Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Base Realignment of Naval Air Station Lemoore, Lemoore, CA

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Public Hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement for Base Realignment of Naval Air Station Lemoore, Lemoore,

CA

Pursuant to Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR

Parts 1500-1508) implementing procedural provisions of the National

Environmental Policy Act, the Department of the Navy has prepared and

filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for base realignment of Naval Air

Station (NAS) Lemoore, Lemoore, California.

In response to the recommendations of the 1993 Defense Base Closure

and Realignment Commission (BRAC-93) and to legislative requirements of

the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-

510), the U.S. Navy plans to relocate facilities and operations from

NAS Miramar, San Diego, California, to NAS Lemoore, California. The

relocation will consist of 56 F-14 aircraft, 16 E-2 aircraft, 12

F/A-18 aircraft, approximately 3993 military personnel, and 484

civilians. The proposed BRAC relocation to NAS Lemoore will result in

the construction of approximately 98 projects. These projects have been

placed into the following twelve military construction categories:

hangar rehabilitation, airfield operational facilities, airfield

operational pavement, industrial support facilities, instruction

facilities, training facilities, personnel support facilities, utility

upgrades, community support facilities/housing, storage facilities,

administrative facilities, and weapons facilities. In addition, the

Navy is proposing to establish the Lemoore Military Operating Area

(MOA) and two Air Traffic Control Assigned Areas (ATCAAs). The Lemoore

MOA and the ATCAAs will become designated airspace for military

training over the Central San Joaquin Valley. This airspace is

necessary to accommodate the increase in air operations resulting from

the relocation of squadrons to the base.

The DEIS has been distributed to various federal, state, and local

agencies, elected officials, special interest groups, and the media. A

limited number of single copies are available at the address listed at

the end of this notice for public review and comment. A public hearing

to inform the public of the DEIS findings and to solicit comments will

be held on August 4, 1994, beginning at 7:00 p.m. at the Lemoore High

School, 101 East Bush Street, Lemoore, California.

The public hearing will be conducted by the Navy. Federal, state,

local agencies, interested groups, and individuals are invited and

encouraged to be present or represented at the hearing. Oral statements

will be heard and transcribed by a stenographer; however, to assure

accuracy of the record, all statements should be submitted in writing.

All statements, both oral and written, will become part of the public

record on this study. Equal weight will be given to both oral and

written statements.

In the interest of available time, each speaker will be asked to

limit their oral comments to five minutes. Longer statements should be

summarized at the public hearing and submitted in writing either at the

hearing or mailed to the address listed at the end of this

announcement. All written statements must be postmarked by August 22,

1994, to become part of the official record.

Additional information concerning this notice may be obtained by

contacting Mr. Surinder Sikand Code (Code 09F2SU), Western Division,

Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 900 Commodore Drive, San Bruno,

California 94066-2402, telephone (415) 244-3721.

Dated: July 14, 1994.

Lewis T. Booker, Jr.,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 94-17478 Filed 7-18-94; 8:45 am]

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