94-19415. Environmental Impact Statement (EIS); Effects of Changes of Aircraft Flight Patterns Over State of New Jersey

[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 9, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-19415]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: August 9, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration
[Docket No. 27649]

 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS); Effects of Changes of 
Aircraft Flight Patterns Over State of New Jersey

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The FAA is issuing a supplement to the draft environmental 
impact statement (DEIS) for the Expanded East Coast Plan (EECP) on the 
effects of changes in aircraft flight patterns over the State of New 
Jersey. The FAA believes that issuance of a supplemental DEIS will best 
serve the public interest and promote the purposes of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Due to the complexity of this EIS and 
the high degree of public interest in the issue, the FAA afforded the 
public a period of 369 days to comment on the DEIS. This is well in 
excess of requirements under NEPA. The supplement is intended to afford 
the public an opportunity to comment on information generated after the 
DEIS was issued, including: (1) A measure developed by the FAA to 
mitigate the noise impact of the EECP in its existing form; (2) the 
agency's analysis of the New Jersey portion of the proposal by the New 
Jersey Coalition Against Aircraft Noise (NJCAAN) to route aircraft 
departing Newark International Airport over the water twenty-four hours 
a day; and (3) other new and updated information that has been 
developed in response to public comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Mr. 
William J. Marx, FAA Office of Air Traffic System Management, 
Environmental Issues Program Office, ATM-700 Washington, DC 20591, 
telephone [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS was issued November, 1992, 
presenting four alternatives for further consideration. These 
alternatives are:
     Alternative A. Maintain the current (as defined in 1991) 
EECP structure. (Proposed action and no action)
     Alternative B. Return to 1986 air traffic routes and 
procedures using 1991 traffic. (Rollback)
     Alternative C2. Route Newark south flow departure traffic 
from over Raritan Bay to over the ocean (at night only) via a specific 
path defined by the Solberg and Colts Neck navigational aids. 
(Nighttime only oceanic/military routing)
     Alternative D3. Spread aircraft departing Newark runways 
22L and 22R to three different headings. (Spreading or fanning)
    During the process of developing a final EIS (FEIS), the FAA has 
identified a potential mitigation measure to minimize the impacts of 
the EECP. The FAA believes that the public would benefit from the 
opportunity to comment even though not required to do so. The FAA has 
also studied the routing proposal developed by the NJCAAN and submitted 
to the FAA during the comment period on the DEIS. While the FAA 
rejected a similar concept--Oceanic/Military Routing (24 hours per 
day)--in the DEIS because it was not operationally feasible, the FAA 
conducted a detailed analysis of the operational and noise effects of 
the NJCAAN proposal in consideration of the public interest in the 
proposal and the fact that the NJCAAN comments on the DEIS were funded 
in part by Federal funds. The FAA analysis of the NJCAAN proposal will 
be included in the supplement for public review and comment.
    Finally, the supplement will include other information developed in 
response to comments on the DEIS, including a more detailed explanation 
of noise metrics, a further explanation of the Expanded Integrated 
Noise Model, an analysis of noise complaints, and an appendix that 
indentifes noise levels by census block for alternatives, the proposed 
mitigation measure, and the NJCAAN routing proposal.
    This notice is published to inform the public that the FAA intends 
to issue a supplemental DEIS by September 30, 1994. The public will be 
afforded a 45-day period to comment after release of the supplement. 
The agency's intent is to move expeditiously to develop a FEIS after 
consideration of comments received in response to the supplemental 
DEIS. Copies of the supplement will be mailed to all individuals who 
requested a copy of the DEIS. The supplement will be made available for 
review at public libraries in select locations throughout New Jersey.

    Issued in Washington, DC on Thursday, August 4, 1994.
Jacqueline L. Smith,
Acting Deputy Administrator for Air Traffic.
[FR Doc. 94-19415 Filed 8-5-94; 8:45 am]
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