Release of the Notice of Availability on the Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) on the Disposal and Reuse of Fort Ritchie, Maryland

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Release of the Notice of Availability on the Final Environmental

Impact Statement (Final EIS) on the Disposal and Reuse of Fort Ritchie,

Maryland

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The proposed action evaluated by this Final EIS is the

disposal of Fort Ritchie, Maryland, in accordance with the Defense Base

Closure and Realignment Act of 1990, Public Law 101-510.

[[Page 28375]]

The EIS analyzes the environmental consequences of the disposal and

subsequent reuse of the 638 acres comprising Fort Ritchie. Two disposal

alternatives were analyzed: (1) The No Action Alternative, which

entails maintaining the property in caretaker status after closure; and

(2) the Encumbered Disposal Alternative, which entails transferring the

property to future owners with Army-imposed limitations, or

encumbrances, on the future use of the property. Additionally, the

Final EIS analyses the potential environmental and socioeconomic

consequences of three reuse alternatives: (1) Low Intensity Reuse

Alternative; (2) Low-Medium Intensity Reuse Alternative; and (3) Medium

Intensity Reuse Alternative. Disposal alternatives were developed by

the Army. Reuse alternatives were developed by the Fort Ritchie Local

Redevelopment Authority. The resources areas evaluated for potential

impacts by the proposed action (disposal) and the secondary action

(reuse) include: Land Use; Climate; Air Quality; Noise; Geology, Soils,

and Topography; Water Resources; Infrastructure; Hazardous and Toxic

Substances; Biological Resources and Ecosystems; Cultural Resources;

Legacy Resources; Sociological Environment; Economic Development;

Quality of Life; Installation Agreement, and Permits and Regulatory

Authorizations. The Army's preferred alternative for disposal of Fort

Ritchie is disposal with encumbered title on all Fort Ritchie property

transfers. An encumbrance is any Army-imposed or legal constraint on

the future use or development of the property. Encumbrances support

future Army interests, regulatory and statutory compliance, promote

continued protection of sensitive resources to foster environmentally

sustainable redevelopment, hasten availability of property, or provide

mitigation requirements. Encumbrances determined relevant in the EIS to

disposal of Fort Ritchie relate to wetlands, historical resources,

threatened and endangered species, utilities easements, easements and

rights-of-way, access easements, utility interdependencies, remedial

activities, and lead-based paint. Property will be remediated as

appropriate and retained in caretaker status until transfer by

encumbered title.

The Army proposes to make the 638 acres available for conveyance

to, and subsequent reuse by, the Fort Ritchie Local Redevelopment

Authority (LRA).

COPIES: Comments received on the Draft EIS have been considered and

responses included in a document dated January 1998. This document,

together with the Draft EIS dated July 1997, constitute the Final EIS.

Copies of the January 1998 document, along with the July 1997 Draft

EIS, will be available for review at the following locations: Adams

County Library, Gettysburg, PA; Alexander Hamilton Library, Waynesboro,

PA; Blue Ridge Summit Library, Blue Ridge Summit, PA; C. Burr Artz

Central Library, Frederick, MD; Robert F. Barrick Library, Fort

Ritichie, MD; and the Washington County Free Library, Hagerstown, MD.

DATES: Written pubic comments and suggestions received within 30 days

of the publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's Notice of

Availability for this action will be considered by the Army during

final decision making.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the January 1998 document and the July 1997 Draft

EIS, together which constitute the Final Impact Statement, may be

obtained from, and comments provided to, the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers, ATTN: Mr. Clifford Kidd (CENAB-PL-EM), Baltimore District,

P.O. Box 1715, Baltimore, Maryland 21203-1715, or by calling direct to

(410) 962-3100.

Dated: May 14, 1998.

Raymond J. Fatz,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety and

Occupational Health) OASA (I,L&E).

[FR Doc. 98-13722 Filed 5-21-98; 8:45 am]

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