80 FR 12985 - Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System (GTMO SFOC); Environmental Assessment (EA)/Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI)

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 48 (March 12, 2015)

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is announcing that it has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) and issued a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) relating to DISA's evaluation of the Proposed Action and Alternatives to installing Submarine Fiber Optic Cable (SFOC) for communication purposes between the DISN Facilities at Miami FL and U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (GTMO) in order to supply high Bandwidth to DoD activities at GTMO. This SFOC will improve long-haul communications between the continental U.S. (CONUS) and GTMO. The FONSI reports the studies that prove that there will be no significant environmental impact from the installation of this SFOC. This notice announces the availability of the final EA and FONSI to concerned agencies and the public.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 48 (Thursday, March 12, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12985-12986]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05638]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary


Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable System 
(GTMO SFOC); Environmental Assessment (EA)/Finding of No Significant 
Impact (FONSI)

AGENCY: U.S. Defense Information Systems Agency, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is announcing 
that it has prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) and issued a 
Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) relating to DISA's evaluation 
of the Proposed Action and Alternatives to installing Submarine Fiber 
Optic Cable (SFOC) for communication purposes between the DISN 
Facilities at Miami FL and U.S. Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba 
(GTMO) in order to supply high Bandwidth to DoD activities at GTMO. 
This SFOC will improve long-haul communications between the continental 
U.S. (CONUS) and GTMO. The FONSI reports the studies that prove that 
there will be no significant environmental impact from the installation 
of this SFOC. This notice announces the availability of the final EA 
and FONSI to concerned agencies and the public.

ADDRESSES: Requests to receive a copy of the EA or FONSI should be 
mailed to Defense Information Systems Agency, Public Affairs Officer, 
P.O. Box 549, Ft. Meade, MD 20755-0549. Arrangements must be made in 
advance to pick the documents, due to facility security requirements.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: DISA Public Affairs at 301-225-8100 or 
disa.meade.SPI.mbx.disa-pao or DISA, P.O. box 549, Ft. Meade, MD 20755-
0549.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Background: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) 
regulations for implementing the procedural provisions of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA; 40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] 
parts 1500-1508) and 32 CFR part 188, Environmental Effects in the 
United States of DoD Actions, the U.S. Defense Information Systems 
Agency (DISA) prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) to analyze the 
installation of a submarine fiber optic cable connecting the Defense 
Information System Network (DISN) node located at Guantanamo Bay 
(GTMO), Cuba to the DISN node located in Miami, FL. The DISA is a 
Department of Defense (DoD) combat support agency under the direction, 
authority and control of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for 
Command, Control, Communications, and Intelligence (ASD [C31]).
    The Guantanamo Bay to Dania Beach Submarine Fiber Optic Cable 
System involves two existing, shore-based U.S. naval facilities where 
the GTMO SFOC will be landed end-to-end. On the CONUS end, the cable 
will be landed at the U.S. Navy's South Florida Ocean Measurement 
Facility (SFOMF) at Dania Beach, Florida; from there, the GTMO SFOC 
will span the entirety of Florida's Territorial Waters (3 nautical 
miles [nm]), extending through the U.S. Territorial Sea (12 nm) and 
Contiguous Zone (24 nm), with the majority of the cable system passing 
through a combination of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the 
Bahamian EEZ, and the Cuban EEZ to the nearshore landing at the 
American Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NAVSTAGTMO). The DISA will lease 
commercial dark fiber to facilitate the terrestrial connection between 
SFOMF and the Network Access Point (NAP) of the Americas in Miami, 
Florida to provide DISN node-to-node connection.
    Purpose and Need: The purpose of the Proposed Action is to improve 
long-haul communications between the continental U.S. (CONUS) and GTMO. 
Long-haul communications requirements at GTMO are currently provided by 
commercial satellite services. A Submarine Fiber Optic Cable (SFOC) 
provides significantly more bandwidth than satellite services, exhibits 
very low latency, and is not subject to adverse atmospheric conditions, 
such as severe weather (for example, tropical rain storms and 
hurricanes). Therefore, the SFOC will increase the level and 
reliability of communication service between CONUS and GTMO. The 
attached EA and this FONSI were prepared in compliance with the NEPA 
(42 U.S.C. 4321-4347), CEQ regulations for implementing the procedural 
provisions of the NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 
1500-1508), and 32 CFR part 188, Environmental Effects in the United 
States of DoD Actions. The attached EA considers all potential impacts 
of the Proposed Action and Alternatives, including the No Action 
Alternative. This Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) summarizes 
the DISA's evaluation of the Proposed Action and Alternatives.
    Alternatives Considered: Dania Beach, Florida Nearshore Cable Route 
Alternatives--Two action alternatives were analyzed for the nearshore 
installation route proposed at Dania Beach, Florida within the 12 nm 
limit of NEPA applicability. Of these two alternatives, Alternative 2 
(Preferred) involving the bundling of the GTMO SFOC to the existing CS-
125 cable that has been installed through the nearshore coral reef 
tracks was selected. This alternative provides the greatest degree of 
natural resource protection as it is co-located through a corridor that 
has previously received environmental agency clearances.
    Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Nearshore Cable Route Alternatives--Of the 
three alternatives considered, Alternative 3 (Glass Beach) was selected 
as the preferred landing site which contains an existing concrete 
landing station supporting two subaqueous utility lines and 
communication infrastructure coming ashore at this location. Co-
locating the GTMO SFOC cable within this existing corridor provides the 
greatest degree of environmental impact

[[Page 12986]]

avoidance and minimization within the nearshore environment.
    Deepwater Cable Route Alternatives--Three deepwater route 
alternatives with a common divergence point outside the U.S. were 
evaluated as part of the route planning process. These alternatives 
were not analyzed with respect to impacts on the human or natural 
environment because the DISA determined that the action of a one time, 
direct-laid SFOC system on the seabed has been demonstrated in past 
project actions at SFOMF and worldwide to ordinarily have only a minor, 
localized, and transient effect on the environment. Therefore, the 
action lacks the potential to cause significant harm to the environment 
outside the U.S. and meets the exemption requirement (E2.3.3.1.1) to 
prepare environmental documentation under Executive Order (E.O.) 12114, 
Environmental Effects Abroad of Major Federal Actions.
    No Action Alternative--The No Action Alternative would be not to 
proceed with the GTMO SFOC system project linking NAVSTAGTMO at 
Guantanamo Bay, Cuba with the SFOMF facility at Dania Beach, Florida. 
NAVSTAGTMO would continue to operate with existing satellite 
communication capabilities which would not meet the operational need 
for reliability and additional bandwidth.
    Conclusion: The GTMO SFOC EA was prepared and evaluated pursuant to 
NEPA, CEQ regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500-1508, and 32 CFR part 188. 
It has been concluded that, based on the analyses presented in the GTMO 
SFOC EA, the DISA has determined that no significant direct, indirect, 
or cumulative impacts would occur as a result of the Proposed Action. 
Therefore, no further study under NEPA is required, and a FONSI is thus 
warranted. In addition, the Proposed Action lacks the potential to 
cause significant harm to the environment outside the U.S. and thus is 
exempt from further environmental analyses under Executive Order 12114. 
Accordingly, the DISA approved the installation and operation of the 
GTMO SFOC.

     Dated: March 9, 2015.
Aaron Siegel,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2015-05638 Filed 3-11-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 5001-06-P