[Federal Register: September 30, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 190)]
[Notices]               
[Page 56857-56858]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30se08-83]                         

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2008-0991]

 
Proposed Modernization of the Coast Guard; Final Programmatic 
Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of Final Programmatic Environmental 
Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the availability of the Final 
Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) for Coast Guard 
modernization. Based on the PEA's analysis and the mitigation plan 
committed to in the PEA, the Coast Guard determined that an 
environmental impact statement is not required, and a Finding of No 
Significant Impact (FONSI) has been issued for the proposed action.
    Availability: Electronic copies of the Final PEA and FONSI, as well 
as comments received on the Draft PEA and FONSI, are available from the 
Federal Docket Management Facility at Internet Web site address: http:/
/www.regulations.gov using the docket number USCG-2008-0991.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
please contact Ms. Kebby Kelley, USCG, telephone (202) 475-5690, e-
mail: Kebby.Kelley@uscg.mil, or Mr. Frank Esposito, USCG, telephone 
(202) 372-3746, e-mail: Frank.H.Esposito@uscg.mil. If you have 
questions on viewing the docket, please call Ms. Renee Wright, Program 
Manager, Docket Operations, telephone (202) 366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Coast 
Guard prepared a Final PEA and FONSI for the Proposed Modernization of 
the Coast Guard.

Response to Comments

    On August 15, 2008, the Coast Guard initiated a 30-day public 
comment period with publication of a Notice of Availability of the 
Proposed Modernization of the Coast Guard Draft PEA in the Federal 
Register (73 FR 47959). The Coast Guard received 23 public comments 
during this period.

Summary of Comments and the USCG Responses

    Many of the 23 separate comments either acknowledged receipt or 
noted approval of the Coast Guard's modernization proposal. The 
remaining comments fell into the following four groups.
    Several comments focused on the managerial philosophy and 
motivation of the Coast Guard in proposing this modernization. While 
these comments are useful to decision makers, they are not relevant to 
the environmental impact analyses associated with the proposed 
modernization and, therefore, will not be addressed in the Final PEA.
    A second group of comments focused on decisions that are yet to be 
made, such as exact locations of possible new facilities or precise 
organizations that might or might not be moved. While these comments 
are also useful to decision makers, they are not yet ripe for further 
analysis and will not be considered further in the Final PEA. As stated 
in the Draft PEA, NEPA analysis and documentation may be prepared for 
future individual actions and their site-specific impacts if such 
actions are not adequately covered by this programmatic NEPA document.
    The third group of comments advocated moving large segments of the 
Coast Guard to various new locations around the nation. These 
alternatives do not meet the purpose and need described in the PEA to 
minimize disruption to the workforce, minimize costs of modernization 
(such as, by utilizing existing facilities), and minimize disruption to 
mission execution. These proposals are, therefore, not evaluated in 
detail in the Final PEA.
    Finally, a fourth group of comments was not addressed because it 
raised matters, such as the Deepwater Replacement contract, that are 
outside the scope of the Coast Guard modernization decision.

Background and Purpose

    The Coast Guard intends to modernize its command structure, support 
systems, and business practices to position itself for sustainable and 
effective mission execution into the

[[Page 56858]]

twenty-first century. The Coast Guard prepared a PEA that identified 
and examined the reasonable alternatives and assessed their potential 
environmental impacts. The PEA identified potential direct, indirect, 
and cumulative impacts associated with proposed modernization, 
including Coast Guard mission-related impacts and site-specific 
impacts.
    The Coast Guard developed two action alternatives to achieve 
modernization, a full modernization alternative and a partial 
modernization alternative. These two alternatives represented the upper 
and lower levels of change required to achieve the purpose and need of 
the modernization and, therefore, captured the range of social, 
economic, and environmental impacts that would occur while implementing 
modernization initiatives. The full modernization alternative 
emphasizes co-location of mission support and operations resources and 
functions and included potential construction at the Coast Guard Yard, 
Curtis Bay, Maryland. The partial modernization alternative would focus 
on operating from existing locations rather than co-locating functional 
resources in a single location and includes no new construction. The 
partial modernization alternative would minimally achieve the purpose 
and need for modernization, while the full modernization alternative 
would allow the Coast Guard to reach the fully envisioned functionality 
of modernization. The Coast Guard prefers the full modernization 
alternative. Either modernization alternative would be implemented over 
at least 5 years.
    The Coast Guard has determined that the mitigation committed to in 
the Final Coast Guard-prepared PEA will reduce all potentially 
significant environmental impacts to a level of insignificance. Thus, 
the Final PEA was determined to adequately and accurately discuss the 
environmental issues and impacts of the proposed action and provides 
sufficient evidence and analysis for determining that an environmental 
impact statement is not required. A Finding of No Significant Impact 
was, therefore, issued for the full modernization alternative which is 
the Coast Guard's preferred alternative.

    Dated: September 24, 2008.
Clifford I. Pearson,
Vice Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard, Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. E8-22934 Filed 9-29-08; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910-15-P