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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 245 (Friday, December 20, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 104109-104110]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-30383]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Disposal and Reuse of Parcel 20 at Savanna Army Depot Activity, 
Illinois

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army (Army) is issuing this Notice of 
Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to 
assess the potential environmental and socioeconomic effects associated 
with the disposal and reuse of an approximately 132-acre land parcel at 
the Savanna Army Depot Activity (SVADA), Illinois. Under the proposed 
action, the Army would dispose of the parcel, known as Local 
Redevelopment Authority (LRA) Parcel 20, and transfer it to the Jo-
Carroll Depot LRA or other recipients for their reuse. The EIS will 
analyze the potential direct effects of the Army conveying LRA Parcel 
20 and the potential indirect effects of reuse of the parcel.

DATES: A 30-day public scoping period will start on the date of this 
NOI's publication in the Federal Register. Through the scoping process, 
the Army is inviting input regarding alternatives, effects, 
information, studies, and analyses with respect to the proposed action. 
The Army will be conducting analysis and consultation to comply with 
applicable laws and regulations and is soliciting comments and concerns 
regarding the effects of the proposed action. Comments will be accepted 
any time during the EIS process; however, to ensure the Army has 
sufficient time to consider public scoping comments during the 
preparation of the Draft EIS, please submit comments within the 30-day 
scoping period.
    The Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft EIS is anticipated to 
be published in late 2025, and the NOA of the Final EIS is anticipated 
to be published in spring 2026. A decision can be announced no earlier 
than 30 days after publication of the NOA of the Final EIS. The Army 
invites the public, stakeholders, and other interested parties to 
attend a scoping meeting on Thursday, January 16, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. 
to 6:30 p.m. at West Carroll High School, 500 Cragmoor Street, Savanna, 
Illinois. The open-house style meeting will provide an opportunity for 
attendees to learn more about the proposed action and the scope of the 
EIS. Project team members will be

[[Page 104110]]

available to answer questions and exhibits will be on view throughout 
the meeting. Attendees also will have an opportunity to provide oral 
comments during the scoping meeting. Written comments are encouraged 
and can be submitted at any time.

ADDRESSES: Comments can be submitted by email to [email protected] 
or by regular mail to SVADA EIS c/o Tetra Tech, 107 St. Francis Street, 
Suite 2370, Mobile, AL 36602. SVADA EIS documentation is available 
online at www.lrd.usace.army.mil/Submit-ArticleCS/Programs/Article/3901394/.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For other SVADA inquires or for 
assistance under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please email Mr. 
Thomas Lineer, Public Affairs, at [email protected]. For 
other EIS inquiries, please contact Mr. Joe Hand by phone at 251-694-
3881 or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S. Department of Defense 1995 Base 
Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission made recommendations for 
realignment and closure of military installations in accordance with 
the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-510, 
as amended). The recommendations included closure of SVADA, located in 
northwestern Illinois along the Mississippi River in Jo Daviess and 
Carroll Counties. The Army officially closed SVADA in 2000. Following 
closure, the Army proposed disposal of SVADA's 13,061 acres because the 
property was excess to the Army's needs. Approximately 5,343.9 acres 
have been transferred as of the date of this notice. The proposed 
action is the transfer of LRA Parcel 20's 132 acres. The need for this 
action is to carry out the BRAC recommendation for the closure of 
SVADA, which became law, and to make the parcel available for reuse.
    Through the BRAC process, as SVADA property parcels were certified 
as clean from environmental contaminants, the Army transferred the 
property to federal, state, or local agencies. The agencies that have 
taken ownership of SVADA parcels are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(USFWS), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois Department of 
Natural Resources, and the LRA.
    In the original reuse plan, Parcel 20 was to go to the USFWS. In 
2016, USFWS withdrew its interest in the parcel. The Army officially 
identified the parcel as surplus in January 2018. In 2023, the LRA 
submitted to the Army a Reuse Plan for Parcel 20. The EIS will analyze 
the proposed action of disposal and transfer of Parcel 20, a no-action 
alternative, three LRA reuse alternatives, an alternative under which 
Parcel 20 would be available for recreation but would otherwise remain 
undeveloped, and an alternative under which Parcel 20 would be 
available for recreation and solar development. The no-action 
alternative is required by 40 CFR 1502.14(c) and serves as the baseline 
against which the proposed action and other alternatives are compared. 
The LRA presents in its 2023 Reuse Plan three conceptual reuse 
alternatives for developing LRA Parcel 20. The three alternatives focus 
on creating an inland commodity shipping facility, including 
commercial, industrial, recreational, and potentially solar development 
under each alternative. To facilitate implementation, the LRA designed 
the reuse alternatives as sequential phases. The initial phase would be 
implemented within a five-year target completion window, while the 
second and third phases would follow, with both having five-year-plus 
completion windows. The LRA's proposed reuse includes activities 
outside the boundary of LRA Parcel 20 in the Apple River, the 
Brickhouse Slough, the Mississippi River, and along Apple Island. All 
three of the LRA's reuse alternatives would require dredging. The 
recreation-only use alternative would implement recreational elements 
on Parcel 20 such as a walking trail, a canoe and kayak ramp on 
Commander's Pond, and a recreational area. The recreation and solar 
alternative would include a walking trail and canoe and kayak ramp on 
the pond, with solar photovoltaic arrays instead of a recreation area.
    The EIS will analyze a wide range of environmental resource areas 
and effects, including--but not limited to--land use, aesthetics and 
visual resources, air quality, noise, geology and soils, water 
resources, biological resources, cultural resources, socioeconomics, 
transportation, utilities, hazardous and toxic materials, and 
cumulative environmental effects. Effects on water, biological 
resources, and cultural resources could be significant, and a Clean 
Water Act wetlands permit may be required. Additional resources and 
conditions may be identified as a result of the scoping process 
initiated by this NOI.
    Interested local, state, and federal officials and agencies, 
federally recognized Tribes, and the public will be invited to 
participate in the 30-day scoping process, which includes a scoping 
meeting. The Army is seeking comments on alternatives and effects, as 
well as relevant information, studies, or analyses with respect to the 
proposed action. Opportunities for public participation will be 
announced in the local news media and on the project website at 
www.lrd.usace.army.mil/Submit-ArticleCS/Programs/Article/3901394/. 
Comments from the public will be considered before completion of a 
Draft EIS. Following completion of a Draft EIS, the public will have an 
additional opportunity for review and comment. The Final EIS will make 
appropriate changes based on public comments and its release will start 
a 30-day waiting period. After that time, the Army will sign a Record 
of Decision (ROD) announcing the chosen alternative.
    Scoping and Agency Coordination: Consultation will include, but not 
necessarily be limited to, consultation under Section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act and Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act. This includes consultation with federally recognized 
Tribes. The Army will determine the scope of the analysis by soliciting 
comments from interested local, state, and federal officials and 
agencies, federally recognized Tribes, and members of the public.
    CEQ Unique Identifier: EISX-007-21-000-1729699335.

James W. Satterwhite, Jr.,
U.S. Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-30383 Filed 12-19-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-P
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