[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 125 (Wednesday, June 30, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35132-35140]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-16691]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Record of Decision for the Disposal and Reuse of Naval Air 
Station Barbers Point, Oahu, HI

SUMMARY: The Department of the Navy (Navy), pursuant to Section 
102(2)(C) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 
U.S.C. 4332(2)(C) (1994), and the regulations of the Council on 
Environmental Quality that implement NEPA procedures, 40 C.F.R. Parts 
1500-1508, hereby announces its decision to dispose of Naval Air 
Station (NAS) Barbers Point, which is located on the island of Oahu in 
Honolulu County, Hawaii.
    Navy analyzed the impacts of the disposal and reuse of NAS Barbers 
Point in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) as required by NEPA. 
The EIS analyzed four reuse alternatives and identified the Naval Air 
Station Barbers Point Community Redevelopment Plan dated March 1997 
(Redevelopment Plan), described in the EIS as the State-Preferred 
Alternative, as the Preferred Alternative. The State of Hawaii is the 
Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA) for NAS Barbers Point. Department 
of Defense Rule on Revitalizing Base Closure Communities and Community 
Assistance (DoD Rule), 32 CFR 176.20(a).
    The Preferred Alternative proposed a mix of aviation, residential, 
educational, community service, light industrial, commercial, public, 
park and recreational uses. These include a general aviation and 
military airport, housing, a vocational training center, a 
desalinization plant, an automobile race track complex, an 
international sports center, a festival center, a marine park, a 
baseball complex, and a field sports complex.
    Navy intends to dispose of NAS Barbers Point in a manner that is 
consistent with the Redevelopment Plan. Navy has determined that a 
mixed land use will meet the goals of achieving local 
economicredevelopment, creating new jobs, and providing additional 
housing, while limiting adverse environmental impacts and ensuring land 
uses that are compatible with adjacent property. This Record Of 
Decision does not mandate a specific mix of land uses. Rather, it 
leaves selection of the particular means to achieve the proposed 
redevelopment to the acquiring entities and the local zoning authority.

Background

    Under the authority of the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act 
of 1990 (DBCRA), Public Law 101-510, 10 U.S.C. Sec. 2687 note (1994), 
the 1993 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended 
the closure of Naval Air Station Barbers Point. This recommendation was 
approved by President Clinton and accepted by the One Hundred Third 
Congress in 1993. The base is scheduled to close on July 2, 1999.

[[Page 35133]]

    Nearly all of the property associated with NAS Barbers Point is 
located on the island of Oahu, about 16 miles west of downtown 
Honolulu. This property covers 3,723 acres. Additionally, there are 
three non-contiguous parcels that cover 100 acres: two small areas at 
Iroquois Point on Pearl Harbor and Kaula Island located 55 miles from 
the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
    Navy controls an additional 110 acres near the main base by way of 
easements for air operations. These easements impose restrictions on 20 
acres of private property near the northwestern edge of the base and on 
90 acres of private property near the southwest corner of the base. 
Navy will transfer its interests in these easements to the underlying 
property owners.
    The 3,723-acre main base property is bounded on the north by the 
City of Kapolei; on the east by the communities of Ewa Villages, Ewa 
Gentry and Ewa Marina; on the south by the Pacific Ocean; and on the 
west by Campbell Industrial Park and Kapolei Business Park. There are 
three runways at NAS Barbers Point: two parallel 8,330-foot runways 
(Runway 4L-22R and Runway 4R-22L) in a southwest-northeast alignment 
and one 8,411-foot crosswind runway (Runway 11-29) in a northwest-
southeast alignment. There is a drainage channel on the western edge of 
the base adjacent to Campbell Industrial Park that runs from north to 
south. Navy owns the northern and southern parts of the drainage 
channel, and the Estate of James Campbell owns the middle part of the 
channel. The Estate also maintains easements on those parts owned by 
Navy.
    The Navy property at Iroquois Point on Pearl Harbor covers two 
acres located about eight miles west of downtown Honolulu. This 
property contains a community center and a retail store that are 
situated in a military family housing area associated with Navy 
activities at the Pearl Harbor Naval Complex. Kaula Island covers 108 
acres and is located about 55 miles southwest of Navy's Pacific Missile 
Range Facility on the island of Kauai.
    The 1995 Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission modified 
the 1993 Commission's recommendation by directing Navy to retain 
certain properties at NAS Barbers Point in support of military family 
housing requirements on the Island of Oahu. The recommendation of the 
1995 Commission was approved by President Clinton and accepted by the 
One Hundred Fourth Congress in 1995.
    Navy will retain the 1,090 housing units on the northern edge of 
the base and 171 community support facilities throughout the base, 
including the medical and dental clinic (Building 1829) in the center 
of the base; the child development center (Building 1965) and the golf 
course in the northeastern part of the base; White Plains Beach in the 
southeast corner; Nimitz Beach on the southern edge of the base; the 
landfill in the western part of the base; the two off-base parcels at 
Iroquois Point; and Kaula Island. Navy made the remaining property 
available for use by other Federal agencies.
    During the Federal screening process, seven Federal agencies 
requested interagency transfers of base closure property at NAS Barbers 
Point. These included the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Federal 
Aviation Administration (FAA), the United States Postal Service, the 
Department of the Interior's United States Fish and Wildlife Service, 
the United States Coast Guard, the National Guard Bureau (Hawaii Army 
National guard), and the Department of the Army. Navy will transfer 
about 464 acres at Barbers Point to six of these Federal agencies.
    Navy will transfer about six acres in the center of the base to the 
Department of Veterans Affairs for use in programs that serve veterans 
on Oahu. These will include employment training classes and outpatient 
substance abuse treatment. Buildings 34, 37, and 1772 will be used for 
these programs.
    Navy will transfer about 18 acres in the northeast corner of the 
base to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA will continue to 
operate a navigation aid there that serves Honolulu International 
Airport and will maintain a radio frequency interference zone around 
this navigation equipment.
    Navy will transfer Building 3 and about one acre in the center of 
the base to the United States Postal Service. The Postal Service will 
continue to use this building as a post office.
    Navy will transfer four non-contiguous parcels covering about 239 
acres at Barbers Point to the United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
to establish the Barbers Point Unit of the Pearl Harbor National 
Wildlife Refuge. This refuge will protect Federally listed endangered 
plant and bird species and migratory birds. These four parcels are 
located in the eastern, southeastern, southern and southwestern parts 
of the base.
    The eastern parcel, covering 136 acres, contains the akoko shrub 
(Chamaesyce skottsbergii var. skottsbergii), a Federally listed and 
State-listed endangered plant. The southeastern parcel, covering nine 
acres, contained Ordy Pond and provides habitat for several species of 
migratory shorebirds protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 
1918, 16 U.S.C. 703-712 (1994), and the Federally listed and State-
listed endangered Hawaiian stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni). The 
southern parcel, covering 45 acres, contains a coastal salt flat and 
provides habitat for migratory shorebirds and the endangered Hawaiian 
stilt. The southwestern parcel, covering 49 acres, contains a Federally 
listed and State-listed endangered plant, the chaff flower shrub. 
(Achyranthes splendens var. rotundata).
    Navy will transfer about 44 acres in the southern part of the base 
to the United States Coast Guard to permit the Coast Guard to continue 
operating its Barbers Point Air Station. The Coast Guard operates C-130 
Hercules aircraft and HH-65 helicopters that conduct search and rescue 
operations in the Central Pacific Maritime Region.
    Navy will transfer about 149 acres in the north-central part of the 
base to the Hawaii Army National Guard. The Guard will use this 
property for operational, maintenance and administrative activities, 
its Youth Challenge Program, and as a parking apron for its CH-47 
helicopters. Navy will also transfer to the Guard an additional seven 
acres in this area where the fuel storage tanks are currently located. 
The Guard will use this property as a storage area after the tanks are 
removed.
    The Department of the Army initially requested about 17 acres in 
the southwestern part of the base to establish a soil and sludge 
reclamation

