32884 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 123 / Tuesday, June 25, 1996 / Notices

obtain input from the public regarding

the EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Cynthia K. Wills, Federal Aviation

Administration, Airports District Office,

2851 Directors Cove, Suite 3, Memphis,

Tennessee 38131–0301. Telephone 901–

544–3495.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

notice announces that the FAA will

prepare an EIS for a proposed 9,000 ft

× 150 ft parallel runway, 4R–22L, at the

Blue Grass Airport (LEX) for air carrier

use.

The existing runway accommodates

all aircraft currently using the airport

but the Master Plan (MP) accepted

December 20, 1995, indicates that a new

runway is needed for capacity by the

year 2013. The Lexington-Fayette Urban

County Airport Board has recommended

a proposed parallel runway be

constructed 4,300 feet southeast of the

existing Runway 4/22. Construction of

taxiways, hold and de-ice pads

associated with the new runway are also

proposed. In addition the proposed

project will require property acquisition

and relocation of affected residents and

reconstruction of portions of Parkers

Mill Road and Airport Road beneath the

new runway and taxiway system. The

proposed parallel runway is planned as

a precision instrument runway (PIR)

with a CAT I/II to both runway ends.

The runway will have approach slopes

of 50:1 with a primary surface width of

1,000 ft.

The EIS will include evaluation of a

no-build alternative and other

reasonable alternatives that may be

identified during the public scoping

meeting. The proposed parallel runway

would provide sufficient airfield

capacity and versatility at LEX to

accommodate expected aircraft demand

when the Airport is forecast to be at

capacity in the year 2013. In addition

the proposed runway would provide

Blue Grass Airport with a primary

runway which will meet current FAA

design standards and permit the

continuation of air carrier service in the

event a runway has to be closed.

The EIS will determine any noise

impacts associated with the operation of

the proposed parallel runway. In

addition to noise impacts, the EIS will

determine any impacts on air and water

quality, wetlands, ecological resources,

floodplains, historic resources and

prime/unique farmland.

PUBLIC SCOPING: To ensure that the full

range of issues related to the proposed

project are addressed and that all

significant issues are identified,

comments and suggestions are invited

from all interested parties. FAA intends

to consult and coordinate with Federal,

State and local agencies which have

jurisdiction by law or have specific

expertise with respect to any

environmental impacts associated with

the proposed project. The meeting for

public agencies will be held at Blue

Grass Airport Board Room, located on

the second level of the Terminal

Building at the Airport, at 1 pm,

Wednesday, July 31, 1996. FAA will

also solicit input from the public with

a general public scoping meeting

scheduled at Paul Laurence Dunbar

High School cafeteria located on the

lower level, 1600 Man O’ War Blvd

Lexington, Kentucky, from 6–9 pm,

Wednesday, July 31, 1996.

Written comments may be mailed to

the Informational contact listed above

within 30 days from publication of this

Notice.

Questions may be directed to the

individual named above under the

heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT:

Issued in Memphis, Tennessee, June 18,

1996.

LaVerne F. Reid,

Manager, Memphis Airports District Office.

[FR Doc. 96–16109 Filed 6–24–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–M

[Docket No. 28611]

Proposed Finding of No Significant

Impact

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Proposed Finding of No

Significant Impact; Notice.

SUMMARY: An Environmental

Assessment (EA), which addresses the

Alaska Aerospace Development

Corporation’s (AADC) proposal to

construct and operate a launch site at

Narrow Cape on Kodiak Island, Alaska,

has been prepared. After reviewing and

analyzing currently available data and

information on existing conditions,

project impacts, and measures to

mitigate those impacts, the Federal

Aviation Administration (FAA), Office

of the Associate Administrator for

Commercial Space Transportation (AST)

proposes to determine that licensing the

operation of the proposed launch site, is

not a major Federal action that would

significantly affect the quality of the

human environment within the meaning

of the National Environmental Policy

Act (NEPA) of 1969. Therefore the

preparation of an environmental impact

statement would not be required and

AST is proposing to issue a Finding of

No Significant Impact (FONSI).

FOR A COPY OF THE KODIAK

LAUNCH COMPLEX

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Nikos Himaras, Office of the Associate

Administrator for Commercial Space

Transportation, Licensing and Safety

Division, Suite 5402A, 400 Seventh

Street, SW., Washington, D.C. 20590;

phone (202) 366–2455; or refer to the

following Internet address:

http://www.dot.gov/dotinfo/faa/cst/

cst.html.

DATES: There will be a thirty (30) day

comment period before the FAA makes

its final determination on the proposed

FONSI. Interested individuals,

Government agencies, and private

organizations are invited to send

comments on the proposed FONSI to

the address set forth below by July 25,

1996.

