21 March 2011

Navy Plans TRIDENT Explosives Wharf

[Federal Register: March 21, 2011 (Volume 76, Number 54)]
[Notices]               
[Page 15302-15305]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21mr11-45]                         

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

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

 
Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the TRIDENT Support Facilities Explosives Handling Wharf, 
Naval Base Kitsap Bangor, Silverdale, Kitsap County, WA

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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

[[Page 15303]]

SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) and the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations 
for implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (Title 40 Code of 
Federal Regulations Parts 1500-1508), the Department of the Navy (Navy) 
has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential 
environmental effects of constructing and operating a second Explosives 
Handling Wharf (EHW-2) at Naval Base Kitsap Bangor (NBK Bangor), 
Silverdale, WA. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the 
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) are cooperating agencies for 
the EIS.
    The Navy will conduct three public hearings to receive oral and 
written comments on the Draft EIS. Federal, State, and local agencies, 
elected officials, and other interested individuals and organizations 
are invited to be present or represented at the public hearings. This 
notice announces the dates and locations of the public hearings for 
this Draft EIS.
    Dates and Addresses: Public hearings will be held on the following 
dates and locations:
    1. April 19, 2011, at the North Kitsap High School Commons, 1780 
Northeast Hostmark Street, Poulsbo, WA 98370;
    2. April 20, 2011, at the Chimacum High School, 91 West Valley 
Road, Chimacum, WA 98325; and
    3. April 21, 2011, at the Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth 
Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.
    All meetings will start with an open house session from 6 p.m. to 
7:30 p.m. followed by a presentation and public comment period from 
7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The open house sessions will allow individuals the 
opportunity to review summaries of the information presented in the 
Draft EIS. Navy representatives will be available during the open house 
sessions to clarify information related to the Draft EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command 
Northwest, 1101 Tautog Circle, Silverdale, WA 98315-1101, Attn: 
Christine Stevenson, EHW-2 EIS Project Manager; or http://
ehw.nbkeis.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Intent to prepare this Draft EIS 
was published in the Federal Register on May 15, 2009 (74 FR 22900). 
Three public scoping meetings were held in Poulsbo, Port Ludlow, and 
Seattle, WA. The first public scoping meeting was held on June 23, 
2009, at the Poulsbo Fire Station Main Headquarters, 911 Northeast 
Liberty Road, Poulsbo, WA. The second public scoping meeting was held 
on June 24, 2009, at the Port Ludlow Fire Station 31, 7650 Oak Bay 
Road, Port Ludlow, WA. The third public scoping meeting was held on 
June 25, 2009, at the Starbucks Corporate Headquarters, 2401 Utah 
Avenue South, 3rd Floor, Seattle, WA. The meeting was originally 
scheduled to be held at the John Stanford Center for Educational 
Excellence, 2445 3rd Avenue South, Seattle, WA but was relocated due to 
unforeseen venue cancellation. Notifications were made to the media 
immediately upon reserving the new venue and handouts with the new 
location were distributed to those arriving at the John Stanford Center 
for Educational Excellence.
    The proposed action is to construct and operate an EHW-2 adjacent 
to, but separate from, the existing Explosives Handling Wharf (EHW-1) 
at the NBK Bangor waterfront. The proposed action consists of in-water 
and land-based construction and operations. NBK Bangor, located on Hood 
Canal approximately 20 miles west of Seattle, provides berthing and 
support services for OHIO Class ballistic missile submarines, hereafter 
referred to as TRIDENT submarines. As part of the 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.
    The purpose for the proposed action is to support future TRIDENT 
program requirements for TRIDENT submarines currently homeported at NBK 
Bangor and the TRIDENT II (D5 missile) Strategic Weapons System. The 
proposed action is needed to support TRIDENT program requirements of 
400 operational days per year. The EHW-1 currently provides 
approximately 200 operational days per year due to required facility 
preventative maintenance and pile replacement. The Navy anticipates 
that after pile replacement concludes in 2024, the EHW-1 will provide 
approximately 300 operational days per year. The proposed EHW-2 would 
provide 300 operational days per year. Therefore, EHW-1 and the 
proposed EHW-2 would provide a total available capacity of 
approximately 500-600 operational days per year. The proposed EHW-2 
would be designed to meet all TRIDENT program requirements.
    SSP evaluated a range of alternatives that would meet action 
objectives, and applied screening criteria to identify those 
alternatives that were ``reasonable'' (i.e., practical and feasible). 
Screening criteria included: capability for meeting TRIDENT 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. Reasonable 
alternatives were carried through the Draft EIS analysis.
    The Draft EIS considers six alternatives including the No Action 
Alternative. Alternatives include in-water and land-based components 
such as the wharf, access trestles, an abutment where the trestles 
connect to the shore, extension of an existing paved road, construction 
of a new upland gravel access road, and an upland construction staging 
area. The wharf proper (excluding access trestles) would lie 
approximately 600 feet offshore at water depths of 60 feet to 100 feet, 
and would consist of a covered ordnance handling area, a warping wharf, 
and lightning protection towers. A warping wharf is a long narrow wharf 
extension used to position submarines prior to moving into the 
operations area of the EHW-2.
    The six alternatives considered in this Draft EIS are as follows:
    (1) Alternative 1 (Combined Trestle, Large Pile Wharf)--access 
trestles would be combined over shallow water to reduce impacts to 
shallow-water habitat and resources. The wharf would be supported 
primarily on large (up to 48-inch diameter) piles and smaller (24-inch 
to 36-inch diameter) piles. Alternative 1 is the preferred alternative.
    (2) Alternative 2 (Combined Trestle, Conventional Pile Wharf)--
access trestles would be combined as for Alternative 1 but would use a 
conventional pile wharf supported on a larger number of smaller piles 
(24-inch to 36-inch diameter). The dimensions of the conventional pile 
wharf would be the same as the large pile wharf. Pile driving would 
take longer than for Alternative 1.
    (3) Alternative 3 (Separate Trestles, Large Pile Wharf)--access 
trestles would be completely separate. There would be more trestle 
piles and greater overwater area, including more area over shallow 
water. The large pile wharf would be the same as for Alternative 1.
    (4) Alternative 4 (Separate Trestles, Conventional Pile Wharf)--
access trestles would be separate as for Alternative 3 and would use a

