Document ID: FAA-2011-0114-0001
Agency: faa
Document Type: Rule
Title: Environmental Impact Statements; Availability, etc.: Airfield Improvement Program, Palm Beach International Airport, West Palm Beach, FL
Posted Date: 2011-02-04T05:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 24 (Friday, February 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6510-6512]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2065]

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (FEIS) for the Airfield Improvement Program at Palm Beach 
International Airport, West Palm Beach, FL

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement.

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    Location of Proposed Action: The Palm Beach International Airport 
(PBIA) is located in east Palm Beach County, Florida, adjacent to the 
City of West Palm Beach and immediately east of the Town of Haverhill.
SUMMARY: The FAA announces that the FEIS for the proposed Airfield 
Improvement Program (AIP) at PBIA is available for public review.
    The FEIS includes the Section 106 consultation with the Florida 
State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and the Keeper of the 
National Register of Historic Places (Keeper) regarding the National 
Register eligibility of properties within the EIS Area of Potential 
Effect (APE) and the proposed action's potential effect to historic 
resources eligible for, or listed-in, the National Register of Historic 
Places. Pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA), as 
amended, the proposed AIP is being evaluated in the FEIS for 
consistency with the Florida Coastal Management Program (FCMP). 
Comments regarding the compatibility of the No-Action Alternative, the 
AIP, and Alternative 2 with regard to Section 106 resources and the 
Florida's Coastal Management Program are encouraged by the FAA.
    The FAA is seeking comments on those sections of the FEIS that have 
been updated and/or contain information that has become available since 
the release of the DEIS. Please see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section below for more information.
    Updated information regarding the forecasts of aviation operations 
at PBIA became available and was published following the public 
availability of the September, 2008 Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS). Also, Palm Beach County (the Airport Sponsor) 
submitted to the FAA a revised implementation plan and schedule for the 
proposed AIP after the publication of the DEIS. The FAA determined that 
this information should be considered by the agency and be disclosed to 
the public in the FEIS.
    All comments on the FEIS are to be submitted to Mr. Bart Vernace of 
the FAA, at the address shown in the section below entitled For Further 
Information or to Submit Comments Contact. The FAA is providing a 
forty-five (45) day comment period for the public to comment on the 
FEIS. The comment period begins on the date of the publication of this 
Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register, and will close on 
March 21, 2011.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA, as the lead Federal agency, has 
prepared the EIS for the proposed AIP at PBIA. The FAA published a DEIS 
in September, 2008. The DEIS was prepared pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The DEIS comparatively 
assessed and disclosed the potential future impacts of the No-Action 
Alternative (no development at PBIA besides that which has already been 
planned, environmentally reviewed, and/or that are needed for safety, 
security or maintenance reasons), and two proposed action alternatives, 
designated as the Airport Sponsor's AIP (Proposed Project) and 
Alternative 2. The primary capacity enhancement elements of these two 
proposed action alternatives consists of the following: AIP--relocate 
existing Runway 10R/28L 100 feet south of its existing location and 
expand the runway to a length of 8,000 feet and a width of 150 feet; 
Alternative 2--construct new Runway 10L/28R located 800 feet north of 
existing Runway 10L/28R to a length of 10,000 feet and a width of 150 
feet. Both the AIP and Alternative 2 include other less substantial 
airport-related projects that are either associated with the primary 
runway development components of each alternative or are stand-alone 
projects that could be constructed by the Airport Sponsor outside of 
the EIS process.
    Since the publication of the DEIS, the economic recession has 
resulted in a decrease in aviation activity at PBIA and changes in the 
FAA's forecasts of aviation activity for both PBIA and for the national 
system. The actual and forecast decrease in aircraft operations at PBIA 
have been, and are expected to continue to be, substantial enough to 
bring into question the initially proposed timing for implementation of 
the airport improvement program studied in the DEIS. As a result, the 
FAA made a determination that the 2006 PBIA Master Plan Update 
forecasts approved for use in the DEIS, and which were used as the 
basis for the justification for the airport capacity enhancement 
component of the Airport Sponsor's AIP, were no longer appropriate for 
use in determining the timing for the implementation of the AIP and 
Alternative 2. After the publication of the DEIS, and the review of 
comments on the DEIS, the FAA determined that a more recent forecast of 
aviation activity that is representative of the changed conditions at 
PBIA should be used for the FEIS. Subsequently, the FAA decided that 
the agency's own 2009 Terminal Area Forecast (2009 TAF) would be the 
most applicable forecast of aviation activity

