[Federal Register: October 28, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 208)]
[Notices]
[Page 61469-61471]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28oc03-91]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Comprehensive Environmental
Evaluation (CEE) for the Development and Implementation of Overland
Traverse Capabilities in Antarctica
AGENCY: National Science Foundation.
SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation proposes to develop and
implement overland traverse capabilities in Antarctica to meet various
logistical and scientific goals of the United States Antarctic Program
(USAP). The purpose of this Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation
(CEE) is to identify the potential environmental impacts associated
with USAP's performance of overland traverses and foster the
development of a transportation strategy which optimizes a combination
of airlift and overland traverse capabilities as conditions warrant.
The ability of the USAP to use overland traverses will enhance
current logistical capabilities (e.g., transportation of cargo) by
supplementing existing airlift mechanisms needed to support various
facilities and science in Antarctica. In addition, the overland
traverse capability will provide a continued means and expertise to
support future advanced land-based scientific studies at remote
locations in Antarctica. The methodology and equipment to conduct
overland traverses in Antarctica is currently available. Various
Antarctic Treaty nations, including the United States, have
successfully performed traverses to meet numerous logistical and
scientific goals.
The United States has periodically performed overland traverses in
Antarctica on a limited basis since the 1957-58 International
Geophysical Year (IGY). In recent years, the USAP has conducted annual
overland traverses to resupply two small outlying facilities within 100
kilometers of McMurdo Station (i.e., Black Island Telecommunications
Facility, Marble Point Refueling Facility). Since 1999, the U.S. has
been a participant in the International Trans Antarctic Scientific
Expedition (ITASE) along with 19 other nations and performed overland
[[Page 61470]]
traverses in Antarctica for research data gathering purposes.
The USAP intends to develop and utilize an overland traverse
capability to cost-effectively complement existing airlift resources
for the resupply of South Pole station, in the process develop the
equipment, knowledge and expertise to complement the support for future
scientific research similar to the recent ITASE experience. Each year,
the USAP provides extensive logistical support to resupply existing
facilities, establish or decommission temporary field camps, and
provide specialized support to scientific research at numerous field
sites. Because the overland traverse and airlift transport mechanisms
are complementary, the USAP intends to fully develop the surface
traverse capability and utilize one or a combination of the two,
depending on the specific needs of the mission and the environmental
conditions.
For example, the USAP currently relies exclusively on the use of
ski-equipped LC-130 cargo aircraft to transport personnel, fuel,
construction materials, and other supplies 1,600 kilometers from
McMurdo Station to the Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole. The
LC-130 aircraft transport cargo quickly and reliably but in the case of
the South Pole, the aircraft consumes more fuel for each liter of fuel
delivered vs the surface traverse. In other words, the benefits of the
aircraft's speed in transporting cargo may be offset by its relatively
high fuel consumption particularly when the time sensitive delivery of
cargo is not a necessity. The USAP intends to have the overland
traverse capability available and utilize it to transport cargo to the
South Pole or other locations where airlift support may not be the
optimum transport choice. In so doing, the USAP anticipates the
increased availability of airlift support to expand science and related
missions in Antarctica.
The Director of the Office of Polar Programs of the National
Science Foundation intends to prepare a Comprehensive Environmental
Evaluation (CEE) within the procedures of the Protocol on Environmental
Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and consistent with implementing
regulations for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the
decision to develop overland traverse capabilities in Antarctica.
DATES: The final Comprehensive Environmental Evaluation is expected to
be available to the public approximately mid-January 2004. Comments on
this notice of intent will be of most use if they are received before
December 10, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Dr. Polly A.
Penhale, Program Manager, Office of Polar Programs, Room 755, National
Science Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Polly A. Penhale at the Office of
Polar Programs, National Science Foundation TEL: (703) 292-8033, FAX: (703) 292-9080, EMAIL: ppenhale@nsf.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation (NSF)
manages and funds United States activities in Antarctica. The NSF is
responsible for the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) as well as operation
of three active U.S. research stations in Antarctica and a number of
outlying facilities and unmanned instrumentation sites. These
facilities are operated to support research efforts in aeronomy and
astrophysics, biology and medicine, ocean and climate studies, geology
and geophysics, glaciology and the Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)
program. McMurdo Station is the USAP's largest facility and a central
supply hub supporting many of these outlying facilities.
Each year the USAP operates various aircraft in Antarctica to
logistically support scientific research on the continent. The USAP
operates ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft (for heavyweight or
bulky cargo missions) as well as Dehaviland Twin Otter aircraft.