[[Page 35134]]

facility but subsequently withdrew its request. The remaining 2,130 
acres of property at NAS Barbers Point are surplus to the needs of the 
Federal Government.
    This Record of Decision addresses the disposal and reuse of these 
2,130 acres, which contain about 209 buildings and structures that were 
used for aviation operations, training, and related administrative 
activities. The surplus property's undeveloped areas contain wetlands, 
an endangered plant, and archaeological resources.
    On August 31, 1998, the United States Department of the Interior 
entered into a Memorandum of Agreement with the State of Hawaii 
providing that about 623 of the 2.130 surplus acres in various parts of 
NAS Barbars Point would be conveyed to the State through the Department 
of the Interior under the authority of the Hawaiian Home Lands Recovery 
Act (HHLRA), Public Law 104-42, 109 Stat. 357 (1995). This statute 
authorized the conveyance of excess Federal land to settle claims 
asserted by the State of Hawaii's Department of Hawaiian Home Lands 
(DHHL) that certain Hawaiian home lands set aside by Congress in 1921 
for homesteading by native Hawaiian had been diverted to Federal uses.
    The conveyance process may require the withdrawal of this land from 
surplus status and an interagency transfer from Navy to Interior for 
subsequent conveyance by Interior to DHHL. Such an action would not 
affect Navy's NEPA analysis, because DHHL's proposed uses of this 
property are the same as those set forth in the Redevelopment Plan. 
Thus, the environmental impacts described in the EIS would not change.
    About 1,452 acres of surplus property will be conveyed by way of 
various kinds of public benefit conveyances. Navy will assign 702 acres 
in the center of the base to the State of Hawaii after approval by the 
United States Department of Transportation for use as an airport. Navy 
will assign nine acres north of the airfield to the United States 
Department of Education for subsequent conveyance to the State of 
Hawaii for use as an aviation training school. Navy will assign 42 
acres in the southwest corner of the base to the United States 
Department of Health and Human Services for subsequent conveyance to 
the City and County of Honolulu for public health use as a seawater 
desalinization plant. Navy will assign 13 acres in the northwestern 
part of the base adjacent to the Navy-retained housing to the United 
States Department of Education for subsequent conveyance to the State 
of Hawaii for the continuing use of the Barbers Point Elementary 
School. Navy will assign 686 acres in various locations throughout the 
base to the United States Department of the Interior for subsequent 
conveyance to the State of Hawaii and the City and County of Honolulu 
for use as parks and recreational areas.
    Of the remaining 55 acres, Navy will assign 13 acres in the center 
of the base to the State of Hawaii after approval of a legally binding 
agreement between the LRA and homeless assistance providers by the 
United States Department of Housing and Urban Development for the 
provision of homeless assistance services. About 42 acres consisting of 
roads and parts of the drainage channel will be conveyed by negotiated 
sales.
    Navy published a Notice Of Intent in the Federal Register on March 
26, 1997, announcing that Navy and the Federal Aviation Administration 
as a cooperating agency would prepare an EIS for the disposal and reuse 
of NAS Barbers Point. Navy held a public scoping meeting at the 
Washington Intermediate School in Honolulu on April 16, 1997, and at 
the base's Paradise West Club on April 17, 1997. The scoping period 
concluded on June 19, 1997.
    Navy distributed the Draft EIS (DEIS) to Federal, State, and local 
governmental agencies, elected officials, community groups and 
associations, and interested persons on August 28, 1998, and commenced 
a 45-day public review and comment period. During this period, Federal, 
State and local agencies, community groups and associations, and 
interested persons submitted oral and written comments concerning the 
DEIS. Navy held public hearings to receive comments on the DEIS at the 
James Campbell Building in Kapolei on October 5, 1998, and at the 
Washington Intermediate School in Honolulu on October 7, 1998.
    Navy's responses to the public comments were incorporated in the 
Final EIS (FEIS), which was distributed to the public on February 5, 
1999, for a review period that concluded on March 8, 1999. Navy 
received five letters commenting on the FEIS.

