[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 217 (Tuesday, November 10, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 63035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30118]


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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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