Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Disposal and Reuse of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division, Naval Ordnance Station Louisville, KY

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

the Disposal and Reuse of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division,

Naval Ordnance Station Louisville, KY

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental

Policy Act of 1969 as implemented in the Council on Environmental

Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), the Department of Navy

announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

for the Disposal and Reuse of Naval Ordnance Station Louisville (NOSL).

In accordance with the 1995 Base Closure and Realignment Act, the

Navy intends to close NOSL and dispose of the property. NOSL is a

depot-level maintenance facility that provides maintenance, overhaul,

and repair of small to large caliber Naval guns, and on-board Navy

weapons systems. It is the Navy's only remaining full-service gun and

gun weapons system facility. It is located in the city limits of

Louisville. The property occupies 142 acres of land surrounded by

industrial and single family as well as multi-family residential areas.

It includes 92 structures containing more than 1.63 million square feet

of production, administrative, supply, and miscellaneous support

facilities.

The objective of the EIS is to describe the existing conditions of

NOSL and to evaluate the environmental impacts associated with the

various reuse alternatives, including: (1) Privatizing the gun and gun

weapons systems facilities of NOSL, so that the mission remains the

same but the ownership of the equipment and facilities is transferred

to the private sector, with the remainder of the base being disposed in

accordance with the land use described in Louisville/Jefferson County

Redevelopment Authority's Facility Privatization and Reuse Plan; or (2)

disposing the property for purposes of mixed land use that does not

include privatization.

The significant primary and secondary adverse and beneficial

environmental effects that may result from the disposal and reuse of

NOSL will be identified and fully discussed. Major environmental issues

that will be addressed in the EIS include air quality, water quality,

and impacts to wetlands, and endangered species, cultural resources,

and socioeconomics.

In addition to compliance with NEPA, a cultural resources survey is

being conducted to comply with Sections 106 and 110 of the National

Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended. The survey will focus on

the potential for properties, machinery, and equipment to be eligible

for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Navy will hold a public scoping meeting for the purpose of

further identifying the scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. It

will be held on Tuesday, June 18, 1996 at 7:00 PM at the Navy and

Marine Corps Reserve Center, 5401 Southside Drive, Louisville,

Kentucky. Navy representatives will make a brief presentation, then

members of the pubic will have the opportunity to provide their

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

interested individuals take this opportunity to identify environmental

concerns that should be addressed in the EIS. In the interest of time,

speakers will be asked to limit their comments to five minutes.

ADDRESSES: Agencies and the public are encouraged to provide written

comments in addition, or, in lieu of, oral comments at the scoping

meeting. To be most helpful, comments should clearly describe specific

issues or topics which the EIS should address. Written comments must be

postmarked by July 18, 1996, and should be mailed to Commanding

Officer, Southern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, P.O.

Box 190010, North Charleston, South Carolina 29419-9010

[[Page 27868]]

(Attn: Mr. Will Slogger), telephone (803) 820-5797. The scoping meeting

will be conducted in English, and requests for language interpreters or

other special communications needs should be made to Mr. Sloger at

least one week prior to the meeting. The Navy will make every

reasonable effort to accommodate these needs.

Dated: May 29, 1996.

M.A. Waters,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 96-13808 Filed 5-31-96; 8:45 am]

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