Public Hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Development of Facilities to Support Basing U.S. Pacific Fleet F/A-18E/F Aircraft on the West Coast of the United States

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Public Hearings for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(DEIS) for Development of Facilities to Support Basing U.S. Pacific

Fleet F/A-18E/F Aircraft on the West Coast of the United States

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Announcement of public hearings.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy has prepared and filed with the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS) for development of facilities to support basing U.S.

Pacific Fleet F/A-18E/F aircraft on the West Coast of the United

States. Two public hearings will be held for the purpose to receive

oral and written comment on the DEIS. Federal, state and local

agencies, and interested individuals are invited to be present or

represented at the hearing.

DATES: Hearing dates are as follows:

1. January 7, 1998, 7:00 p.m., Lemoore, CA.

2. January 8, 1998, 7:00 p.m., El Centro, CA.

ADDRESSES: Hearing locations are:

1. Lemoore--Lemoore City Council Chamber, 429 C Street, Lemoore,

California.

2. El Centro--Imperial County Board of Supervisors Chambers, 940

West Main Street, El Centro, California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Surinder Sikand, (650) 244-3020.

SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental

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

procedural provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, the

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

Environmental Protection Agency a Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(DEIS) for development of facilities to support basing U.S. Pacific

Fleet F/A-18E/F aircraft on the West Coast of the United States.

A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the DEIS was published in the

Federal Register on 7 April 1997 (62 FR 16563). Public scoping meetings

for the proposed project were held on Monday, April 28, 1997, at the

Lemoore High School Cafeteria, Lemoore, California; on Tuesday, April

29, 1997, at the Imperial County Board of Supervisors Office, El

Centro, California; and on Wednesday, April 30, 1997, in the

Bougainvillea Room, Orchid Professional Building, Camarillo,

California.

The proposed action includes siting 164 F/A-18E/F aircraft,

locating associated military personnel and family members, and

providing associated training functions at the receiving installation.

The two installations considered in detail for the West Coast base are

Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore and Naval Air Facility (NAF) El Centro.

NAS Lemoore is the preferred alternative evaluated in the

[[Page 66066]]

EIS. For NAS Lemoore, where F/A-18C/D strike fighter squadrons are

currently based, the proposed action would result in an increase of 92

aircraft because 72 of the 164 aircraft would replace existing F/A-18

aircraft. Basing the aircraft at NAF El Centro, which does not have

existing strike fighter squadrons, would result in an increase of 164

aircraft at the installation.

The DEIS analyzes potential environmental impacts to land use and

airspace, visual resources, socioeconomics, cultural resources, traffic

and circulation, air quality, noise, biological resources, water

resources, utilities and services, public health and safety, and

hazardous materials and waste. Potentially significant, but mitigable,

environmental impacts include impacts to land use and airspace and

biological resources at NAF El Centro, schools (socioeconomics) at NAS

Lemoore, and traffic, air quality, and hazardous materials and storage

at both installations. Significant, and not mitigable, impacts related

to noise have been identified at NAF El Centro.

No decision on the proposed action will be made until the National

Environmental Policy Act process has been completed.

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

agencies, local groups, elected official, special interest groups, and

individuals. The DEIS is also available for review at the following

public libraries: Lemoore, Hanford, Fresno, Avenol, El Centro, and

Brawely.

The 2 public hearings will be held for the purpose to receive oral

and written comment on the DEIS. The first hearing will be held on

Wednesday, January 7, 1998, at 7:00 p.m., at the Lemoore City Council

Chamber, 429 C Street, Lemoore, California. The second hearing will be

held on Thursday, January 8, 1998, at 7:00 p.m., at the Imperial County

Board of Supervisors Chambers, 940 West Main Street, El Centro,

California. Federal, state and local agencies, and interested

individuals are invited to be present or represented at the hearing.

Oral comments will be heard and transcribed by a court recorder. To

assure accuracy of the record, all comments should be submitted in

writing. All comments, both oral and written, will become part of the

public record in the study. In the interest of available time, each

speaker will be asked to limit oral comments to three minutes. Longer

comments should be summarized at the public hearing and submitted in

writing either at the hearing or mailed to Mr. Surinder Sikand (Code

70311), Engineering Field Activity West, Naval Facilities Engineering

Command, 900 Commodore Drive, San Bruno, California 94066, FAX (650)

244-3206. Written comments are requested not later than January 26,

1998.

Electronic Filing Address--comments and data may be submitted by

electronic mail (e-mail) to: [email protected].

Dated: December 12, 1997.

Michael I. Quinn,

Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy,

Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 97-32939 Filed 12-16-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P