[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 26, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 14405]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-7614]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Disposal and Reuse of Land and Facilities at Naval Air 
Station Barbers Point, Hawaii

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the Navy 
announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
for the proposed disposal and reuse of land and facilities at Naval Air 
Station (NAS) Barbers Point, Hawaii. The Navy is the lead agency for 
the NEPA documentation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation, 
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the cooperating agency. The 
EIS will be prepared in compliance with the 1993 Base Realignment and 
Closure (BRAC) directive from Congress to close NAS Barbers Point. The 
property will be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of the 
Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act (Public Law 101-510) of 1990 
as amended, and applicable federal property disposal regulations. NAS 
Barbers Point will close in July 1999.
    The proposed action is the disposal of approximately 2,100 acres of 
property on NAS Barbers Point. The EIS will address long-term plans for 
reuse of this property. Potential long-term reuse alternatives have 
been identified by the Local Reuse Authority (LRA), i.e., the State of 
Hawaii, through a planning process carried out by the NAS Barbers Point 
Redevelopment Commission. The reuse plan was approved by the Governor 
of Hawaii on January 23, 1997.
    Excluded from consideration in this EIS are the areas being 
retained by the Navy, Coast Guard, National Guard, and the Federal 
Aviation Administration. The Navy is retaining family housing and 
support facilities, the commissary, the Public Works Center compound, 
the biosolids treatment and disposal facility, the golf course, and 
portion of the beach recreation areas.
    The EIS will analyze potentially significant impacts of the LRA's 
reuse plan and reasonable alternatives. The LRA's reuse plan features a 
general reliever airport with a crosswind runway and large areas 
devoted to park and recreation use. Sites are provided to the 
Department of Hawaii Home Lands for residential, commercial, and 
industrial uses. Commercial activities would include a raceway complex, 
marine park, and festival center. Lands are also set aside to 
accommodate homeless providers. Various infrastructure improvements 
would be required to support the redevelopment, including roadways, 
water distribution, sanitary sewer, storm drainage, telephone, and 
electrical systems.
    During its planning process, the LRA considered numerous scenarios 
and narrowed them down to three options: two with a general reliever 
airport and one without an airport. The basic difference between the 
two airport scenarios is size. The ``maximum airport'' alternative has 
a cross-runway configuration on more than 800 acres, while the 
``minimum airport'' scenario calls for a single runway airport on 
approximately 550 acres. The no airport scenario designates the 
majority of land (more than 1,000 acres) to park and recreation use. 
The ``no action'' alternative assumes no reuse improvements and 
continued closure of the lands to the public.
    Environmental issues to be addressed will include, but not be 
limited to, land use conflicts and constraints such as noise, air 
quality, traffic, aviation operations, potentially contaminated sites, 
functional compatibility of operations, potential impacts of 
redevelopment on cultural and natural resources, adequacy of 
infrastructure and public services, and socioeconomic impacts. Direct, 
indirect, and cumulative impacts will be analyzed. Mitigation measures 
will be developed as required.

ADDRESSES: The Navy will initiate a scoping process to identify 
potentially significant issues to be studied in the EIS, and to 
identify and notify interested and affected parties relative to this 
action. Two public scoping meetings will be held, one on Wednesday, 
April 16, 1997 at Washington Intermediate School Cafeteria, 1633 South 
King Street, Honolulu, HI 96826; and a second on Thursday, April 17, 
1997 at the Lauhala Room, Paradise West Club, NAS Barbers Point. Both 
meetings will start at 7:00 pm. Each meeting will open with a short 
presentation on the purpose of the action and the alternatives to be 
evaluated, followed by a period for public comment. It is important 
that interested agencies, individuals, and organizations take this 
opportunity to clearly describe specific issues or topics that the EIS 
should address. To allow time for all views to be shared, each speaker 
will be limited to three minutes. Written statements may also be 
submitted at the meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Written statements and/or questions 
regarding the scoping process should be mailed no later than Wednesday, 
April 30, 1997 to Mr. Fred Minato (Code 231), Pacific Division, Naval 
Facilities Engineering Command, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-7300, telephone 
(808) 471-9338; fax (808) 474-4890.

    Dated: March 20, 1997.
D.E. Koenig,
LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 97-7614 Filed 3-25-97; 8:45 am]
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