[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 183 (Thursday, September 22, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55630-55631]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-18962]
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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement for the National
Science Foundation To Address Potential Impacts on the Marine
Environment Related to the Use of Seismic Sources in Support of NSF-
Funded Research by U.S. Academic Scientists.
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
ACTION: Notice.
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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
National Science Foundation (NSF) announces its intent to prepare a
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS/OES) to evaluate the potential environmental
impacts associated with the use of seismic sources in support of NSF-
funded research by U.S. academic scientists. The National Marine
Fisheries Service (NMFS), a part of the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, is being invited to be a cooperating agency
in the preparation of the Programmatic EIS/OES.
Publication of this notice begins the official scoping process that
will help identify alternatives and determine the scope of
environmental issues to be addressed in the Programmatic EIS/OEIS. This
notice requests public participation in the scoping process and
provides information on how to participate.
ADDRESSES AND DATES: Public-scoping meetings will be held at the
following dates, times, and locations:
1. Wednesday, October 5, 2005, 1-5 p.m., Silver Spring Metro Center
Building 4, Science Center, 1301 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD;
2. Thursday, October 6, 2005, 5-9 p.m., J. Erick Jonhhon Center of
the National Academy of Sciences, Carriage House, 314 Quissett Avenue,
Woods Hole, MA;
3. Wednesday, October 12, 2005, 5-9 p.m., Room C126, 1000 Discovery
Drive, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX;
4. Friday, October 14, 2005, 5-9 p.m., Egan Civic and Convention
Center, 555 West Fifth Avenue, Anchorage, AK;
5. Monday, October 17, 2005, 5-9 p.m., 100 Vaughn Hall, Discovery
Way, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA; and
6. Wednesday, October 19, 2005, 5-9 p.m., Ala Moana Hotel, 410
Atkinson Drive, Honolulu, HI.
Written comments will be accepted at these meetings as well as
during the scoping period, and can be mailed to NSF by October 28, 2005
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Written statements and questions
regarding the scoping process should be mailed to Dr. Alexander Shor,
Program Director, Oceanographic Instrumentation and Technical Services,
Division of Ocean Sciences, National Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson
Boulevard, Suite 725, Arlington, VA 22230; voice (703) 292-8583 or e-
mail at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In the last 2 years, NSF has prepared 16
environmental assessments (EAs) on the impact of seismic noise on
endangered species and marine mammals during planned marine research
projects concerning the geology and geophysics of the seafloor. The EAs
were prepared for various worldwide, academic research cruises that
required the use of various marine seismic sources. These EAs were
intended to address regulations and public concern over anthropogenic
noise in the marine environment and its possible, negative impacts on
marine life. They were prepared to address U.S. laws and regulations,
including NEPA; the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 (MMPA); the
endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA); and Executive Order (EO) 12114
(1979), Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions. In some
cases they have also been used as background information to address
foreign regulations, especially where research has been carried out
entirely or partially within territorial waters or Exclusive Economic
Zone waters surrounding a foreign nation.
In each case, the NSF EA and a Finding of No Significant Impact
(FONSI) has been used as the basis for consultation with NMFS Office of
Protected Resources (OPR) under Section 7(a)(2) of the ESA, and in each
case for which an action is finalized, NMFS OPR has issued a Biological
Opinion and a related Incidental Take Statement authorizing the
proposed project to be undertaken, and indicating any mitigation
measures needed to reduce impacts on endangered species. In parallel
with this effort, a separate application has been submitted for each
cruise to apply for an Incidental Harassment Authorization (IHA) under
the MMPA from NMFS OPR, and an IHA has also been issued by NMFS for
each of the projects. Increasingly over the past 2 years, public
comments have expressed concern that by evaluating individual projects
in isolation, the cumulative impacts of NSF-funded seismic activities
on the marine environment are not being adequately addressed. NSF and
NMFS OPR personnel have examined this concern and have concluded that a
Programmatic EIS/OEIS could provide both the holistic view of
cumulative impacts, as well as provide the principal technical and
environmental foundation to form the basis of evaluating environmental
impacts of most NSF-funded seismic efforts.
