments, received by January 3, 2012, to: comments@point thomsonprojecteis.com

. **FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Contact Mr. Baij by email message at harry.a.baij@usace.army.mil, by telephone at (800) 478–2712 (toll free within AK), (907) 753–2784 (office), or (907) 350–5097 (cell). **SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  The Corps of Engineers, Alaska District, has published a Public Notice of Application for Permit for the Applicant’s proposal to coincide with this Notice of Availability. The Public Notice can be viewed at http://www. poa.usace.army.mil/reg. Navigate to the ‘‘Public Notice’’ button and file number POA–2001–1082–M1, Beaufort Sea. Comments on the Public Notice can be submitted by clicking on the Submit Comments button at the Public Notice Web page. The comment period is identical to the Draft EIS comment period.

1. Authorities: Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) and Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403).

2. Background Information: The Corps of Engineers, Alaska District, received the Applicant’s complete permit application on November 1, 2011. The Applicant’s purpose is to produce liquid hydrocarbons and delineate and evaluate hydrocarbon resources in the Point Thomson area. Two natural gas production wells have been previously authorized, drilled, and tested at an existing gravel pad at Point Thomson, AK. Other previously authorized gravel pads and exploration wells also exist in the general area.

3. Location: Alaska’s Arctic Coastal Plain, Beaufort seacoast, approximately 60 miles east Prudhoe Bay. Most of the reservoir is located under the Beaufort Sea in State of Alaska waters. The proposed facilities would be located primarily onshore, on State of Alaska lands, leased to the Applicant. Kaktovik, AK is located approximately 60 miles east. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is approximately 2 miles east.

4. Proposed Project: Industrial development involving gravel fill placement in tundra waters and wetlands and marine structures.

Construct a large gravel mine; a milelong gravel airstrip; 3 production and/or processing gravel pads; several miles ofin-field gravel roads; similar length infield above-ground pipelines; a marine bulkhead, service pier, and mooring dolphins; navigational dredging; and other industrial infrastructure. Processed liquid hydrocarbons would be transported through a new 22-mile long elevated pipeline to existing facilities to the west and further connections to the Trans Alaska Pipeline System.

Construct temporary and permanent camps (lodging); offices, warehouses, and shops; electric power generation and distribution facilities; fuel, water, and chemical storage; a water and wastewater treatment facility; a grind and inject drilling waste facility; a solid waste facility; and communications facilities.

Directionally drill a minimum of five wells on three gravel pads: Central, East, and West. The Central Pad would be the largest and the primary location for construction and operations, processing fluids, locating a gas injection well for recycling natural gas, and a wastewater disposal well. The East and West Pads would include wells to delineate and evaluate the hydrocarbon reservoir for additional oil and gas resources and facilitate production.

5. Draft EIS Alternatives: Four alternatives were developed and evaluated in the Draft EIS that would meet the Applicant’s purpose and need. The No Action Alternative is used for comparison of the environmental effects of the action alternatives and involves long term monitoring and maintenance of the existing wells and gravel pads. Three Action Alternatives were developed. Two action alternatives would minimize impacts to coastal resources by locating infrastructure components inland from the coastline and reducing coastal access. These 2 alternatives consider alternative transportation routes, such as ice roads and an all-season gravel road in-lieu of barge access. A third alternative was developed to reduce impacts to waters and wetlands by minimizing the total gravel fill footprint. A complete description of the alternatives development, screening process, and the alternatives carried forward for detailed study, is disclosed in Section 2 of the Draft EIS.

6. Scoping Process: A Notice of Intent to prepare a Draft EIS for the Proposed Point Thomson Project was published on December 4, 2009. The Corps of Engineers conducted public, Tribal, and agency scoping meetings in AK prior to preparing the Draft EIS. Results from the scoping process were summarized a Public Scoping Document and are addressed in the Draft EIS.

7. Public Locations for Draft EIS: The Draft EIS is available for review at the following public libraries and schools: a. Harold Kaveolook School, Kaktovik, AK b. Nuiqsut Trapper School, Nuiqsut, AK c. Tuzzy Consortium Library, Barrow, AK d. Noel Wein Library, Fairbanks, AK e. Z.J. Loussac Library, Anchorage, AK f. Alaska Resources Library and Information Services, Anchorage, AK g. University of Alaska, Anchorage Library, Anchorage, AK


