Notice of Public Hearings for a Draft Clean Air Act Conformity Determination and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Realignment of F/A-18 Aircraft and Operational Functions From Naval Air Station Cecil Field, Florida to Other East Coast Installations

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Public Hearings for a Draft Clean Air Act Conformity

Determination and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Realignment

of F/A-18 Aircraft and Operational Functions From Naval Air Station

Cecil Field, Florida to Other East Coast Installations

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

Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council on

Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), and the

Clean Air Act, General Conformity Rule (40 CFR Part 93), the Department

of the Navy has prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and

Draft Clean Air Act Conformity Determination to evaluate the

realignment of F/A-18 aircraft and operational functions from Naval Air

Station (NAS) Cecil Field, Florida to other Navy and Marine Corps air

stations on the east coast of the United States. In accordance with

these laws and regulations, this notice announces the dates and

locations of public hearings.

The realignment of F/A-18 aircraft and associated functions from

NAS Cecil Field is mandated by the Defense Base Closure and Realignment

Act (Pub. L. 101-510, title XXIX) in accordance with the

Congressionally approved recommendation of the 1995 Defense Base

Closure and Realignment Commission. The DEIS considers five

alternatives for realignment of 11 F/A-18 fleet squadrons (132

aircraft) and the fleet replacement squadron (FRS) (48 aircraft).

East coast installations that meet operational criteria and are

considered as possible receiving sites for F/A-18 aircraft includes NAS

Oceana, Virginia; Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, South

Carolina; and MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. The preferred

alternative is to single-site the F/A-18 aircraft at NAS Oceana, which

has the largest capacity to accommodate the aircraft. Other

alternatives that separate the F/A-18 aircraft between two of the bases

are considered. The level of new construction required at each base to

accommodate the aircraft is related to the number of aircraft to be

transferred under each alternative. Each alternative is assessed in the

DEIS with regard to its effects on the natural and built environments.

The DEIS has been distributed to various Federal, state, and local

agencies, as well as other interested individuals and organizations. In

addition, copies of the DEIS have been distributed to the following

libraries for public review: Virginia Beach Central Library, 4100

Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach, Virginia; Great Neck Library,

1251 Bayne Drive, Virginia Beach, Virginia; Chesapeake Central Library,

298 Cedar Road, Chesapeake, Virginia; Craven County Library, 300 Miller

Boulevard, Havelock, North Carolina; Beaufort County Library, 311 Scott

Street, Beaufort, South Carolina; Dare County Library, 700 North U.S.

64/264, Manteo, North Carolina; Pamlico County Library, 603 Main

Street, Bayboro, North Carolina; Ida Hilton Library, 1105 North Way,

Darien, Georgia. A limited number of single copies of the DEIS and

Draft CAA Conformity Determination are available upon request by

contacting Mr. Dan Cecchini at (757) 322-4891.

[[Page 51838]]

ADDRESSES: Public hearings will be held during the month of October for

those individuals who would like to provide oral comments on the DEIS

or the Draft CAA Conformity Determination. An open information session

will precede the scheduled public hearing at each of the locations

listed below and will allow individuals to review the data presented in

the DEIS. Navy representatives will be available during the information

session to answer questions and/or clarify information related to the

DEIS. The open information session is scheduled from 3:30 p.m. to 7:00

p.m., followed by the public hearing from 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Public hearings have been scheduled at the following times and

locations: Monday, October 20, 1997, Technical College of the Low

Country, Building 12, Main Auditorium, 921 Ribaut Road, Beaufort, South

Carolina; Tuesday, October 21, 1997, Havelock Middle School, 102 High

School Drive, Havelock, North Carolina; Wednesday, October 22, 1997,

Pamlico County Courthouse, 202 Main Street, Bayboro, North Carolina;

Thursday, October 23, 1997, North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island,

Airport Road, Manteo, North Carolina; Monday, October 27, 1997,

Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center Auditorium, 1000 19th Street,

Virginia Beach, Virginia; Tuesday, October 28, 1997, Butts Road

Intermediate School, 1571 Mt. Pleasant Road, Chesapeake, Virginia.

Federal, state and local agencies and interested parties are

invited and urged to be present or represented at the hearing. Oral

statements will be heard and transcribed by a stenographer; however, to

ensure the accuracy of the record, all statements should be submitted

in writing. All statements, both oral and written, will become part of

the public record on the DEIS and Draft CAA Conformity Determination

and will be responded to in the Final Environmental Impact Statement

(FEIS). Equal weight will be given to both oral and written statements.

In the interest of available time and to ensure all who wish to

give an oral statement have the opportunity to do so, each speaker will

be asked to limit comments to three (3) minutes. If a longer statement

is to be presented, it should be summarized at the public hearing and

submitted in writing either at the hearing or mailed or faxed to Mr.

Dan Cecchini at: Commander, Atlantic Division, Naval Facilities

Engineering Command, Attn: Mr. J. Dan Cecchini (Code 2032DC), 1510

Gilbert Street, Norfolk, Virginia 23511; Fax: (757) 322-4894. All

written comments postmarked by November 18, 1997, will become a part of

the official public record and will be responded to in the FEIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information concerning this

notice may be obtained by contacting Mr. Cecchini or one of the

following individuals: Mr. Fred Pierson, Community Planning Liaison

Officer, NAS Oceana, (757) 433-3158; LtCol Blackiston, Community

Planning Liaison Officer, MCAS Cherry Point, (919) 466-4196; LtCol

Keverline, Community Planning Liaison Officer, MCAS Beaufort, (803)

522-7390, or Capt Mason, Public Affairs Officer, MCAS Beaufort, (803)

522-7201.

Dated: September 29, 1997.

Darse E. Crandall,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 97-26211 Filed 10-2-97; 8:45 am]

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