Notice of Intent To Re-Open Scoping Process for the Draft 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 Re-Open Scoping Process for the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Disposal and Reuse of

Naval Air Station South Weymouth, Massachusetts

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy announces the intent to re-open the

Scoping process for the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact

Statement (DEIS) for the proposed disposal and reuse of Naval Air

Station (NAS) South Weymouth, Massachusetts. A second scoping workshop

will be held to receive oral and written comments to identify

potentially significant issues for study in the DEIS and to notify

parties interested in and affected by the property transfer and reuse.

Federal, state, and local agencies, and interested individuals are

invited to be present or represented at the workshop.

DATES: The Navy will hold a second public meeting to further identify

the scope of issues to be addressed in the DEIS in light of the revised

Reuse Plan. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, December 9, 1998,

beginning at 7:00 p.m., at the Abigail Adams Intermediate School,

Middle Street, Weymouth, Massachusetts.

ADDRESSES: 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

Jan 15, 1999, and should be mailed to Commanding Officer, Northern

Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Attn: Mr. Robert

Ostermueller (Code 202), 10 Industrial Highway, MS 82, Lester,

Pennsylvania 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. Robert Ostermueller (Code

202), Northern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 10

Industrial Highway, MSC 82, Lester, Pennsylvania 19113, telephone (610)

595-0759, facsimile (610) 595-0778.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 intention to prepare a DEIS for the proposed

disposal and reuse of NAS South Weymouth, Massachusetts.

In December 1995, the Congressional Committee on Base Realignment

and Closure (BRAC) recommended the closure of NAS South Weymouth and

its subsequent relocation to NAS Brunswick, Maine. This recommendation

was approved by President Clinton and accepted by the One Hundred Fifth

Congress in 1995. The BRAC legislation also identified the requirements

for compliance with NEPA, stating that the provisions of NEPA shall

apply during the process of property disposal. Accordingly, the Navy

initiated the process to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement

(EIS) to evaluate the environmental effects of the disposal and likely

reuse of this property with the publication of a Notice of Intent (NOI)

to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register on April 14, 1997. A public

scoping workshop was held at the NAS South Weymouth Officers Club on

April 29, 1997.

The proposed action that was to be considered and evaluated in the

DEIS was the Reuse Plan prepared by the NAS South Weymouth Reuse

Committee acting as the Local Reuse Authority (LRA). Subsequent to this

scoping process, the LRA informed the Navy that it was revising the

Reuse Plan and requested that the EIS process be deferred until the

revised Reuse Plan was submitted. The recently submitted revised Reuse

Plan represents a reasonable and likely redevelopment scenario based on

the proposed zoning of the site including the development of a mall and

other facilities providing approximately 2.1 million square feet of

retail space. The Draft EIS will evaluate environmental impacts of the

revised Reuse Plan as well as of reasonable possible redevelopment

scenarios. Navy will also evaluate the no action alternative, defined

as the retention of NAS South Weymouth by the federal government.

Based on an evaluation conducted and accepted by the State Historic

Preservation officer in 1990, none of the NAS buildings or structures

are eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. A

re-evaluation of these buildings and structures, particularly with

regard to Cold War significance, will be conducted as part of the EIS

process.

Dated: November 5, 1998.

Ralph W. Corey,

Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register

Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 98-30118 Filed 11-9-98; 8:45 am]

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