[[Page 15304]]

conventional pile wharf as for Alternative 2.
    (5) Alternative 5 (Combined Trestle, Floating Wharf)--access 
trestles would be combined as for Alternatives 1 and 2. This 
alternative would employ a floating wharf rather than a pile-supported 
wharf. The wharf would be supported on large concrete pontoons and 
connected to mooring dolphins. The floating wharf would be larger than 
the pile-supported wharves and would entail considerably fewer piles 
than Alternatives 1 through 4.
    (6) No Action Alternative--there would be no construction or 
operation of the EHW-2. The Navy would not have the required facilities 
to perform routine operations and upgrades required to maintain the 
current fleet of TRIDENT submarines at NBK Bangor through 2042, the 
life of the current TRIDENT weapons systems. The No Action Alternative 
is considered in accordance with Section 1502.14(d) of the NEPA 
regulation.
    The Draft EIS evaluates the potential environmental effects 
associated with the construction and operation of the EHW-2 at NBK 
Bangor, WA. Alternatives were evaluated within several environmental 
resource areas including marine, upland, and social environments. These 
resource areas include: hydrography (currents and tides), water 
quality, sediment, underwater noise, marine vegetation, plankton, 
benthic communities including shellfish, marine fish, marine mammals, 
marine birds, threatened and endangered species, geology and soils, 
surface water and groundwater, vegetation, wetlands, wildlife, noise, 
air quality, cultural resources, American Indian traditional resources, 
coastal and shoreline management, land use and recreation, aesthetics, 
socioeconomics, utilities and energy, transportation, and public health 
and safety. Methods to reduce or minimize impacts to affected resources 
are addressed. The analysis includes an evaluation of the direct, 
indirect, and cumulative impacts.
    All action alternatives would have the same types of environmental 
impacts; however, the magnitude of these impacts would vary among the 
alternatives. The principal types of marine impacts during project 
construction would include pile driving noise (and its effects on 
marine biota) and turbidity. In the long term, impacts would include 
loss and shading of marine habitat including eelgrass, macroalgae and 
benthic community, and interference with the migration of juvenile 
salmon, some species of which are protected under the Endangered 
Species Act (ESA). All action alternatives would have the potential to 
adversely affect fish and bird species protected under the ESA, and 
marine mammals (behavioral disturbance) protected under the ESA and the 
Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). Injury is not expected to any 
marine mammal or bird. Upland construction would result in permanent 
and temporary impacts to forest, shrub lands, and wetlands; however, 
most areas would be replanted following construction and mitigation 
would offset the permanent loss of the wetland area. Wildlife would be 
disturbed by construction noise, especially pile driving, but no 
terrestrial animals or plants protected under the ESA, the Migratory 
Bird Treaty Act, or Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act would be 
affected. Measures are proposed to mitigate these impacts. Recreational 
and residential areas would be disturbed by pile driving noise. 
Mitigation measures would be implemented to minimize impacts from pile 
driving noise. Construction barges could affect marine traffic in Hood 
Canal and would affect vehicle traffic on the Hood Canal Floating 
Bridge. Mitigation measures would be implemented to minimize impacts 
from marine construction traffic.
    In accordance with Section 7 of the ESA, the Navy is consulting 
with NMFS and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for potential impacts 
to Federally listed species. The Navy is also consulting with NMFS 
regarding potential effects on Essential Fish Habitat under the 
Magnuson Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, and working 
with NMFS to ensure compliance with the MMPA. The Navy will submit an 
