Notice To Reopen the Public Comment Period and To Announce Public Hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Shock Testing the SEAWOLF Submarine

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice To Reopen the Public Comment Period and To Announce Public

Hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Shock

Testing the SEAWOLF Submarine

SUMMARY: Per 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 Department of the Navy (DoN)

prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a DEIS

evaluating the environmental effects for the shock testing for the

SEAWOLF Submarine, at a site to be located offshore of either Norfolk,

Virginia, or Mayport, Florida. DoN is the lead agency and the National

Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a cooperating agency in the

development of the DEIS. NMFS is concurrently evaluating DoN's request

for a Letter of Authorization for the Incidental Take of Marine Mammals

in their regulatory role under the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Notice of Availability for the DEIS appeared in the Federal

Register on June 14, 1996. That Notice stated that comments on the DEIS

were due by July 29, 1996. DoN is reopening the public comment period

that will now extend through September 17, 1996. All written comments

shall be postmarked no later than that date. This comment period

coincides with the NMFS comment period on its Proposed Rule for

Incidental Take of Marine Mammals for the DoN's proposed shock testing

of SEAWOLF.

ADDRESSES: The public hearings will be jointly hosted by DoN and NMFS.

The public is invited to comment on the DEIS and Proposed Rule. The

hearings have been scheduled as follows: (1) August 19, 1996, 10 AM to

4 PM, at Silver Spring Metro Center, Building 4, 1st Floor Conference

Room, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD; (2) August 20, 1996, 7

PM to 10 PM, Lafayette Winona Middle School, 1701 Alsace Avenue,

Norfolk, VA; and (3) August 21, 1996, 7 PM to 10 PM, Mayport Middle

School, 2600 Mayport Road, Atlantic Beach, FL.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Will Sloger, Code 064WS, Southern

Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, P.O. Box 190010, North

Charleston, South Carolina 29419-9010, telephone (803) 820-5797, FAX

(803) 820-5993.

Dated: 26 July 1996.

M.A. Waters,

Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 96-19549 Filed 7-31-96; 8:45 am]

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