Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 63 / Friday, April 3, 2009 / Notices 15257 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

Mission and Master Planning Actions 

at Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield, 

GA 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: The United States Army 

announces its intent to proceed with an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

to address known and reasonably 

anticipated changes in missions and 

operations at Fort Stewart/Hunter Army 

Airfield. This is necessary to analyze the 

cumulative socioeconomic and 

environmental impacts associated with 

a number of recent personnel stationing 

actions and changes in how the Army 

trains and deploys our nation’s Soldiers. 

When the EIS is completed, it will also 

be used by Army decision makers as an 

important resource to consult when 

making future decisions about future 

land uses and operations at Fort 

Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Ms. Melissa Kendrick, National 

Environmental Policy Act Specialist, 

Directorate of Public Works, Prevention 

and Compliance Branch, Environmental 

Division, 1550 Frank Cochran Drive, 

Building 1137–A, Fort Stewart, Georgia 

31314–4928. Written comments may be 

mailed to that address or e-mailed to 

MeIissa.B.Kendrickus.army.mil. For 

media queries please contact Fort 

Stewart Public Affairs Office at (912) 

435–9874 during normal business hours 

(9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Fort 

Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield, located 

in southeastern Georgia, is the largest 

Army installation east of the Mississippi 

River covering approximately 280,000 

acres. Updates to the installation’s 

mission and master planning process 

will allow the installation to continue to 

train Soldiers, protect valuable 

environmental and cultural resources, 

and minimize negative impacts to 

neighboring communities. The Army’s 

intent in moving forward with this EIS 

is to provide decision makers with a 

comprehensive planning tool, a public 

information source, and a reference for 

mitigation. 

The proposed action involves 

constructing ranges and facilities to 

support military units assigned to Fort 

Stewart, accommodating current and 

future training requirements, and the 

updating of operational and 

management plans for training lands 

and infrastructure. The EIS will address 

the effects of the proposed activities 

beginning in FY11 and extending 

through FY14. Construction projects 

include ranges, cantonment expansion, 

Georgia Highway 144 by-pass, widening 

of Highway 144, and other 

transportation improvements on Fort 

Stewart. The EIS will also include an 

assessment of Fort Stewart’s alternative 

energy potential and will evaluate 

alternative energy projects which may 

be implemented at Fort Stewart in the 

future. 

Alternatives may consist of different 

locations on the installation for specific 

projects or modifications to those 

projects. Range projects will be located 

on areas currently dedicated to military 

training. The size of the cantonment 

area may increase. Alternatives will be 

developed during preparation of the 

Draft EIS and as a result of public input 

and environmental analysis. 

Several areas present the potential for 

significant impacts. Fort Stewart/Hunter 

Army Airfield land provides known or 

potential habitat for protected plant and 

wildlife species. Fort Stewart/Hunter 

Army Airfield provides habitat for 40 

percent of the protected red-cockaded 

woodpecker in Georgia and intensively 

manages installation land to protect 

their habitat. Approximately 60 percent 

of the installation has been surveyed for 

cultural resources. As a result of these 

surveys, numerous sites have been 

recommended as eligible or potentially 

eligible for the National Register of 

Historic Places. Another issue of 

concern is that approximately 30 

percent of the installation is potentially 

wetlands. 

The EIS will analyze the potential 

impacts of the proposed action and the 

alternatives. Impacts analyzed will 

include a wide range of environmental 

resource areas including, but not limited 

to, air quality, traffic, noise, water 

resources, biological resources, cultural 

resources, socioeconomic, utilities, land 

use, solid and hazardous materials/ 

waste, and cumulative environmental 

effects. Additional resources and 

conditions may be identified as a result 

of the scoping process initiated by this 

Notice of Intent (NOI). 

The public will be invited to actively 

participate in the EIS process, which 

includes three scoping meetings to 

provide input on the proposed actions 

and alternatives. The public will also be 

invited to review and comment on the 

Draft EIS. Dates and times for these 

public involvement opportunities will 

be announced in the local news media. 

Comments from the public will be 

considered before any decision is made 

regarding implementing the proposed 

action at Fort Stewart/Hunter Army 

Airfield. 

The public scoping period will last for 

30 days following the publication of this 

NOI in the Federal Register. Comments 

from the public will be considered 

before any decision is made regarding 

implementing the proposed action. 

Dated: March 20, 2009. 

Addison D. Davis, IV, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army 

(Environment, Safety and Occupational 

Health). 

[FR Doc. E9–7320 Filed 4–2–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–08–M 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Notice of Availability for the Final 

Environmental Impact Statement/ 

Environmental Impact Report and a 

Draft General Conformity 

Determination for the Middle Harbor 

Redevelopment Project, Port of Long 

Beach, Los Angeles County, CA 

AGENCY: Department of the Army—U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: On May 19, 2008, the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, Los Angeles 

District, Regulatory Division (Corps) in 

coordination with the Port of Long 

Beach (POLB) completed and published 

the Draft Environmental Impact 

Statement/Environmental Impact Report 

(EIS/EIR) for the Middle Harbor 

Redevelopment Project (Project) in the 

Port of Long Beach. The Corps and 

POLB considered all comments received 

in preparing the Final EIS/EIR, which is 

available for a 30-day review (April 3, 

2009 through May 3, 2009). The Final 

EIS/EIR includes a draft general 

conformity determination (see 

Appendix A–4), pursuant to Section 

176(c) of the Clean Air Act. A general 

conformity determination is necessary 

because Project construction would 

require Federal action (i.e., issuance of 

a Corps permit for activities proposed in 

navigable waters and waters of the U.S.) 

and not all the Federal action’s direct 

and indirect emissions would be below 

specified de minimis thresholds (40 

CFR 93.153(b)). Pursuant to the general 

conformity regulations (40 CFR part 93, 

subpart B), general conformity 

determinations do not have to be 

included in the EIS and can be 

separately noticed, but the draft general 

conformity determination for the 

Federal action associated with the 


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