[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 239 (Friday, December 11, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80076-80077]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26950]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Virtual Public Meetings for the Draft Supplemental
Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement
for Gulf of Alaska Navy Training Activities
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, Department of Defense.
ACTION: Notice of availability; notice of public meeting.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality, and
Presidential Executive Order 12114, the Department of the Navy (DON)
has prepared and filed with the United States Environmental Protection
Agency a draft supplement to the 2011 Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Navy
Training Activities Final Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/OEIS) (referred to as the 2011 GOA
Final EIS/OEIS) and the 2016 GOA Navy Training Activities Final
[[Page 80077]]
Supplemental EIS/OEIS (referred to as the 2016 GOA Final Supplemental
EIS/OEIS). In the 2020 Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS, the DON assesses
the potential environmental effects associated with continuing periodic
military readiness activities in the GOA Temporary Maritime Activities
Area (TMAA). This notice announces the public review and comment period
and the dates of the virtual public meetings, includes information
about how the public can review and comment on the document, and
provides supplementary information about the environmental planning
effort.
DATES: All comments must be postmarked or received online by 11:59 p.m.
Pacific Standard Time on February 16, 2021, for consideration in the
development of the Final Supplemental EIS/OEIS. Federal agencies and
officials, Alaska Native Tribes, state and local agencies and
officials, and interested organizations and individuals are encouraged
to provide comments on the 2020 Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS during the
public review and comment period.
Due to COVID-19 travel and public event restrictions, the DON is
holding virtual public meetings, consisting of a presentation and
question and answer sessions, to discuss the Proposed Action and the
draft environmental impact analysis. Visit www.GOAEIS.com/VPM to learn
more about and attend a virtual public meeting. An audio-only option
will also be available. Meetings will occur as follows:
1. Tuesday, January 19, 2021, from 3 to 4 p.m. Alaska Standard Time
2. Wednesday, February 3, 2021, from 5 to 6 p.m. Alaska Standard
Time
Substantive questions for discussion with Navy representatives at
the virtual public meetings can be submitted between January 11 and 18,
2021, for the January 19, 2021, meeting, and between January 26 and
February 2, 2021, for the February 3, 2021, meeting. Email questions to
projectmanager@goaeis.com or complete the form at www.GOAEIS.com.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be mailed to Naval Facilities
Engineering Command Northwest, Attention: GOA Supplemental EIS/OEIS
Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA 98315-
1101, or submitted electronically via the project website at
www.GOAEIS.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command
Northwest, Attention: Ms. Kimberly Kler, GOA Supplemental EIS/OEIS
Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, Silverdale, WA 98315-
1101, 360-315-5103, projectmanager@goaeis.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DON's Proposed Action is to continue
periodic military training activities within the GOA TMAA. Proposed
training activities are similar to those that have occurred in the GOA
TMAA for decades. The geographic extent of the GOA TMAA and Proposed
Action, including the location, number, and frequency of major training
exercises, remain unchanged from the 2016 Final Supplemental EIS/OEIS.
Although the types of activities and number of events in the Proposed
Action are the same as in previous documents (Alternative 1 in both the
2011 and 2016 impact analyses), there have been changes in the
platforms and systems used in those activities. For example, the EA-6B
aircraft and frigate, and their associated systems, have been replaced
by the EA-18G aircraft, Littoral Combat Ship, and Destroyer. The 2020
Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS includes the analysis of at-sea training
activities projected to meet readiness requirements beyond 2022 and
into the reasonably foreseeable future, and reflects the most up-to-
date compilation of training activities deemed necessary to accomplish
military readiness during that time period.
The 2020 Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS also updates the 2011 and 2016
impact analyses with new information and analytical methods the DON
developed and has used since 2016. New information includes an updated
acoustic effects model, updated marine mammal density data and sea
turtle hearing criteria, and other emergent best available science. The
DON is preparing a Supplemental EIS/OEIS to renew required federal
regulatory permits and authorizations under the Marine Mammal
Protection Act and the Endangered Species Act. The DON will consult
with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and United States
Fish and Wildlife Service to renew these permits and authorizations.
Additionally, NMFS is a cooperating agency for this Supplemental EIS/
OEIS.
The 2020 Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS is available for electronic
viewing or download at www.GOAEIS.com. The 2020 Draft Supplemental EIS/
OEIS was distributed to federal agencies and federally recognized
Alaska Native Tribes with which the DON is consulting.
All comments submitted during the public review and comment period
from December 11, 2020, to February 16, 2021, will become part of the
public record, and substantive comments will be addressed in the Final
Supplemental EIS/OEIS.
The DON is committed to providing the public an accessible version
of the 2020 Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS during COVID-19 conditions. If
you need assistance accessing the document or attending the virtual
public meetings, please contact Ms. Julianne Stanford, Navy Region
Northwest Public Affairs Office, at julianne.stanford@navy.mil or 360-
867-8525. For all other queries or if you require additional
information about the project, please contact Ms. Kimberly Kler, GOA
Supplemental EIS/OEIS Project Manager, at projectmanager@goaeis.com.
Individuals interested in receiving electronic project updates can
subscribe on the project website to receive notifications via email for
key milestones throughout the environmental planning process.
Dated: December 3, 2020.
K. R. Callan,
Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-26950 Filed 12-10-20; 8:45 am]
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