15 May 2009

[Federal Register: May 15, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 93)]
[Notices]               
[Page 22900-22901]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15my09-40]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of Navy

 
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
TRIDENT Support Facilities Explosives Handling Wharf, Naval Base 
Kitsap-Bangor, Silverdale, Kitsap County, WA and To Announce Public 
Scoping Meeting

AGENCY: Department of Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102 of the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969, and the regulations implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Department of Navy 
(Navy) announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts 
associated with the construction and operation of a proposed new 
Explosives Handling Wharf (EHW) located adjacent to, but separate from, 
the existing EHW on Hood Canal, NBK-Bangor, WA, to support TRIDENT 
submarines.
    The proposed action consists of in-water and land-based 
construction including a covered ordnance operations area, a support 
building on the wharf, and a warping wharf. A warping wharf is a long 
narrow wharf extension used to position submarines prior to moving into 
the operations area of the EHW.
    As part of the U.S. Navy's sea-based strategic deterrence mission, 
the Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) directs research, 
development, manufacturing, test, evaluation, and operational support 
of the TRIDENT Fleet Ballistic Missile program. SSP is the Action 
Proponent and the Navy is the lead agency for this project.
    On June 10, 2008, the Navy provided notice in the Federal Register 
(73 FR 32682) of its intent to prepare an EIS for a TRIDENT Support 
Facilities EHW and to announce a public scoping meeting. On June 30, 
2008, the Navy provided notice in the Federal Register (73 FR 36847) of 
its decision to cancel the June 10, 2008 Notice of Intent. The Notice 
of Intent was cancelled to allow the Navy the opportunity to review and 
validate the need for the project and identify other alternative 
solutions to the proposed construction. After a thorough review, the 
Navy has now revalidated the requirement for a second EHW at NAVBASE 
Kitsap Bangor.
    The Navy will hold three public scoping meetings for the purpose of 
further identifying the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. 
Federal, State, and local agencies and the public are invited to 
participate in the scoping process for the EIS. Comments are being 
solicited to help identify significant issues or concerns related to 
the proposed action, determine the scope of issues to be addressed in 
the EIS, and identify and refine alternatives to the proposed action.
    The Navy will conduct public scoping meetings to receive oral and/
or written comments on environmental concerns that should be addressed 
in the EIS. The public scoping meetings will be conducted in English 
and will be arranged in an informal, open house format. Attendees will 
be asked to sign in and will be directed to various stations manned by 
Navy representatives and technical staff who will provide information 
and answer questions. Several large display boards will be located 
throughout the meeting locations to assist attendees in understanding 
the project and the alternatives. A comment table, supplied with 
comment sheets, will be placed in an easily accessible and comfortable 
location. Fact sheets about the project and alternatives will be 
available to participants.

DATES: Dates and Addresses: The public scoping meetings will be held 
from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the following dates and locations:
    1. June 23, 2009 at the Poulsbo Fire Station Main Headquarters, 
Multipurpose Room, 911 NE. Liberty Road, Poulsbo, WA;
    2. June 24, 2009 at the Port Ludlow Fire Station 31, Training Room, 
7650 Oak Bay Road, Port Ludlow, WA;
    3. June 25, 2009 at the John Stanford Center for Educational 
Excellence, Auditorium, 2445 3rd Avenue South, Seattle WA.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Patrick Grzelak, Public Affairs 
Officer, Department of the Navy, Strategic Systems Programs, 2521 South 
Clark Street, Suite 1000, Arlington, VA 22202-3930, telephone: 703-601-
9008, e-mail at: nbkehweis@ssp.navy.mil.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the proposed action is to 
support current and future TRIDENT Fleet Ballistic Missile program 
requirements at NAVBASE Kitsap Bangor, WA. The proposed action is to 
construct and operate a proposed new EHW located adjacent to, but 
separate from, the existing EHW on Hood Canal to support TRIDENT 
submarines. A new EHW is needed to ensure the Navy has the facilities 
required to offload/load missiles and perform routine operations and 
upgrades necessary to maintain the TRIDENT program.
    As part of the U.S. Navy's sea-based strategic deterrence mission, 
the TRIDENT submarines play a critical role of great strategic 
importance for the U.S. The Navy has only two Strategic Weapons 
Facilities for TRIDENT submarines. One in the Atlantic located in Kings 
Bay, Georgia and one in the Pacific located in Bangor, Washington. The 
Bangor facility has over time been upgraded, converted, and expanded, 
to handle variations in missile systems. Today's modern missile is a 
much more complex system, and takes more than twice the time to 
maintain and handle thus requiring additional Explosive Handling Wharf 
facilities to meet the

