[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 7 (Friday, January 10, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 1441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-596]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Scoping Meetings for the Environmental Impact 
Statement for Developing Homeport Facilities for Three Nimitz-Class 
Aircraft Carriers in Support of the United States Pacific Fleet

SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy announced its intent to prepare 
this Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and open scoping in the 
Federal Register on December 3, 1996 and also mailed the announcement 
to interested parties. This notice is to announce the public scoping 
meetings.
    The scope of the proposed actions is to: (1) determine the 
appropriate home port for two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs) 
that will replace two conventionally-powered aircraft carriers (CVs) 
that are currently homeported at Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island 
in the Naval Complex San Diego, CA, and (2) reevaluate the current 
location of one CVN homeport at Naval Station (NAVSTA) Everett in order 
to increase efficiency of support infrastructure, maintenance, and 
repair capabilities, to reduce costs, and to enhance crew quality of 
life. Decisions for facilities development need to be made as soon as 
possible to accommodate planned arrival schedules of the CVNs to the 
Pacific Fleet (one as early as 2001) and to gain infrastructure 
benefits prior to upcoming ship maintenance periods (commencing in 
1999).
    There are three major U.S. areas of Navy concentration in the 
Pacific: San Diego, CA complex; Puget Sound, WA complex; and Pearl 
Harbor, HI complex. Naval Air Station (NAS) North Island in the San 
Diego Naval Complex and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard (PSNS) Bremerton and 
NAVSTA Everett in the Pacific Northwest are currently designated as CVN 
home ports. All three locations will be considered as alternative 
locations for the proposed actions. Although not currently designated 
as a CVN home port, Pearl Harbor is capable of accommodating deep-draft 
ships and will also be evaluated as a potential home port.
    The EIS will analyze the potential environmental effects of the 
proposed actions at the alternative locations discussed above, 
including any associated facilities development and dredging, and other 
reasonable alternatives identified during the public scoping process. 
Environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS include: geology, 
topography, and soils; dredging, hydrology, and water quality; 
pollution prevention; biology and natural resources; noise; air 
quality; land use; historic and archaeological resources; 
socioeconomics, schools, and housing; transportation/circulation/
parking; public facilities and recreation; safety and environmental 
health; aesthetics; utilities; and environmental justice. Issue 
analysis will include an evaluation of the direct, indirect, short-
term, and cumulative impacts associated with the proposed actions. No 
decision to implement the proposed actions will be made until the NEPA 
process is complete.

ADDRESSES: The Department of the Navy has initiated a scoping process 
for the purpose of determining the scope of issues to be addressed and 
for identifying significant issues relative to these proposed actions. 
Public meetings to receive oral comments from the public will be held 
in the four primary areas of consideration (San Diego, CA; Bremerton, 
WA; Everett, WA; and Honolulu, HI). The dates and locations of these 
meetings are as follows: Bremerton, WA: February 3, 1996, 7:00 pm, 
Bremerton High School, 1500 13th Street, Bremerton, WA; Everett, WA: 
February 4, 1996, 7:00 pm, Snohomish County Administration/Courthouse 
Building, 3000 Rockefeller, Everett, WA; Pearl Harbor, HI: February 6, 
1996, 7:00 pm, Farrington High School, 1564 North King Street, 
Honolulu, HI; Coronado, CA: February 11, 1996, 7:00 pm, Village Hall, 
Village Elementary School, 600 6th Street, Coronado, CA. These meetings 
will also be announced in local area newspapers. Navy representatives 
will be available at the scoping meetings to receive comments from the 
public regarding issues of concern. A brief presentation describing the 
proposed actions and the NEPA process will precede a request for public 
comments. It is important that federal, state, and local agencies, as 
well as interested organizations and individuals, take this opportunity 
to identify environmental concerns that they feel should be addressed 
during the preparation of the EIS. Oral comments will be limited to 
three minutes. Agencies and the public are invited and encouraged to 
provide written comments in addition to, or in lieu of, oral comments 
at the public meetings. To be most helpful, scoping comments should 
clearly describe specific issues or topics that the commenter believes 
the EIS should address. Written comments or questions regarding the 
scoping process and/or the EIS should be postmarked no later than 
February 28, 1997 and sent to the following address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Dan Muslin (Code 03PL), Southwest Division, Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command, 1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92132-5190; 
telephone (619) 532-3403.

    Dated: Janaury 7, 1997.
D.E. Koenig,
LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 97-596 Filed 1-9-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-M