Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 178 / Friday, September 12, 2008 / Notices 52969 

by the action proponent depends on the 

nature of the proposal being evaluated. 

One interpretation of the No-Action 

alternative is that the proposed activity 

would not take place. This would mean 

that Navy would not conduct test or 

training activities in the Range 

Complex. This interpretation does not 

meet the purpose and need of the 

proposed action and would neither be 

reasonable nor practical. The other 

interpretation of the No-Action 

alternative is ‘‘no change from current 

management direction or level of 

management intensity.’’ This 

interpretation would meet the purpose 

and need of the proposed action and 

would allow the Navy to compare the 

potential impacts of the proposed action 

to the impacts of maintaining the status 

quo. With regard to this EIS/OEIS, the 

No-Action Alternative represents the 

regular and historic level of activity on 

the Range Complex. Thus, the NoAction Alternative serves as a baseline 

‘‘status quo’’ when studying levels of 

range use and activity. In the Draft EIS/ 

OEIS, the potential impacts of the 

current level of RDT&E and fleet activity 

on the NAVSEA NUWC Keyport Range 

Complex (defined by the No-Action 

Alternative) are compared to the 

potential impacts of activities proposed 

under the action alternatives. 

The Navy analyzed potential effects of 

its current and proposed activities on 

marine mammals, fish, sea turtles, 

marine flora and invertebrates, 

terrestrial wildlife, sediments and water 

quality, cultural resources, recreation, 

land and shoreline use, public health 

and safety, socioeconomics and 

environmental justice, and air quality. 

No significant adverse impacts are 

identified for any resource area in any 

geographic location within the NAVSEA 

NUWC Keyport Range Complex Study 

Area that cannot be mitigated, with the 

exception of exposure of marine 

mammals to underwater sound. The 

Navy has requested from NMFS a Letter 

of Authorization (LOA) in accordance 

with the Marine Mammal Protection Act 

to authorize the incidental take of 

marine mammals that may result from 

the implementation of the activities 

analyzed in the NAVSEA NUWC 

Keyport Range Complex Extension Draft 

EIS/OEIS. In compliance with the 

Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries 

Conservation Management Act, the 

Navy is in consultation with NMFS 

regarding potential impacts to Essential 

Fish Habitat. In accordance with section 

7 of the Endangered Species Act, the 

Navy is consulting with NMFS and U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for 

potential impacts to federally listed 

species. The Navy is coordinating with 

the Washington Department of Ecology 

for a Coastal Consistency Determination 

under the Coastal Zone Management 

Act. Navy analysis has indicated that 

under the Clean Air Act requirements, 

no significant impacts would occur to 

the regional air quality and under the 

Clean Water Act there would be no 

significant impacts to water quality. 

National Historic Preservation Act 

analysis indicated that no significant 

impacts to cultural resources would 

occur if the proposed action or 

alternatives were implemented. 

Implementation of the No Action 

Alternative or any of the proposed 

action alternatives would not disturb, 

adversely affect, or result in any takes of 

bald eagles. None of the alternatives 

would result in a significant adverse 

effect on the population of a migratory 

bird species. 

The decision to be made by the 

Assistant Secretary of the Navy 

(Installations & Environment) is to 

determine which alternatives analyzed 

in the EIS/OEIS best meet the needs of 

the Navy given that all reasonably 

foreseeable environmental impacts have 

been considered. 

The Draft EIS/OEIS was distributed to 

Federal, State, and local agencies, 

elected officials, and other interested 

individuals and organizations on 

September 12, 2008. The public 

comment period will end on October 27, 

2008. Copies of the Draft EIS/OEIS are 

available for public review at the 

following libraries: 

• Aberdeen Timberland Library, 121 E. 

