Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for The Proposed Disposal and Reuse of Naval Air Station South Weymouth, Massachusetts

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for

The Proposed Disposal and Reuse of Naval Air Station South Weymouth,

Massachusetts

SUMMARY: Pursuant to Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40

CFR Parts 1500-1508), implementing procedural provisions of the

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Department of the Navy

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

for the proposed disposal and reuse of Naval Air Station (NAS) South

Weymouth, Massachusetts.

In 1995, President Clinton and Congress accepted the

recommendations of the Congressional Committee on Base Realignment and

Closure (BRAC) to close NAS South Weymouth, Massachusetts. The proposed

action to be considered and evaluated in the EIS is the disposal and

reuse of the NAS South Weymouth property determined surplus to the

needs of the federal government.

NAS South Weymouth, located in both Plymouth and Norfolk counties

in Massachusetts, consists of approximately 1417 acres. It is situated

in the three communities of Weymouth, Rockland, and Abington. A family

housing area and a ten-acre parcel on the main base have been

transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard. The remainder of NAS South

Weymouth main base property will be available for redevelopment by the

local communities.

Two off-base family housing areas are located in the city of

Quincy. The disposal and reuse of these sites will be addressed in a

separate environmental document. In addition, NAS South Weymouth owns

and maintains a bombing target range on No Man's Island located

approximately three miles from Martha's Vinyard in the Atlantic Ocean.

No Man's Island will be transferred to the Department of the Interior

for continued use as a natural wildlife area.

The NAS South Weymouth Reuse Committee acting as the Local

Redevelopment Authority (LRA) has prepared a reuse plan for the NAS

property. The plan represents a reasonable and likely redevelopment

scenario based on the proposed zoning of the site. The EIS will

evaluate environmental impacts or reuse, as well as of other reasonable

possible redevelopment scenarios under current or other zoning

classifications. Navy will also evaluate the no action alternative,

defined as the retention of NAS South Weymouth by the federal

government. 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.

ADDRESSES: The Navy will hold a public meeting to further identify the

scope of issues to be addressed in the EIS. The meeting will be co-

chaired by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection,

which is a cooperating agency in the preparation of the EIS. The

meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 29, 1997, beginning at 7:30

p.m., at Hangar 1, NAS South Weymouth. Navy representatives will make a

brief presentation, then members of the public will be asked to provide

their comments. Agencies and the public are encouraged to provide

written comments in addition to, 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 May 15, 1997, and should be mailed to

Commanding Officer, Northern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering

Command, Attn. Mr. Kurt Frederick (Code 202KF), 10 Industrial Highway,

MSC 82, Lester, PA 19113. All statements, both oral and written, will

become part of the public record on this action and will be given equal

consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information concerning this

notice may be obtained by contacting Mr. Kurt Frederick at (610) 595-

0728, facsimile (610) 595-0778.

Dated: April 9, 1997.

D.E. Koenig,

LCDR, JAGC, USN, Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 97-9537 Filed 4-11-97; 8:45 am]

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