[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 245 (Monday, December 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66850-66852]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-33349]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Public Hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact; Statement/
Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/EIR) for the Disposal of the Long 
Beach Naval Station (NAVSTA) and the Long Beach Naval Shipyard (NSY)

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Announcement of public hearing.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy and the City of Long Beach have 
prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (DEIS/
EIR) for the disposal of NAVSTA and NSY and the subsequent reuse of 
those properties and other adjacent properties. A public hearing will 
be held for the purpose to receive oral and written comments on the 
DEIS/EIR. Federal, state and local agencies, and interested individuals 
are invited to be present or represented at the hearing.

DATES: Hearing date is as follows:
    1. January 14, 1998, 7:00 p.m., Long Beach, CA.

ADDRESSES: Hearing location is:
    1. Long Beach--the City of Long Beach Council Chambers, 333 West 
Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Melanie Ault, (619) 532-4744.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental 
Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) implementing the 
procedural provisions of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), 
California Public Resources Code 21000 et seq., and 14 California Code 
of Regulation 15000 et seq., implementing the procedural provisions of 
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Department of the 
Navy and the City of Long Beach have prepared and filed with the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency a DEIS/EIR for the disposal of NAVSTA 
and NSY and the subsequent reuse of those properties and other adjacent 
properties. The DEIS/EIR has also been prepared in accordance with the 
Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (DBCRA) (10 U.S.C. 
2687 note) and the recommendations of the Defense Base Closure and 
Realignment Commission approved by the President and accepted by 
Congress in 1991 and 1995.
    The purpose of the proposed federal action is to dispose of NAVSTA 
and NSY for reuse in accordance with DBCRA established procedures for 
closing and realigning military installations. The portion of NAVSTA 
addressed in this action includes the main station, the Navy Mole, and 
Site 6A-LB. The Navy Fuel Depot, located on the Navy Mole, was not 
declared to be surplus to the needs of the federal government and will 
remain the property of the Navy. Of the 250 acres NSY site, 84 acres 
are subject to reversion under the terms of the final judgment in 
United States of America v. 1039 Acres of Land etc. et. al. The Navy 
has no discretion regarding the reversion of this property. There are 
also 602 acres of submerged land that will revert to the City under the 
terms of that judgment. The remaining land at NSY will be disposed of 
by the Navy under

[[Page 66851]]

BRAC and federal property transfer laws. Therefore, the federal action 
is the disposal of a total of 454 acres.
    The purpose and need for the proposed local action is to reuse Navy 
property (NAVSTA and NSY) in order to offset the negative socioeconomic 
effects caused by the base closures. A high priority of reuse of the 
Navy property is job creation and economic redevelopment in accordance 
with President Clinton's Five Point Program and Governor Wilson's 
Executive Order W-81-94. The City of Long Beach, as the Local 
Redevelopment Authority (LRA), proposes to reuse the NAVSTA and NSY 
property to meet the projected demand for marine terminal expansion and 
to satisfy the need for new police facilities. In order to meet these 
needs, the LRA expanded its plan to include 89 acres of Port of Long 
Beach (POLB) lands adjacent to the Navy property. A ten-acre parcel 
(included within the 89 acres) north of Ocean Boulevard, which is owned 
by POLB, was added to the project in response to comments received on 
another EIR which addressed the POLB Pier T. The term Long Beach 
Complex (LBC) will be used to define the Navy property and the 
surrounding Port of Long Beach properties in the DEIS/EIR. Therefore, 
the local action includes 1,229 acres of property and submerged lands.
    Under NEPA and DBCRA, the Navy has two disposal options for the 454 
acres: no action, or disposal of the non-reversionary Navy properties.
    Under the No Action Alternative, the Navy would retain ownership of 
the 454 acres of nonreversionary federal property, while current use of 
the adjacent POLB would continue. The Navy properties have been closed, 
all mission-related activities have ceased, and all buildings are 
vacant. This caretaker condition would remain indefinitely under the No 
Action Alternative. Site environmental cleanup would continue until 
completed. The existing lease of the property on the Navy Mole to POLB 
would remain through its term. The 84 acres on NSY and the 602 acres of 
submerged land reverting to the City of Long Beach could be 
transferred, but it is assumed that existing uses would remain 
unchanged.
    Federal disposal would precede implementation of the reuse 
alternatives. Three reuse alternatives are evaluated in detail in the 
DEIS/EIR:

--LRA Reuse Alternative;
--Auto Terminal Alternative; and
--Institutional Campus Alternative.