The Programmatic EIS/OEIS will take a view of the planned program
as a whole and thereby assemble and analyze the broadest range of
direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts associated with the entire
program rather than assessing individual cruises separately. This
approach will also address possible concerns that NSF is analyzing
their research program in segments, rather than holistically where the
true cumulative impacts of the entire program can be identified.
Further, the parent Programmatic EIS/OEIS will provide a broad
analytical backdrop within which NSF, using tiered documents, will be
able to analyze cruise-specific issues relevant for analysis and
decision. Additionally, it will streamline the preparation of
subsequent environmental documents for the individual cruises and also
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enable NSF to identify any prudent conservation practices and
mitigation measures that may be applied across the entire program. The
site-specific information is required by NMFS (and sometimes the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service) for purposes of preparing Biological
Opinions and Incidental Take Statements required by ESA.
The main focus of the Programmatic EIS/OEIS will be on the seismic
operations to be conducted from NSF's primary seismic ship, soon to be
the R/V Marcus G. Langseth. The Programmatic EIS/OEIS will address the
variety of airgun configurations to be operated from the Langseth, as
well as the multi-beam bathymetric sonar, sub-bottom profiler, and
other acoustic sources to be deployed as standard equipment. In
addition, the Programmatic EIS/OEIS will deal with the generally small
airgun sources occasionally operated from other vessels under NSF
sponsorship.
Major environmental issues that will be addressed in the
Programmatic EIS/OEIS include marine biological resources including
Essential Fish Habitat (EFH), acoustic impacts to marine mammals, fish,
sea turtles, invertebrates, and threatened and endangered species;
cultural resources; human health and safety; socioeconomics and land
use (i.e., commercial, private, and recreational uses of the marine
environment); and water quality.
NSF is initiating this scoping process for the purpose of
determining the extent of issues to be addressed and identifying the
significant issues related to this action. NSF will hold public scoping
meetings as identified in the DATES AND ADDRESSES section of this
notice. These meetings will also be advertised in area newspapers. NSF
and NMFS representatives will be available at these meetings to receive
comments from the public regarding issues of concern to the public.
Federal, state, and local agencies and interested individuals are
encouraged to take this opportunity to identify environmental concerns
that should be addressed during the preparation of the Programmatic
EIS/OEIS. Agencies and the public are also invited and encouraged to
provide written comments on scoping issues in addition to, or in lieu
of, oral comments at the public meeting. To be most helpful, scoping
comments should clearly describe issues or topics that the commenter
believes the Programmatic EIS/OEIS should address.
We invite you to learn about the NSF seismic research program at an
informational open house, and to assist NSF in defining the
alternatives and the scope of environmental issues related to the
seismic research program. All our public meeting locations are
wheelchair-accessible. If you plan to attend a scoping meeting/open
house, and need special assistance such as sign language interpretation
or other reasonable accommodation, please notify NSF (see FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT) at least 3 business days in advance. Include your
contact information as well as information about your specific needs.
We request public comments or other relevant information on
environmental issues related to the NSF seismic research program. The
public meetings are not the only opportunity you have to comment. In
addition to or in place of attending a meeting, you can submit comments
to Dr. Alexander Shor by October 28, 2005 (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT). We will consider all comments received during the comment
period. We request that you include in your comments:
Your name and address (especially if you would like to
receive a copy of the Draft Programmatic EIS/OEIS upon completion);
An explanation for each comment; and
Include any background materials to support your comments
as you feel necessary.
You may mail, e-mail, or hand deliver your comments to NSF (see FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). All comment submissions must be unbound,
no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, and suitable for copying and
electronic scanning. Please note that regardless of the method used for
submitting comments or material, all submissions will be publicly
available and, therefore, any personal information you provide in your
comments will be open for public review. In addition, if you wish to
receive a copy of the Draft Programmatic EIS/OEIS, please indicate this
in your comment. No decision will be made to implement any alternative
until the NEPA process is completed.
Dated: September 19, 2005.
Alexander Shor,
Program Director, Division of Ocean Sciences, National Science
Foundation.
[FR Doc. 05-18962 Filed 9-21-05; 8:45 am]
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