[[Page 22901]]

current mission. The new EHW is needed to maintain operational 
availability of the TRIDENT Program in the Pacific. The purpose of the 
proposed action is to meet current and future technical program 
requirements for the TRIDENT mission.
    Alternatives for the proposed action were identified based on 
capability for meeting TRIDENT Program mission requirements, ability to 
avoid or minimize environmental impacts, siting requirements including 
proximity to existing infrastructure, availability of waterfront 
property, constructability of essential project features, and 
explosives safety restrictions.
    Alternatives currently under consideration include: (1) Deep-Water 
Trestle EHW; (2) Onshore Trestle EHW; (3) No Action Alternative. For 
both action alternatives, the EHW would be located in deep water, 
parallel to and 600 feet from the shore, and placement of structures 
over the intertidal zone would be minimized. The new EHW would include 
a covered operations area approximately 600 feet long and 250 feet 
wide, supplemented by an uncovered wharf extension approximately 700 
feet long and 35 feet wide.
    The wharf would either be an anchored floating structure or a 
structure supported by piles. Separate pile-supported entrance and exit 
trestles, or bridges, would provide a roadway for missile transport 
vehicles to travel from shore to the EHW and back to shore. For both 
action alternatives, the entrance trestle would be constructed from the 
end of the existing EHW access road to connect to the north end of the 
new EHW. The two action alternatives differ in the location of the exit 
trestle, which would connect the south end of the new EHW to the 
existing EHW access road.
    Under the Deep-Water Trestle alternative, parallel entry and exit 
trestles would be constructed to transport ordnance to and from the 
wharf. The exit trestle would be constructed over deep water to the 
extent possible, crossing the intertidal zone and returning to land at 
the existing EHW access road. The Deep-Water Trestle alternative would 
require approximately 900 feet of additional in-water construction but 
would avoid construction of a road on the steep embankment adjacent to 
the proposed EHW site.
    For the Onshore Trestle alternative, the exit trestle would be 
constructed to take the shortest distance to shore from the south end 
of the new EHW. This alternative would require extension of the exit 
trestle approximately 1,400 feet along the edge of the steep embankment 
on the shore, away from the intertidal zone, to connect to the existing 
access road.
    No decision will be made to implement any alternative until the EIS 
process is complete, with the release of the Record of Decision. Phased 
construction of the project would be completed in four years.
    The impacts to be evaluated include, but will not be limited to, 
impacts on fish and marine mammals, essential fish habitat, effects on 
endangered and threatened species, impacts relating to underwater sound 
and underwater habitat, impacts to the migratory and transient movement 
of fish along the shore, impacts on cultural resources, reduction in 
water quality, impacts on wetlands, terrestrial impacts, effects on 
Tribal resources, and human health and public safety.
    The analysis will include an evaluation of direct, indirect, short 
term, and long term impacts from the construction and operation of the 
new EHW and will account for cumulative impacts from other Navy and 
non-Navy activities in the project area.
    The Navy is initiating the scoping process to identify community 
concerns and local issues to be addressed in the EIS. Federal agencies, 
State agencies, local agencies, and interested persons are encouraged 
to provide written comments in addition to, or in lieu of, oral 
comments at scheduled public scoping meetings.
    Written comments must be postmarked by midnight July 17, 2009 and 
should be submitted to: Mr. Patrick Grzelak, Public Affairs Officer, 
Department of the Navy, Strategic Systems Programs, 2521 South Clark 
Street, Suite 1000, Arlington, VA 22202-3930, telephone: 703-601-9008, 
e-mail: nbkehweis@ssp.navy.mil.

    Dated: May 11, 2009.
T.M. Cruz,
Lieutenant Commander, Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-11004 Filed 5-14-09; 8:45 am]

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