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Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Introduction of the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle to First Marine Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California

 [Federal Register: August 15, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 158)]
[Notices]
[Page 49792-49793]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15au00-38]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Introduction of the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle to First Marine
Expeditionary Force, Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton, California

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental
Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Department of the
Navy intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to
evaluate the environmental effects of introducing the Advanced
Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV) to First Marine Expeditionary Force,
and replacing existing support facilities for maintenance and training
of their crews at Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton.

DATES: Scoping comments are due by September 30, 2000.

ADDRESSES: The Marine Corps will hold public scoping meetings on August
29, 2000, from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm, at the City of Oceanside Civic
Center (Community Room) located at 300 North Coast Highway, Oceanside,
California; on August 31, 2000, from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm, at the City
of San Clemente Community Center (Ole Hanson Room) located at 100 North
Seville, San Clemente, California; and on September 7, 2000, from 5:00
pm to 8:30 pm, at the Coronado Public Library (Winn Room) located at
640 Orange Avenue, Coronado, California. The public can attend the
meetings at Oceanside and San Clemente anytime between 7:00 and 10:30
pm, and at Coronado anytime between 5:00 pm and 8:30 pm to provide
their comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Commander, Southwest Division, Naval
Facilities Engineering Command, 1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA
92132-5190 (Attn: Mrs. Jo Ellen Anderson, Telephone: 619-532-4142).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The AAAV represents a new technology in
armored amphibious assault vehicles. It uses different propulsion
systems when operating in the water and on land and will replace the
aging Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7A1 currently used by the Marine
Corps. The first AAAV is scheduled for delivery to the Marine Corps in
2005.
    The AAAV mission will be to provide the principle means of land
mobility, water mobility and fire support to Marine infantry units
during operations in all terrain and climates. It will be capable of
providing high-speed transport of embarked Marines from ships located
beyond the horizon to inland objectives. It will operate in all
climates and terrain, at night, on land, at sea and in all-weather
conditions. The AAAV will function on land as an armored personnel
carrier and as such the infantry carried inside will dismount to fight/
engage.
    It will be a tracked-amphibious vehicle possessing both land and
water mobility and is designed to have an endurance of 250 miles after
a high-speed water march of 25 nautical miles. The estimated weight of
the AAAV is 38 tons and it will measure approximately 30 feet long, 12
feet wide, and 10 feet high. The vehicle mounts a 30mm Automatic Gun
and a 7.62mm co-axial machine gun. The AAAV vehicle will be operated/
maintained by a crew of 3 Marines and have a troop carrying capacity of
up to 18 infantry Marines.
    The Marine Corps intends to introduce the AAAV into the Fleet
Marine Force in three phases, beginning with the First Marine
Expeditionary Force. AAAV introduction to Second and Third Marine
Expeditionary Forces would commence after introduction to the First
Marine Expeditionary Force is complete.
    The proposal being evaluated in this EIS is the replacement of
existing Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7A1s with AAAVs in the First Marine
Expeditionary Force, the replacement of the training facility used for
the Amphibious Assault Vehicle 7A1, and renovation of the existing
maintenance and testing facilities used for the Amphibious Assault
Vehicle 7A1. Third Amphibious Assault Battalion would receive 169 AAAV
vehicles,

[[Page 49793]]

Amphibious Assault Schools Battalion would receive 35 AAAV vehicles,
and Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch would receive 7 AAAV vehicles.
    Introduction of the AAAV to First Marine Expeditionary Force at MCB
Camp Pendleton would involve conducting training exercises on existing
ranges, roads and trails within existing training areas of MCB Camp
Pendleton, expanding the ocean training area outward (past 24 nautical
miles) from the MCB Camp Pendleton beaches to conduct over-the-horizon
training, and conducting exercises and operations using AAAVs at San
Clemente Island, Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Coronado, and Naval Radio
Receiving Facility (NRRF) Imperial Beach. No sea to sea, or sea to
shore, live firing will be conducted at MCB Camp Pendleton. However,
sea-to-shore live firing exercises are proposed for the Shore
Bombardment Area of San Clemente Island. Finally, administrative
landings on NAB Coronado and NRRF Imperial Beach are proposed; no
extensive land maneuvering or live-fire would be conducted.
    Alternatives identified so far include no action, and construction,
designation and operation of facilities and training areas on several
locations at Camp Pendleton.
    Environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS include: geological
resources, biological resources, water resources, noise, air quality,
land use compatibility, cultural resources, socioeconomic,
environmental justice, public health and safety, transportation/
circulation, aesthetics, utilities, hazardous materials, and solid
waste.
    The Marine Corps is initiating a scoping process for the purpose of
determining the extent of issues to be addressed and identifying the
significant issues related to this action. The Marine Corps will hold
public scoping meetings on August 29, 2000, from 7:00 pm to 10:30 pm,
at the City of Oceanside Civic Center (Community Room) located at 300
North Coast Highway, Oceanside, California; on August 31, 2000, from
7:00 pm to 10:30 pm, at the City of San Clemente Community Center (Ole
Hanson Room) located at 100 North Seville, San Clemente, California;
and on September 7, 2000, from 5:00 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Coronado
Public Library (Winn Room), located at 640 Orange Avenue, Coronado,
California. The public can attend the meetings at Oceanside and San
Clemente anytime between 7:00 pm and 10:30 pm, and at Coronado anytime
between 5:00 pm and 8:30 pm to provide their comments. These meetings
will be advertised in area newspapers.
    Marine Corps representatives will be available at these meetings to
receive comments from the public regarding issues of concern to the
public. Federal, state and local agencies, and interested individuals
are encouraged to take this opportunity to identify environmental
concerns that should be addressed during the preparation of the EIS.
Agencies and the public are also invited and encouraged to provide
written comment on scoping issues in addition to, or in lieu of, oral
comments at the public meeting. To be most helpful, scoping comments
should clearly describe specific issues or topics that the commentor
believes the EIS, should address. Written statements and or questions
regarding the scoping process should be mailed to: Commander, Southwest
Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 1220 Pacific Highway,
San Diego, CA 92132-5190 (Attn: Mrs. Jo Ellen Anderson, telephone 619-
532-4142). All comments must be received no later than September 30,
2000.

    Dated: August 9, 2000
 Duncan Holaday,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Facilities).
[FR Doc. 00-20680 Filed 8-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P

 
 

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