ASAN, Guam (DoN) — The Department of the Navy (lead agency), including both the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps; the U.S. Air Force; the U.S. Army; and the U.S. Coast Guard (referred to as “Action Proponents”), are preparing a supplement to the 2015 Mariana Islands Training and Testing Environmental Impact Statement/Overseas EIS and the 2020 MITT Supplemental EI/OEIS to assess the potential environmental effects associated with the Proposed Action to continue military readiness activities at sea and on Farallon de Medinilla within the MITT Study Area (referred to as “Study Area”).
The Navy as the lead agency for the Proposed Action is responsible for the scope and content of the SEIS/OEIS. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to ensure U.S. military services, to include the Coast Guard, can organize, train, and equip service members and personnel to meet their respective national defense missions.
The public is invited to comment on the scope of the SEIS/OEIS, including identifying potential alternatives or issues that should be addressed in the National Environmental Policy Act analysis, relaying environmental concerns, identifying historic properties, and providing information or analysis relevant to the Proposed Action or the project’s potential to affect historic properties pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The Action Proponents are accepting scoping comments from June 7 to July 22, Chamorro Standard Time (ChST).
Military readiness activities include training; research, development, testing, and evaluation (referred to as “testing”) activities; and range modernization and sustainment. Proposed training and testing activities are similar to those previously analyzed and are representative of activities conducted around the Mariana Islands for decades, with updates to the type, frequency, duration, intensity, and location.
At-sea military readiness activities may include the use of active sonar, explosives, and other sources of sound. The Action Proponents would continue to employ mitigation measures when conducting at-sea activities to reduce or avoid potential adverse effects on marine species. The Navy will seek the reissuance of an authorization under the Marine Mammal Protection Act and consultations under the Endangered Species Act to support at-sea military readiness requirements within the Study Area beyond July 2027 and will comply with other applicable laws and regulations.
The DoN will initiate consultation in accordance with Section 106 of the NHPA. The Navy will comply with the existing 2020 Programmatic Agreement Between the Commander, Joint Region Marianas and the Guam State Historic Preservation Officer, Regarding Military Training and Testing on and within the Surrounding Waters of the Island of Guam and the 2022 Programmatic Agreement Between the Commander, Joint Region Marianas and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Historic Preservation Officer, Regarding Military Training and Testing on and within the Surrounding Waters of the Islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in coordination with the historic preservation offices of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and all signatories to those agreements.
The Study Area has not changed from the 2020 environmental analysis. The Study Area includes the at-sea areas of the Mariana Islands Range Complex; additional areas on the high seas north and west of the MIRC; the transit corridor between the MIRC and the Hawaii Range Complex; Navy pierside and harbor locations on Guam; and the land-based training area on FDM. The SEIS/OEIS does not include changes to the land-based activities on Guam, Saipan, Tinian, and Rota previously analyzed in 2015. Therefore, activities on these islands will not be reanalyzed in the upcoming SEIS/OEIS.
Scoping comments must be postmarked or received online by 11:59 p.m. ChST on July 22 for consideration in the Draft SEIS/OEIS. Comments may be submitted via the project website at www.nepa.navy.mil/mitteis or by mail to:
Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Pacific
Attention: MITT SEIS/OEIS Project Manager
258 Makalapa Drive, Suite 100
Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134
The public’s input is welcomed, valued, and appreciated.
Comments will be considered under NEPA and pursuant to Section 106 of the NHPA. There will be another public comment opportunity when the Draft SEIS/OEIS is available, which is anticipated to be released in January/February 2026.
Please visit the project website at www.nepa.navy.mil/mitteis to view a virtual scoping presentation and learn more about the Proposed Action, its purpose and need, NEPA and NHPA Section 106 processes, and public involvement opportunities.
