Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Realignment of Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton, CA

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

Realignment of Marine Corps Air Station, Camp Pendleton, CA

Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act as implemented by

the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-

1508), the U.S. Marine Corps intends to prepare an Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental effects of the

realignment of Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Camp Pendleton. This

action is being conducted in accordance with the Defense Base Closure

and Realignment Act of 1990, and the specific 1993 base closure and

realignment decisions approved by the Congress in September 1993. The

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Aviation Administration, and

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have been requested to be cooperating

agencies in the preparation of this EIS.

The proposed action involves the relocation of about 48 aircraft,

700 personnel, and associated functions from MCAS El Toro and MCAS

Tustin, both of which are to be closed by July 10, 1999. Several

military construction projects are required to upgrade existing

facilities and construct new facilities to support the change of

mission at MCAS Camp Pendleton, including aircraft maintenance

facilities, bachelor quarters, a gymnasium, a warehouse, and special

storage, training, and administration facilities.

Alternatives to be addressed in the EIS will focus on means of

meeting MCAS Camp Pendleton realignment requirements, including

alternative construction site locations and alternative training

scenarios.

Major environmental issues that will be addressed in the EIS

include air quality, air space useage, noise, traffic, utilities,

endangered species, cultural resources, and community services and

utilities.

The Marine Corps will initiate a scoping process for the purpose of

determining the extent of issues to be addressed and identifying the

significant issues related to this action. The Marine Corps will hold a

public scoping meeting on February 17, 1994, beginning at 7 p.m., at

the Oceanside Senior Center, 455 Country Club Lane, Oceanside,

California. This meeting will be advertised in area newspapers.

A brief presentation will precede request for public comment.

Marine Corps representatives will be available at this meeting to

receive comments from the public regarding issues of concern to the

public. It is important that federal, state, and local agencies and

interested individuals take this opportunity to identify environmental

concerns that should be addressed during the preparation of the EIS. In

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

their oral comments to five minutes.

Agencies and the public are also invited and encouraged to provide

written comment on scoping issues in addition to, or in lieu of, oral

comments at the public meeting. To be most helpful, scoping comments

should clearly describe specific issues or topics which the commenter

believes the EIS should address. Written statements and or questions

regarding the scoping process should be mailed to: Commanding Officer,

Southwest Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 1220 Pacific

Coast Highway, San Diego, CA 92132-5187, (Attn: Ms. Timarie Seneca,

Code 09A2), phone number (619) 532-3780. All comments must be received

no later than March 2, 1994.

By direction of the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

Dated: January 27, 1994.

R.W. Watkins,

Colonel, USMC, Head, Land Use and Military Construction Branch,

Facilities and Services Division, Installations and Logistics

Department.

Dated: January 27, 1994.

Michael P. Rummel,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 94-2219 Filed 1-31-94; 8:45 am]

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