Helicopters are also operated and, due to their limited range and
transport capability, are primarily assigned missions in the McMurdo
area and Dry Valleys. The aircraft are only flown during the austral
summer operating season, typically from October through February. In
general, larger field camps that are used as base facilities for
scientific research activities are only established at locations which
can be safely accessed by aircraft, while smaller field camps (i.e.,
tent camps) may be supported by aircraft or small tracked vehicles
(e.g., Spryte, Pisten Bully, snowmobiles) operating from a base camp.
The LC-130 is the largest ski-equipped cargo aircraft available to
the USAP that is capable of operating on snow-covered field sites in
Antarctica. The LC-130 has 105 m\3\ of cargo space (12.3 m long, 3.1 m
wide, 2.7 m high) and can safely transport up to and 11,800 kg of
cargo.
During the past several years, the USAP has operated an average of
400 LC-130 missions per year representing approximately 3,000 flight
hours. The majority of these LC-130 missions were conducted at the
South Pole (280 missions), while the remainder (120 missions) were
flown to a variety of locations providing support to outlying
facilities and research activities. The Amundsen-Scott Station is
supported exclusively by the LC-130 aircraft and in recent years has
received 3,500,000 kilograms of cargo annually. The surface capability
would change the ratio of missions.
The USAP currently maintains a limited overland traverse
capability. Traverses are performed annually to resupply the Black
Island Telecommunications facility, located approximately 35 kilometers
from McMurdo Station, and the Marble Point Refueling Facility,
approximately 100 kilometers from McMurdo. Since 1999, the U.S. has
participated in traverse activities for scientific research
applications (ITASE). To support the ITASE science traverse, LC-130
aircraft provided airdrops of fuel and other materials at strategic
locations in the field.
The USAP is currently engaged in a ``proof of concept'' program to
evaluate equipment and procedures needed to support a traverse
capability and a route from McMurdo Station to the South Pole over the
Leverett Glacier. Based on the experience gained through the proof of
concept and from previous traverses conducted by the U.S. and other
nations, the USAP intends to develop a traverse capability and enhance
the program's transportation strategy by optimally combining airlift
and overland traverse capabilities to suit the specific needs and
conditions of the mission. In addition, the successful development of
overland traverse resources may allow the USAP to provide logistical
support or perform research activities at locations or during time
periods which are not currently possible.
Relative to this environmental review, the scale of an overland
traverse intended to be used for resupply or scientific research
missions would typically include several motorized tracked vehicles
towing sleds or trailers which contain fuel for the tractors, living
and working modules for the traverse personnel, and cargo. Overland
traverses used for resupply missions would typically follow established
routes. Traverses used for scientific purposes would follow routes
based on the intended research and may depend on airdrops or
strategically placed caches for periodic resupply.
Each traverse would have the resources and equipment to refuel the
[[Page 61471]]
tractors, perform routine maintenance, and collect all wastes (e.g.,
nonhazardous, hazardous, sanitary) for subsequent disposition at
supporting stations. In some cases, sanitary wastewater may be
discharged in snow covered areas as allowed by the Antarctic Treaty.
Alternative A for the proposed action involves the USAP's
development of a traverse capability and the routine use of this
resource to optimally complement existing airlift support mechanisms.
Other alternatives considered in this environmental review include the
development of the traverse capability and use of it on a minimal
frequency basis only (Alternative B), or under reduced intensity
operating conditions (Alternative C), or with minimal support from
remote resources in the field such as caches, depots, or airdrops
(Alternative D). Although it may be possible to operate overland
traverses only on established routes (Alternative E) this could
preclude or severely limit the use of traverses for scientific research
applications. The No Action Alternative, that is not proceeding with
development of an overland traverse capability, is Alternative F.
Several other alternatives were identified but were eliminated from
detailed analysis because they either failed to meet the required level
of performance or the specific parameters needed to identify and
evaluate all associated environmental impacts could not be adequately
identified.
The potential environmental impacts of the proposed action that
will be identified and evaluated in detail in the Comprehensive
Environmental Evaluation include:
[sbull] Physical disturbance to the snow and ice environment
[sbull] Air emissions
[sbull] Releases to the snow and environment
[sbull] Impacts to McMurdo Station operations
[sbull] Impacts to operations at other USAP facilities
[sbull] Impacts to other scientific research in the USAP
Selected mitigating measures, representing specific actions or
options that would be taken to reduce or avoid impacts to the
environment, will be identified in the Comprehensive Environmental
Evaluation, as well as additional measures that will be under
consideration during the implementation of the Project activities.
The public is invited to comment on any aspect of the proposal. The
comment period on the draft comprehensive environmental evaluation will
be a minimum of 90 days from the date the National Science Foundation
publishes the notice of availability in the Federal Register.
Polly A. Penhale,
Program Manager.
[FR Doc. 03-27156 Filed 10-27-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-U