Notice of Public Hearing and Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Disposal and Reuse of Naval Air Station (NAS) Agana, Guam

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy

Notice of Public Hearing and Availability of the Draft

Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Disposal and Reuse of Naval

Air Station (NAS) Agana, Guam

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 a DEIS for disposal and reuse of

NAS Agana, Guam. A public hearing will be held for the purpose of

receiving oral and written comments on the DEIS. Federal, Government of

Guam agencies, and interested individuals are invited to be present at

the hearing.

DATES: The meeting will be held on May 13, 1999, at 7:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: San Vicente/San Roke Catholic Church, 229 San Roke Street,

Barrigada, Guam 96913.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Bigay (PLN231JB), Pacific

Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 258 Makalapa Drive,

Suite 100, Pearl Harbor, HI 96860-3134, telephone (808) 471-9338,

facsimile (808) 474-5909.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the

National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by the

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

the Department of the Navy (Navy) and its cooperating agency, the

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), have prepared and filed with the

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

Reuse of NAS Agana, Guam. A public hearing will be held for the purpose

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

Government of Guam agencies, as well as interested individuals and

organizations are invited to be present or represented at the hearing.

A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the DEIS was published in the

Federal Register on January 22, 1996 (61 FR 14). A public scoping

meeting announcement was published on January 9, 10, and 11, 1996 in

the Pacific Daily News on Guam. Two public scoping meetings were held

on January 24, 1996 at the Governor of Guam Cabinet Conference Room,

Executive Building, Adelup, Guam. The proposed action is the disposal

of surplus Navy property for subsequent reuse and redevelopment, in

accordance with the 1990 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act, and

the 1993 Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommendations. 1,933

acres (782.9 hectares) have been declared surplus and are the focus of

this DEIS. NAS Agana, now known as Tiyan, was operationally closed on

March 31, 1995. Approximately 6.6 acres (2.7 hectares) of the total

2,031.6 acres (822.2 hectares) of land at NAS Agana are being

transferred to other federal agencies. The former officer housing site

consisting of 92 acres (37.3 hectares) was not included in the 1993

base closure for NAS Agana, however it was later included as part of a

1995 base closure action and is proposed for disposal under a separate

disposal action.

The DEIS evaluates four reuse alternatives, each emphasizing

various types of development, e.g., commercial, industrial, open space/

recreation, etc. All four reuse alternatives incorporate a master plan

for expansion of the A. B. Won Pat Guam International Airport, which

occupies most of the station. The reuse alternatives also include

roadway improvements, provision of a site for use by the homeless, and

transfer of easements to the Guam International Airport Authority. A

fifth alternative, no action, assumes no disposal of property and

retention of the station by Navy in caretaker status. Under the No

Action alternative, civilian airport operations would continue under a

joint use agreement, but there would be no airport expansion and no

onsite roadway improvements. Current leases of other property on the

station to the Government of Guam would continue until their

expiration.

The base reuse plan recommended by the Komitea Para Tiyan, a

committee appointed by the Local Redevelopment Authority, was approved

by the Governor of Guam. It includes the preferred reuse alternative of

the Government of Guam and Navy. This plan consists of the following

major elements: airport expansion including runway and taxiway

extensions with an additional full-length parallel taxiway, and

development of cargo, maintenance, and other facilities; onsite

roadways to provide access to new developments and improve regional

circulation; and redevelopment of land not used for airport operations

that emphasizes

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commercial and industrial uses. No decision on the proposed action will

be made until the NEPA process has been completed. Potential impacts

evaluated in the DEIS include, but are not limited to: water quality;

terrestrial biota and habitats; aircraft noise; land use compatibility;

traffic, infrastructure; air quality; socioeconomics; public health and

safety; cultural resources; and environmental contamination. With two

exceptions, all potentially significant impacts under all of the reuse

alternatives can be mitigated to nonsignificant levels. Potentially

significant but mitigable impacts include: future aircraft noise

impacts on certain residential areas; inadequate infrastructure to

support redevelopment; possible future impacts due to aircraft

emissions; increase in demand for police and fire protection; and

effects on an archaeological site eligible for listing on the National

Register of Historic Places. The two exceptions are aircraft noise

impacts on proposed housing in reuse areas north of the airport under

one alternative (not the preferred alternative) and traffic impacts at

two key intersections. For the noise impacts, no mitigation is

available except to revise the land use plan. Predicted traffic volumes

at the two intersections would exceed capacity even with mitigation.

The DEIS has been distributed to affected federal and Government of

Guam agencies and other interested parties. In addition, copies of the

DEIS are available for review at the Guam Public Library branches in

the communities of Agana, Barrigada and Dededo.

A public hearing will be held to inform the public of the DEIS

findings and to solicit and receive oral and written comments. The

hearing will be held at 7:00 p.m. on May 13, 1999, at San Vicente/San

Roke Catholic Church Social Hall, 229 San Roke Street, Barrigada, Guam.

Government agencies and interested parties are invited to be present at

the hearing. Oral comments will be heard and transcribed by a court

recorder; written comments are also requested to ensure accuracy of the

record. All comments, both oral and written, will become part of the

official record. 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 Mr. John Bigay at the address given

above. Written comments are requested not later than May 24, 1999.

Dated: April 19, 1999.

Ralph W. Corey,

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

Liaison Officer.

[FR Doc. 99-9891 Filed 4-19-99; 8:45 am]

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