Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Disposal and Reuse of Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant McGregor, TX

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

the Disposal and Reuse of Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant

McGregor, TX

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 of Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP),

McGregor, Texas.

NWIRP McGregor is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility.

The operating contractor, Hercules, Inc./Alliant Techsystems, has

determined that its operations should be consolidated at the Allegheny

Ballistics Laboratory (ABL), West Virginia. Naval Air Systems Command

has determined that once the contractor vacates the property, there is

no requirement to retain the land or the buildings. The property

occupies 9,756 acres of land situated mostly in McLennan County, Texas,

with a small portion in Coryell County, Texas. The property includes

more than 150 buildings containing more than 846,000 square feet of

usable floor space and approximately 60 miles of improved roadways.

The Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1996 authorizes the

Secretary of the Navy to convey the property directly to the City of

McGregor without consideration of the standard disposal procedures

implemented in the Federal Property management Regulations. The

conveyance is subject to the condition that the city use the property

for economic redevelopment to replace all or part of the economic

activity being lost at the facility. Any part of the facility not

conveyed to the City would be disposed of by the General Services

Administration (GSA) in accordance with the Federal Property and

Administrative Services Act of 1944, that is implemented in the Federal

Property Management Regulations.

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

NWIRP McGregor, describe the disposal alternatives, and evaluate the

environmental impacts associated with the various reuse alternatives.

The EIS will also serve as technical support for the National Historic

Preservation Act Section 106 consultation process. Environmental issues

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

wetland impacts, endangered species impacts, cultural resource impacts,

and socioeconomic impacts.

The Navy will hold a scoping meeting to solicit input on

significant issues that should be addressed in the EIS. The meeting

will be held on Tuesday, March 26, 1996, beginning at 7:00 P.M. at the

McGregor High School Auditorium, 903 South Johnston Drive, McGregor,

TX. Navy representatives will make a brief presentation, then members

of the public will 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 April 26, 1996, and should be mailed to Commanding

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

Box 190010, North Charleston, South Carolina 29419-9010 (Attn: Public

Affairs Office), telephone

[[Page 9153]]

(803) 820-5771. The scoping meeting will be conducted in English, and

requests for language interpreters or other special communications

needs should be made to Mr. Laurens Pitts at (803) 820-5893 before at

least one week prior. The Navy will make every reasonable effort to

accommodate these needs.

Dated: March 4, 1996.

M.D. Schetzsle,

LT, JAGC, USNR, Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 96-5388 Filed 3-6-96; 8:45 am]

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