[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 217 (Tuesday, November 10, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 63035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30118]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Re-Open Scoping Process for the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Disposal and Reuse of
Naval Air Station South Weymouth, Massachusetts
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy announces the intent to re-open the
Scoping process for the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for the proposed disposal and reuse of Naval Air
Station (NAS) South Weymouth, Massachusetts. A second scoping workshop
will be held to receive oral and written comments to identify
potentially significant issues for study in the DEIS and to notify
parties interested in and affected by the property transfer and reuse.
Federal, state, and local agencies, and interested individuals are
invited to be present or represented at the workshop.
DATES: The Navy will hold a second public meeting to further identify
the scope of issues to be addressed in the DEIS in light of the revised
Reuse Plan. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 9, 1998,
beginning at 7:00 p.m., at the Abigail Adams Intermediate School,
Middle Street, Weymouth, Massachusetts.
ADDRESSES: Navy representatives will make a brief presentation, then
members of the public will be asked to provide their comments. Agencies
and the public are encouraged to provide written comments in addition
to, or, in lieu of, oral comments at the scoping meeting. To be most
helpful, comments should clearly describe specific issues or topics,
which the EIS should address. Written comments must be postmarked by
Jan 15, 1999, and should be mailed to Commanding Officer, Northern
Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Attn: Mr. Robert
Ostermueller (Code 202), 10 Industrial Highway, MS 82, Lester,
Pennsylvania 19113. All statements, both oral and written, will become
part of the public record on this action and will be given equal
consideration.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information concerning this
notice may be obtained by contacting Mr. Robert Ostermueller (Code
202), Northern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 10
Industrial Highway, MSC 82, Lester, Pennsylvania 19113, telephone (610)
595-0759, facsimile (610) 595-0778.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Council on Environmental Quality
regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508) implementing procedural provisions
of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of the
Navy announces its intention to prepare a DEIS for the proposed
disposal and reuse of NAS South Weymouth, Massachusetts.
In December 1995, the Congressional Committee on Base Realignment
and Closure (BRAC) recommended the closure of NAS South Weymouth and
its subsequent relocation to NAS Brunswick, Maine. This recommendation
was approved by President Clinton and accepted by the One Hundred Fifth
Congress in 1995. The BRAC legislation also identified the requirements
for compliance with NEPA, stating that the provisions of NEPA shall
apply during the process of property disposal. Accordingly, the Navy
initiated the process to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) to evaluate the environmental effects of the disposal and likely
reuse of this property with the publication of a Notice of Intent (NOI)
to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register on April 14, 1997. A public
scoping workshop was held at the NAS South Weymouth Officers Club on
April 29, 1997.
The proposed action that was to be considered and evaluated in the
DEIS was the Reuse Plan prepared by the NAS South Weymouth Reuse
Committee acting as the Local Reuse Authority (LRA). Subsequent to this
scoping process, the LRA informed the Navy that it was revising the
Reuse Plan and requested that the EIS process be deferred until the
revised Reuse Plan was submitted. The recently submitted revised Reuse
Plan represents a reasonable and likely redevelopment scenario based on
the proposed zoning of the site including the development of a mall and
other facilities providing approximately 2.1 million square feet of
retail space. The Draft EIS will evaluate environmental impacts of the
revised Reuse Plan as well as of reasonable possible redevelopment
scenarios. Navy will also evaluate the no action alternative, defined
as the retention of NAS South Weymouth by the federal government.
Based on an evaluation conducted and accepted by the State Historic
Preservation officer in 1990, none of the NAS buildings or structures
are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. A
re-evaluation of these buildings and structures, particularly with
regard to Cold War significance, will be conducted as part of the EIS
process.
Dated: November 5, 1998.
Ralph W. Corey,
Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 98-30118 Filed 11-9-98; 8:45 am]
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