A brief summary of the three reuse alternatives is presented below.
    The LRA Reuse Alternative would include development of marine 
container terminal facilities, including container staging areas; 
loading and unloading facilities; trucking facilities; on-dock railyard 
and tracks, administration and maintenance facilities; access roadway 
and entry gates; and other related facilities on NAVSTA and portions of 
NSY. A ship repair and/or breaking facility of approximately 18 acres 
would be centered around and include Drydock 1. Vessels would be staged 
along the west side of Navy Pier E. This component would primarily use 
existing facilities and structures within the designated area. The Navy 
Pier E area would be used for development of a mixture of marine cargo 
facilities, including a deepwater liquid bulk terminal on the southern 
end of POLB Pier T, reconfiguration of existing lumber and scrap metal 
terminals, relocation of the City of Long Beach police headquarters and 
training academy to the former NSY Building 300, relocation and 
consolidation of oil operations on Port of Long Beach Pier T, and 
reconstruction of roadways and utilities to serve the facilities. The 
southern one-half of the Navy Mole (excluding the Fuel Depot) would be 
used for the development of a neobulk/breakbulk terminal, facilities 
for ancillary and water-dependent uses, and Sea Launch, a satellite 
assembly and transfer facility. The police headquarters component may 
require a public subsidy. This alternative would require demolition of 
the Roosevelt Base Historic District, an historic resource eligible for 
listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
    The Auto Terminal Alternative would retain the majority of the 
Historic District, which would provide facilities for an auto terminal 
operator, port terminal operators, and a naval museum, which may 
require public subsidy. The remainder of LBC would support the same 
uses as the LRA Reuse Alternative, including marine container terminal 
facilities, intermodal rail facilities, neobulk/breakbulk facilities, 
ship repair facility, a liquid bulk facility, and port ancillary uses 
as described above. The auto terminal would use roll-on/roll-off (Ro/
Ro) transfer of wheeled cargos such as automobiles and light trucks. 
Access to the auto terminal, port terminal facilities, and museum would 
be provided by a proposed grade-separated crossing from Reeves Avenue. 
This would provide uninterrupted access to the site over the proposed 
intermodal rail operations.
    The Institutional Campus Alternative would include a police academy 
and police administrative offices, POLB administration, fire 
department, and naval museum within the Historic District. Unlike the 
other reuse alternatives, all of the Historic District recreational 
facilities would be retained in a campus setting under this 
alternative. A public subsidy may be required to support this 
component. The remainder of LBC would include marine container terminal 
facilities, intermodal rail facilities, neobulk/breakbulk facilities, a 
91-acre ship repair facility, a liquid bulk facility, and port 
ancillary uses. This alternative would consolidate several of the 
existing City of Long Beach Police Department functions, which are 
currently being performed at several different locations throughout the 
City, into the Historic District buildings. Similar to the Auto 
Terminal Alternative, access to the proposed institutional uses would 
be provided via a grade-separated crossing from Reeves Avenue.
    In accordance with NEPA requirements, a Notice of Intent (NOI) to 
prepare a joint EIS/EIR and to reopen scoping for the disposal and 
reuse of NAVSTA and NSY was published in the Federal Register on July 
21, 1997. On July 18, 1997, the NOI was mailed directly to regulatory 
agencies, local jurisdictions, elected officials, public service 
providers, organizations, and special interest members of the public. 
In accordance with requirements under CEQA, a Notice of Preparation 
(NOP) to prepare a joint EIS/EIR and to reopen scoping for the disposal 
and reuse of NAVSTA and NSY was distributed on July 18, 1997, to 
regulatory agencies, local jurisdictions, elected officials, and public 
service providers, among others.
    As part of the EIS/EIR scoping process, the Navy and the City held 
a public scoping meeting on August 20, 1997, in the City of Long Beach 
Council Chambers. The meeting was advertised in the Long Beach Press 
Telegram on August 4, 11, and 18, 1997, as well as in the Federal 
Register.
    This DEIS/EIR analyzes potential environmental impacts relating to 
land use; socioeconomics; utilities; historic and archaeological 
resources; aesthetics; biological resources; topography, soils, and 
geology; hydrology and water quality; hazardous materials and 
environmental contamination; public health and safety; traffic and 
transportation; air quality; and noise. Potentially significant and 
mitigable environmental impacts include impacts to land use; biological 
resources; and noise. Potentially significant and not mitigable impacts 
are related to disturbance and/or demolition of the Historic District 
and public health and

