[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 10, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2576-2578]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-563]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Record of Decision for Realignment of Naval Air Station Lemoore,
California
Pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969 and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations for
implementing NEPA procedures (40 CFR 1500-1508), the Department of the
Navy announces its decision to implement the realignment of Naval Air
Station (NAS) Lemoore, California.
In accordance with the legislative requirements of the Base Closure
and Realignment Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-510), as implemented by the
1993 Defense Base Closure and Realignment process (BRAC-93), the Navy
has been directed to relocate mission and operations from NAS Miramar
to NAS Lemoore, California. The majority of naval training at NAS
Miramar will be relocated to NAS Lemoore.
A Draft Environmental Impact Statement was prepared for the action
and distributed to Federal, State, and local agencies and to interested
individuals and groups. Public comments and Navy responses to those
comments were incorporated into a Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS) which was distributed to the public for a review period that
ended on January 3, 1995. Two letters of comment were received and both
expressed concern about lack of schoolroom capacity.
The realignment will relocate 56 F-14 and 16 E-2 aircraft from NAS
Miramar to NAS Lemoore, resulting in an increase of 72 aircraft at NAS
Lemoore. The number of permanent-party personnel necessary to support,
service, and maintain new aircraft and flight operations and apprentice
school training will increase by approximately 3,990 and the number of
civilian personnel will increase by 484 over the period from 1995
through 1998. The number of school age students in grades kindergarten
through 12 is expected to increase by approximately 2,300 by 1998.
About 98 military construction (MILCON) projects are required to
accommodate the realignment at NAS Lemoore. The projects include
upgrades of existing facilities, construction of new facilities to
support new aircraft operations and maintenance functions, and new
housing and temporary quarters for the increased number of students and
permanent-party personnel. Approximately 1,936 of the personnel
relocating to NAS Lemoore will live off-station and reside primarily in
the nearby Lemoore and Hanford communities. In addition to the
construction and renovation projects, future establishment of a Lemoore
Military Operations Area (MOA) and two Air Traffic Control Assigned
Spaces (ATCAAs) were addressed in the EIS. The Lemoore MOA would extend
approximately 23 miles northwest of NAS Lemoore and 37 miles southeast
to include approximately 2,055 square miles of airspace. The ATCAAs
would be implemented within the geographic boundaries of the MOA. The
Lemoore MOA and the ATCAAs would designate airspace for military
training activities. The Navy will apply to the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) for formal designation of the MOA and ATCAAs.
The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act waived certain aspects
of NEPA such that the environmental analysis need not consider the no-
action alternative (no realignment), nor other realignment locations.
Alternative means of accommodating the mandated BRAC-93 realignment at
NAS Lemoore that were considered, but eliminated from detailed
analysis, include retrofitting and remodeling existing structures and
the use of rental units outside NAS Lemoore. Sites considered at NAS
Lemoore for the new facilities/renovations avoided environmentally
sensitive areas, and were selected based on the following functional
considerations: adequacy of existing structures for the proposed uses,
availability of utilities, and proximity of the structure/site to
existing and related facilities, such as hangars, warehouses,
classrooms, administrative offices, housing and recreational
facilities.
There will be no significant impacts to air traffic either in the
existing operating areas used for training or from the implementation
of the MOA and the two ATCAAs. Rerouting of non-participating aircraft
around the MOA boundaries, however, may be necessary during time of MOA
use. The NAS Lemoore air traffic facility will be responsible for
routing military and civilian general aviation aircraft around the MOA.
The FAA will be responsible for rerouting commercial flights when the
MOA or ATCAAs are activated. The number of aircraft requiring rerouting
is projected to be small and no impacts to public health and safety
will result from the implementation of the MOA or ATCAAs.
There will be no significant impacts to surface water or wetlands.
There will be no significant impacts to groundwater or potable water
resources as a result of the realignment.
The action will increase total flight operations at NAS Lemoore,
but will not produce a significant change in ambient noise levels on-
station or in surrounding communities. Appropriate noise level
reduction measures will be incorporated into Bachelor Enlisted Quarter
(BEQ) and Bachelor Officer Quarter (BOQ) facilities to ensure
appropriate interior noise levels. Construction activity near
residential areas will be limited to normal daytime working hours to
minimize temporary construction noise impacts.
The BRAC action will result in significant mitigatable air quality
impacts related to construction activities, added stationary emission
sources, added aircraft flight operations, added motor vehicle traffic,
and added area sources (building and landscape maintenance, space
heating, etc.). No new violations of national ambient air quality
standards are anticipated as a result of the BRAC action. Mitigation
measures will be implemented to reduce the potential for localized dust
conditions at construction sites to ensure compliance with the San
Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control [[Page 2577]] District
(SJVUAPCD) rules and regulations, and to implement SJVUAPCD mobile and
area source emission reduction programs. Added stationary source
emissions will be offset through existing SJVUAPCD permit procedures.
Most other emission increases associated with the BRAC action will be
offset by emission reductions at Castle Air Force Base (also located
within the SJVUAPCD), thus avoiding significant impacts to regional air
quality conditions.
NAS Lemoore is located in an area that is classified as a serious
nonattainment area for ozone and particulate matter (PM10). The
direct and indirect emissions of ozone precursors and PM10
associated with the action exceed the de minimis levels of 50 tons per
year for ozone precursors and 70 tons per year for PM10 and
PM10 precursors. Consequently, a Clean Air Act conformity
determination is required by 40 CFR Part 93 to demonstrate that the
proposed action will not interfere with attainment of national ambient
air quality standards. Volume 2 (Appendix A) of the FEIS presented a
Clean Air Act conformity determination analysis of the proposed actions
in accordance with rules promulgated by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and set forth at 40 CFR Part 93.