### 70980 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 221 / Wednesday, November 16, 2011 / Notices

8. Public Meetings: Open house and public comment meetings will be held at the following times and locations:

05 December 2011 .................................. Anchorage, AK ........................................ Open House ............................................ 4–6 p.m. Loussac Library ....................................... Public Comment ...................................... 6:30–8 p.m. 07 December 2011 .................................. Fairbanks, AK ......................................... Open House ............................................ 4–6 p.m. Westmark Hotel ...................................... Public Comment ...................................... 6:30–8 p.m. 12 December 2011 .................................. Kaktovik, AK ............................................ Open House ............................................ 6–7:30 p.m. Marsh Creek Inn ..................................... Public Comment ...................................... 8–9 p.m. 13 December 2011 .................................. Nuiqsut, AK ............................................. Open House ............................................ 4–6 p.m. Trapper School ....................................... Public Comment ...................................... 6:30–8 p.m. 15 December 2011 .................................. Barrow, AK .............................................. Open House ............................................ 4–6 p.m. Hobson Middle School ............................ Public Comment ...................................... 6:30–8 p.m.

Review and comment of this Draft EIS is encouraged. Requests to be placed on a mailing list for future announcements can be sent to Mr. Baij at the contact information above. The Corps of Engineers will give full consideration to all public comments received on the Draft EIS. A summary of the public meetings, written comment letters, and responses will be incorporated into the Final EIS, as appropriate.

Dated: November 7, 2011. Harry A. Baij, Jr., Project Manager, US Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District.
[FR Doc. 2011–29632 Filed 11–15–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3720–58–P**

**DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE**

**Department of the Navy**

**Meeting of the U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors** 

**AGENCY :**  Department of the Navy, DoD.

**ACTION :**  Notice of Partially Closed Meeting.

**SUMMARY :**  The U.S. Naval Academy Board of Visitors will meet to make such inquiry, as the Board shall deem necessary, into the state of morale and discipline, the curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, and academic methods of the Naval Academy. The executive session of this meeting from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on December 5, 2011, will include discussions of disciplinary matters, law enforcement investigations into allegations of criminal activity, and personnel issues at the Naval Academy, the disclosure of which would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy. For this reason, the executive session of this meeting will be closed to the public.

**DATES :**  The open session of the meeting will be held on December 5, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. The closed session of this meeting will be the executive session held from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.

**ADDRESSES :**  The meeting will be held in the Bo Coppege Room at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The meeting will be handicap accessible.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Lieutenant Commander Travis Haire, USN, Executive Secretary to the Board of Visitors, Office of the Superintendent, U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD 21402–5000, (410) 293–1503.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  This notice of meeting is provided per the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (5 U.S.C. App. 2). The executive session of the meeting from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on December 5, 2011, will consist of discussions of law enforcement investigations into allegations of criminal activity, new and pending administrative/minor disciplinary infractions and nonjudicial punishments involving the Midshipmen attending the Naval Academy to include, but not limited to, individual honor/conduct violations within the Brigade, and personnel issues. The discussion of such information cannot be adequately segregated from other topics, which precludes opening the executive session of this meeting to the public. Accordingly, the Secretary of the Navy has determined in writing that the meeting shall be partially closed to the public because the discussions during the executive session from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. will be concerned with matters coming under sections 552b(c)(5), (6), and (7) of Title 5, United States Code.

Dated: November 8, 2011. L.M. Senay, Lieutenant, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011–29559 Filed 11–15–11; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION** 

**Applications for New Awards; Race to the Top Fund Phase 3** 

**AGENCY :**  Office of the Deputy Secretary, Department of Education

**ACTION :**  Notice.

Overview Information Race to the Top Fund Phase 3

Notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY) 2011.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

(CFDA) Number: 84.395A.

**DATES :**  Applications Available: November 16, 2011.

Date of Meetings for Prospective Applicants: November 16, 2011.

Deadline for Transmittal of Part I Applications: November 22, 2011, 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time.

Deadline for Transmittal of Part II Applications: December 16, 2011, 4:30:00 p.m., Washington, DC time.

Full Text of Announcement I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The Race to the Top program, the largest competitive education grant program in U.S. history, is designed to provide incentives to States to implement system-changing reforms that result in improved student achievement, narrowed achievement gaps, and increased high school graduation and college enrollment rates.

On April 15, 2011, President Obama signed into law Public Law 112–10, the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011 (FY 2011 Appropriations Act), which made $698.6 million available for the Race to the Top Fund, authorized the Secretary to make awards on ‘‘the basis of previously submitted applications,’’ and amended the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) to permit the Secretary to make grants for improving early childhood care and learning under the program. On May 25, 2011, the Department announced that