12 August 2009

[Federal Register: August 12, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 154)]
[Notices]               
[Page 40573]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12au09-44]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

 
Notice of Record of Decision for Undersea Warfare Training Range

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of record of decision.

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SUMMARY: The United States (U.S.) Department of the Navy (Navy), after 
carefully weighing the environmental consequences of the installation 
and operation of the proposed action, announces its decision to develop 
an undersea warfare training range (USWTR) within the Preferred 
Alternative Site, the Jacksonville Operating Area (JAX OPAREA). At this 
time the Navy is implementing only a portion of the proposed action, a 
decision to move forward with installation of the USWTR, which consists 
of installing undersea cables and up to 300 nodes over a 500 square-
nautical-mile area of the ocean. This location is approximately 50 nm 
from the northeast coast of Florida. The underwater nodes will be 
linked by underwater cable to a cable termination facility located 
ashore on Naval Station Mayport, Florida.
    Although both the installation phase and training phase of the 
USWTR are fully analyzed in the Final Overseas Environmental Impact 
Statement/Environmental Impact Statement (OEIS/EIS), and informs the 
decision as to the site selected for installation of the USWTR, this 
Record of Decision (ROD) implements only a portion of the proposed 
action by authorizing the installation of the USWTR. Because the USWTR 
is not anticipated to be ready for operation until at least 2014, the 
analysis regarding the environmental effects from training on the range 
will be updated in a future OEIS/EIS document closer in time to the 
date when the training will begin. The principal type of training 
activities on the USWTR will be anti-submarine warfare. The decision to 
implement training on USWTR will be based on the updated analysis of 
environmental effects in a future OEIS/EIS in conjunction with 
appropriate coordination and consultation with the National Marine 
Fisheries Service.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The complete text of the ROD is available on 
the public web site: http://projects.earthtech.com/uswtr/USWTR_
index.htm along with the complete Final OEIS/EIS and accompanying 
documentation. Single copies of the ROD will be made available upon 
request by contacting Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic, 
Attn: USWTR OEIS/EIS Project Manager, Code EV22LL, 6506 Hampton 
Boulevard, Lafayette River Annex Building A, Norfolk, Virginia 23508-
1278.

    Dated: August 5, 2009.
A.M. Vallandingham,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-19346 Filed 8-11-09; 8:45 am]

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