[Federal Register: September 10, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 174)]
[Notices]
[Page 46642-46644]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10se09-111]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Maritime Administration
[Docket Number: MARAD-2008-0060]
Environmental Impact Statements; Availability
AGENCY: Maritime Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation.
ACTION: Notice of Availability of Final Programmatic Environmental
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Maritime Administration, of
the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) has made available to
interested parties the Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment
(PEA) and
[[Page 46643]]
the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) for the Removal of Non-
Retention Vessels from National Defense Reserve Fleet Sites for
Disposal. The PEA and FONSI have been prepared pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (U.S.C. 4231 et seq.) in accordance
with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-
1508).
The purpose of the PEA is to evaluate the potential environmental
impacts from and alternatives to the Removal of Non-Retention Vessels
from National Defense Reserve Fleet Sites for Disposal proposed by the
Maritime Administration. The Maritime Administration is charged with
disposing of obsolete ``non-retention'' U.S. government-owned merchant
type vessels of 1,500 gross tons or more per Section 203 of the Federal
Property and Administrative Service Act of 1949, as amended (40 U.S.C.
548 (2008)). Non-retention vessels are vessels that have been
determined by the Maritime Administration to be of insufficient value
for commercial or military operation by the Federal Government to merit
further preservation. 46 U.S.C. 57102 (2008). The Maritime
Administration's non-retention ships are located at three fleet
anchorages: James River, Virginia, Beaumont, Texas, and Suisun Bay,
California.
The Maritime Administration is proposing to tow obsolete vessels
from these three fleet anchorages either to one of seven Maritime
Administration-qualified or provisionally qualified recycling
facilities across the United States or others that may be qualified in
the future, or to various locations (to be determined on a case by case
basis) to be used as artificial reefs, or sold for reuse as limited by
applicable law, or to be donated for use as memorials and museums, or
to be used by the U.S. Navy in at-sea training exercises referred to as
Sinking Exercises, or SINKEX, during which the Navy fires live
munitions at the vessel to give trainees a better sense of the
capabilities of Navy weaponry. Following the use of live fire, vessels
are allowed to sink to the sea bottom.
The PEA studies potential environmental effects associated with the
removal and disposal of non-retention vessels. The PEA considers
potential effects to the natural and manmade environments including:
Air quality, water quality, vessel traffic, cultural & historic
resources, wetlands, benthic communities, fish resources, threatened &
endangered species, socioeconomic resources, human health & safety, and
other topics associated with the proposed action.
The Maritime Administration assessed the potential environmental
consequences of the Proposed Action and the No Action alternative, and
found no significant impact to the human and natural environments from
implementation of the proposed action. The Maritime Administration
announced the availability of the draft of this Final Programmatic
Environmental Assessment July 2, 2008 and made it available to the
public for comment. Responses to comments can be found online at http:/
/www.regulations.gov at Docket ID MARAD-2008-0060.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carolyn E. Junemann, 1200 New Jersey
Ave., SE., Washington, DC 20590; phone: (202) 366-1920; fax: (202)
5904; or e-mail: Carolyn.junemann@dot.gov. Persons who use a
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above
individuals during business hours. The FIRS is available twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or question with the
above individuals. You will receive a reply during normal business
hours.
A copy of the Final Programmatic EA and Finding of No Significant
Impact can be obtained or viewed online at http://www.regulations.gov.
The files are in a portable document format (pdf); in order to review
or print the document, users need to obtain a free copy of Acrobat
Reader. The Acrobat Reader can be obtained from http://www.adobe.com/
prodindex/acrobat/readstep.html.
