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[Federal Register: December 15, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 242)]
[Notices]
[Page 78475]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15de00-40]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary
Notice of Availability of The National Missile Defense Deployment
Final Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Ballistic Missile Defense
Organization, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) announces
the availability of the National Missile Defense (NMD) Deployment Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS). The FEIS assesses the potential
impacts associated with the deployment of the NMD system.
DATES: The review period for the FEIS will end on January 16, 2001 and
comments must be received by this date.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and inquiries on the FEIS or a request for
a copy of the FEIS should be directed to: SMDC-EM-V (Ms. Julia Hudson),
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, PO Box 1500, Huntsville,
AL 35807-3801, telephone (256) 955-4822.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Julia Hudson, telephone (256) 955-
4822.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BMDO announced the availability of the
National Missile Defense Deployment Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) on October 1, 1999 (64 FR 190 53364) providing notice
that the DEIS was available for comment. The public review period was
from October 1, 1999 through January 19, 2000. Public hearings were
held October 26 through November 9, 1999. Comments from the DEIS review
and public hearings have been considered and included along with
responses in the FEIS. Additionally, availability of an Upgraded Early
Warning Radar Supplement to the NMD Deployment DEIS was announced on
March 3, 2000 (65 FR 43 11560) with the public comment period from
March 3, 2000 to May 12, 2000. This analysis and the comments and
responses to the supplement to the DEIS have been included in the NMD
Deployment FEIS.
The NMD system would be a fixed, land-based, non-nuclear missile
defense system with a land and space-based detection system capable of
responding to limited strategic ballistic missile threats to the United
States. Potential deployment locations for the NMD elements include
sites in Alaska and North Dakota. In addition, as the operational
requirements are refined other regions may be identified.
The Preferred Alternative is deployment of a NMD system with up to
100 Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) silos and Battle Management Command
and Control (BMC2) facilities at Fort Greely, Alaska; and an X-Band
Radar (XBR) at Eareckson Air Station (AS) (Shemya Island), Alaska.
Under the Preferred Alternative, the NMD system would make use of the
existing Early Warning Radars (EWR), upgraded for NMD and the existing
space-based detection system that would be in place at the time of
deployment. The existing EWRs are located at Beale Air Force Base
(AFB), California, Clear AS, Alaska, and Cape Cod AS, Massachusetts. If
the proposed action to modify the EWRS to support a NMD deployment is
selected, its implementation is contingent upon the outcome of the Air
Force EIS that addresses modernization, maintenance, and sustainment of
operations at the three radar facilities. The BMDO would reassess its
proposed usage of the EWR facilities in light of the results of the Air
Force EIS prior to installation of the NMD modifications. Due to the
ongoing development of the operational requirements, proposed In-Flight
Interceptor Communication System (IFICS) Data Terminals locations were
not identified as the EIS was being drafted. The FEIS therefore
analyzed the expected impacts on a programmatic basis. The BMDO will
perform supplemental, site-specific environmental analysis for the
IFICS data terminals and fiber optic cable line alignments, as
required, based on the initial analysis in the FEIS.
Copies of the FEIS have been distributed to Federal, state, and
local agencies; public officials; and organizations and individuals
that previously requested copies of the DEIS or FEIS. Copies of the
FEIS will be available for review at public libraries in communities
adjacent to the potential NMD deployment sites. These communities
include: Cavalier, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Langdon in North Dakota;
Anchorage, Anderson, Delta Junction, Fairbanks, Healy, Kodiak, and
Nenana in Alaska; Live Oak, Marysville, and Yuba City in California;
Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, Sandwich, and West Barnstable in
Massachusetts. The library locations and the FEIS are also available on
the BMDO internet site:
www.acq.osd.mil/bmdo/bmdolink/html/nmd.html.
Dated: December 11, 2000.
Patricia L. Toppings,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 00-32046 Filed 12-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-10-M
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