[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5566-5567]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2160]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Availability for the Draft Programmatic Environmental
Assessment for the Development and Operation of Small-Scale Wind Energy
Projects at United States Marine Corps Facilities Throughout the United
States
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section (102)(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (42 United States Code 4321), as implemented
by the Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing
the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR]
Parts 1500-1508), and Marine Corps NEPA directives (Marine Corps Order
P5090.2A), the Department of the Navy announces the availability of,
and invites public comments on the Draft Programmatic Environmental
Assessment (Draft PEA) for the development and operation of small-scale
wind energy projects at United States Marine Corps (USMC) facilities
throughout the Continental United States (CONUS). A PEA evaluates a
major action on a broad, programmatic basis. Thus, site-specific NEPA
analysis may be tiered off this document as appropriate.
Dates and Addresses: The public comment period begins upon
publication of a Notice of Availability (NOA) for the Draft PEA in the
Federal Register. The comment period will last for 30 days thereafter.
The Draft PEA is available for electronic viewing at http://marines.mil/unit/marforres/MFRHQ/FACILITIES/FACILITIES.aspx, or by
sending a request to Alain Flexer, USMC Marine Forces Reserves
(MARFORRES), by telephone 504-678-8489, by fax 504-678-6823, by e-mail
to [email protected] or by writing to: MARFORRES, Facilities, Attn:
Alain Flexer, 4400 Dauphine Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70146-5400.
Comments: All comments, written or submitted via the internet, are
treated
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equally, become part of the public record on the Draft PEA, and will be
considered in the Final PEA. During the 30-day comment period, all
written comments should be mailed to MARFORRES, Facilities, Attn: Alain
Flexer, 4400 Dauphine Street, New Orleans, LA 70146-5400. Please submit
all comments by the end of the 30-day comment period.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: MARFORRES: Attn: Alain Flexer,
telephone 504-678-8489 or by e-mail [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: MARFORRES (Energy Office) has completed a
Draft PEA for the development and operation of small-scale wind energy
projects at USMC CONUS facilities. The USMC has previously identified
the subset of facilities at which wind is the most readily available
and economically feasible renewable energy source and which may be
included in their wind energy program, therefore, this Draft PEA does
not consider other forms of renewable energy.
The purpose of the proposed action is to reduce dependency on
fossil fuels and increase energy security and efficiency through
development of small-scale wind energy projects at USMC CONUS
facilities. The proposed action would enable MARFORRES to achieve
specific goals regarding energy production and usage set by Executive
Orders, legislative acts, and Federal agencies.
The Draft PEA evaluates the potential environmental impacts of
constructing and operating small-scale wind energy facilities, with the
number and sizes of turbines for each facility ranging from one to four
and from 0.1 MW to 2.5 MW respectively. Under the No Action
Alternative, the USMC would not pursue the development and operation of
small-scale wind energy projects at USMC CONUS facilities.
Environmental resources addressed in the Draft PEA include land
use; noise; geological resources; water resources; biological
resources; cultural resources; visual resources; socioeconomics; air
quality; utilities; airspace; health and safety; hazardous materials;
and transportation. The Draft PEA also analyzes cumulative impacts from
other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions.
Schedule: NOA of the Draft PEA will be published in the Federal
Register. This notice initiates the 30-day public comment period for
the Draft PEA. If the Draft PEA determines a more thorough analysis is
necessary, then the USMC will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS). If additional analysis is not necessary, the USMC will issue a
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The USMC intends to issue the
Final PEA no later than February 2011, at which time a NOA of the FONSI
or Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS will be published.
Dated: January 25, 2011.
D.J. Werner,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-2160 Filed 1-31-11; 8:45 am]
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