Market St., Aberdeen, WA 

• Hoodsport Timberland Library, N. 40 

Schoolhouse Hill Road, Hoodsport, 

WA 

• Jefferson County Rural Library 

District, 620 Cedar Avenue, Port 

Hadlock, WA 

• Kitsap Regional Library, 1301 Sylvan 

Way, Bremerton, WA 

• North Mason Timberland Library, 

23801 NE State Rt. 3, Belfair, WA 

• Ocean Shores Public Library, 573 Pt. 

Brown Ave., NW., Ocean Shores, WA 

• Port Orchard Library, 87 Sidney St., 

Port Orchard, WA 

• Port Townsend Public Library, 1220 

Lawrence St., Port Townsend, WA 

• Poulsbo Branch Library, 700 NE 

Lincoln St., Poulsbo, WA 

• Quinault Indian Nation Tribal 

Library, P.O. Box 189, Taholah, WA 

• Skokomish Tribal Center, N 80 Tribal 

Center Road, Shelton, WA 

The NAVSEA NUWC Keyport Range 

Complex Extension Draft EIS/OEIS is 

also available for electronic public 

viewing at: http://wwwkeyport.kpt.nuwc.navy.mil. A paper 

copy of the Executive Summary or a 

single CD with the Draft EIS/OEIS will 

be made available upon written request 

by contacting Naval Facilities 

Engineering Command, Northwest, 

Attention: Mrs. Kimberly Kler (EIS/OEIS 

PM), 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, 

Silverdale, WA 98315–1101; facsimile: 

360–396–0857. 

Federal, State, and local agencies and 

interested parties are invited to be 

present or represented at the public 

hearing. Written comments can also be 

submitted during the open house 

sessions preceding the public hearings. 

Oral statements will be heard and 

transcribed by a stenographer; however, 

to ensure the 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 EIS/OEIS and will be 

responded to in the Final EIS/OEIS. 

Equal weight will be given to both oral 

and written statements. In the interest of 

available time, and to ensure all who 

wish to give an oral statement have the 

opportunity to do so, each speaker’s 

comments will be limited to three (3) 

minutes. If a long statement is to be 

presented, it should be summarized at 

the public hearing with the full text 

submitted either in writing at the 

hearing, or mailed or faxed to Naval 

Facilities Engineering Command, 

Northwest, Attention: Mrs. Kimberly 

Kler (EIS/OEIS PM), 1101 Tautog Circle, 

Suite 203, Silverdale, WA 98315–1101; 

facsimile: 360–396–0857. In addition, 

comments may be submitted on-line at 

http://www-keyport.kpt.nuwc.navy.mil 

during the comment period. All written 

comments must be postmarked by 

October 27, 2008 to ensure they become 

part of the official record. All comments 

will be addressed in the Final EIS/OEIS. 

Dated: September 3, 2008. 

T.M. Cruz, 

Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate 

General’s Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register 

Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. E8–21343 Filed 9–11–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Navy 

Notice of Public Hearings for the Navy 

Cherry Point Range Complex Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Overseas Environmental Impact 

Statement 

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice. 


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52970 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 178 / Friday, September 12, 2008 / Notices 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 United States 

Code [U.S.C.] 4321); the Council of 

Environmental Quality (CEQ) 

Regulations for implementing the 

procedural provisions of NEPA (Title 40 

Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 

1500–1508); Department of the Navy 

Procedures for Implementing NEPA (32 

CFR part 775); Executive Order (EO) 

12114, Environmental Effects Abroad of 

Major Federal Actions; and Department 

of Defense (DoD) regulations 

implementing EO 12114 (32 CFR Part 

187), the Department of the Navy (Navy) 

has prepared and filed with the U.S. 

Environmental Protection Agency a 

Draft Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Overseas Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS/OEIS) on September 2, 

2008. The National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS) is a Cooperating Agency 

for the EIS/OEIS. This notice announces 

the dates and locations of the public 

hearings for this Draft EIS/OEIS, and 

provides supplementary information 

about the environmental planning effort. 

