66452 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 211 / Wednesday, November 2, 2005 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND 

SECURITY 

Coast Guard 

[USCG–2005–22850] 

Environmental Assessment and Draft 

Finding of No Significant Impact for 

the Decommissioning and Excessing 

of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter 

MACKINAW (WAGB–83) 

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS. 

ACTION: Notice of availability and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) 

announces the availability of the 

Environmental Assessment (EA) and 

Draft Finding of No Significant Impact 

(FONSI) for the Decommissioning and 

excessing of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter 

USCGC MACKINAW (WAGB–83) in 

Cheboygan, Michigan and invites 

comments as part of the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

process. The EA evaluates the 

environmental and socioeconomic 

impacts of the Proposed Action. The 

Draft FONSI records the USCG’s 

determination that the Proposed Action 

would have no significant impact on the 

environment. The U.S. Coast Guard also 

announces the development of a 

Memorandum of Agreement to resolve 

potential adverse effects to a historic 

property and invites comments as part 

of the public involvement process under 

Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (NHPA). 

DATES: Comments and related material 

must reach Coast Guard Headquarters 

on or before November 26, 2005. 

ADDRESSES: Please submit comments by 

only one of the following means, and in 

choosing among the options for 

submitting your comments, please give 

due regard to any difficulties and delays 

associated with delivery of mail through 

the U.S. Postal Service to Federal 

facilities: 

(1) Electronically to Susan Hathaway 

at SHathaway@comdt.uscg.mil 

(2) By delivery to Commandant, 

United States Coast Guard Office of 

Logistics and Engineering, 

Environmental Management (CG–443), 

2100 Second St. SW., Rm. 6109, 

Washington, DC 20593 Attn: S. 

Hathaway. 

(3) By fax send to Susan Hathaway at 

(202) 267–4219. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Commandant, United States Coast 

Guard, Office of Logistics and 

Engineering, Environmental 

Management (CG–443), 2100 Second St. 

SW., Rm. 6109, Washington, DC 20593 

ATTN: Susan Hathaway, or send by fax 

at (202) 267–4219 or by e-mail at 

SHathaway@comdt.uscg.mil. 

To view and download the EA and 

Draft FONSI, please go to http:// 

www.uscg.mil/systems/gse/gsec-3H.htm 

and scroll down the left side to: 

Planning—NEPA, and then to USCGC 

MACKINAW. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Request for Comments 

We encourage you to submit 

comments and related material on the 

EA and the MOA. If you do so, please 

include your name and address. You 

may submit your comments and 

material by mail, hand delivery, fax, or 

electronic means to the Docket 

Management Facility at the address 

under ADDRESSES; but please submit 

your comments and material by only 

one means. If you submit them by mail 

or hand delivery, submit them in an 

unbound format, no larger than 81⁄2 by 

11 inches, suitable for copying and 

electronic filing. If you submit them by 

mail and would like to know they 

reached the Facility, please enclose a 

stamped, self-addressed postcard or 

envelope. We will consider all 

comments and material received during 

the comment period. 

Proposed Action 

The USCGC MACKINAW (WAGB– 

83), constructed in 1944, was the largest 

and most powerful icebreaker at the 

time and represented the state of the art 

in icebreaking technology. After over 60 

years of continuous service, USCGC 

MACKINAW (WAGB–83) has reached 

the end of its service life. The USCG is 

required to identify and declare excess 

property. The USCG would 

decommission and excess the USCGC 

MACKINAW (WAGB–83) in 2006 

through the Federal Real Property 

Service Act and Federal Real Property 

Management Regulations, unless a 

Congressional mandate to transfer 

ownership of the vessel to another 

entity is issued. 

Preparation of the EA for the 

decommissioning and excessing of 

USCGC MACKINAW (WAGB–83) is 

being conducted in accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) of 1969 (Section 102[2][c]) and 

its implementing regulations at Title 40 

Code of Federal Regulations, Part 1500. 

Environmental Assessment 

An EA has been prepared for the 

proposed action. The EA identifies and 

examines reasonable alternatives and 

assesses their potential impact to the 

environment. 

As a result of the USCG reporting the 

vessel as ‘‘excess personal property,’’ as 

that term is defined in the Federal 

Property Management Regulations, Title 

41, Part 102, Section 36.40 of the Code 

of Federal Regulations (41 CFR 102– 

36.40), the vessel could eventually be 

removed from USCG custody and 

control, and possibly Federal ownership 

through one of the following processes: 

(1) Specific or ‘‘special’’ legislation 

directing or authorizing conveyance of 

the vessel to a specific entity (requires 

enactment of legislation by Congress 

and subsequent signing into law by 

President); (2) the General Services 

Administration (GSA) personal property 

disposal process for transfer to other 

Federal agencies, (41 CFR 102–36); (3) 

the GSA personal property disposal 

process for conveyance to a state or 

local government, or non-profit 

organization (41 CFR 102–37); (4) the 

GSA personal property disposal process 

for sale to the highest bidder; (5) direct 

Coast Guard transfer to the USCG 

Auxiliary, Service Educational 

Activities (SEA’s), or a non-profit public 

body or private organization, (14 U.S.C. 

641); ) or (6) if transfer of ownership 

through one of the above processes is 

not possible, scrapping of the vessel. 

The Coast Guard initiated Section 106 

consultation under that National 

Historic Preservation Act. The 

consultation was conducted with the 

Michigan State Historic Preservation 

Officer (MISHPO) acting as the lead 

State Historic Preservation Officer for 

states bordering the Great Lakes. USCG 

and MISHPO developed a Memorandum 

of Agreement for the decommissioning 

of the USCGC MACKINAW (WAGB–83) 

and its declaration as excess property. 

The General Services Administration 

and the Illinois State Historic 

Preservation Officer also participated in 

consultation and concur with the MOA. 

We are requesting your comments on 

environmental concerns you may have 

related to the EA. 

Dated: October 25, 2005. 

G.T. Blore, 

Director, Operations Policy. 

[FR Doc. 05–21875 Filed 11–1–05; 8:45 am] 

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