Alternatives.

    NEPA requires Navy to evaluate a reasonable range of alternatives 
for the disposal and reuse of this surplus Federal property. In the 
FEIS, Navy analyzed the environmental impacts of four reuse 
alternatives. Navy also evaluated a ``No Action'' alternative that 
would leave the property in caretaker status with Navy maintaining the 
physical condition of the property, providing a security force, and 
making repairs essential to safety.
    In a letter to the Department of Defense's Office of Economic 
Adjustment dated September 28, 1993, the State of Hawaii, acting as the 
LRA, and the City and County of Honolulu jointly established the 
Barbers Point Naval Air Station Reuse Committee. In Executive Order No. 
94-98 dated December 2, 1994, the Governor of Hawaii, John Waihee, 
established the Barbers Point Naval Air Station Redevelopment 
Commission to prepare a redevelopment plan for the base. The 
Redevelopment Commission solicited expressions of interest in the 
property and received notices of interest from State, City, and County 
agencies, private businesses, homeless assistance providers, and 
nonprofit organizations. After the Redevelopment Commission evaluated 
these notices of interest, it developed three reuse proposals: a Large 
Airport Alternative, a Small Airport Alternative, and a ``No Airport'' 
Alternative.
    In August 1996, the Redevelopment Commission solicited comments 
concerning the three reuse proposals at four public hearings held in 
various places on Oahu. In response to these comments, the 
Redevelopment Commission developed a fourth alternative that adopted 
parts of the Large and Small Airport Alternatives. During a public 
hearing on September 17, 1996, the Redevelopment Commission solicited 
comments concerning this composite alternative. On October 8, 1996, the 
Commission adopted the composite alternative as its reuse plan and 
approved the Naval Air Station Barbers Point Community Redevelopment 
Plan. In a letter to the Redevelopment Commission dated December 23, 
1996, Governor Benjamin Cayetano accepted the Redevelopment 
Commission's recommendations with certain modifications.
    On December 11, 1997, the Redevelopment Commission modified the 
Redevelopment Plan by making additional property available for 
residential and commercial uses and by changing the use of 65 acres 
from homeless assistance services to residential purposes. 
Additionally, the 5.7-acre parcel of land that contains Building 1 was 
incorporated in the Redevelopment Plan and designated for commercial 
and residential uses. In a memorandum to the Governor dated December 
17, 1997, the Redevelopment Commission submitted Community 
Redevelopment Plan Amendment 1 and on December 23, 1997, Governor 
Cayetano approved this amendment by endorsing the memorandum dated 
December 17, 1997.

[[Page 35135]]