The EIS/OEIS evaluates the potential 

environmental impacts over a 10-year 

planning horizon associated with Navy 

Atlantic Fleet and Marine Corps 

training; research, development, testing, 

and evaluation (RDT&E) activities; and 

associated range capabilities 

enhancements (including infrastructure 

improvements) within the existing Navy 

Cherry Point (Navy CHPT) Range 

Complex. The Navy CHPT Range 

Complex encompasses 18,617 square 

nautical miles (nm2) of offshore surface 

and subsurface operating area 

(OPAREA); 12,529 nm2 of deep ocean 

area greater than 100 fathoms (600 feet), 

and 18,966 nm2 of overlying Special 

Use Airspace (SUA) off the coast of 

North Carolina. The geographic scope of 

the EIS/OEIS, referred to as the Navy 

Cherry Point Study Area, includes the 

OPAREA and SUA, plus the 3 NM strip 

of coastal water from mean high tide 

line extending seaward to the western 

OPAREA boundary. A Notice of Intent 

for this Draft EIS/OEIS was published in 

the Federal Register on April 30, 2007 

(Vol. 72, No. 82, pp. 21248–21249). 

The Navy will conduct two public 

hearings to receive oral and written 

comments on the Draft EIS/OEIS. 

Federal, state and local agencies and 

interested individuals are invited to be 

present or represented at the public 

hearings. An open house session will 

precede the scheduled public hearing at 

each of the locations listed below and 

will allow individuals to review the 

information presented in the Navy 

CHPT Range Complex Draft EIS/OEIS. 

Navy and Marine Corps representatives 

will be available during the open house 

sessions to clarify information related to 

the Draft EIS/OEIS. 

DATES AND ADDRESSES: All meetings will 

start with an open house session from 

5 p.m. to 7 p.m. A formal presentation 

and public comment period will be held 

from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Public hearings 

will be held on the following dates and 

at the following locations: October 14, 

2008 at the North Carolina Maritime 

Museum, 315 Front St., Beaufort, NC 

and October 15, 2008 at the Best 

Western Coastline Inn & Convention 

Center, 503 Nutt St., Wilmington, NC. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 

Atlantic, Attention, EV22SA (Navy 

CHPT EIS/OEIS PM), 6506 Hampton 

Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia 23508– 

1278; facsimile: 757–322–4894 or 

http://www.navycherrypointrange

complexeis.com/. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Navy 

has identified the need to support and 

conduct current, emerging and future 

training and RDT&E operations in the 

Navy CHPT Range Complex. The 

proposed action does not indicate major 

changes to Navy CHPT Range Complex 

facilities, operations, training, or RDT&E 

capacities over the 10-year planning 

period. Rather, the proposed action 

would result in relatively small-scale 

but critical enhancements to the Navy 

CHPT Range Complex that are necessary 

if the Navy and Marine Corps are to 

maintain a state of military readiness 

commensurate with their national 

defense mission. 

The EIS/OEIS addresses the training 

strategies described in the Fleet 

Readiness Training Plan (FRTP) that 

implements the Fleet Response Plan 

(FRP), which ensures continuous 

availability of agile, flexible, trained, 

and ready surge-capable (rapid 

response) forces. The recommended 

range enhancements, and current and 

future training and testing operations, 

which have the potential to impact the 

environment are the primary focus of 

the EIS/OEIS. 

The purpose for the proposed action 

is to: 

• Achieve and maintain Fleet 

readiness using the Navy CHPT Range 

Complex to support and conduct 

current, emerging, and future training 

and RDT&E operations; 

• Expand warfare missions supported 

by the Navy CHPT Range Complex; and 

• Upgrade and modernize existing 

range capabilities to enhance and 

sustain Navy and Marine Corps training 

and RDT&E. 

