[Federal Register: March 3, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 41)]
[Notices]
[Page 10336-10337]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03mr99-134]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[FHWA Docket No. FHWA-99-5012]
Notice of Availability of a Draft Programmatic Environmental
Assessment for the Nationwide Differential Global Positioning System
Service
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) has been
authorized by Congress, pursuant to section 346 of the U. S. Department
of Transportation (DOT) and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998,
Pub. L. 105-66 (October 27, 1997), to establish, operate, and manage a
nationwide system to be known as the Nationwide Differential Global
Positioning System (NDGPS) as soon as practicable, to integrate the
NDGPS stations into the Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS)
system of the National Geodetic Survey of the Department of Commerce,
and to investigate the use of the NDGPS reference stations for the
Global Positioning System Integrated Precipitable Water Vapor System of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the
Department of Commerce. A draft Programmatic Environmental Assessment
(PEA) for the NDGPS program is available for public review and comment.
The FHWA seeks public comment on this draft from all interested
parties.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 2, 1999.
ADDRESSES: Your signed, written comments must refer to the docket
number appearing at the top of this document and you must submit the
comments to the Docket Clerk, U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. All comments received
will be available for examination at the above address between 9 a.m.
and 5 p.m., e.t., Monday and Friday, except Federal holidays. Those
desiring notification of receipt of comments must include a self-
addressed stamped envelope or postcard.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For the FHWA program office: Written
requests for a copy of the draft PEA should be submitted to: Mr. James
A. Arnold, (703) 285-2974, Federal Highway Administration, Turner-
Fairbank Highway Research Center,
[[Page 10337]]
HSR-12, 6300 Georgetown Pike, McLean, VA 22101-2296. For legal issues:
Mr. Brett Gainer, Office of the Chief Counsel, HCC-31, (202) 366-6197,
Federal Highway Administration, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC
20590. Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., e.t., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Electronic Access
Internet users can access all comments received by the U.S. DOT
Dockets, Room PL-401, by using the universal resource locator (URL):
http://dms.dot.gov. It is available 24 hours a day, 365
days each year.
Please follow the instructions online for more information and help.
An electronic copy of this document may be downloaded using a modem
and suitable communications software from the Government Printing
Office's Electronic Bulletin Board Service at (202) 512-1661. Internet
users may reach the Federal Register's home page at: http://
www.nara.gov/fedreg and the Government Printing Office's database at:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara.
An electronic copy of the draft Programmatic Environmental
Assessment (PEA) for the NDGPS program is available at http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/dgps/ndgps/PAEdwnld.htm.
Background
The Secretary has delegated his authority under section 346 of the
DOT Appropriations Act for FY 1998, to the Commandant of the United
States Coast Guard (USCG), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA),
and the FHWA. The FHWA is the lead agency and the USCG and FRA are
cooperating agencies for the implementation of the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C) and 23
CFR 771. In accordance with NEPA, the FHWA is preparing a PEA for the
NDGPS program. A draft PEA for NDGPS is available for public review and
comment. After receipt of public comments, a final PEA will be prepared
which will provide a basis for the FHWA and the cooperating agencies to
determine whether a Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS)
is required, or if a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) is
appropriate. Copies of the draft PEA will be provided to Federal,
State, local agencies, and the public. All interested parties may
comment on the NDGPS draft PEA.
The NDGPS service would augment existing satellite-based Global
Positioning System range information with a differential correction
broadcast from ground-based reference stations transmitting from known
positions, thereby providing users with more precise radio navigation
and positioning information for public safety, transportation,
scientific, and environmental applications. Federal agencies
implementing the proposed NDGPS service are the DOT's Office of the
Secretary of Transportation (OST), the FHWA, the FRA, the NOAA, the
U.S. Air Force (USAF), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and
the USCG.
The NDGPS involves the expansion of an existing network of USCG
local area Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) reference
stations currently covering United States coastal areas and major
inland waterways. To expand this existing DGPS service nationwide, the
installation of additional reference stations with low-frequency
transmit antennas is required on suitable 11-acre land parcels located
principally in the interior portions of the continental Unites States
and Alaska. Sites will typically be on level ground and away from tall
structures. Three deployment alternatives for the additional NDGPS
reference stations were considered in the draft PEA.
Alternative A consists of conversion of 32 decommissioned USAF
Ground Wave Emergency Network (GWEN) sites for use as NDGPS reference
stations and the transfer of GWEN equipment from remaining GWEN sites
to 28 new NDGPS site locations. Seven additional sites would receive
similar new equipment, for a total of 67 NDGPS reference stations. The
GWEN transmit antennas to be used are typically 299 feet tall guyed
towers and will be operated at an effective radiated power (ERP) of no
more than 500 Watts.
Alternative B consists of the installation of new equipment at 32
existing GWEN relay node sites, as well as at 35 new sites. The
resulting NDGPS reference stations would be physically similar to the
reference stations of Alternative A.
Alternative C is to identify 80 to 100 new sites and install
equipment similar to USCG local area DGPS stations. These reference
stations would utilize either 90 feet or 120 feet tall towers and
operate at an ERP of no more than 170 Watts. The NDGPS is expected to
be fully operational in the United States by the year 2002.
During the selection of sites for the NDGPS reference stations, the
FHWA and cooperating agencies will consult with key regulatory agencies
and apply environmental site-selection criteria to avoid potentially
significant impacts. If a potentially significant environmental impact
is unavoidable during the selection of sites for the NDGPS reference
stations, specific mitigation measures will be implemented to decrease
the impact to a less than significant level. Provided that
environmental site-selection criteria and specific mitigation measures
identified in the draft PEA are implemented for the NDGPS, no
significant environmental impacts are anticipated to occur under any of
the proposed action alternatives. If planned mitigation measures for
potentially significant impacts cannot be implemented at a specific
site, or a site-specific impact is encountered that was not anticipated
and addressed in the PEA, then additional appropriate NEPA analysis and
documentation will be prepared by the FHWA for that specific reference
station.
(Authority: 23 U.S.C. 315; sec 346, Pub. L. 105-66, 111 Stat. 1425,
1449 (1997); 49 CFR 1.48.)
Issued on: February 23, 1999.
Kenneth R. Wykle,
Federal Highway Administrator.
[FR Doc. 99-5272 Filed 3-2-99;
8:45 am]
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