    On December 10, 1998, the Redevelopment Commission modified the 
Redevelopment Plan a second time by changing the use of five acres in 
the center of the base from a public facility to a park and by making 
minor changes to the proposed roadway system. In a memorandum received 
by the State of Hawaii on February 5, 1999, the Redevelopment 
Commission submitted Community Redevelopment Plan Amendment 2 to 
Governor Cayetano. On March 17, 1999, Governor Cayetano approved this 
amendment by endorsing the memorandum received on February 5, 1999.
    The Redevelopment Plan, identified in the FEIS as the Preferred 
Alternative, proposed a mix of land uses. The Preferred Alternative 
would use the runways, hangars, and related maintenance buildings, 
covering 702 acres, as an airport that would serve civilian general 
aviation and aviation operations of the Coast Guard and the Hawaii Army 
National Guard. This Alternative would use 165 acres for residential 
purposes; 515 acres for light industrial activities; 33 acres for 
educational and public facilities; 686 acres for parks and recreational 
activities; and 29 acres for roads, open space, and utilities. It will 
be necessary to make extensive utility infrastructure and roadway 
improvements to support the Redevelopment Plan's proposed development 
of property at Barbers Point.
    In the center of the base, the Preferred Alternative proposed to 
use 702 acres as an airport serving civilian general aviation and 
aviation operations of the Coast Guard and the Hawaii Army National 
Guard. The Preferred Alternative would use parts of the two parallel 
southwest-northeast 8,300-foot runways, i.e., 4,500 feet of runway 4L-
22R and 8,000 feet of runway 4R-22L. The 4,500-foot runway would be 
used for civilian general aviation operations. The 8,000-foot runway 
would be used for civilian general aviation and military air 
operations. It would also provide commercial airliners bound for or 
departing from Honolulu International Airport with an alternate landing 
site. This Alternative would use 6,000 feet of the northwest-southwest 
8,411-foot crosswind runway (runway 11-29) for civilian general 
aviation and military air operations.
    The new airport at Barbers Point would improve the mix of general 
aviation and commercial aircraft at Honolulu International Airport by 
diverting some general aviation operations to Barbers Point. By the 
year 2020, the new airport at Barbers Point would serve about 60 
percent (78,000) of the small single-engine and light twin-engine 
propeller aircraft operations that would otherwise use Honolulu 
International Airport. It would also serve about 50 percent (27,900) of 
those kinds of aircraft operations that would otherwise use Dillingham 
Airfield, a general aviation facility on Oahu's north shore, and 62,700 
general aviation training operations that previously used the Auxiliary 
Landing Field at Ford Island in Pearl Harbor. These diverted operations 
would amount to about 168,600 general aviation operations in the year 
2020 on Oahu.
    In the year 2020, the new airport at Barbers Point would 
accommodate about 203,600 air operations per year. These operations 
would be composed of the 168,600 general aviation operations diverted 
from Honolulu, Dillingham and Ford Island; about 13,100 Coast Guard and 
Hawaii Army National Guard operations; and about 21,900 general 
aviation operations that would be generated each year by the 
Redevelopment Plan's proposed aviation training school.
    North of the airfield, the Preferred Alternative would use 14 acres 
for residential purposes, 13 acres for homeless assistance services, 
six acres for commercial activities, seven acres for recreational 
activities, and 13 acres for educational facilities. Just south of this 
area, the Preferred Alternative would dedicate seven acres for use as 
public facilities such as an aviation training school.
    In the northeastern part of the base, the Preferred Alternative 
would use about 346 acres adjacent to the FAA navigation aid for 
commercial and recreational activities. This Alternative would build an 
international sports center here for athletic training programs, 
competitive events, in-transit athlete services, and related 
activities. The Preferred Alternative would also build a baseball 
complex, a field sports complex, and a festival center in this area.
    In the southeastern and southern parts of the base, the Preferred 
Alternative would use about 516 acres for commercial and recreational 
activities. This Alternative would develop the area along the shoreline 
to provide a regional park, facilities for launching canoes and boats 
with related amenities, camping grounds, athletic fields, and open 
space. The Preferred Alternative would redevelop the inland area north 
of the regional park as a marine park. It would also establish a 
heritage park west of the marine park to preserve inland areas that 
contain significant archaeological resources.
    In the southwestern part of the base, the Preferred Alternative 
would build an automobile race track complex on about 161 acres between 
the western ends of the crosswind runway, Runway 11-29, and one of the 
parallel runways, Runway 4R-22L. On 42 acres in the southwest corner of 
the base, across the drainage channel, this Alternative would build a 
seawater desalinization plant.
    In the northwest corner of the base, the Preferred Alternative 
proposed to use 138 acres south and west of the Navy-retained housing 
for residential purposes and 13 acres in the northwestern part of the 
Navy housing area for continuing use of the Barbers Point Elementary 
School. This Alternative would build light industrial facilities on 123 
acres south and west of this residential area
    It would be necessary to make roadway improvements to implement the 
Redevelopment Plan. These improvements would link the new development 
to the surrounding communities of Kapolei and Ewa Marina.
    Navy analyzed a second ``action'' alternative, described in the 
FEIS as the Large Airport Alternative. In the center of the base, the 
Large Airport Alternative proposed to use 961 acres as an airport that 
would serve civilian general aviation, the Coast Guard, and the Hawaii 
Army National Guard. This Alternative would use the entire lengths of 
the existing parallel and crosswind runways and would support the same 
volume and kinds of operations as the Preferred Alternative. All three 
runways would be available as alternative landing sites for commercial 
airliners.
    North of the airfield, the Large Airport Alternative proposed 
residences, homeless assistance services, commercial facilities, 
recreational activities, and educational facilities. The locations and 
configurations would be the same as in the Preferred Alternative.
    In the northeastern part of the base, the Large Airport Alternative 
proposed a mix of residential, commercial, and light industrial uses. 
This Alternative would provide a residential area outside the perimeter 
of the FAA navigation aid. It would build light industrial facilities 
south and west of this residential area. The property west of the 
residential area adjacent to the FAA navigation aid would also be used 
for a State correctional facility.
    In the southeastern and southern parts of the base, this 
Alternative proposed to redevelop the area along the shoreline for use 
as a regional part and beach with camping grounds. Under this 
Alternative, recreational and athletic

[[Page 35136]]