The need for the proposed action is to 

provide range capabilities for training 

and equipping combat-capable naval 

forces ready to deploy worldwide. In 

this regard, the Navy CHPT Range 

Complex furthers the Navy’s execution 

of its Congressionally mandated roles 

and responsibilities under title 10 

U.S.C. 5062. To implement this 

Congressional mandate, the Navy needs 

to: 

• Maintain current levels of military 

readiness by training in the Navy CHPT 

Range Complex; 

• Accommodate future increases in 

operational training tempo in the Navy 

CHPT Range Complex and support the 

rapid deployment of naval units or 

strike groups; 

• Achieve and sustain readiness of 

ships and squadrons consistent with the 

FRP so the Navy and Marine Corps can 

quickly surge significant combat power 

in the event of a national crisis or 

contingency operation; 

• Support the acquisition and 

implementation into the Fleet of 

advanced military technology. The Navy 

CHPT Range Complex must adequately 

support the testing and training needed 

for new aircraft and weapons systems; 

and 

• Maintain the long-term viability of 

the Navy CHPT Range Complex while 

protecting human health and the 

environment, and enhancing its quality, 

communication capability and safety. 

Support to current, emerging and 

future training and RDT&E operations, 

including implementation of range 

enhancements, entails the actions 

evaluated in the EIS/OEIS. 

These potentially include: 

• Increase use of contractor-operated 

aircraft that simulate enemy aircraft 

during training (Commercial Air 

Services Support for Fleet Opposition 

Forces and Electronic Warfare Threat 

Training); 

• Increase anti-piracy and maritime 

interdiction training (Anti-terrorism 

Surface Strike Group Training); 

• Support MH–60R/S helicopter 

warfare mission areas; 

• Designate a littoral mine warfare 

training area for deploying temporary 

mineshapes in support of Strike Group 

mine warfare training during major 

exercises; and, 

• Upgrade the Mid-Atlantic 

Electronic Warfare Range (MAEWR). 

The proposed action is to support and 

conduct current and emerging training 

and RDT&E in the Navy CHPT Range 

Complex. To achieve this, the Navy 

proposes to: 

• Maintain baseline training and 

testing operations at current levels, plus 

sufficient additional operations to 

support a surge capability in 

compliance with FRP. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 178 / Friday, September 12, 2008 / Notices 52971 

• Provide flexibility to respond to 

real-world situations with increased 

training operations, and to 

accommodate mission expansion, 

emerging force structure changes 

(including those resulting from the 

introduction of new aircraft and 

weapons systems), and new range 

capabilities. 

• Eliminate high explosive bombing 

exercises at sea, and implement 

enhanced mine warfare training 

capability within the range complex. 

Three alternatives were evaluated in 

the Navy CHPT Range Complex EIS/ 

OEIS: 

No Action Alternative: Maintain 

training and RDT&E operations at 

current levels to include surge 

consistent with the FRTP; 

Alternative 1: All operations in the No 

Action Alternative, plus a 10% increase 

in most training and testing operations, 

plus changes in type and quantity of 

operations and tactical employment of 

forces to accommodate expanded 

mission areas, force structure changes 

and new range capabilities. Specifically: 

• Train tailored naval units to 

conduct rapid response anti-piracy, 

anti-terrorism and maritime interdiction 

operations (Maritime Security Surge 

Surface Strike Group); 

• Conduct surface-to-air missile 

training; 

• Conduct MH–60R/S helicopter 

training; 

• Conduct training with new Organic 

Mine Countermeasures systems; 

• Increase use of contractor-operated 

aircraft to support fleet training 

(Commercial Air Services); and 

• Upgrade electronic warfare antiship and anti-aircraft threat emitters 

(Mid-Atlantic Electronic Warfare 

Range). 

Alternative 2 (Preferred Alternative): 

All operations in Alternative 1 plus: 

• Eliminate bombs at-sea with high 

explosive warheads. 

• Designate mine warfare training 

areas, some of which can accommodate 

temporary deployment of training 

mineshapes, in support of Strike Group 

mine warfare training events during 

major exercises. 

The Assistant Secretary of the Navy 

(Installations & Environment) will 

decide which alternative analyzed in 

the EIS/OEIS provides the optimum 

level and mix of training and testing 

operations and range capabilities 

enhancements in the Navy CHPT Range 

Complex that satisfies the purpose and 

need while considering all reasonably 

foreseeable environmental impacts. 

