Public Hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Transfer and Reuse of Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP), Bethpage, NY

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Public Hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement

(DEIS) for the Transfer and Reuse of Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve

Plant (NWIRP), Bethpage, NY

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy has prepared and filed with the

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a DEIS for the transfer and

reuse of NWIRP Bethpage, New York. A public hearing will be held for

the purpose of receiving oral and written comments on the DEIS.

Federal, state and local agencies, and interested individuals are

invited to be present or represented at the hearing.

DATES: The public hearing will be held on November 18, 1999, beginning

at 7:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Bethpage High School, Cherry

Street, Bethpage, New York.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Ostermueller (Code 202) at

Northern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 10 Industrial

Highway, Lester, Pennsylvania 19113, telephone (610) 595-0759,

facsimile (610) 595-0778).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the

Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508),

the Department of the Navy has prepared and filed with the EPA a DEIS

for the transfer and reuse of NWIRP Bethpage, New York. A Notice of

Intent for this DEIS was published in the Federal Register on March 8,

1999 and a public scoping meeting was held in Bethpage, New York, on

March 23, 1999.

The proposed action is the U.S. Navy's transfer of the NWIRP

Bethpage to the County of Nassau, New York. The transfer of NWIRP

Bethpage was authorized by the Department of Defense Authorization Act

for fiscal year 1998. The legislation authorizes the Secretary of the

Navy to convey NWIRP Bethpage to Nassau County, New York for economic

redevelopment purposes or such other public purposes. The NWIRP

Bethpage property consists of two non-contiguous land parcels

encompassing approximately 109.5 acres and an individual building

(Plant 5) located within the former 605-acre Northrop Grumman

manufacturing campus in the hamlet of Bethpage,

[[Page 58383]]

Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York. Currently, the property is

developed with manufacturing, light industrial, and administrative land

uses. In December 1998, Nassau County, through the Grumman Master

Planning Council, identified a Preferred Reuse Plan for NWIRP Bethpage,

described in Navy/Grumman Site Reuse Plan-Alternative Report. This plan

is presented as the preferred reuse alternative that, along with its

alternatives, is analyzed in the DEIS.

The DEIS evaluates three reuse alternatives. The Reuse Plan

Alternative (preferred alternative) proposes a mix of light industry

and office, with some warehousing on the 105-acre parcel and commercial

use on the 4.5-acre parcel. The Preferred Reuse Plan would result in an

estimated 5,410 full-time jobs. ``Reuse Alternative A'' comprises a mix

of light industry and warehousing with limited office use. ``Reuse

Alternative B would develop the properties entirely for office use. A

``No Action Alternative'' was also evaluated that assumes no disposal,

and therefore, retention of the property by the U.S. Navy in caretaker

status.

Potential impacts evaluated in the DEIS include, but are not

limited to: Land use, socioeconomics, community facilities,

transportation, air quality, noise, infrastructure, cultural resources,

natural resources, hazardous wastes and soils contamination. Analysis

includes the evaluation of direct, indirect, short-term, and cumulative

impacts; and irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources

associated with the proposed action. No decision on the proposed action

will be made until the NEPA process has been completed and a Record of

Decision is signed.

The DEIS has been distributed to various federal, state, and local

agencies, elected officials, and special interest groups and public

libraries. The DEIS is also available for public review at the Bethpage

Public Library located at 47 Powell Avenue, Bethpage, New York 11714.

Navy will conduct a public hearing to receive oral and written

comments concerning the DEIS. A brief presentation will precede a

request for public information and comments. Navy representatives will

be available at the hearing to receive information and comments from

agencies and the public regarding issues of concern. Federal, state,

and local agencies, and interested parties are invited and urged to be

present or represented at the hearing. Those who intend to speak will

be asked to submit a speaker card (available at the door). Oral

comments will be heard and transcribed by a stenographer. To ensure

accuracy of the record, all statements should also be submitted in

writing. All statements, both oral and written, will become part of the

public record in the study. Equal weight will be given to both oral and

written comments. In the interest of available time, each speaker will

be asked to limit oral comments to three minutes. Longer comments

should be summarized at the public hearing and submitted in writing

either at the hearing or mailed to: Commanding Officer, Northern

Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Code 202, 10 Industrial

Highway, Lester, Pennsylvania 19113, (Attn. Mr. Robert Ostermueller,

telephone (610) 595-0759, facsimile (610) 595-0778). Written comments

must be received not later than Monday, December 13, 1999.

Dated: October 26, 1999.

C.G. Carlson,

Major, U.S. Marine Corps, Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 99-28403 Filed 10-28-99; 8:45 am]

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