Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Disposal of the Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant (VAAP) Chattanooga, Tennessee

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) for the Disposal of the Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant (VAAP)

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Pursuant to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy

Act

[[Page 58052]]

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

Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), as implemented by General

Services Administration (GSA) Order PBS P 1095.4C, GSA announces its

Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS for the proposed disposal of

the Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant. The proposed action includes the

disposal of all of real property associated with this government owned

facility. The property consists of about 6,500 acres of land including

buildings, industrial facilities and equipment, roadways, utilities,

specialized facilities, easements, rights of way, and natural

undeveloped land.

The EIS will address the potential impacts of two alternatives: the

Proposed Action (Disposal Alternative), and No-Action Alternative

(Continued Federal Ownership). The EIS will examine the short and long

term impacts to both natural environment and impacts to the surrounding

community. The Disposal Alternative will be further refined into a

series of alternative proposed land use scenarios. These will be

developed with the input from the local community through the scoping

process. As the scoping proceeds, land use and development scenarios

will be presented to the community for comment and will be addressed in

the Draft EIS. GSA will solicit community input throughout this

process, and will incorporate community comments into the decision

process.

After the scoping is completed, GSA will present potential land use

plans to the community in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for

comment. GSA will hold a Public Meeting during the Draft EIS 45-day

comment period to solicit comments from the community. Although this

schedule is tentative, GSA anticipates this will occur in April 1999.

After the Draft, GSA will issue a Final EIS. A decision on the Disposal

and land use development will not be made until 30 days after the

release of the Final EIS. GSA anticipates this decision will be

rendered by August 1999.

The EIS will seek to disclose the reasonable and foreseeable

impacts that will result from this proposed Disposal Alternative, as

well as the No Action Alternative, will seek to minimize these impacts

and mitigate them where practical. As part of the Public Scoping

process, GSA solicits comments in writing at the following address: Mr.

Phil Youngberg, Regional Environmental Officer, (4PT), General Services

Administration (GSA), 401 West Peachtree Street, NW, Suite 3010,

Atlanta, GA 30365, or FAX: Mr. Phil Youngberg at 404-331-4540. Comments

should be submitted in writing.

GSA will conduct a Public Scoping Meeting to solicit comments, and

to address general questions concerning the proposed action and NEPA.

The first Scoping Meeting will be held at Central High School on

Thursday November 19th at 6:30 PM. GSA will place a Public Notice of

this and all subsequent public meetings in the Chattanooga Free Press

approximately two weeks prior to the event. GSA will also notify

persons and organizations by direct mail.

Dated: October 21, 1998.

Phil Youngberg,

Regional Environmental Officer (4PT).

[FR Doc. 98-28991 Filed 10-28-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820-23-M