Three alternatives were considered 

but eliminated from further 

consideration. These alternatives are: 

1. Alternative Range Complex 

Locations—No single range complex on 

the East Coast can accommodate the 

entire spectrum of Navy and Marine 

Corps training and testing. To maintain 

a high level of combat readiness for 

naval forces at best value to the U.S. 

taxpayer, the Navy and Marine Corps 

homeported their forces in multiple 

concentration areas rather than a single 

area, in part to ensure the surrounding 

training and testing areas could support 

their specific needs. The result is a 

system of range complexes, each 

optimized to support the limited set of 

warfare areas that predominate in that 

locale. The Navy CHPT Range Complex 

possesses a number of historical and 

natural features that make it an 

indispensable component of the Navy’s 

East Coast system of ranges. Other 

locations do not provide reasonable 

alternatives for required training 

purposes/activities described above, and 

as a result, alternative training locations 

were eliminated from further 

consideration. 

2. Conduct Simulated Training 

Only—Under this alternative, only 

simulated training would be conducted 

using computer models and classroom 

training. While the Navy currently 

makes extensive use of computer 

simulation and classroom instruction as 

effective training tools, they cannot 

exclusively replace live training. 

Simulation cannot replicate the 

environment of live coordinated 

training and major exercises, where 

multiple ships, submarines and aircraft, 

and hundreds or thousands of men and 

women are participating in training 

activities in a coordinated fashion to 

accomplish a common military 

objective. Because of the need to train 

as we fight, this alternative would fail 

to meet the purpose and need of the 

proposed action and therefore, is not 

evaluated further in the EIS/OEIS. 

3. Practice Ammunition Use—An 

alternative that would rely entirely on 

inert, practice ammunition use within 

the Navy CHPT Range Complex would 

not achieve the necessary levels of 

proficiency in firing weapons in a high 

stress and realistic environment. Inert, 

practice ammunition is used throughout 

the Navy CHPT Range Complex, and 

provides opportunity to implement a 

successful, integrated training program 

while reducing the risk and expense 

typically associated with live 

ammunition. However, Navy and 

Marine Corps personnel need to gain 

proficiency in handling and 

employment of ordnance with live 

warheads in a safe, controlled training 

environment before entering the 

inherently unsafe environment of live 

combat. Consequently, this alternative 

fails to meet the purpose and need of 

the proposed action and was not carried 

forward for analysis. 

Nineteen resources and issues were 

described and analyzed in the EIS/OEIS. 

These include but are not limited to 

water resources, air quality, marine 

communities, marine mammals, sea 

turtles, fish and essential fish habitat, 

seabirds and migratory birds, cultural 

resources, regional economy, and public 

health and safety. The Navy used 

subject matter experts, public and 

agency scoping comments, previous 

environmental analyses, previous 

agency consultations, laws, regulations, 

Executive Orders and resource-specific 

information in a screening process to 

identify aspects of the proposed action 

that could act as stressors to resources 

and issues evaluated in the EIS/OEIS. 

The stressors considered for analysis 

of environmental consequences include, 

but are not limited to, vessel movements 

(disturbance and collisions), aircraft 

overflights (disturbance and strikes), 

non-explosive practice munitions, and 

underwater detonations and high 

explosive ordnance. 

In accordance with 50 CFR 401.12, 

the Navy submitted a Biological 

Evaluation to assess the potential effects 

from the proposed action on marine 

resources and anadromous fish 

protected by the NMFS under the 

Endangered Species Act (ESA). In 

accordance with the Marine Mammal 

Protection Act MMPA (16 U.S.C. 

1371[a][5]), the Navy submitted a 

request for Letter of Authorization to the 

NMFS for the incidental taking of 

marine mammals by the proposed 

action which was acknowledged by 

NMFS in a Notice of Receipt published 

in the Federal Register (Vol. 73, No. 

