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

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 (202) 267-7900.

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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