ADDRESS: Written comments should be

sent to, Docket Clerk, Docket No.

[28611], Federal Aviation

Administration, 800 Independence

Avenue SW., Room 915, Washington,

D.C. 20591.

PROPOSED ACTION: Operation of a nonFederal launch site in the United States,

such as AADC’s proposed construction

and operation of Kodiak Launch

Complex (KLC), a commercial space

launch site, on Kodiak Island, Alaska,

must be licensed by the FAA pursuant

to 49 U.S.C. §§ 70101–70119, formerly

the Commercial Space Launch Act.

Licensing the operation of a launch site

is a Federal action requiring

environmental analysis by the FAA in

accordance with the National

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42

U.S.C. § 4321 et seq. Upon receipt of a

complete application the Associate

Administrator for Commercial Space

Transportation must determine whether

to issue a license to AADC to operate

KLC. Environmental findings are

required for a license evaluation.

The launch site would be located on

a 3,100-acre tract of state-owned land on

a peninsula known as Narrow Cape.

Construction for the project would

involve (1) upgrading about 3 km of

gravel access road; (2) creating two

laydown areas for construction

equipment; (3) building a launch control

center, a payload processing facility, the

launch area, and a water pumphouse;

and (4) expanding an existing borrow

pit to obtain fill material. Construction

would disturb approximately 43 acres,

including about 1.5 acres of wetlands,

most of which is adjacent to the gravel

road leading to the launch complex.

To launch launch vehicles from KLC,

fee-paying customers would (1)
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 123 / Tuesday, June 25, 1996 / Notices 32885

transport launch vehicle components,

payloads, associated parts, and staff to

the site; (2) assemble components and

prepare for launches; and (3) launch and

track payloads into orbit. Operations

would begin in 1997, and about 3

launch vehicles per year would be

launched during the first four years.

Anticipated frequency of use would

increase to a maximum of 9 launches

per year over the 22 years of operation.

Materials would be transported to

Kodiak Island by boat (container ship or

ocean barge) or airplane and transported

to the KLC by truck. Initially,

approximately 100 people would be

onsite for 6 weeks before a launch.

Operations could eventually involve up

to 14,000 person-days per year onsite.

The KLC would provide the site for

launches of small solid rocket motor

launch vehicles, such as Lockheed

Martin Launch Vehicles 1 and 2,

Minuteman II (modified for commercial

use), Taurus, and Conestoga.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS:

Ecological resources. Construction

would disturb vegetation on 43 acres of

the site. With the exception of wetlands

the disturbed areas are not considered

high-quality habitat. The 1.5 acres of

wetlands that would be disturbed

constitute 0.2% of the 790 acres of

wetlands on the 3100-acre site. No

practicable alternatives to disturbing

wetlands are available and, based on the

small areas involved, the wetland and

vegetation losses are judged to be not

significant.

Noise from construction activity

would temporarily disturb areas

immediately adjacent to roads and

proposed new facilities, but the valuable

wildlife habitats, mostly along the

shoreline and offshore, would not be

significantly affected. Construction

activities could expose ducks and

seabirds resting and feeding in the

waters off Narrow Cape to peak noise

levels of approximately 72 dBA, below

the 80–90 dBA known to disturb water

fowl and wildlife. The closest site

believed to have a bald eagle nest is

located at least 3000 feet from

construction activities, substantially

greater than the 660-ft buffer zone

recommended by the Fish and Wildlife

Service, United States Department of the

Interior (DOI) to protect nesting eagles.

Launch vehicle launches would cause

occasional noise levels sufficient to

cause startle responses in birds and

marine mammals. However, these brief

disturbances, three to nine times per

year, are not anticipated to have lasting

or significant adverse impacts on

wildlife, including endangered or

sensitive species. Emissions from

launch vehicle propulsion would be

occasional and widely and rapidly

dispersed, and no significant ecological

effects would be expected. AADC and

AST have informally discussed wildlife

impacts with the Fish and Wildlife

Service (USFWS), DOI, and the National

Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS),

United States Department of Commerce

(DOC). The only species now listed

under the Endangered Species Act in

the vicinity of the proposed site is the

Stellar Sea Lion, a threatened species.

This species falls under the purview of

the NMFS, and based on discussions to

date, AST expects that the NMFS would

find that there would be no significant

impacts on endangered or threatened

species and that no further analysis

would be necessary.

Noise. Launch noise would be audible

on Kodiak Island for a distance of

approximately 12 miles for

approximately 1 minute. Sonic booms

would be heard only on the open ocean.

