Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Shock Trial of the DDG 81 Flight IIA Class Destroyer

Résumé

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 announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental effects of a proposal to conduct ship shock trials on the AEGIS Destroyer, WINSTON CHURCHILL (DDG 81) at a site located off the east coast or gulf coast of the United States. Pursuant to 40 CFR 1501.6, the Department of the Navy has requested that the National Marine Fisheries Service act as a cooperating agency. A ``shock trial'' is necessary to evaluate the effect that shock waves, resulting from a series of underwater explosions and designed to emulate conditions encountered in combat, have when they propagate through a ship's hull. The congressionally mandated (10 USC 2366) Live Fire Test and Evaluation (LFT&E) Program requires realistic survivability testing on each new class of Navy ships, or on an existing class of ships when significant design changes that may affect ship survivability are made. A ``shock trial'' is part of the Navy's LFT&E program to ensure survivability. The