fields would be built north and inland of the shoreline facilities. It 
would also build a marine park west of the regional park, a heritage 
park north of the marine park, and an amphitheater north of the 
regional park and east of the heritage park.
    In the southwestern part of the base, between the western ends of 
the crosswind runway (Runway 11-29) and one of the parallel runways 
(Runway 4L-22R), the Large Airport Alternative would build an 
automobile race track complex. On 42 acres in the southwest corner of 
the base, across the drainage channel, this Alternative would build a 
seawater desalinization plant.
    In the northwest corner of the base, the Large Airport Alternative 
would use the property adjacent to the Navy-retained housing for 
residential purposes and would continue to use the Barbers Point 
Elementary School. This Alternative would build light industrial 
facilities in the areas south and west of this residential area.
    Navy analyzed a third ``action'' alternative described in the FEIS 
as the Small Airport Alternative. In the center of the base, the Small 
Airport Alternative proposed to use 701 acres as an airport that would 
serve civilian general aviation, the Coast Guard, and the Hawaii Army 
National Guard. This Alternative would use parts of the two parallel 
8,330-foot runways, i.e., 8,000 feet of Runway 4L-22R and 3,700 feet of 
Runway 4R/22L. The 8,000-foot runway would provide an alternative 
landing site for commercial airlines. The 3,700-foot runway would be 
used for civilian general aviation operations. This Alternative would 
not operate the crosswind runway. It would provide airport facilities 
to accommodate the same kinds and volume of air operations proposed by 
the Preferred Alternative and the Large Airport Alternative.
    North of the airfield, the Small Airport Alternative proposed 
residences, homeless assistance services, commercial activities, 
recreational activities, and educational facilities. The locations and 
configurations would be the same as in the Preferred Alternative.
    In the northeastern part of the base adjacent to the FAA navigation 
aid, the Small Airport Alternative proposed to build an international 
sports center, a baseball complex, a field sports complex, a festival 
center, and fairgrounds.
    In the southeastern and southern parts of the base, the Small 
Airport Alternative would redevelop the area along the shoreline for 
use as a recreational beach with a picnic area and camping grounds. 
Under this Alternative, a marine park, a rowing regatta facility, and 
recreational and athletic fields would be built north and inland of the 
shoreline facilities. This Alternative would develop the inland area 
west and northwest of the marine park for use as an amphitheater and as 
a heritage park. It would build athletic fields north of the marine 
park, adjacent to the eastern parcel of the Pearl Harbor National 
Wildlife Refuge's Barbers Point Unit.
    In the southwestern part of the base, the Small Airport Alternative 
proposed to use 10 acres west of the Coast Guard property to train fire 
fighters. This Alternative would use 42 acres at the southwest corner 
of the base, across the drainage channel, for a seawater desalinization 
plant and for light industrial facilities. Unlike the Preferred 
Alternative, the Small Airport Alternative would not build an 
automobile race track complex.
    In the northwest corner of the base, the Small Airport Alternative 
proposed to use property adjacent to the Navy-retained housing for 
residential purposes and to continue using the Barbers Point Elementary 
School. The areas south and west of this residential area would be used 
to build light industrial facilities. The area north of the Navy-
related landfill could be used for a State correctional facility.
    Navy analyzed a fourth ``action'' alternative described in the FEIS 
as the ``No Airport'' Alternative. In the ``No Airport'' Alternative, 
the acquiring entity would direct and market the redevelopment of NAS 
Barbers Point for non-aviation uses. All of the aviation facilities on 
the surplus property would be modified to serve non-aviation purposes 
or would be demolished. Thus, it would be necessary for the Coast Guard 
to move its fixed wing and rotary air operations to another site on the 
island of Oahu. The Hawaii Army National Guard could operate its 
helicopters on the property previously occupied by the Coast Guard.
    In the center of the base, the ``No Airport'' Alternative proposed 
to build recreational facilities. These facilities would include an 
international sports center and a baseball complex. North of the 
baseball complex, the ``No Airport'' Alternative proposed residences, 
homeless assistance services, commercial facilities, recreational 
activities, and educational facilities. The locations and 
configurations would be the same as in the Preferred Alternative.
    In the northeastern part of the base, the ``No Airport'' 
Alternative would use the property adjacent to the FAA navigation aid 
for residential and recreational purposes. This Alternative would build 
residential units, a festival center, fairgrounds, a marine park and an 
amphitheater in this area.
    In the southeastern part of the base, the ``No Airport'' 
Alternative proposed parks, commercial and recreational uses. This 
Alternative would build a rowing regatta facility, a recreational 
beach, camping grounds and athletic fields. North and inland of the 
shoreline facilities, this Alternative would build a heritage park and 
additional athletic fields.
    In the southwestern part of the base, the ``No Airport'' 
Alternative would use the property for commercial and light industrial 
activities. These could include an automobile race track complex, an 
electric power plant, and a State correctional facility. It would build 
a fire fighter training facility on the same 42-acre parcel in the 
southwest corner of the base, across the drainage channel, where the 
Preferred Alternative would build a seawater desalinization plant.
    In the western part of the base south of the Navy-retained housing, 
the ``No Airport'' Alternative proposed to build recreational 
facilities. This Alternative also proposed to continue using the 
Barbers Point Elementary School in the northwestern part of the base.

Environmental Impacts

    Navy analyzed the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of the 
disposal and reuse of this surplus Federal property. The FEIS addressed 
the impacts of the Preferred Alternative, the Large Airport 
Alternative, the Small Airport Alternative, the ``No Airport'' 
Alternative, and the ``No Action'' Alternative for each alternative's 
effects on geology, topography and soils, groundwater quality, surface 
water quality, air quality, noise, visual resources, transportation, 
biological resources, cultural resources, public health and safety, 
public services, socioeconomics (including population, employment, 
income, housing, recreation, and environmental justice), and 
infrastructure, including potable water, non-potable water, wastewater, 
drainage, electricity, solid waste, and communications. This Record Of 
Decision focuses on the impacts that would likely result from 
implementation of the Redevelopment Plan, identified in the FEIS as the 
Preferred Alternative.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
soils and would not have any impact on local or regional geological 
resources or topography. The soil at Barbers Point is not susceptible 
to erosion because it is shallow and highly permeable.

[[Page 35137]]

