The following is the text of a press release issued by the U.S. Coast Guard:
(WASHINGTON) — The Coast Guard’s Director of Prevention Policy announced Thursday publication in the Federal Register of the Record of Decision to decommission the Loran-C program and terminate the North American Loran-C signal. The final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on the future of the nation’s Loran-C program was announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on June 12, 2009.
The PEIS considered five alternatives for the future of the Loran-C program and two environmentally preferable alternatives were identified. The first alternative is to take no action; the second alternative is to end or reduce Coast Guard management of the Loran-C program by decommissioning the Loran-C program and terminating the North American Loran-C signal. The PEIS is required under the National Environmental Policy Act.
As supported by the analysis in the PEIS, this record of decision supports and confirms the government decision to end or reduce the Coast Guard’s management of the Loran-C program by decommissioning the Loran-C program and terminating the North American Loran-C signal. Implementation of the proposed action through the preferred alternative is consistent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s determination that continued public investment in the Loran-C program is not in the national best interest.
President Barack Obama’s fiscal year 2010 budget identified potential savings across the federal government to reduce the nation’s deficit and to discontinue outdated programs. Included is termination of the Loran-C program in the coming year, specifically the termination of outdated systems such as the terrestrial-based, long-range radionavigation (Loran-C) operated by the Coast Guard.
Termination of the program was also supported through the enactment of the fiscal year 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations bill.
The Record of Decision, PEIS and related materials may be viewed online at http://www.regulations.gov, docket number: USCG-2007-28460.
