Joint Environmental Impact Report/Environment Impact Statement; Airport Development Program, Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, Oakland, CA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Joint Environmental Impact Report/Environment Impact Statement;

Airport Development Program, Metropolitan Oakland International

Airport, Oakland, CA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Supplement to Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces it is

issuing this notice to advise the public that it has revised the scope

of work for the joint Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/Environmental

Impact Statement (EIS) that is being prepared for development proposed

by the Port of Oakland, California, with a new buildout year of 2000

instead of 2002 for Metropolitan Oakland International Airport,

Oakland, California.

The purpose of this supplemental notice is to provide agencies and

the public an opportunity to comment on modifications to the project

description and various alternatives that have been added to, or

deleted from, the EIR/EIS since the original notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elisha Novak, Senior Airport Planner,

Federal Aviation Administration, San Francisco Airports District

Office, 831 Mitten Road, Burlingame, California 94010, Telephone: 415/

876-2928.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in

cooperation with the Port of Oakland, California has begun preparation

of a joint Environmental Impact Report (EIR)/Environmental Impact

Statement (EIS) for development proposed by the Port of Oakland for

Metropolitan Oakland International Airport. The U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers is serving as a cooperating agency, with responsibilities

limited to participating in the National Environmental Policy Act of

1969 (NEPA) process; participating in the scoping process; and review

and comment on the Draft and Final EIR/EIS. The FAA is the lead Federal

agency.

On December 29, 1992 the FAA issued a Notice of Intent to prepare

an EIS. The Port of Oakland, pursuant to the California Environmental

Quality Act (CEQA) of 1970 will also prepare an Environmental Impact

Report (EIR) for the proposed development. In an effort to eliminate

unnecessary duplication and reduce delay, the document under

preparation, is a joint EIR/EIS in accordance with the President's

Council on Environmental Quality Regulations described in Title 40 Code

of Federal Regulations, Section 1506.2. The Joint Lead Agencies for the

preparation of the EIR/EIS are the Federal Aviation Administration and

the Port of Oakland, California.

The previous notice referred to the proposed action as the ``2002

Airport Development Program.'' The current proposed action is now

revised to the Airport Development Program (ADP), with a new buildout

year of 2000, as opposed to 2002. This change is due to the recent

acceleration of aviation activity (1993-1994) at Metropolitan Oakland

International Airport. In addition, a new baseline year (1993) will be

used to establish existing conditions and long-term analysis will

consider the year 2010.

The proposed extension of Runway 11/29 and the high-speed exit

taxiway are programmatic projects in the ADP, because the design of

these improvements has not reached a sufficient level of detail to

support an environmental finding. These two airfield improvements will

be identified in the EIR/EIS as projects that are scheduled for

construction after the year 2000, although feasibility and design

studies may be undertaken before that date.

A wetland restoration project was previously proposed to mitigate

impacts caused by the placement of 33 acres of fill (of which

approximately 25 acres consisted of wetlands) in 1986, that were

previously permitted under U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Permit Number

14003E78B. This permit was rescinded by Federal Court order in 1988.

Since that time, the parties in the litigation have negotiated a

resolution of the wetland mitigation issues. Consent decrees setting

forth this resolution have been filed with the Federal District Court.

Because the wetland restoration program will be accomplished as

provided in the consent decrees, and not as part of the ADP, it has

been removed from the ADP.

Alternatives

The alternatives to be evaluated in the EIR/EIS have been augmented

since the initial scoping meetings held on January 27, 1993. In

addition to the no-action and reduced development alternatives

previously identified, the EIR/EIS will consider:

1. An air passenger terminal dominant alternative;

2. An air cargo dominant alternative and;

3. A modified airport roadway project alternative.

The previously identified ``regional alternative'' was reevaluated

by the metropolitan planning organization in their Regional Airport

System Plan Update, and was found not to be practical or feasible to

the proposed action. Accordingly, the ``regional alternative'' was

dropped from further consideration.

Comments and suggestions on the revised scope are invited from

Federal, State and local agencies, and other interested parties to

ensure that the full range of issues related to these proposed projects

are addressed and all significant issues identified. Comments and

suggestions may be mailed to the FAA informational contact listed

above. Comments on the revised scope of work should be submitted no

later than January 15, 1995.

Issued in Hawthorne, California on December 5, 1994.

Robert C. Bloom,

Acting Manager, Airports Division, AWP-600, Western-Pacific Region.

[FR Doc. 94-30963 Filed 12-15-94; 8:45 am]

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