Notice2022-01986
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplement to the Gulf of Alaska Navy Training Activities Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
February 1, 2022
Issuing agencies
Defense DepartmentNavy Department
Abstract
The Department of the Navy (DoN) announces its intent to prepare a supplement to the December 2020 Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Navy Training Activities Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (OEIS). This supplement to the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS will address a change in the Study Area and the addition of a new Continental Shelf and Slope Mitigation Area.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 21 (Tuesday, February 1, 2022)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 1, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 5472]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01986]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplement to the Gulf of Alaska
Navy Training Activities Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Department of the Navy (DoN), Department of Defense (DoD).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy (DoN) announces its intent to
prepare a supplement to the December 2020 Gulf of Alaska (GOA) Navy
Training Activities Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS)/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (OEIS). This supplement
to the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS will address a change in the Study
Area and the addition of a new Continental Shelf and Slope Mitigation
Area.
ADDRESSES: Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, Attention:
GOA Supplemental EIS/OEIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite
203, Silverdale, Washington 98315-1101, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2252504d484741564f434c4345475062454d43474b510c414d4f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3141435e5b5452455c505f5056544371565e505458421f525e5c">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTATRY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the NEPA,
regulations implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR
parts 1500-1508), and Presidential Executive Order 12114, the DoN
announced its intent to prepare a supplement to the 2011 GOA Navy
Training Activities EIS/OEIS and 2016 GOA Navy Training Activities
Supplemental EIS/OEIS in the Federal Register (FR) on February 10, 2020
(85 FR 7538), and invited the public to comment on the scope of the
Supplemental EIS/OEIS. A Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS was subsequently
released on December 11, 2020 (85 FR 80093), in which the potential
environmental effects associated with military readiness training
activities conducted within the GOA Study Area were evaluated.
Since the release of the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS on December
11, 2020, the DoN has recognized that the size and shape of the
Temporary Maritime Activities Area (TMAA) in the Gulf of Alaska does
not provide sufficient space for the realistic maneuvering of vessels
and aircraft during training exercises. The proposed study area will
now include additional air space and sea space to the west and south of
the TMAA. This additional area is referred to as the Western Maneuver
Area (WMA) and is approximately 185,806 square nautical miles. The
TMAA, as currently defined (approximately 42,146 square nautical
miles), would remain unchanged with all activities involving active
sonar and explosives still occurring in this area only. No new or
increased training activities are proposed as part of the revised
proposed action, only an expansion of the overall training area for
vessel and aircraft maneuvering purposes. In addition, DoN proposes
implementing a new mitigation area within the continental shelf and
shelf slope area of the TMAA. To protect marine species and
biologically important habitat, use of explosives (up to 10,000 feet
altitude) would be restricted in this area.
All public comments received during the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS
comment period (December 11, 2020, through February 16, 2021) are still
valid and will be considered in the Final Supplemental EIS/OEIS for
this action. Previously submitted comments need not be resubmitted. The
supplement to the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS is expected to be
available in March 2022. A Notice of Availability of the supplement to
the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS will be published in the Federal
Register at that time, and the supplement to the Draft Supplemental
EIS/OEIS will be released for a public comment period of 45 days. No
decision will be made to implement any alternative in the GOA Study
Area until the NEPA process is complete and a Record of Decision is
signed by the DoN.
Dated: January 25, 2022.
J.M. Pike,
Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-01986 Filed 1-31-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on February 1, 2022.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.