BRAC-related direct and indirect emissions at NAS Lemoore will be
at a maximum during the facility construction period, with somewhat
lower emissions during subsequent base operations. Maximum direct and
indirect emissions from the BRAC action are estimated to be 96 tons per
year of organic compounds, 367 tons per year of nitrogen oxides, and
187 tons per year of PM10. These maximum emissions result only in
those years when both construction activities and increased aircraft
operations occur concurrently. Steady-state emissions are projected to
be less, paricularly for PM10.
Emission increases at NAS Lemoore will be offset from a combination
of three sources: eliminated aircraft, motor vehicle, and area source
emissions resulting from the closure of Castle Air Force Base (which
also is located in the San Joaquin Valley); on-station PM10
emission reductions achieved by replacing existing fire fighter
training facilities with new facilities; and the purchase of privately
held PM10 Emission Reduction Credits.
On behalf of the Department of the Navy, I have reviewed the FEIS
and conformity determination analysis for the realignment of NAS
Lemoore. It is my determination that the proposed Navy actions are in
compliance with 40 CFR Part 93 (Determining Conformity of General
Federal Actions to State or Federal Implementation Plans) and satisfy
the requirements of Section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act (42 USC 7506).
Consequently, the proposed actions at NAS Lemoore conform to the
state implementation plan's purpose of eliminating or reducing the
severity and number of violations of the federal ambient air quality
standards and achieving expeditious attainment of those standards. The
proposed actions are consistent with the programs and milestones
contained in the State Implementation Plan for the San Joaquin Valley
Air Basin. The proposed actions will not increase the frequency or
severity of existing violations of the federal ozone and PM10
standards, and will not delay the timely attainment of the ozone or
PM10 standards.
In making the above determinations I have relied on the air quality
analyses and conclusions contained in the conformity determination
analysis appendix to the FEIS for Base Realignment of NAS Lemoore,
California.
The action at NAS Lemoore will not significantly impact any
Department of Defense Installation Restoration Program (IRP) sites.
Construction projects located adjacent to IRP sites will be designed to
avoid the sites. The action will not violate any conditions of the NAS
Lemoore Waste Management Plan or the Spill Prevention Control and
Countermeasures Plan. There will be no significant impacts to hazardous
materials, as long as all applicable laws, regulations, and standard
operating procedures are followed.
Pursuant to Executive Order 12898, Environmental Justice, potential
environmental and economic impacts on minority and low-income persons
and communities were assessed. These persons and communities will not
be disproportionately adversely affected by the NAS Lemoore BRAC
action. The increase in population from the action will not result in
significant impacts to housing, facilities, or services on-base or in
the region. The additional economic activity from the action will
result in a net positive effect on the local economy. The action will
not significantly impact existing land uses at NAS Lemoore.
The additional vehicular traffic generated by the action will
result in significant mitigable impacts to transportation, traffic, and
circulation. The Navy will continue to coordinate selection of
mitigation for six intersections on or near NAS Lemoore which appear to
warrant the installation of signals or an equivalent improvement to
accommodate the increase in traffic resulting from the action. Traffic
engineering solutions will be reviewed, local authorities will be
consulted, and appropriate mitigation selected from among identified
feasible options.
The BRAC action will increase the number of school-aged children by
an estimated 2,300 students. Between 975 to 1,240 of these students who
are of elementary school age (K-8) are expected to attend on-station
schools. The increase in students will exceed the physical capacity of
the two on-station elementary schools as well as the maximum allowable
student/teacher ratio. The physical capacity of Lemoore Union High
School will also be exceeded. Therefore, the BRAC action will result in
a significant, but mitigable, impact to the school system. Identified
mitigation measures include construction of a new on-base school,
expanding the physical capacity of existing schools by leased or
leased-to-own portable classroom units, and/or by constructing
additional classrooms. The Navy recognizes the significance of these
impacts and will identify feasible mitigation to assure a high quality
education environment for dependent children. On-station elementary
schools can also obtain acceptable student/teacher ratios by hiring
additional teachers. Local schools that serve military dependent
children will continue to receive federal impact aid, in accordance
with the Education Appropriation Act for 1995, which provides annual
federal funding to school districts for each student whose parents live
and work on federal property. Federal impact aid funds to school
districts will be comparable to local property tax revenue generated by
off-base residents.
The existing utility infrastructure will be upgraded as part of the
BRAC action to accommodate the demands of the BRAC relocation.
Therefore, utilities at NAS Lemoore will have adequate capacity to
serve the additional personnel. NAS Lemoore personnel residing off-
station will not have a significant impact on the regional water
supply. Police and fire protection services are adequate to serve the
needs of the new facilities, as are solid waste disposal facilities. No
significant impacts will result to recreational facilities, either on-
or off-station.
The action will result in no significant impacts to plant or animal
species listed as threatened or endangered by either federal or state
agencies, or to sensitive habitats. No impact will result to cultural
resources or properties of traditional cultural significance. No
[[Page 2578]] impacts will result to visual resources due to the
action.
Questions regarding the Draft and Final Environmental Impact
Statement prepared for this action may be directed to: Mr. John
Kennedy, Head Environmental Planning Branch, Engineering Field Activity
West, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, San Bruno, CA, 94066-5006;
phone: (415) 244-3713; fax: (415) 244-3737.
Dated: January 5, 1995.
Elsie L. Munsell,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environment and Safety).
[FR Doc. 95-563 Filed 1-9-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P
