Meeting The Challenge Of Regulatory Requirements On Development Of High Tech Off-shore Engineering Facilities

A b s f r a c t The Southeas t Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility (SEAFAC) is the U.S. Navy’s new premier acoustic engineering measurement facility i n the Pacific. I t s basic mission is access ing s u b m a r i n e acous t i c vu lne rab i l i t y , focusing on both Research and Development as well as Fleet support. Design and fabrication of the state-of-the-art instrumentation, although technical and t ime consuming, was a s t ra ight fo rward engineering effort. Design and construction of the facility in a semi-remote a rea of Alaska was demanding but also a relatively straight forward engineering effort fo r a technically qualified architecture and engineering firm. Solving the geopol i t i ca l Issues t h a t a rose , r e l a t ed to the construction of this facility, i n a manner tha t satisfied the myriad of regulations and policies, was a monumental effort. The test of this effort was the success the Navy had in defending against an injunction on the construction of SEAFAC in both the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Cour t of Appeals. This success can be directly attributed to the manner in which the geo-political issues were addressed and subsequently resolved. Fundamental to this success was the development of working relationships with people within the infrastructure of f e d e r a l agencies, s t a t e agencies , loca l government, and concerned citizens.