Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is an EIS? OEIS? A Supplemental EIS/OEIS?

A1. An EIS – or an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) – is a detailed public document that provides an assessment of the potential effects a federal action may have on human, natural and cultural environments as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

An Overseas EIS (OEIS) is prepared to comply with U.S. Executive Order (EO) 12114, Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions, signed in 1979. This EO requires federal agencies to consider the potential effects of their actions on the environment that occur outside U.S. territorial waters. U.S. territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles from shore.

A federal agency may prepare a Supplemental EIS/OEIS for several reasons. For example, circumstances may change or new information relevant to the Proposed Action may be available, and an agency may determine that preparation of a Supplemental EIS/OEIS will further the agency’s interests or the purposes of NEPA or EO 12114.

Q2. Why did the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard prepare a Supplemental EIS/OEIS?

A2. The Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, collectively known as the Action Proponents, are preparing a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)/Overseas Environmental Impact Statement (OEIS) for Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing (AFTT) to assess the environmental effects of their ongoing and anticipated future activities as part of their overall commitment to protecting the environment as they conduct military readiness activities. Additionally, this Supplemental EIS/OEIS is needed to support the Action Proponent’s request for authorization of another seven-year Marine Mammal Protection Act permit.

Q3. Who prepared the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS?    

A3. The Department of the Navy and U.S. Coast Guard are the lead agencies for the proposed action. United States Fleet Forces Command is the lead Action Proponent and lead Navy command for preparation and coordination of the SEIS/OSEIS. Other Navy commands are also involved in the preparation and coordination of the SEIS/OSEIS include the following:

• Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) – provides full life-cycle support of naval aviation aircraft, weapons and systems operated by Sailors and Marines.
• Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) – engineers, builds, buys and maintains ships, submarines and combat systems that meet the Fleet’s current and future operational requirements.
• Office of Naval Research (ONR) – coordinates, executes and promotes the science and technology programs of the Navy and Marine Corps. Additionally, ONR supports the President’s budget and provides technical advice to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and the Secretary of the Navy.

Other Department of Defense components involved in the preparation and coordination of the SEIS/OSEIS include the following:

• United States Marine Corps – trains in the littorals to meet DON mission.
• USCG – trains similarly to the Navy as a part of their mission of Homeland Defense.

The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is a cooperating agency for this SEIS/OSEIS. NMFS will provide review of and guidance for those sections related to the potential effects on marine mammals and other protected marine species such as sea turtles.

Q4. Why do the Action Proponents need to train in the study area?

A4. On any given day, over one-third of the Navy’s ships, submarines, and aircraft are deployed to key maritime regions. Through its continuous presence on the world’s oceans, the Navy is uniquely positioned to respond to a wide range of situations and threats to the nation’s economic and national interests.  Before deploying, Sailors and Marines must realistically train to develop the capabilities necessary to execute a broad variety of missions and threat responses, ranging from full-scale armed conflict to humanitarian and disaster relief efforts, in different geographic areas and environmental conditions across the globe. 

The Coast Guard has broad, multifaceted, jurisdictional authority for management of activities over all waters subject to jurisdiction of the United States. The Coast Guard’s law enforcement and national defense mission authority requires the Coast Guard to “maintain a state of readiness to function as a specialized service in the Navy in time of war, including the fulfillment of Maritime Defense Zone command responsibilities.” 

The Atlantic Fleet Training and Testing (AFTT) Study Area provides access to military ranges, operating areas, and airspace that enable Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel to become proficient in operating and maintaining the equipment, weapons, and systems they will use to conduct their missions. The AFTT Study Area also provides a series of ocean training range complexes and Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation (RDT&E) ranges that provide robust training and testing capability for all naval warfare missions.  

Q5. Who is providing independent oversight of the work the Action Proponents do for the Supplemental EIS/OEIS?

A5. The Action Proponents are consulting and coordinating with numerous state and federal regulatory agencies during the preparation of a Supplemental EIS/OEIS, including National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). A thorough review of the draft documents by relevant government agencies (to include the Marine Mammal Commission) is requested, and their input will be carefully considered in the Action Proponents’ analyses. The Action Proponents also invite comments from the public and requests input from researchers, academics, and environmental and scientific groups during the Draft Supplemental SEIS/OEIS public comment period.

Q6. Are the Action Proponents really committed to helping the environment? Aren’t these environmental studies all just an obligation to comply with federal regulations?

A6. In addition to satisfying legal requirements, the Action Proponents are preparing these documents as part of their overall commitment to evaluating their actions proactively to protect and minimize effects on the environment as they train and test. The Action Proponents have a proven track record of working with environmental resource agencies and stakeholders, funding marine mammal research, and employing scientific experts focused on ensuring that the Action Proponents actively conducts their activities in an environmentally responsible manner.

Q7. How will the Action Proponents protect marine life while they are training and testing at sea?  What additional marine mammal protective measures do they use?

A7. The Action Proponents are committed to protecting the marine environment while conducting their training and testing activities. We have been using measures to protect marine species while training and testing for decades. Some examples include:

• Using trained lookouts to search for marine species in the vicinity of training/testing events.
• Reducing power or securing active sonars when marine mammals get within a predetermined mitigation zone.
• Establishing mitigation zones around detonations.
• Maneuvering vessels to avoid close interactions with marine mammals and sea turtles.
• Avoiding anchoring and explosive and non-explosive gunnery, missile, and bombing activities within 350 yards of coral reefs.
• Exercise planners use the Navy’s Protective Measures Assessment Protocol (PMAP) to identify required protective measures and any geographic limitations within important habitat areas.

Q8. How can I submit a public comment on the Draft Supplemental SEIS/OEIS? How do I know my comment will be considered?

A8. The public can submit comments during the comment period at one of the in-person public meetings, online at the project website at www.nepa.navy.mil/aftteis, or by mail to:

Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Atlantic; Attention: Code EV22SG (AFTT EIS Project Managers); 6506 Hampton Boulevard Norfolk, VA 23508‐1278. The Final Supplemental EIS/OEIS will address all substantive public comments submitted during the Draft Supplemental EIS/OEIS public comment period.

Q9. What is the next step in this process after the Draft SEIS/OSEIS and when will a final decision be made?

A9. The Notice of Availability for the Final SEIS/OSEIS is published in the Federal Register and appropriate general circulation newspapers. The Final SEIS/OSEIS will be filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and available to interested parties. The Final SEIS/OSEIS will be released for a (minimum) 30-day wait period, after which a final decision will be made, and a Record of Decision signed. The Record of Decision provides a public record of the decision, describes the public involvement and agency decision-making processes, and presents the commitments to specific protective measures.

After the wait period and consideration of the environmental analysis, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environment and Mission Readiness) will select an alternative and issue a Record of Decision. The Record of Decision is published in the Federal Register and made available to the public.

Q10. Where and how can I get more information?

A10.  Information can be obtained at the Navy’s AFTT Phase IV project website at www.nepa.navy.mil/aftteis. Visitors to the website will be able to view detailed fact sheets, posters, and a project video that provide a broad range of information to the public as well as background information on environmental topics referenced in project documents. The AFTT Phase IV project website also features links to the Navy’s Stewards of the Sea informational videos.