application to the USACE for a permit under Section 10 of the Rivers 
and Harbors Act, and Section 404 of the Clean Water Act. Navy analysis 
has indicated that under the Clean Air Act requirements, air pollutant 
emissions would not exceed thresholds for a major source for any 
alternative. Under all action alternatives, the setting of the EHW-1, 
which is eligible for listing under the National Register of Historic 
Places, would be adversely affected by the proposed action; however, 
the Navy will consult with the State Historic Preservation Officer 
(SHPO) and develop a mitigation plan. There would be a small potential 
for disturbance of archaeological resources during construction; if any 
such resources were encountered, the Navy would coordinate with the 
SHPO and affected American Indian Tribes. Access to Tribal fishing 
areas would not be affected by any alternative; however, implementation 
of the proposed action would adversely affect fish, which are Tribal 
treaty reserved resources. The Navy is conducting government-to-
government consultation with the potentially affected Tribes. 
Mitigation is included as part of the proposed action to address the 
impacts to these aquatic resources.
    The decision to be made by the Navy is to determine which of the 
alternatives analyzed in the EIS to implement, based upon reasonably 
foreseeable environmental impacts and operational needs.
    The Draft EIS was distributed to Federal, State, and local 
agencies, elected officials, and other interested individuals and 
organizations. The public comment period will end on May 2, 2011. 
Copies of the Draft EIS are available for public review at the 
following libraries:
    1. Jefferson County Rural Library, 620 Cedar Avenue, Port Hadlock, 
WA 98339;
    2. Port Townsend Public Library, 1220 Lawrence Street, Port 
Townsend, WA 98368;
    3. Poulsbo Library, 700 Northeast Lincoln Road, Poulsbo, WA 98370;
    4. Silverdale Library, 3450 NW Carlton Street, Silverdale, WA 
98383;
    5. Sylvan Way Library, 1301 Sylvan Way, Bremerton, WA 98310; and
    6. Seattle Central Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98104.
    The TRIDENT Support Facilities EHW-2 Draft EIS is also available 
for electronic public viewing at: http://ehw.nbkeis.com. A paper copy 
of the executive summary or a single compact disc of the Draft EIS will 
be made available upon written request by contacting Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command Northwest, Attention: Ms. Christine Stevenson, EHW-
2 EIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, Silverdale, WA 98315-1101.
    Federal, State, and local agencies, elected officials, and 
interested individuals and organizations are invited to be present or 
represented at the public hearings. Written comments can also be 
submitted during the open house sessions preceding the public hearings. 
Oral statements will be heard and transcribed by a court reporter; 
however, to ensure the accuracy of the record it is encouraged that all 
statements should also be submitted in writing. All statements, both 
oral and written, will become part of the public record on the Draft 
EIS and will be responded to in the Final EIS. Equal weight will be 
given to both oral and written statements. In the interest of available 
time, and to ensure all who wish to give an oral statement have the 
opportunity to do so, each speaker's

[[Page 15305]]

comments will be limited to three (3) minutes. If a long statement is 
to be presented, it should be summarized at the public hearing with the 
full text submitted either in writing at the hearing or mailed to Naval 
Facilities Engineering Command Northwest, Attention: Ms. Christine 
Stevenson, EHW-2 EIS Project Manager, 1101 Tautog Circle, Silverdale, 
WA 98315-1101. Comments may also be submitted online at http://
ehw.nbkeis.com/ during the comment period. All written comments must be 
postmarked by May 2, 2011, to ensure they become part of the official 
record. All comments will be addressed in the Final EIS.

    Dated: 14 March 2011.
D.J. Werner,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-6518 Filed 3-18-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P