[[Page 6511]]

for use in the FEIS. The 2009 TAF shows that future aircraft activity 
at PBIA would likely increase at only a modest annual rate when 
compared to the 2006 PBIA Master Plan Update Forecasts.
    After consultation with the FAA and review of the 2009 TAF, the 
Airport Sponsor concluded, and the FAA agreed, that the airfield 
capacity enhancement elements of the AIP and Alternative 2, the primary 
components of which is the relocation and expansion of Runway 10R/28L, 
would not be needed at PBIA by the year 2013, which was the proposed 
AIP and Alternative 2 implementation year identified and evaluated by 
the FAA in the DEIS.
    As a result, the Airport Sponsor proposed to the FAA a revised 
implementation plan and schedule for the AIP. The revised plan and 
schedule consists of developing the AIP in two components, which are 
designated in the FEIS as the Near-Term AIP Project and the Long-Term 
AIP Project. The FAA subsequently evaluated in the FEIS both the 
Airport Sponsor's AIP and Alternative 2 based on the revised 
implementation plan and schedule.
    The Near-Term AIP Alternative component consists of the development 
of general aviation (GA) facilities in the northwest quadrant of PBIA; 
widening Taxiway ``L'' from 50 feet to 75 feet, and the acquisition of 
approximately 13.2 acres of property along the western PBIA property 
line. The Long-Term AIP Alternative component consists of the expansion 
of Runway 10R/28L as described above, the shortening of the southeast 
end of Runway 14/32 by 3,412 feet, the extension of the northwest end 
of Runway 14/32 by 480 feet, GA facility relocation, other connected 
actions to the Runway 10R/28L project, and other minor stand alone 
airport improvement projects.
    The Near-Term Alternative 2 component consists of essentially the 
same projects as the Near-Term AIP Alternative component, with the 
exception of a revised configuration for the GA development area in the 
northwest quadrant of PBIA. The Long-Term Alternative 2 component 
consists of the development of new Runway 10L/28R as described above, 
the closure of Runway 14/32, relocation of portions of Concourses ``B'' 
and ``C'', relocation of the ARFF and Air Cargo Building, other 
connected actions to the Runway 10L/28R project, and other minor stand 
alone airport improvement projects.
    The Airport Sponsor is requesting the FAA's ``unconditional'' 
approval of the Near-Term AIP Project through the FAA's findings and 
determinations in its Record of Decision (ROD) on the FEIS. If 
``unconditional'' approval is granted by the FAA in its ROD, the 
Airport Sponsor anticipates that the Near-Term AIP Projects would be 
constructed and operational by the year 2015. However, the FAA 
acknowledges that the development schedule for future GA facilities 
would be influenced by prevailing market conditions, the demand for 
additional GA facilities, and respective business decisions by the 
Airport Sponsor and Fixed Base Operators (FBO's). Therefore, the build-
out of the Near-Term AIP or Near-Term Alternative 2 GA facilities could 
occur sometime before or after the FEIS Near-Term study year of 2015.
    Through the EIS process and the FAA's subsequent ROD, the Airport 
Sponsor is also requesting the FAA's ``conditional'' approval of the 
Long-Term AIP Project. The Long-Term AIP Project consists of the 
primary airfield capacity enhancement components of the AIP, which 
includes the relocation and expansion of Runway 10R/28L and connected 
actions, as well as other minor stand-alone airport improvement 
projects. The Long-Term AIP Project would be considered by the FAA for 
unconditional approval only when the number of aircraft operations at 
PBIA returns to the levels that would cause unacceptable aircraft 
operational delay. At such time that this occurs, the FAA will consider 
the appropriate level of additional NEPA processing and environmental 