Disturbances to soils such as compaction, rutting, and erosion would be 
limited to the particular areas that would be redeveloped. These 
impacts would be temporary and can be minimized during construction by 
the use of standard soil erosion and sedimentation control measures 
such as the use of hay bales and silt fences.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
the availability or quality of groundwater. The groundwater at NAS 
Barbers Point is brackish and not suitable for public consumption or 
irrigation without desalinization. Airport operations and light 
industrial activities would not affect the groundwater, because 
operational controls such as containment of chemical and fuel storage 
areas as well as maintenance activities would be imposed. These 
controls are specified in existing laws and regulations governing 
industrial and construction-related runoff.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have a significant impact on 
surface waters. The Pacific Ocean, Ordy Pond, the coastal salt flat, 
and the seasonal wetland would not be significantly affected by 
construction activities if standard soil erosion and sedimentation 
control measures required by existing laws and regulations were 
implemented.
    Stormwater discharge from new light industrial activities, 
roadways, parking areas, and routine operations and maintenance in 
developed areas (such as the application of herbicides and pesticides) 
could have adverse impacts on surface water quality. In accordance with 
Federal, State, and local laws and regulations, the acquiring entities 
will implement stormwater management practices to minimize these 
potential impacts. There could also be significant cumulative impacts 
on surface water quality arising out of the regional drainage from 
surrounding communities.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
air quality. Compliance with regulatory requirements that control 
emissions such as the Clean Air Act, 42 U.S.C. Sec. 7401-7671q (1994), 
and the Hawaii Administrative Rules, Chapter 11-60.1, Air Pollution 
Control, would prevent significant impacts from stationary sources. 
Additionally, there would not be any significant regional or local 
impact on air quality from mobile sources if the roadway improvements 
described in the FEIS were implemented. Finally, emissions from 
aircraft operations would be substantially less than when the Naval Air 
Station was operating.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
noise. Exposure to noise from aircraft operations would be 
substantially less than when the Naval Air Station was operating. This 
decrease results from the significant reduction in annual jet aircraft 
operations proposed under the Preferred Alternative. Additionally, 
aircraft noise levels would not exceed the State of Hawaii's standards 
for airport operations that affect residential areas.
    During reuse there would be an increase in ambient noise levels 
arising out of the non-aviation activities. These activities, however, 
must comply with the Hawaii Administrative Rules, Chapter 11-46, 
Community Noise Control. Moreover, in accordance with Chapter 343 of 
the Hawaii Revised Statutes (1996), redevelopment projects would be 
evaluated in either an environmental assessment or an environmental 
impact statement before development could begin.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
visual resources. The development of shoreline parks would increase 
public access to the coastal area and would not obstruct views of the 
Pacific Ocean and coastal landmarks from inland areas.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
transportation except when special events were held. By the year 2020, 
this Alternative would generate about 49,1000 average daily trips 
compared with 27,300 average daily trips that were associated with 
Navy's use of the property. With the roadway improvements described in 
the FEIS, this increase in daily traffic could be accommodated. 
However, traffic generated by events at the automobile race trace 
complex and at the festival center would have significant impacts even 
if traffic control measures and parking plans were implemented.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
biological resources. Navy held informal consultations with the United 
States Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries 
Service under Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), 16 
U.S.C. 1536 (1994). In a letter dated December 1, 1998, the Fish and 
Wildlife Service concurred with Navy's determination that the disposal 
and reuse of NAS Barbers Point is not likely to adversely affect the 
one Federally listed endangered plant there, the akoko shrub 
(Chamaesyce skottsbergii var. skottsbergii). The Service's concurrence 
was based upon Navy's assurance that the conveyance of property to the 
State of Hawaii and the City and County of Honolulu on which the akoko 
is known to exist will be made through the Department of the Interior. 
Navy will inform Interior about its responsibility under Section 7 of 
ESA to consult with the Service regarding the potential effects on the 
akoko of conveying the property to the State and City and County of 
Honolulu.
    The Preferred Alternative could have construction-related impacts 
on coastal waters where the Federally listed and State-listed 
threatened green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) is found. Impacts from 
surface water runoff generated by construction can be avoided or 
reduced by the use of stormwater control measures required by existing 
laws and regulations. In a letter dated November 25, 1998, the National 
Marine Fisheries Service concurred with Navy's determination that the 
disposal and reuse of NAS Barbers Point is not likely to adversely 
affect Federally listed species or critical habitat unless changes or 
improvements associated with reuse increase the amount of stormwater 
runoff. Thus, increases in stormwater runoff generated by activities 
under the Preferred Alternative could require the acquiring entities to 
build stormwater disposal facilities.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
cultural resources. Pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act of 1966 (NHPA), 16 U.S.C. 470f (1994), Navy conducted 
a cultural resource assessment and determined that 62 archaeological 
sites and 64 structures are eligible for listing on the National 
Register of Historic Places. The archaeological sites and historic 
structures will be protected by covenants in the deeds conveying the 
property. These covenants will require prior written approval from the 
State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) before any action may be 
taken that would affect those properties.
    In addition, Hawaii's historic preservation program, set forth in 
Hawaii Revised Statutes, Chapter 6E, requires a consultative process by 
State and City agencies with the SHPO similar to that prescribed by 
Section 106 of the NHPA for Federal agencies. The State Historic 
Preservation Officer and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 
in letters dated December 18, 1998 and January 11, 1999, respectively, 
concurred with Navy's determination that the disposal and reuse of NAS 
Barbers Point would not have an adverse effect on the archaeological 
sites and historic structures if the conveyance documents incorporate 
protective covenants.

[[Page 35138]]

