Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Disposal and Reuse of Land and Facilities at Naval Air Station Barbers Point, Hawaii

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

the Proposed Disposal and Reuse of Land and Facilities at Naval Air

Station Barbers Point, Hawaii

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

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

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

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

for the proposed disposal and reuse of land and facilities at Naval Air

Station (NAS) Barbers Point, Hawaii. The Navy is the lead agency for

the NEPA documentation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation,

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the cooperating agency. The

EIS will be prepared in compliance with the 1993 Base Realignment and

Closure (BRAC) directive from Congress to close NAS Barbers Point. The

property will be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of the

Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act (Public Law 101-510) of 1990

as amended, and applicable federal property disposal regulations. NAS

Barbers Point will close in July 1999.

The proposed action is the disposal of approximately 2,100 acres of

property on NAS Barbers Point. The EIS will address long-term plans for

reuse of this property. Potential long-term reuse alternatives have

been identified by the Local Reuse Authority (LRA), i.e., the State of

Hawaii, through a planning process carried out by the NAS Barbers Point

Redevelopment Commission. The reuse plan was approved by the Governor

of Hawaii on January 23, 1997.

Excluded from consideration in this EIS are the areas being

retained by the Navy, Coast Guard, National Guard, and the Federal

Aviation Administration. The Navy is retaining family housing and

support facilities, the commissary, the Public Works Center compound,

the biosolids treatment and disposal facility, the golf course, and

portion of the beach recreation areas.

The EIS will analyze potentially significant impacts of the LRA's

reuse plan and reasonable alternatives. The LRA's reuse plan features a

general reliever airport with a crosswind runway and large areas

devoted to park and recreation use. Sites are provided to the

Department of Hawaii Home Lands for residential, commercial, and

industrial uses. Commercial activities would include a raceway complex,

marine park, and festival center. Lands are also set aside to

accommodate homeless providers. Various infrastructure improvements

would be required to support the redevelopment, including roadways,

water distribution, sanitary sewer, storm drainage, telephone, and

electrical systems.

During its planning process, the LRA considered numerous scenarios

and narrowed them down to three options: two with a general reliever

airport and one without an airport. The basic difference between the

two airport scenarios is size. The ``maximum airport'' alternative has

a cross-runway configuration on more than 800 acres, while the

``minimum airport'' scenario calls for a single runway airport on

approximately 550 acres. The no airport scenario designates the

majority of land (more than 1,000 acres) to park and recreation use.

The ``no action'' alternative assumes no reuse improvements and

continued closure of the lands to the public.

Environmental issues to be addressed will include, but not be

limited to, land use conflicts and constraints such as noise, air

quality, traffic, aviation operations, potentially contaminated sites,

functional compatibility of operations, potential impacts of

redevelopment on cultural and natural resources, adequacy of

infrastructure and public services, and socioeconomic impacts. Direct,

indirect, and cumulative impacts will be analyzed. Mitigation measures

will be developed as required.

ADDRESSES: The Navy will initiate a scoping process to identify

potentially significant issues to be studied in the EIS, and to

identify and notify interested and affected parties relative to this

action. Two public scoping meetings will be held, one on Wednesday,

April 16, 1997 at Washington Intermediate School Cafeteria, 1633 South

King Street, Honolulu, HI 96826; and a second on Thursday, April 17,

1997 at the Lauhala Room, Paradise West Club, NAS Barbers Point. Both

meetings will start at 7:00 pm. Each meeting will open with a short

presentation on the purpose of the action and the alternatives to be

evaluated, followed by a period for public comment. It is important

that interested agencies, individuals, and organizations take this

opportunity to clearly describe specific issues or topics that the EIS

should address. To allow time for all views to be shared, each speaker

will be limited to three minutes. Written statements may also be

submitted at the meetings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Written statements and/or questions

regarding the scoping process should be mailed no later than Wednesday,

April 30, 1997 to Mr. Fred Minato (Code 231), Pacific Division, Naval

Facilities Engineering Command, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-7300, telephone

(808) 471-9338; fax (808) 474-4890.

Dated: March 20, 1997.

D.E. Koenig,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 97-7614 Filed 3-25-97; 8:45 am]

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