[[Page 66852]]

safety impacts from potential increase for oil spills and risks posed 
from the liquid bulk facilities explosion hazard arcs. Remediation of 
contaminated areas will continue to be the responsibility of the Navy.
    No decision on the proposed action will be made until the NEPA and 
CEQA processes have been completed.
    The DEIS/EIR has been distributed to various federal, state, and 
local agencies, local groups, elected officials, special interest 
groups, and individuals. The DEIS/EIR is also available for review at 
the following libraries:

--Long Beach Public Library, 101 Pacific Avenue, Long Beach, CA.
--Alamitos Public Library, 1836 E. Third Street, Long Beach, CA.
--Bach Public Library, 4055 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA.
--Bay Shore Public Library, 195 Bay Shore, Long Beach, CA.
--Brewitt Public Library, 4036 E. Anaheim Street, Long Beach, CA.
--Burnett Public Library, 560 E. Hill Street, Long Beach, CA.
--Dana Public Library, 3680 Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach, CA.
--El Dorado Public Library, 2900 Studebaker Road, Long Beach, CA.
--Harte Public Library, 1595 W. Willow Street, Long Beach, CA.
--Los Altos Public Library, 5614 Britton, Long Beach, CA.
--Mark Twain Public Library, 1325 E. Anaheim Street, Long Beach, CA.
--San Pedro Regional Branch Library, 931 S. Gaffey Street, Los Angeles, 
CA.
--Wilmington Branch Library, 1300 N. Avalon Blvd., Los Angeles, CA.
--Bell Library, 4411 E. Gage Avenue, Bell, CA.
--Carson Library, 151 E. Carson Street, Carson, CA.
--City of Commerce Central Library, 5655 Jillson Street, City of 
Commerce, CA.
--Compton Library, 240 W. Compton Blvd., Compton, CA.
--Cudahy Library, 5218 Santa Ana Street, Cudahy, CA.
--El Segundo Public Library, 111 W. Mariposa Avenue, El Segundo, CA.
--Hawthorne Library, 12700 S. Grevillea Avenue, Hawthorne, CA.
--Inglewood Public Library, 101 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, CA.
--Lawndale Library, 14615 Burin Avenue, Lawndale, CA.
--Lynwood Library, 11320 Bullis Road, Lynwood, CA.
--Maywood Library, 4323 E. Slauson, Maywood, CA.
--Paramount Library, 16254 Colorado Avenue, Paramount, CA.
--Redondo Beach Main Library, 303 North Pacific Coast Highway, Redondo 
Beach, CA.
--Leland R. Weaver Library, 4035 Tweedy Blvd., South Gate, CA.
--Diane Gayton Library, 707 Electric Avenue, Seal Beach, CA.
--Torrance Public Library, 3301 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, CA.
--Vernon Public Library, 4504 S. Central Avenue, Vernon, CA.

    The Navy and the City will conduct a public hearing to receive oral 
and written comments concerning the DEIS/EIR on Wednesday, January 14, 
1998, at 7:00 p.m. in the City of Long Beach Council Chambers. A brief 
presentation will precede a request for public information and 
comments. Navy and City 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 individuals are invited to be present or represented at 
the hearing. Oral comments will be heard and transcribed by a 
stenographer. To assure accuracy of the record, all comments should be 
submitted in writing. All comments, both oral and written, will become 
part of the public record in the study. 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 Ms. Melanie 
Ault, BRAC Program Office, Southwest Division, Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command, 1420 Kettner Boulevard, Suite 501, San Diego, 
California 92101-2404, telephone (619) 532-4744, fax (619) 532-4743. 
Written comments are requested not later than February 2, 1998.

    Dated: December 17, 1997.
Michael I. Quinn,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 97-33349 Filed 12-19-97; 8:45 am]
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