    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
public health and safety. Implementation of this Alternative would not 
have any significant impact on existing environmental contamination at 
NAS Barbers Point. Navy will inform future property owners about the 
environmental condition of the property and may, where appropriate, 
include restrictions, notifications, or covenants in deeds to ensure 
the protection of human health and the environment in light of the 
intended use of the property.
    In the northwestern part of the base, near Campbell Industrial 
Park, the Preferred Alternative proposed to build residential units. 
The operations of the Industrial Park would not pose a significant 
health and safety risk to residents of this area. However, in the 
unlikely event of a catastrophic incident at Campbell Industrial Park, 
such as the release of large quantities of toxic contaminants or 
flammable material, there could be a significant impact on public 
health and safety. In a letter to the State of Hawaii's Department of 
Business, Economic Development and Tourism dated December 20, 1996, the 
State's Department of Health discouraged planners from locating 
residential units near Campbell Industrial Park.
    The proposed airport operations must conform to Federal Aviation 
Administration safety standards and design criteria that require 
adequate safety measures to protect people and property. The proposed 
air operations would not adversely affect public health and safety.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
most public services. Existing police, fire and health care services 
are sufficient to accommodate the proposed reuse. However, under the 
Preferred Alternative, the number of elementary school students would 
nearly double and there would be smaller increases of intermediate and 
high school students. The acquiring entities can mitigate this 
significant impact by increasing the capacity of Barbers Point 
Elementary School; by building an additional elementary school; and by 
redistricting and reallocating student populations. These measures 
would also mitigate the cumulative impacts on education arising out of 
new residential development planned for the nearby Ewa area of Oahu.
    The Preferred Alternative would have significant beneficial 
socioeconomic impacts. The proposed redevelopment would increase 
employment and provide additional recreational opportunities and 
housing. The Preferred Alternative would create 3,600 direct jobs and 
3,400 indirect jobs that would generate about $197 Million in direct 
and indirect income. The additional parks and recreational areas would 
be made available to the public. The proposed residential areas would 
increase the amount of affordable housing on the island.
    The Preferred Alternative would generate a 4,000-person increase in 
the local population. However, since this increase would represent less 
than two percent of this area's population, it would not cause any 
adverse effects.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
potable water, non-potable water, wastewater, solid waste, electricity, 
and communications. Oahu's capacity for these services is adequate to 
support the Redevelopment Plan.
    The Preferred Alternative would not have any significant impact on 
stormwater drainage. Increases in stormwater runoff could result from 
the construction of additional impervious surfaces. The acquiring 
entities can mitigate this impact by building stormwater disposal 
facilities or a drainage system of pipes that would carry stormwater to 
the ocean.
    Navy analyzed the Redevelopment Plan's proposed regional drainage 
channel in the FEIS and concluded that additional studies and comments 
from affected parties would be required to resolve the regional 
drainage issue. The drainage channel proposed in the Preferred 
Alternative would redirect off-base stormwater runoff to the base 
property. This drainage channel has not been formally considered or 
approved by Navy, the City and County of Honolulu, or affected Ewa 
landowners. Directing off-base runoff to the base, as proposed in the 
Preferred Alternative, may restrict certain proposed reuse activities 
and adversely affect military activities on property retained by Navy. 
These restrictions could reduce the amount of property designated for 
residential, commercial, and light industrial purposes. Additionally, 
if upstream contaminants were carried in the stormwater runoff to Navy-
owned property, responsibility for remediation could become an issue. 
These impacts could be avoided by allowing runoff from the upstream 
area to follow its natural drainage pattern and flow down to the Ewa 
Marina area, rather than by redirecting the flow as proposed in the 
Preferred Alternative.
    Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions to address Environmental 
Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations, 3 C.F.R. 
859 (1995), requires that Navy determine whether any low-income and 
minority populations will experience disproportionately high and 
adverse human health or environmental effects from the proposed action. 
Navy analyzed the impacts on low-income and minority populations 
pursuant to Executive Order 12898. The FEIS addressed the potential 
environmental, social, and economic impacts associated with the 
disposal of NAS Barbers Point and subsequent reuse of the property 
under the various proposed alternatives. Minority and low-income 
populations residing within the region will not be disproportionately 
affected. Indeed, the employment opportunities, housing and public 
services created by implementing the Preferred Alternative would have 
beneficial effects.
    Navy also analyzed the impacts on children pursuant to Executive 
order 13045, Protection of Children from Environmental Health Risks and 
Safety Risks, 3 CFR 198 (1998). Under the Preferred Alternative, the 
largest concentration of children would be present in the residential 
and recreational areas. The Preferred Alternative would not impose any 
disproportionate environmental health or safety risks on children. 
However, in the unlikely event of a catastrophic incident at Campbell 
Industrial Park, such as the release of large quantities of toxic 
contaminants or flammable material, there could be disproportionate 
health and safety risks to children living in the nearby residential 
area.

Mitigation

    Implementation of Navy's decision to dispose of NAS Barbers Point 
does not require Navy to implement any mitigation measures. Navy will 
take certain actions to implement existing agreements and regulations. 
These actions were treated in the FEIS as agreements or regulatory 
requirements rather than as mitigation.
    The FEIS identified and discussed those actions that will be 
necessary to mitigate the impacts associated with the reuse and 
redevelopment of Naval Air Station Barbers Point. The acquiring 
entities, under the direction of Federal, State, and local agencies 
with regulatory authority over protected resources, will be responsible 
for implementing necessary mitigation measures.

Comments Received on the Final EIS

    Navy received comments on the Final EIS from the United States 
Coast Guard, the State Historic Preservation Officer, the City and 
County of Honolulu Fire Department, the Barbers Point Naval Air Station 
Redevelopment Commission,

[[Page 35139]]

and one individual. These comments concerned issues already discussed 
in the FEIS and do not require further clarification.