Given the infrequency and short

duration of launches, no significant

adverse impacts to the public would be

expected.

Safety. The proposed KLC facilities

would be located so that launch

vehicles would fly primarily over open

water. A flight and operational safety

program would be implemented to

manage risks to workers and the public.

Total public casualty risk, for all

mission activities, is estimated to be less

than 1 in 1,000,000. All safety concerns

will be addressed as part of AST’s

licensing process.

Visual and Cultural Resources.

Construction and operation of the

proposed KLC would affect the visual

resources of Narrow Cape by placing

five new man-made structures into a

relatively isolated area. The largest of

these, the launch service structure

would be 170 feet high, 40 feet wide and

70 feet long, and because of the

relatively flat terrain, would be visible

over most of Narrow Cape and from

offshore. Because the site is isolated and

has few viewers, the visual impacts are

considered non-significant. Impacts to

subsistence harvesting and

archaeological or historic sites would be

minor.

Air and Water. Impacts of

construction to both air and water

would be short-term and minor. Launch

vehicle launch emissions of hydrogen

chloride and aluminum oxide would

slightly degrade local air quality, and

the hydrochloric acid (HCl) formed

could be deposited in nearby surface

waters. Maximum concentrations of HCl

and particulates resulting from launches

would not exceed the Air Force

guideline of 10 parts per million of HCl

(averaged over a 30-minute period) or

the National Ambient Air Quality

Standard of a 24-hour average of 150

micrograms per cubic meter for PM–10,

particulate matter less than 10 microns

in diameter. Acid deposition impacts

would be minor because of the high

capacity of local streams and lakes for

buffering acid inputs. Because launch

vehicle launch impacts to air and water

would be relatively minor, occasional,

and short-term, no significant impacts

would be expected to occur.

Geology and Soil Resources. Soil

erosion control practices, implemented

under the Stormwater Pollution

Prevention Plan, would keep impacts to

soils minor. Changes in soil pH

resulting from acid deposition from

launch combustion products would be

non-significant, as KLC soils have a high

cation exchange capacity.

Socioeconomics. Construction of the

proposed KLC would result in

expenditures of $18–24 million on

goods and services, which would have

positive effects on the local and regional

economies. Community resources and

infrastructure are adequate to support

the construction and operational

workforces.

Section 4(f). Impacts to recreational

resources would be small. The site

would be closed immediately before and

during launch activities, but would

remain open for recreational activities at

all other times. No significant impacts to

the Pasagshak State Recreation Area or

the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge,

located about 4 miles and 40 miles

respectively from the KLC site, would

be expected because of the distances

and the limited extent of construction

and operational activities.

Land Use. The proposed action

underwent a review for consistency

with standards established under the

Alaska Coastal Management Program

(Alaska Administrative Code, Title Six,

Chapter 80) and was issued a final

consistency determination. In addition,

the Kodiak Island Borough Planning and

Zoning Commission has reviewed and

tentatively approved an AADC permit

application for construction in a

conservation district, contingent upon

approval of the project by the applicable

Federal and state permitting agencies.

ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED: Alternatives

analyzed in the EA included (1) the

proposed action, licensing the operation

of a launch site at KLC, and (2) the no

action alternative. AADC has conducted

a state-wide siting survey that evaluated

27 alternative locations for a space

launch facility. AST has given

substantial weight to the preferences of

AADC in selecting the proposed site
32886 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 123 / Tuesday, June 25, 1996 / Notices

because AST’s review indicates that

there is no substantially superior

alternative site from an environmental

standpoint.

In designing the KLC, efforts were

made to avoid wetlands when possible.

The payload processing area and the

access road to the launch area were resited to avoid wetland disturbance, and

the launch control center was

redesigned to minimize wetland

impacts. The launch control center,

however, must be located a minimum

distance from the launch area and must

have a direct view of the launch area.

The only alternative for siting the

launch control center to completely

avoid wetlands would have required

access road construction that would

have affected more wetlands. The only

alternative that would have avoided

wetlands destruction in upgrading

Pasagshak Point Road would have

involved extensive road relocation,

substantial destruction of non-wetland

habitat, and prohibitive expense.

Because of these factors, no practicable

alternatives to wetlands destruction

were available (See Section 4.5.1.1 of

the EA). The Alaska District of the U.S.

Army Corps of Engineers issued a

public notice regarding project

construction and wetlands involvement

on September 7, 1995, providing the

public and appropriate state and Federal

agencies an opportunity for early review

of wetlands impacts.

