Record of Decision for Realignment of Naval Air Station Lemoore, California

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Record of Decision for Realignment of Naval Air Station Lemoore,

California

Pursuant to section 102(2) of the National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) of 1969 and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations for

implementing NEPA procedures (40 CFR 1500-1508), the Department of the

Navy announces its decision to implement the realignment of Naval Air

Station (NAS) Lemoore, California.

In accordance with the legislative requirements of the Base Closure

and Realignment Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-510), as implemented by the

1993 Defense Base Closure and Realignment process (BRAC-93), the Navy

has been directed to relocate mission and operations from NAS Miramar

to NAS Lemoore, California. The majority of naval training at NAS

Miramar will be relocated to NAS Lemoore.

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement was prepared for the action

and distributed to Federal, State, and local agencies and to interested

individuals and groups. Public comments and Navy responses to those

comments were incorporated into a Final Environmental Impact Statement

(FEIS) which was distributed to the public for a review period that

ended on January 3, 1995. Two letters of comment were received and both

expressed concern about lack of schoolroom capacity.

The realignment will relocate 56 F-14 and 16 E-2 aircraft from NAS

Miramar to NAS Lemoore, resulting in an increase of 72 aircraft at NAS

Lemoore. The number of permanent-party personnel necessary to support,

service, and maintain new aircraft and flight operations and apprentice

school training will increase by approximately 3,990 and the number of

civilian personnel will increase by 484 over the period from 1995

through 1998. The number of school age students in grades kindergarten

through 12 is expected to increase by approximately 2,300 by 1998.

About 98 military construction (MILCON) projects are required to

accommodate the realignment at NAS Lemoore. The projects include

upgrades of existing facilities, construction of new facilities to

support new aircraft operations and maintenance functions, and new

housing and temporary quarters for the increased number of students and

permanent-party personnel. Approximately 1,936 of the personnel

relocating to NAS Lemoore will live off-station and reside primarily in

the nearby Lemoore and Hanford communities. In addition to the

construction and renovation projects, future establishment of a Lemoore

Military Operations Area (MOA) and two Air Traffic Control Assigned

Spaces (ATCAAs) were addressed in the EIS. The Lemoore MOA would extend

approximately 23 miles northwest of NAS Lemoore and 37 miles southeast

to include approximately 2,055 square miles of airspace. The ATCAAs

would be implemented within the geographic boundaries of the MOA. The

Lemoore MOA and the ATCAAs would designate airspace for military

training activities. The Navy will apply to the Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) for formal designation of the MOA and ATCAAs.

The Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act waived certain aspects

of NEPA such that the environmental analysis need not consider the no-

action alternative (no realignment), nor other realignment locations.

Alternative means of accommodating the mandated BRAC-93 realignment at

NAS Lemoore that were considered, but eliminated from detailed

analysis, include retrofitting and remodeling existing structures and

the use of rental units outside NAS Lemoore. Sites considered at NAS

Lemoore for the new facilities/renovations avoided environmentally

sensitive areas, and were selected based on the following functional

considerations: adequacy of existing structures for the proposed uses,

availability of utilities, and proximity of the structure/site to

existing and related facilities, such as hangars, warehouses,

classrooms, administrative offices, housing and recreational

facilities.

There will be no significant impacts to air traffic either in the

existing operating areas used for training or from the implementation

of the MOA and the two ATCAAs. Rerouting of non-participating aircraft

around the MOA boundaries, however, may be necessary during time of MOA

use. The NAS Lemoore air traffic facility will be responsible for

routing military and civilian general aviation aircraft around the MOA.

The FAA will be responsible for rerouting commercial flights when the

MOA or ATCAAs are activated. The number of aircraft requiring rerouting

is projected to be small and no impacts to public health and safety

will result from the implementation of the MOA or ATCAAs.

There will be no significant impacts to surface water or wetlands.

There will be no significant impacts to groundwater or potable water

resources as a result of the realignment.

The action will increase total flight operations at NAS Lemoore,

but will not produce a significant change in ambient noise levels on-

station or in surrounding communities. Appropriate noise level

reduction measures will be incorporated into Bachelor Enlisted Quarter

(BEQ) and Bachelor Officer Quarter (BOQ) facilities to ensure

appropriate interior noise levels. Construction activity near

residential areas will be limited to normal daytime working hours to

minimize temporary construction noise impacts.

The BRAC action will result in significant mitigatable air quality

impacts related to construction activities, added stationary emission

sources, added aircraft flight operations, added motor vehicle traffic,

and added area sources (building and landscape maintenance, space

heating, etc.). No new violations of national ambient air quality

standards are anticipated as a result of the BRAC action. Mitigation

measures will be implemented to reduce the potential for localized dust

conditions at construction sites to ensure compliance with the San

Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control [[Page 2577]] District

(SJVUAPCD) rules and regulations, and to implement SJVUAPCD mobile and

area source emission reduction programs. Added stationary source

emissions will be offset through existing SJVUAPCD permit procedures.

Most other emission increases associated with the BRAC action will be

offset by emission reductions at Castle Air Force Base (also located

within the SJVUAPCD), thus avoiding significant impacts to regional air

quality conditions.

NAS Lemoore is located in an area that is classified as a serious

nonattainment area for ozone and particulate matter (PM10). The

direct and indirect emissions of ozone precursors and PM10

associated with the action exceed the de minimis levels of 50 tons per

year for ozone precursors and 70 tons per year for PM10 and

PM10 precursors. Consequently, a Clean Air Act conformity

determination is required by 40 CFR Part 93 to demonstrate that the

proposed action will not interfere with attainment of national ambient

air quality standards. Volume 2 (Appendix A) of the FEIS presented a

Clean Air Act conformity determination analysis of the proposed actions

in accordance with rules promulgated by the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency and set forth at 40 CFR Part 93.

