[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 107 (Thursday, June 4, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 30482]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-14860]



[[Page 30482]]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of an Additional Public Hearing in Great Mills, MD for the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Increased Flight and Related 
Operations in the Patuxent River Complex, Patuxent River, MD

AGENCY: Department of the Navy.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy (DON) has prepared and filed with 
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (DEIS) for River Increased Flight and Related 
Operations in the Patuxent River Complex, Patuxent River, MD. The DON 
announced in the May 22, 1998 Federal Register that three public 
hearings would be held to provide information and to receive public 
input on the DEIS. The DON announces that it will hold an additional 
fourth public hearing in Great Mills, MD to inform the public of the 
Patuxent findings and to receive oral and written comments on the DEIS. 
Federal, state and local agencies, and interested individuals are 
invited to be present or represented at the hearing.

DATES: The additional public hearing date and location is: Monday, June 
22, 1998, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at Great Mills High School, 21130 Great 
Mills Road, Great Mills, MD.
    An open information session, beginning at 5:00 p.m., will precede 
the scheduled formal public hearing at 7:00 p.m. The open information 
session will allow individuals to review the results of the analysis 
presented in the DEIS and Navy representatives will be available to 
answer questions and/or clarify information related to the DEIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION TO PROVIDE COMMENTS OR FOR A COPY OF THE DEIS 
CONTACT: Ms. Sue Evans or Ms. Kelly Burdick, c/o Office of Legal 
Counsel, 47031 Liljencrantz Road, Building 435, MS 39; Patuxent River, 
Maryland 20670-5440

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Council on Environmental Quality 
regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) implementing the procedural 
provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, the DON has 
prepared and filed with the EPA, the DEIS for Increased Flight and 
Related Operations in the Patuxent River Complex, Patuxent River, 
Maryland. The DEIS identifies and evaluates the potential environmental 
impacts in test areas of the Patuxent River Complex that are controlled 
and scheduled by the Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division 
(NAWCAD). The complex includes all the flight and ground test 
facilities at NAS Patuxent River and OLF Webster Field Annex, as well 
as the restricted airspaces, aerial and surface firing range, and 
targets (Hooper, Hannibal, and Tangier Island) comprising the 
Chesapeake Test Range (CTR). The DEIS assesses the impacts of the no 
action alternative and three proposed future operations workload 
alternatives. The no action alternative would maintain the complex's 
current level of flight hours into the future (18,400 annually, which 
represents an approximate ten-year average of annual flight hours). The 
three workload alternatives propose increases in baseline operations by 
as few as 2,500 annual flight hours or as many as 6,200 annual flight 
hours.
    A Notice of Intent to prepare the EIS was published in the Federal 
Register on April 1, 1997 and five scoping meetings were held between 
May 6 and May 15, 1997. A Notice of Availability of the DEIS was 
published in the Federal Register on May 15, 1998.
    The DEIS has been distributed to various federal, state and local 
agencies, elected officials, special interest groups, the media, and 
concerned citizens. In addition, copies are available for review at 18 
repositories around the Chesapeake Bay: Anne Arundel South County 
Branch Library, Deale, MD.; Caroline County Public Library, Denton, 
MD.; Calvert County Public Library, Prince Frederick, MD.; Dorchester 
County Central Library, Cambridge, MD.; Somerset County Libraries, 
Deale Island, Princess Anne, and Ewell (Smith Island), MD.; St. Mary's 
County Libraries, Lexington Park and Leonardtown, MD.; St. Mary's 
College Library, St. Mary's City, MD.; Talbot County Libraries, Easton 
and Oxford, MD.; Worcester County Library, Pocomoke City, MD.; Eastern 
Shore Public Library, Accomac, VA.; Central Rappahannock Law Library, 
Fredericksburg, VA.; Northumberland County Library, Heathsville, VA.; 
Tangier Island Public School Library, Tangier, VA.; Laurel Public 
Library, Laurel, DE.
    Federal, state and local agencies, and interested individuals are 
invited to attend or be represented at the hearing. All statements, 
both oral and written, will become part of the public record on the 
DEIS and will be responded to in the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement and will be given equal consideration. Written comments on 
the DEIS should be mailed to the address above and must be postmarked 
not later than 5:00 p.m. on July 6, 1998 to be part of the official 
record. Written comments will also be accepted via e-mail at the 
Internet website at http://www.tamsconsultants.com/paxriver/, by 
facsimile at (301) 342-1840, or by calling toll-free (888) 276-5201.

    Dated: June 1, 1998.
Lou Rae Langevin,
Lieutenant, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Alternate 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 98-14860 Filed 6-3-98; 8:45 am]
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