[Federal Register: May 6, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 88)]
[Notices]
[Page 25376-25377]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06my04-39]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
Notice of Availability of the Mobile Launch Platform
Environmental Assessment and Draft Finding of No Significant Impact
AGENCY: Missile Defense Agency, Department of Defense.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
regulations, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is initiating a public
review and comment period for an Environmental Assessment (EA) and
Draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). This notice announces
the availability of the Mobile Launch Platform (MLP) EA that analyzes
the potential environmental impacts of activities associated with using
the existing MLP as a platform for testing sensors and launching target
and interceptor missiles. THe MLP could operate from any of the
following locations: Western Range, Pacific Missile Range Facility
(PMRF)/Kauai Test Facility (KTF), U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA)/
Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS), and the Board
Ocean Area (BOA) of the Pacific Ocean. The EA considers the impacts
resulting from the proposed use of the MLP to support specific tests.
The EA also considers cumulative impacts associated with the proposed
use of the MLP to support test events.
Based on the analysis documented in the EA, the MDA has concluded
that no significant impacts are expected to result from the proposed
action. The Draft FONSI was prepared to document this preliminary
conclusion.
DATES: The public review and comment period for this EA and Draft FONSI
begins with the publication of this notice in the Federal Register. All
comments on this EA and Draft FONSI
[[Page 25377]]
must be received by the MDA no later than June 7, 2004.
Copies of the EA and Draft FONSI will be made available for review
at the following public libraries:
Hawaii State Library, Hawaii Documents Center, 478 South
King Street, HI 96813.
Lihu'e Regional Library, 4344 Hardy Street, Lihu'e, HI
96766-1251.
California State Library, Library and Courts Building, 914
Capitol Mall, Sacramento, CA 05814.
Lompoc Public Library, 501 E. North Avenue, Lompoc, CA
93436.
A downloadable electronic version of the EA and Draft FONSI are
available on the MDA Internet site: http://www.acq.osd.mil/bmdo/bmdolink/html/
.
ADDRESSES: Written and oral comments regarding the EA and Draft FONSI
should be submitted to MLP EA, c/o ICF Consulting, 9300 Lee Highway,
Fairfax, VA 22031; via toll-free fax 1-877-851-5451; or via e-mail
mlp.ea@icfconsulting.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MDA has a requirement to develop, test,
deploy, and plan for decommissioning a Ballistic Missile Defense System
(BMDS) to provide a defensive capability for the United States, its
deployed forces, friends, and allies from ballistic missile threats.
The proposed action would provide the MDA with the capability to
conduct launches using multiple realistic target and interceptor
trajectories in existing test ranges and the BOA. In addition, the
proposed action would allow MDA the capability to use sensors at test
support positions in remote areas of the ocean by locating these
sensors onboard the MLP.
The sensors that would be used from the MLP include radars,
telemetry, and optical systems. Examples of radars that could be used
include: TPS-X, Mk-74, and Coherent Signal Processor radars that
already exist, and the BMDS radar, being developed by the MDA.
Telemetry systems could include the Transportable Telemetry System and
mobile range safety systems. Mobile optical systems such as the
Stabilized High-Accuracy Optical Tracking System could also be placed
on the MLP. Additional sensor systems may be temporarily based on the
MLP as required. The targets that would be launched from the MLP
include: pre-fueled and non-pre-fueled liquid propellant missiles and
solid propellant missiles. The interceptor missiles that would be
launched from the MLP use solid propellant. The MLP would be designed
to operate from any of the following locations: Western Range, PMRF/
KTF, USAKA/RTS, and the BOA. Two alternatives to the proposed action
were considered in the EA. The first alternative would include using
the MLP for the launch of missiles but not for testing sensors. The
second alternative would include using the MLP to test sensors and
launch pre-fueled liquid propellant missiles and solid propellant
missiles but not non-pre-fueled liquid propellant missiles.
Potential impacts of the proposed action and alternatives were
analyzed in the EA. Potential environmental impacts of the proposed
action and alternatives include impacts to air quality, airspace,
biological resources, geology and soils, health and safety, hazardous
materials and hazardous waste, noise, transportation and
infrastructure, and water resources. Potential impacts of the No Action
Alternative were analyzed in the EA. Under the No Action Alternative,
activities to be conducted from the MLP that have already been analyzed
would continue and additional activities using the MLP would be
considered on a case-by-case basis. The No Action Alternative would
result in no impact to the environmental baseline as described for the
affected environment in the EA; however, it could severely limit the
MDA's ability to cost-effectively conduct and monitor realistic testing
of the BMDS.
Potential cumulative impacts resulting from the proposed use of the
MLP to support specific test events are also addressed in the EA.
Dated: April 30, 2004.
L.M. Bynum,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 04-10315 Filed 5-5-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-M