MONITORING AND MITIGATION:

Construction and operation of the KLC

will include development of a Natural

Resources Management Plan that will

address monitoring and mitigation

activities for special status species, as

discussed in Section 5.13 of the EA. If

monitoring detects adverse impacts

greater than those identified in the EA,

AADC would take action, if possible, to

avoid or eliminate further similar

impacts.

DETERMINATION: After careful and

thorough consideration of the facts

contained herein, the undersigned finds

that the proposed Federal action is

consistent with existing national

environmental policies and objectives as

set forth in Section 101(a) of the

National Environmental Policy Act of

1969 (NEPA) and that it will not

significantly affect the quality of the

human environment or otherwise

include any condition requiring

consultation pursuant to Section

102(2)(c) of NEPA. Therefore, an

Environmental Impact Statement for the

proposed action would not be required.

Issued in Washington, DC, on June 18,

1996.

Frank C. Weaver,

Associate Administrator for Commercial

Space Transportation.

[FR Doc. 96–16108 Filed 6–24–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P

Commercial Space Transportation

Advisory Committee; Open Meeting

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Commercial Space

Transportation Advisory Committee

open meeting.

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 10(a)(2) of

the Federal Advisory Committee Act

(Pub. L. 92–463, 5 U.S.C. App. 2), notice

is hereby given of a meeting of the

Commercial Space Transportation

Advisory Committee (COMSTAC). The

meeting will take place on Thursday,

July 25, 1996, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00

p.m. in Room 2230 of the Department of

Transportation’s Headquarters building

at 400 Seventh Street, SW, in

Washington, D.C. This will be the

twenty-third meeting of the COMSTAC.

The agenda for the meeting will

include reports from the respective

COMSTAC Working Groups; a

legislative update on Congressional

activities involving commercial space

transportation; an activities report from

FAA’s Associate Administrator for

Commercial Space Transportation

(formerly the Office of Commercial

Space Transportation [60 FR 62762,

December 7, 1995]); and other related

topics.

The meeting is open to the public;

however, space may be limited.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Brenda Parker, (AST–100), Associate

Administrator for Commercial Space

Transportation, 400 7th Street SW,

Room 5415, Washington, DC 20590,

telephone (202) 366–2932.

Dated: June 19, 1996.

Frank C. Weaver,

Associate Administrator for Commercial

Space Transportation.

[FR Doc. 96–16107 Filed 6–24–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–13–P

Notice of Intent To Rule on Application

to Impose a Passenger Facility Charge

(PFC) at Arcata/Eureka Airport (ACV),

Eureka, CA and Use the Revenue at

(ACV) and Rohnerville Airports

AGENCY: Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent to rule on

application.

SUMMARY: The FAA proposes to rule and

invites public comment on the

application to impose a PFC at Arcata/

Eureka Airport and use the revenue

from a PFC at ACV and Rohnerville

Airports under the provisions of the

Aviation Safety and Capacity Expansion

Act of 1990 (Title IX of the Omnibus

Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990)

(Pub. L. 101–508) and Part 158 of the

Federal Aviation Regulations (14 CFR

Part 158).

DATES: Comments must be received on

or before July 25, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this

application may be mailed or delivered

in triplicate to the FAA at the following

address: Federal Aviation

Administration, Airports Division,

15000 Aviation Blvd., Lawndale, CA

90261, or San Francisco Airports

District Office, 831 Mitten Road, Room

210, Burlingame, CA 94010–1303. In

addition, one copy of any comments

submitted to the FAA must be mailed or

delivered to Mr. John Murray, Public

Works Director, County of Humboldt, at

the following address: 1106 Second

Street, Arcata, California 95521. Air

carriers and foreign air carriers may

submit copies of written comments

previously provided to the County of

Humboldt under section 158.23 of Part

158.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Joseph R. Rodriguez, Supervisor,

Planning and Programming Section,

Airports District Office, 831 Mitten

Road, Room 210, Burlingame, CA

94010–1303, Telephone: (415) 876–

2805. The application may be reviewed

in person at this same location.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA

purposes to rule and invites public

comment on the application to impose

a PFC at Arcata/Eureka Airport (ACV),

Eureka, CA and use the revenue at ACV

and Rohnerville Airports under the

provisions of the Aviation Safety and

Capacity Expansion Act of 1990 (Title

IX of the Omnibus Budget

Reconciliation Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101–

508) and Part 158 of the Federal

Aviation Regulations (14 CFR Part 158).

On April 29, 1996, the FAA

determined that the application to

impose and use a PFC submitted by the

County of Humboldt was not

substantially complete within the

requirements of section 158.25 of Part

158. The application did not include

alternative uses for the impose only

project. On May 9, 1996, the County of

Humboldt supplemented their

application with the required

information.