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Proposed Acquisition of 87-Foot Coastal Patrol Boats: Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment

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 [Federal Register: February 14, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 30)]
[Notices]
[Page 7412-7413]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr14fe00-94]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Coast Guard

[USCG-1999-6441]


Proposed Acquisition of 87-Foot Coastal Patrol Boats: Draft
Programmatic Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces the availability of a draft
Programmatic Environmental Assessment on its proposal to replace its
aging fleet of 82-foot patrol boats with 87-foot coastal patrol boats.
We request your comments on the Assessment.

DATES: Comments and related material must reach the Docket Management
Facility on or before March 25, 2000.

ADDRESSES: To make sure your comments and related material are not
entered more than once in the docket, please submit them by only one of
the following means:
    (1) By mail to the Docket Management Facility, (USCG-1999-6441),
U.S. Department of Transportation, room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street SW.,
Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (2) By delivery to room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif
Building, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone
number is 202-366-9329.
    (3) By fax to the Docket Management Facility at 202-493-2251.
    (4) Electronically through the Web Site for the Docket Management
System at http://dms.dot.gov.
    The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this
notice. Comments and material received from the public, as well as the
draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA), will become part of
this docket and will be available for inspection or copying at room PL-
401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building at the same address
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays. You may also find this docket, including the PEA, on the
Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions on this notice, the
proposed project, or the associated PEA, call Ms. Sheri Imel, Coast
Guard, telephone 757-628-4248. For questions on viewing or submitting
material to the docket, call Dorothy Walker, Chief, Dockets, Department
of Transportation, telephone 202-366-9329.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

    We encourage you to submit comments and related material on the
draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA). If you do so, please
include your name and address, identify the docket number for this
notice (USCG-1999-6441) and give the reasons for each comment. You may
submit your comments and material by mail, hand delivery, fax, or
electronic means to the Docket Management Facility at the address under
ADDRESSES; but please submit your comments and material by only one
means. If you submit them by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an
unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for
copying and electronic filing. If you submit them by mail and would
like to know they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-
addressed postcard or envelope. We will consider all comments and
material received during the comment period.

[[Page 7413]]

Proposed Action

    The Coast Guard proposes to buy forty-one 87-foot coastal patrol
boats to replace its aging fleet of 82-foot patrol boats. The new boats
would be similar to nine 87-foot prototypes currently in use by the
Coast Guard. The new boats would be located at existing facilities
throughout the continental United States. As with the 82-footers, the
new boats would be used for search and rescue, maritime law
enforcement, alien migrant interdiction, drug interdiction, marine
environmental response, recreational and commercial boating safety,
environmental law enforcement, port safety and security, and military
operations support. The new boats are needed because the existing fleet
of 82-footers, constructed between 1960 and 1970, are reaching the end
of their life expectancy and are becoming increasingly difficult to
repair. Without a working, dependable boat to carry out our primary
missions, our ability to serve the public will be severely hampered.
Also, we expect the demands of our missions to increase over the next
few years. We expect to see an increase in law enforcement, drug
interdiction, alien migrant interdiction, and marine environmental
response. The proposed action would improve our current level of
service and help us meet our increased needs in the near future.

Draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment

    We have prepared a draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment
(PEA). The draft PEA identifies and examines the reasonable
alternatives and assesses their potential environmental impact. Our
preferred alternative is to add forty-one new 87-footers to the nine
87-foot prototypes currently being used. The remaining 82-footers would
be classified as excess.
    We are requesting your comments on environmental concerns you may
have related to the PEA. This includes suggesting analyses and
methodologies for use in the PEA or possible sources of data or
information not included in the PEA. Your comments will be considered
in preparing the final PEA.

    Dated: February 7, 2000.
D.W. Reed,
Capt. U.S.C.G., Deputy Assistant Commandant for Acquisition.
[FR Doc. 00-3304 Filed 2-11-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-P

 
 

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