Notice of Availability for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Disposal and Reuse of Fort Chaffee, Arkansas

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Notice of Availability for the Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS) for the Disposal and Reuse of Fort Chaffee, Arkansas

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA) of 1969 and the President's Council on Environmental Quality,

the Army has prepared a DEIS for the disposal and reuse of Fort

Chaffee, Arkansas. The approved 1995 base closure and realignment

actions required by the Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (Pub.

L. 101-510), and subsequent actions in compliance with this law,

mandated the closure of Fort Chaffee. It is Department of Defense (DOD)

policy to dispose of property no longer needed by DOD.

[[Page 53646]]

Consequently, as a result of the mandated closure of Fort Chaffee, the

Army is disposing of excess property at Fort Chaffee.

DATES: The public comment period for the DEIS will end 45 days after

publication of the NOA in the Federal Register by the Environmental

Protection Agency (EPA).

ADDRESSES: Questions and/or written comments regarding the DEIS or a

request for a copy of the document may be directed to Mr. Jim Ellis at

the Little Rock District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (ATTN: CESWL-PL-

A), PO Box 867, Little Rock, AR 72203.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jim Ellis at (501) 325-5033 or

telefax at (501) 324-5605.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DEIS analyzes three disposal

alternatives: (1) The no action alternative, which entails maintaining

the property in caretaker status after closure; (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; and (3) the unencumbered disposal alternative, which

entails transferring the property to future owners with fewer or no

Army-imposed restrictions on the future use of the property. The

preferred action identified in this DEIS is encumbered disposal of

excess property at Fort Chaffee. Based upon the analysis contained in

the DEIS, encumbrances and deed restrictions associated with the Army's

disposal actions for Fort Chaffee will be mitigation measures.

Planning for the reuse of the property to be disposed of is a

secondary action resulting from closure. The local community

established the Fort Chaffee Redeveloping Authority (FCRA) to produce a

reuse development plan for the surplus property. The impacts of reuse

are evaluated in terms of land use intensities. This reuse analysis is

based upon implementing one of three reuse alternatives, all of which

are based upon the FCRA reuse plan. The Army has not selected one of

these three reuse alternatives as the preferred action. Selection of

the preferred reuse plan is a decision that will be made by the FCRA.

Copies of the DEIS have been forwarded to the EPA, other Federal,

state, and local agencies; public officials; and organizations and

individuals who previously provided substantive comments in the EIS

scoping process. Copies of the DEIS are available for review at the

following libraries: Arkansas River Valley Regional Library, 501 N.

Front Street, Dardenelle, Arkansas 72834; Charleston Public Library,

501 Main Street, Charleston, Arkansas 72933; Clarksville Public

Library, 2 Taylor Circle, Clarksville, Arkansas 72830; Franklin County

Library, 407 W. Market, Ozark, Arkansas 72949; Fort Smith Public

Library, 61 S. 8th Street, Fort Smith, Arkansas 72901; Gattis--Logan

County Library, 100 E. Academy, Paris, Arkansas 72855; Logan County

Library, 419 N. Kennedy Street, Booneville, Arkansas 72927; Sebastion

County Library, 18 North Adair, Greenwood, Arkansas 72936; Van Buren

Public Library, 111 N. 12th Street, Van Buren, Arkansas 72956; Yell

County Library, 901 Atlanta Street, Danville, Arkansas 72833; and

Little Rock District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 700 West Capitol,

Little Rock, Arkansas 72201.

A public meeting will be held during the 45-day DEIS comment

period, to afford the public the opportunity to provide oral and

written comments on the DEIS. The location and time of the meeting will

be announced in local newspaper at least 15 days prior to the meeting.

Verbal comments made at the public meeting and written comments

received during the comment period will be used in the preparation of

the FEIS and ROD.

Dated: September 30, 1998.

Raymond J. Fatz,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety and

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

[FR Doc. 98-26755 Filed 10-5-98; 8:45 am]

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