131, pp 38991–38993) on July 08, 2008. 

The Navy submitted a Consultation 

Package in accordance with legal 

requirements set forth under regulations 

implementing Section 7 of the ESA (50 

CFR 402; 16 U.S.C 1536 (c)) for listed 

species under jurisdiction of the U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service. The analysis 

of environmental stressors indicated 

that implementation of the No Action 

Alternative, Alternative 1, or Alternative 

2 would not result in unavoidable 

significant adverse effects to resources 

analyzed. The analysis of environmental 

stressors and alternatives indicated no 

significant impact to resources in U.S. 

territorial waters; likewise, no 

significant harm in non-territorial 

waters is expected. 

The Navy CHPT Draft EIS/OEIS was 

distributed to Federal, State, and local 

agencies, elected officials, and other 

interested individuals and organizations 


ebenthall on PROD1PC60 with NOTICES
52972 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 178 / Friday, September 12, 2008 / Notices 

on September 12, 2008. The public 

comment period will end on October 27, 

2008. Copies of the Navy CHPT Draft 

EIS/OEIS are available for public review 

at the following libraries: Hatteras 

Library, 57690 NC Highway 12, 

Hatteras, NC; New Hanover County 

Library, 201 Chestnut Street, 

Wilmington, NC; Webb Memorial 

Library Center, 812 Evans Street, 

Morehead City, NC; Onslow County 

Library, 58 Doris Avenue East, 

Jacksonville, NC; Kill Devil Hills Branch 

Library, 400 S. Mustian St., Kill Devil 

Hills, NC; Havelock-Craven County 

Public Library, 301 Cunningham 

Boulevard, Havelock, NC. The Navy 

CHPT Draft EIS/OEIS is also available 

for electronic public viewing at: http:// 

www.navycherrypointrange

complexeis.com/. 

A paper copy of the Executive 

Summary or a single CD with the Navy 

CHPT Draft EIS/OEIS will be made 

available upon written request by 

contacting Naval Facilities Engineering 

Command, Atlantic Division; Attention: 

Code EV22SA (Navy CHPT EIS/OEIS 

PM); 6506 Hampton Blvd.; Norfolk, VA 

23508–1278. Facsimile: 757–322–4894. 

Federal, State, and local agencies and 

interested parties are invited to be 

present or represented at the public 

hearing. Written comments can also be 

submitted during the open house 

sessions preceding the public hearings. 

Oral statements will be heard and 

transcribed by a stenographer; however, 

to ensure the 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 EIS/OEIS and will be 

responded to in the Final EIS/OEIS. 

Equal weight will be given to both oral 

and written statements. In the interest of 

available time, and to ensure all who 

wish to give an oral statement have the 

opportunity to do so, each speaker’s 

comments will be limited to three (3) 

minutes. If a long statement is to be 

presented, it should be summarized at 

the public hearing with the full text 

submitted either in writing at the 

hearing, or mailed or faxed to Naval 

Facilities Engineering Command, 

Atlantic Division; Attention: Code 

EV22SA (Navy CHPT EIS/OEIS PM); 

6506 Hampton Blvd.; Norfolk, VA 

23508–1278. Facsimile: 757–322–4894. 

In addition, comments may be 

submitted on-line at http://www.navy

cherrypointrangecomplexeis.com/ 

during the comment period. All written 

comments must be postmarked by 

October 27, 2008 to ensure they become 

part of the official record. All comments 

will be addressed in the Final EIS/OEIS. 

Dated: September 3, 2008. 

T. M. Cruz, 

Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate 

General’s Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register 

Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. E8–21342 Filed 9–11–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3810–FF–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Navy 

Notice of Public Hearings for the 

Undersea Warfare Training Range 

Draft Overseas Environmental Impact 

Statement/Environmental Impact 

Statement 

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) 

of the National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) of 1969 and regulations 

implemented by the Council on 

Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 

1500–1508), and Executive Order (EO) 

12114, Environmental Effects Abroad of 

Major Federal Actions, the Department 

of the Navy (Navy) has prepared and 

filed with the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency a Draft Overseas 

Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Statement (OEIS/ 

EIS) on September 12, 2008. The 

National Marine Fisheries Service 

(NMFS) is a Cooperating Agency for the 

OEIS/EIS. 

