Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Military Training in the Territory of Guam and Islands of Rota, Tinian, and Farallon de Medinilla, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

Proposed Military Training in the Territory of Guam and Islands of

Rota, Tinian, and Farallon de Medinilla, Commonwealth of the Northern

Mariana Islands

AGENCY: U.S. Pacific Command, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental

Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the Council on

Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the U.S.

Pacific Command announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) for proposed military training in the Territory of Guam

on the Islands of Rota, Tinian, and Farallon de Medinilla, Commonwealth

of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

The actions to be covered in the EIS consist of training activities

required to maintain military combat readiness. The EIS will analyze

reasonable alternatives to meet this objective and assess their

separate and cumulative environmental impacts. The U.S. Pacific Command

will initiate a scoping process to identify significant related issues

for study in the EIS and to identify and notify parties interested in

and affected by the EIS.

The meetings will open with a short presentation of the purpose of

the proposed action and alternatives to be evaluated, followed by a

period for public comment. It is important that interested agencies,

individuals, and organizations take this opportunity to identify

environmental concerns that should be addressed in the EIS. To allow

time for all views to be shared, each speaker will be limited to five

minutes for oral comments.

Interested parties are also invited and encouraged to provide

written comments in addition to, or in lieu of, oral comments at the

public meetings. Scoping comments should clearly describe specific

issues or topics that the EIS should address.

DATES: Three public scoping meetings will be held.

Guam: December 4, 1995, 7-10 pm.

Rota: December 6, 1995, 7-10 pm.

Tinian: December 7, 1995, 7-10 pm.

ADDRESSES: The scoping meetings will be held in the following

locations:

Agana, Guam: Governor's Cabinet Room, Adelup Complex.

Sing Song Village, Rota, CNMI: The Round House.

San Jose, Tinian, CNMI: Tinian School Cafeteria.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Written statements and/or questions regarding the scoping process

should be mailed no later than December 22, 1995 to Mr. Fred Minato

(Code 238), Pacific Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command,

Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-7300; telephone (808) 471-9338; fax (808) 474-

4890.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The proposed action consists of future

military training activities in Guam and CNMI within existing military

installations, public lands, and waters, including large-scale joint

military exercises. Training will involve organizations from the U.S.

Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army Reserve,

Guam Army National Guard, and allied nations. Federal and Guamanian law

enforcement agencies also train on these lands. The proposed training

will take place on Tinian, primarily in the Military Lease Area, on

Rota, primarily at Sand Island and the public airport, and on Guam,

primarily at Andersen Air Force Base, Naval Activities Guam Ordnance

Annex, and Apra Harbor. The proposed action also includes continued use

of the island of Farallon de Medinilla for naval gunfire training and

aerial bombardment.

Proposed training activities include tactical maneuver on foot and

by wheeled and tracked vehicles, beach landings with boats, air-

cushioned landing craft, and tracked amphibian vehicles, paradrops,

fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft operations, underwater explosive

ordnance training, military weapons and munitions training, and various

logistical support activities.

Alternatives consist of: (1) The no action alternative, (2) the

limited training activities alternative, (3) the proposed training

activities alternative, and (4) alternate training locations. The ``no

action'' alternative consists of continuing present training activities

under present conditions, with no adjustment to planned future military

needs. The ``limited training activities'' alternative consists of a

sub-set of proposed training activities, based on constraints including

the limitation of certain activities to avoid significant impacts to

the environment. The ``proposed training activities'' alternative

consists of implementing all proposed activities at the designated

training locations. The use of alternate training locations is not

applicable to this project.

Environmental issues to be addressed will include, but not be

limited to,

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effects on cultural resources, terrestrial and aquatic habitats,

threatened or endangered species, water quality, infrastructure,

traffic, noise, and socioeconomic environment. Direct, indirect, and

cumulative impacts will be analyzed, and mitigation measures will be

developed as required.

Dated: November 22, 1995.

L.M. Bynum,

Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.

[FR Doc. 95-29003 Filed 11-27-95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 5000-04-M