Regulations Governing the Disposal Decision

    Since the proposed action contemplates a disposal under the Defense 
Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (DBCRA), Public Law 101-510, 
10 U.S.C. 2687 note (1994), Navy's decision was based upon the 
environmental analysis in the FEIS and application of the standards set 
forth in the DBCRA, the Federal Property Management Regulations (FPMR), 
41 CFR Part 101-47, and the Department of Defense Rule on Revitalizing 
Base Closure Communities and Community Assistance (DoD Rule), 32 CFR 
Parts 174 and 175.
    Section 101-47.303-1 of the FPMR requires that disposals of Federal 
property benefit the Federal Government and constitute the ``highest 
and best use'' of the property. Section 101-47.4909 of the FPMR defines 
the ``highest and best use'' as that use to which a property can be put 
that produces the highest monetary return from the property, promotes 
its maximum value, or serves a public or institutional purpose. The 
``highest and best use'' determination must be based upon the 
property's economic potential, qualitative values inherent in the 
property, and utilization factors affecting land use such as zoning, 
physical characteristics, other private and public uses in the 
vicinity, neighboring improvements, utility services, access, roads, 
location, and environmental and historic considerations.
    After Federal property has been conveyed to non-Federal entities, 
the property is subject to local land use regulations, including zoning 
and subdivision regulations, and building codes. Unless expressly 
authorized by statute, the disposing Federal agency cannot restrict the 
future use of surplus Government property. As a result, the local 
community exercises substantial control over future use of the 
property. For this reason, local land use plans and zoning affect 
determination of the ``highest and best use'' of surplus Government 
property.
    The DBCRA directed the Administrator of the General Services 
Administration (GSA) to delegate to the Secretary of Defense authority 
to transfer and dispose of base closure property. Section 2905(b) of 
the DBCRA directs the Secretary of Defense to exercise this authority 
in accordance with GSA's property disposal regulations, set forth in 
Part 101-47 of the FPMR. By letter dated December 20, 1991, the 
Secretary of Defense delegated the authority to transfer and dispose of 
base closure property closed under the DBCRA to the Secretaries of the 
Military Departments. Under this delegation of authority, the Secretary 
of the Navy must follow FPMR procedures for screening and disposing of 
real property when implementing base closures. Only where Congress has 
expressly provided additional authority for disposing of base closure 
property, e.g., the economic development conveyance authority 
established in 1993 by Section 2905(b)(4) of the DBCRA, may Navy apply 
disposal procedures other than those in the FPMR.
    In Section 2901 of the National Defense Authorization Act for 
Fiscal Year 1994, Pub. L. 103-160, Congress recognized the economic 
hardship occasioned by base closures, the Federal interest in 
facilitating economic recovery of base closure communities, and the 
need to identify and implement reuse and redevelopment of property at 
closing installations. In Section 2903(c) of Public Law 103-160, 
Congress directed the Military Departments to consider each base 
closure community's economic needs and priorities in the property 
disposal process. Under Section 2905(b)(2)(E) of the DBCRA, Navy must 
consult with local communities before it disposes of base closure 
property and must consider local plans developed for reuse and 
redevelopment of the surplus Federal property.
    The Department of Defense's goal, as set forth in Section 174.4 of 
the DoD Rule, is to help base closure communities achieve rapid 
economic recovery through expeditious reuse and redevelopment of the 
assets at closing bases, taking into consideration local market 
conditions and locally developed reuse plans. Thus, the Department has 
adopted a consultative approach with each community to ensure that 
property disposal decisions consider the LRA's reuse plan and encourage 
job creation. As a part of this cooperative approach, the base closure 
community's interests, as reflected in its zoning for the area, play a 
significant role in determining the range of alternatives considered in 
the environmental analysis for property disposal. Furthermore, Section 
175.7(d)(3) of the DoD Rule provides that the LRA's plan generally will 
be used as the basis for the proposed disposal action.
    The Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, 40 
U.S.C. 484 (1994), as implemented by the FPMR, identifies several 
mechanisms for disposing of surplus base closure property: by public 
benefit conveyances (FPMR Sec. 101-47.303-2); by negotiated sale (FPMR 
Sec. 101-47.304-9); and by competitive sale (FPMR Sec. 101-47.304-7). 
Additionally, in Section 2905(b)(4), the DBCRA established economic 
development conveyance as a means of disposing of surplus base closure 
property. The selection of any particular method of conveyance merely 
implements the Federal agency's decision to dispose of the property. 
Decisions concerning whether to undertake a public benefit conveyance 
or an economic development conveyance, or to sell property by 
negotiation or by competitive bid, are left to the Federal agency's 
discretion. Selecting a method of disposal implicates a broad range of 
factors and rests solely within the Secretary of the Navy's discretion.

Conclusion

    The LRA's proposed reuse of NAS Barbers Point, reflected in the 
Redevelopment Plan, is consistent with the prescriptions of the FPMR 
and Section 174.4 of the DoD Rule. The LRA has determined in its 
Redevelopment Plan that the property should be used for various 
purposes including aviation, residential, community, industrial, 
commercial, public, park and recreational uses. The property's 
location, physical characteristics, and existing infrastructure as well 
as the current uses of adjacent property make it appropriate for the 
proposed uses.
    The Preferred Alternative responds to local economic conditions, 
promotes rapid economic recovery from the impact of the Naval Air 
Station's closure, and is consistent with President Clinton's Five-Part 
Plan for Revitalizing Base closure Communities, which emphasizes local 
economic redevelopment and creation of new jobs as the means to 
revitalize these communities. 32 CFR Parts 174 and 175, 59 FR 16,123 
(1994).
    Although the ``No Action'' Alternative has less potential for 
causing adverse environmental impacts, this Alternative would not take 
advantage of the property's location, physical characteristics, and 
infrastructure or the current uses of adjacent property. Additionally, 
it would not foster local economic redevelopment of the Barbers Point 
property.
    The acquiring entities, under the direction of Federal, State, and 
local agencies with regulatory authority over protected resources, will 
be responsible for adopting practicable means to avoid

[[Page 35140]]

or minimize environmental harm that may result from implementing the 
Redevelopment Plan.
    Accordingly, Navy will dispose of the surplus Federal property at 
Naval Air Station Barbers Point in a manner that is consistent with the 
State of Hawaii's Redevelopment Plan for the property.

    Dated: June 17, 1999.
William J. Cassidy, Jr.,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Conversion And Redevelopment).

    Dated: June 25, 1999.
Ralph W. Corey,
CDR, JAGC, USN, Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-16691 Filed 6-29-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-M