BRAC-related direct and indirect emissions at NAS Lemoore will be

at a maximum during the facility construction period, with somewhat

lower emissions during subsequent base operations. Maximum direct and

indirect emissions from the BRAC action are estimated to be 96 tons per

year of organic compounds, 367 tons per year of nitrogen oxides, and

187 tons per year of PM10. These maximum emissions result only in

those years when both construction activities and increased aircraft

operations occur concurrently. Steady-state emissions are projected to

be less, paricularly for PM10.

Emission increases at NAS Lemoore will be offset from a combination

of three sources: eliminated aircraft, motor vehicle, and area source

emissions resulting from the closure of Castle Air Force Base (which

also is located in the San Joaquin Valley); on-station PM10

emission reductions achieved by replacing existing fire fighter

training facilities with new facilities; and the purchase of privately

held PM10 Emission Reduction Credits.

On behalf of the Department of the Navy, I have reviewed the FEIS

and conformity determination analysis for the realignment of NAS

Lemoore. It is my determination that the proposed Navy actions are in

compliance with 40 CFR Part 93 (Determining Conformity of General

Federal Actions to State or Federal Implementation Plans) and satisfy

the requirements of Section 176(c) of the Clean Air Act (42 USC 7506).

Consequently, the proposed actions at NAS Lemoore conform to the

state implementation plan's purpose of eliminating or reducing the

severity and number of violations of the federal ambient air quality

standards and achieving expeditious attainment of those standards. The

proposed actions are consistent with the programs and milestones

contained in the State Implementation Plan for the San Joaquin Valley

Air Basin. The proposed actions will not increase the frequency or

severity of existing violations of the federal ozone and PM10

standards, and will not delay the timely attainment of the ozone or

PM10 standards.

In making the above determinations I have relied on the air quality

analyses and conclusions contained in the conformity determination

analysis appendix to the FEIS for Base Realignment of NAS Lemoore,

California.

The action at NAS Lemoore will not significantly impact any

Department of Defense Installation Restoration Program (IRP) sites.

Construction projects located adjacent to IRP sites will be designed to

avoid the sites. The action will not violate any conditions of the NAS

Lemoore Waste Management Plan or the Spill Prevention Control and

Countermeasures Plan. There will be no significant impacts to hazardous

materials, as long as all applicable laws, regulations, and standard

operating procedures are followed.

Pursuant to Executive Order 12898, Environmental Justice, potential

environmental and economic impacts on minority and low-income persons

and communities were assessed. These persons and communities will not

be disproportionately adversely affected by the NAS Lemoore BRAC

action. The increase in population from the action will not result in

significant impacts to housing, facilities, or services on-base or in

the region. The additional economic activity from the action will

result in a net positive effect on the local economy. The action will

not significantly impact existing land uses at NAS Lemoore.

The additional vehicular traffic generated by the action will

result in significant mitigable impacts to transportation, traffic, and

circulation. The Navy will continue to coordinate selection of

mitigation for six intersections on or near NAS Lemoore which appear to

warrant the installation of signals or an equivalent improvement to

accommodate the increase in traffic resulting from the action. Traffic

engineering solutions will be reviewed, local authorities will be

consulted, and appropriate mitigation selected from among identified

feasible options.

The BRAC action will increase the number of school-aged children by

an estimated 2,300 students. Between 975 to 1,240 of these students who

are of elementary school age (K-8) are expected to attend on-station

schools. The increase in students will exceed the physical capacity of

the two on-station elementary schools as well as the maximum allowable

student/teacher ratio. The physical capacity of Lemoore Union High

School will also be exceeded. Therefore, the BRAC action will result in

a significant, but mitigable, impact to the school system. Identified

mitigation measures include construction of a new on-base school,

expanding the physical capacity of existing schools by leased or

leased-to-own portable classroom units, and/or by constructing

additional classrooms. The Navy recognizes the significance of these

impacts and will identify feasible mitigation to assure a high quality

education environment for dependent children. On-station elementary

schools can also obtain acceptable student/teacher ratios by hiring

additional teachers. Local schools that serve military dependent

children will continue to receive federal impact aid, in accordance

with the Education Appropriation Act for 1995, which provides annual

federal funding to school districts for each student whose parents live

and work on federal property. Federal impact aid funds to school

districts will be comparable to local property tax revenue generated by

off-base residents.

The existing utility infrastructure will be upgraded as part of the

BRAC action to accommodate the demands of the BRAC relocation.

Therefore, utilities at NAS Lemoore will have adequate capacity to

serve the additional personnel. NAS Lemoore personnel residing off-

station will not have a significant impact on the regional water

supply. Police and fire protection services are adequate to serve the

needs of the new facilities, as are solid waste disposal facilities. No

significant impacts will result to recreational facilities, either on-

or off-station.

The action will result in no significant impacts to plant or animal

species listed as threatened or endangered by either federal or state

agencies, or to sensitive habitats. No impact will result to cultural

resources or properties of traditional cultural significance. No

[[Page 2578]] impacts will result to visual resources due to the

action.

Questions regarding the Draft and Final Environmental Impact

Statement prepared for this action may be directed to: Mr. John

Kennedy, Head Environmental Planning Branch, Engineering Field Activity

West, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, San Bruno, CA, 94066-5006;

phone: (415) 244-3713; fax: (415) 244-3737.

Dated: January 5, 1995.

Elsie L. Munsell,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Environment and Safety).

[FR Doc. 95-563 Filed 1-9-95; 8:45 am]

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