The Draft OEIS/EIS evaluates the 

potential environmental impacts of the 

construction and operation of an 

Undersea Warfare Training Range 

(USWTR) associated with Navy Atlantic 

Fleet training activities. The 

construction of the proposed USWTR 

would entail the instrumentation of a 

500-square nautical mile (NM2) area of 

the sea floor with undersea cables and 

sensor nodes, connected to the shore via 

a single trunk cable. 

The western edge of the range would 

be located approximately 50 NM off the 

coast of Jacksonville, FL. The USWTR 

would allow ships, submarines, and 

aircraft to perform anti-submarine 

warfare (ASW) training in littoral, or 

near shore, waters. A Notice of Intent 

(NOI) for the OEIS/EIS was published in 

the Federal Register on May 13, 1996 

(Federal Register, Volume 61, No. 93, 

pp 22028). A Revised NOI for this Draft 

OEIS/EIS and Notice of Request for 

Public Scoping Comments were 

published in the Federal Register on 

September 21, 2007 (Federal Register, 

Volume 72, No. 183, pp 54015–54016). 

The Navy will conduct four public 

hearings to receive oral and written 

comments on the Draft OEIS/EIS. 

Federal agencies, state agencies, local 

agencies, and interested individuals are 

invited to be present or represented at 

the public hearings. This notice 

announces the dates and locations of the 

public hearings for this Draft OEIS/EIS. 

An open house session will precede 

the scheduled public hearing at each of 

the locations listed below and will 

allow individuals to review the 

information presented in the USWTR 

Draft OEIS/EIS. Navy representatives 

will be available during the open house 

sessions to clarify information related to 

the Draft OEIS/EIS. 

Dates and Addresses: Public hearings 

will be held on the following dates and 

times at the following locations: 

1. September 29, 2008, at the 

Chincoteague Center (open house poster 

session from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. and formal 

hearing from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.), 6155 

Community Drive, Chincoteague, VA; 

2. October 1, 2008 at the Crystal Coast 

Civic Center (open house poster session 

from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and formal hearing 

from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.), 3505 Arendell 

Street, Morehead City, NC; 

3. October 6, 2008 at the Sheraton 

North Charleston—Convention Center 

(open house poster session from 5 p.m. 

to 7 p.m. and formal hearing from 7 p.m. 

to 9 p.m.), 4770 Goer Drive, North 

Charleston, SC; 

4. October 7, 2008 at the University of 

North Florida—University Center (open 

house poster session from 5 p.m. to 7 

p.m. and formal hearing from 7 p.m. to 

9 p.m.), 12000 Alumni Drive, 

Jacksonville, FL. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 

Atlantic, Attention: EV22LL (USWTR 

OEIS/EIS Program Manager (PM)), 6506 

Hampton Boulevard, Norfolk, Virginia 

23508–1278; facsimile: 804–200–5568 

or http://projects.earthtech.com/uswtr/. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

purpose for the proposed action is to 

enable the U.S. Navy to train effectively 

in a shallow water environment (120 to 

900 feet in depth) at a suitable location 

for Atlantic Fleet ASW capable units. 

The need for the proposed action is to 

provide range capabilities for training 

and equipping combat-capable naval 

forces ready to deploy worldwide. In 

this regard, the USWTR furthers the 

Navy’s execution of its Congressionallymandated roles and responsibilities 

under Title 10 U.S.C 5062. Training on 

the USWTR would ensure this 

Congressional mandate is implemented 

by allowing the Navy to: effectively 

equip its forces for deployment to 

littoral areas worldwide, such as the 

Arabian Sea; use active sonar to assist 

in the detection of extremely quiet 


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