[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 147 (Tuesday, August 2, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-18775]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: August 2, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Finding of No Significant Impact (FNSI) and Environmental
Assessment for Realignment of Fort Jackson, SC
AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.
ACTION: Finding of no significant impact.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with procedures established by the Defense Base
Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (BRAC), the 1993 Defense Base
Closure and Realignment Commission recommended that the Chaplain Center
and School (CHCS) be relocated from Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, to Fort
Jackson, South Carolina. The proposed action is necessary to implement
this recommendation. Facility requirements of the CHCS include general
and applied instructional facilities, administrative and operations
area, historical property storage, and a library, as well as
Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, and Moslem chapels.
Realigning the CHCS and associated activities will involve
approximately 100 permanent party soldiers, 50 civilian employees, and
an average daily student load of 165. To accomplish the increased
mission at Fort Jackson, construction of a new CHCS administrative and
instructional facility will be required.
The construction of a 136-unit Unaccompanied Officers Quarters
(UOQ) is also included as part of this environmental assessment.
However, the UOQ is not a BRAC 93 project, neither is it a result of
the BRAC 93 realignment. The increase in unaccompanied officers due to
the BRAC 91 realignment of the Soldier Support Institute (SSI) to Fort
Jackson from Fort Benjamin Harrison has created a shortage of UOQ
spaces. The construction of a new UOQ facility at Fort Jackson would
reduce this deficit, requiring fewer unaccompanied officers to be
housed off base. The UOQ was added to the BRAC 91 construction program
after the Environmental Assessment prepared for the SSI was completed.
Alternatives Considered: Alternatives considered in the
Environmental Assessment (EA) include the following: the preferred
alternative, which is to construct a CHCS facility near the Soldier
Support Institute building currently under construction, and to
construct a 136-unit Unaccompanied Officers Personnel Housing facility,
which would provide housing for officer basic course student on
temporary duty attending the Adjutant General, Finance, and Recruiting
and Retention schools at the SSI; the No-Action Alternative; and
various siting alternatives at the installation for both the CHCS and
UOQ.
Feasibility criteria were based on such factors as operational
impacts, environmental constraints, future expansion capability, base
vehicular traffic flow, ease of accessibility from on and off post,
heating and air conditioning requirements, proximity to dining
facilities and billets, demolition requirements, and conduciveness to a
campus atmosphere. This latter criteria responds to a desire to have
academic training areas set apart from other military training
activities.
Factors Considered in Determining that No Environmental Impact
Statement is Required: Implementation of the proposed action would not
significantly alter baseline environmental conditions at Fort Jackson.
During construction there would be short-term increases in dust and
particulate levels associated with construction activities. Mitigation
measures are in place to minimize temporary impacts related to
construction.
Construction will have no significant impact on ground water or on
any wild and scenic rivers in South Carolina; however, it may have
short-term impacts on some surface waters. These impacts will be
negligible, since proper erosion and siltation control measures, as
well as building designs that minimize erosion and flooding potential,
will be utilized.
Combustion by-product emissions from construction equipment will be
a short-term impact. Long-term increases in non-commercial vehicular
emissions can be expected because of the additional personnel at Fort
Jackson. Projected traffic increases are minor relative to the number
of vehicles already on-post, and will not affect regional air quality
attainment status; therefore, this impact is not considered
significant.
The City of Columbia's water supply system and water treatment
system is easily capable of absorbing the very minor increase in water
usage and wastewater generation that will accompany the proposed
realignment. Therefore, this expected increase in water usage and sewer
discharge is not considered significant. Increased demand for
electricity and heating fuels is considered to be negligible.
After coordinating with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the
South Carolina Wildlife and Marine Resources Department, it was
determined that BRAC 93 activities have no negative impacts on
federally listed or proposed threatened and endangered species,
including the red-cockaded woodpecker population at Fort Jackson.
Coordination with the Charleston District U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
revealed that there are no jurisdictional wetlands that will be
impacted by construction of BRAC 93 CHCS facilities and the UOQ at Fort
Jackson. The proposed construction will not have any adverse affect on
any historic or cultural resources eligible for inclusion on the
National Register of Historic Places.
The realignment action will have a positive impact on Richland and
Lexington counties with respect to employment, population, business
volume, and personal income. However, these increases will not
significantly alter the socioeconomic characteristics of the Fort
Jackson region.
Conclusion: It has been determined that implementation of the
proposed action would not have significant individual or cumulative
impacts on the quality of the natural or human environment. Because
there would be no significant environmental impacts resulting from the
implementation of the proposed action, an Environmental Impact
Statement is not required and will not be prepared.
DATES: Comments must be received September 1, 1994.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to comment may obtain a copy of the EA or
inquire regarding this FNSI by writing to the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, ATTN: Mr. Richard Muller, Planning Division, 803 Front
Street, Norfolk, VA 23510-1096.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Questions regarding this FNSI may be directed to the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, ATTN: Mr. Richard Miller, at (804) 441-7767.
Dated: July 27, 1994.
Raymond J. Fatz,
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety and
Occupation Health) OASA (IL&E).
[FR Doc. 94-18775 Filed 8-1-94; 8:45 am]
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