Copies of the Final PEA and FONSI will also be available during
normal business hours at the following locations: Beaumont Public
Library, 801 Pearl St., Beaumont, TX 77701; Surry Public Library, 11640
Rolfe Hwy., Surry, VA 23882; Virgil I. Grissom Public Library, 366
DeShazor Dr., Newport News, VA 23608; and, Benicia Public Library, 150
E. L St., Benicia, CA 94510.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The mission of the Maritime Administration
is to strengthen the U.S. maritime transportation system, including
infrastructure, industry, and labor, to meet the economic and security
needs of the United States, and to promote the development and
maintenance of an adequate, well-balanced U.S. merchant marine,
sufficient to carry the nation's domestic waterborne commerce and a
substantial portion of its waterborne foreign commerce, and capable of
service as a naval and military auxiliary in time of war or national
emergency. The Maritime Administration also seeks to ensure that the
United States maintains adequate shipbuilding and repair services,
efficient ports, effective intermodal water and land transportation
systems, and reserve shipping capacity for use in time of national
emergency.
The Maritime Administration is charged with disposing of obsolete
``non-retention'' U.S. government-owned merchant type vessels of 1,500
gross tons or more per Section 203 of the Federal Property and
Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended (40 U.S.C. 548 (2008)).
Non-retention vessels are vessels that have been determined by the
Maritime Administration to be of insufficient value for commercial or
military operation by the Federal Government to merit further
preservation by the Federal Government. 46 U.S.C. 57102 (2008). The
Maritime Administration's non-retention ships are located at fleet
anchorages in the James River, Virginia, Beaumont, Texas, and Suisun
Bay, California.
The majority of non-retention NDRF vessels are systematically being
recycled. However, some vessels have been loaned to other Government
agencies, sold for reuse in accordance with applicable law, used as
artificial reefs, used as museums, and used for military and civilian
training. All of the vessels to be removed are obsolete non-retention
vessels that Congress has directed the Maritime Administration to
dispose of under the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, as amended.
The Maritime Administration continues to consider domestic
dismantling (recycling) as the predominant means of vessel disposal,
but continually evaluates alternative means of disposal such as
artificial reefing, sale for reuse, deep-water sinking through the
Navy's SINKEX Program, and donations to historic organizations when
possible.
Domestic recyclers of obsolete NDRF vessels are required to follow
all Federal, State, and local laws and regulations governing worker
safety and environmental protection. Specific authority to pay for
recycling provided in the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for
Fiscal Year 2001 (Pub. L. 106-259 section 8136), was enacted on August
9, 2000 and included a budget for the accelerated recycling of those
vessels in the ``worst condition.'' All other alternatives for disposal
are required to be in accordance with Federal, State, and local laws
and regulations.
[[Page 46644]]
Selection of recycling facilities was included in the 2000
Congressional amendments to section 6(c)(1) of the National Maritime
Heritage Act (NMHA), which directed the Maritime Administration to
dispose of all obsolete vessels ``in the manner that provides the best
value to the Government'' (Pub. L. 106-398, section 3502(a)). In
addition, it provided subsection (b) Selection of Scrapping Facilities,
which stated that:
The Secretary of Transportation may recycle obsolete vessels
pursuant to Section 6(c)(1) of the NMHA of 1994 [16 United States
Code (U.S.C.) 5405(c)(1)] through qualified dismantlement
facilities, using the most expeditious recycling methodology and
location practicable. Dismantlement facilities shall be selected
under that section on a best value basis consistent with the Federal
Acquisition Regulation (FAR), as in effect on the date of the
enactment of this Act * * * taking into consideration, among other
things, the ability of facilities to dismantle vessels: (1) At least
cost to the Government, (2) in a timely manner, (3) giving
consideration to worker safety and the environment, and (4) in a
manner that minimizes the geographic distance that a vessel must be
towed when towing a vessel poses a serious threat to the environment
(Pub. L. 106-398, section 3502(b), 114 Stat. 1654a-490 (2000)).
An electronic version of this document and all documents entered
into this docket are available at http://www.regulations.gov at Docket
ID MARAD-2008-0060.
Dated: September 2, 2009.
By Order of the Maritime Administrator.
Murray Bloom,
Acting Secretary, Maritime Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-21814 Filed 9-9-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-81-P