analysis/documentation that may be needed to fully evaluate and 
disclose the potential environmental impacts associated with the Long-
Term AIP Project and its connected actions.
    Public Comment: Because of the amount of time that has elapsed 
since the publication of the DEIS, the consideration of revised 
forecasts (FAA's 2009 TAF) in the FEIS, and the Airport Sponsor's 
revised implementation plan and schedule for the proposed project, the 
FAA is seeking comments on its FEIS for a period of 45 days following 
the publication of the NOA of the FEIS in the Federal Register. After 
review and consideration of the comments received on the FEIS, and 
sometime after the 45-day comment period on the FEIS has ended, the FAA 
will issue its ROD. The public comment period on the FEIS will begin on 
February 4, 2011 and will close on March 21, 2011. Copies of the FEIS 
are available for review at the following locations during regular 
business hours:
     Palm Beach County Library Greenacres Branch, 3750 Jog 
Road, Greenacres, FL 33467.
     Palm Beach County Library Okeechobee Boulevard Branch, 
5689 West Okeechobee Boulevard, West Palm Beach, FL 33417.
     West Palm Beach Public Library, 411 Clematis Street, West 
Palm Beach, FL 33401.
    A limited number of copies of the FEIS will be available for review 
by appointment only during regular business hours at the following 
locations:
     Federal Aviation Administration, Orlando Airports District 
Office, 5950 Hazeltine National Drive Citadel International Building, 
Suite 400, Orlando, Florida. Contact Bart Vernace at (407) 812-6331.
     Palm Beach International Airport, Palm Beach County 
Department of Airports, 846 Palm Beach International Airport, West Palm 
Beach, Florida. Contact Gary Sypek at (561) 471-7412.
    An electronic copy of the FEIS will be available for review and 
download from the EIS Web site (http://www.pbia-eis.com) beginning 
February 4, 2011.
    Written comments on the FEIS may be mailed or e-mailed to Mr. Bart 
Vernace of the FAA at the address shown in the section below entitled 
For Further Information or to Submit Comments Contact. All comments 
must be postmarked by March 21, 2011.
    Comments should be as specific as possible and address the analysis 
of potential environmental impacts, the adequacy of the proposed 
action, or the merits of alternatives and the mitigation being 
considered. Reviewers should organize their participation so that it is 
meaningful and makes the agency aware of the viewer's interests and 
concerns using quotations and other specific references to the text of 
the FEIS and related documents. This commenting procedure is intended 
to ensure that substantive comments and concerns are made available to 
the FAA in a timely manner so that the FAA has an opportunity to 
address them in its ROD.
    Comments can only be accepted with the full name and address of the 
individual commenting. Before including your address, phone number, e-
mail address, or other personal identifying information in your 
comment, be advised that your entire comment--including your personal 
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask the FAA in your comment to withhold from public 
review your personal identifying information, the FAA cannot guarantee 
that it will be able to do so.
    For Further Information or to Submit Comments Contact: Mr. Bart 
Vernace, PE, Assistant Manager, Federal Aviation Administration, 
Orlando Airports District Office, 5950 Hazeltine National

[[Page 6512]]

Drive, Citadel International Building, Suite 400, Orlando, Florida 
32822. Phone: (407) 812-6331. E-mail: pbia-eis@urscorp.com.

    Issued in Orlando, Florida on January 25, 2011.
W. Dean Stringer,
Manager, Orlando Airports District Office, Federal Aviation 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-2065 Filed 2-3-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P