[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 209 (Friday, October 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58382-58383]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-28403]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Public Hearing for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(DEIS) for the Transfer and Reuse of Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve 
Plant (NWIRP), Bethpage, NY

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 (EPA) a DEIS for the transfer and 
reuse of NWIRP Bethpage, New York. A public hearing will be held for 
the purpose of receiving oral and written comments on the DEIS. 
Federal, state and local agencies, and interested individuals are 
invited to be present or represented at the hearing.

DATES: The public hearing will be held on November 18, 1999, beginning 
at 7:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Bethpage High School, Cherry 
Street, Bethpage, New York.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert Ostermueller (Code 202) at 
Northern Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, 10 Industrial 
Highway, Lester, Pennsylvania 19113, telephone (610) 595-0759, 
facsimile (610) 595-0778).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C) of the 
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the 
Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), 
the Department of the Navy has prepared and filed with the EPA a DEIS 
for the transfer and reuse of NWIRP Bethpage, New York. A Notice of 
Intent for this DEIS was published in the Federal Register on March 8, 
1999 and a public scoping meeting was held in Bethpage, New York, on 
March 23, 1999.
    The proposed action is the U.S. Navy's transfer of the NWIRP 
Bethpage to the County of Nassau, New York. The transfer of NWIRP 
Bethpage was authorized by the Department of Defense Authorization Act 
for fiscal year 1998. The legislation authorizes the Secretary of the 
Navy to convey NWIRP Bethpage to Nassau County, New York for economic 
redevelopment purposes or such other public purposes. The NWIRP 
Bethpage property consists of two non-contiguous land parcels 
encompassing approximately 109.5 acres and an individual building 
(Plant 5) located within the former 605-acre Northrop Grumman 
manufacturing campus in the hamlet of Bethpage,

[[Page 58383]]

Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York. Currently, the property is 
developed with manufacturing, light industrial, and administrative land 
uses. In December 1998, Nassau County, through the Grumman Master 
Planning Council, identified a Preferred Reuse Plan for NWIRP Bethpage, 
described in Navy/Grumman Site Reuse Plan-Alternative Report. This plan 
is presented as the preferred reuse alternative that, along with its 
alternatives, is analyzed in the DEIS.
    The DEIS evaluates three reuse alternatives. The Reuse Plan 
Alternative (preferred alternative) proposes a mix of light industry 
and office, with some warehousing on the 105-acre parcel and commercial 
use on the 4.5-acre parcel. The Preferred Reuse Plan would result in an 
estimated 5,410 full-time jobs. ``Reuse Alternative A'' comprises a mix 
of light industry and warehousing with limited office use. ``Reuse 
Alternative B would develop the properties entirely for office use. A 
``No Action Alternative'' was also evaluated that assumes no disposal, 
and therefore, retention of the property by the U.S. Navy in caretaker 
status.
    Potential impacts evaluated in the DEIS include, but are not 
limited to: Land use, socioeconomics, community facilities, 
transportation, air quality, noise, infrastructure, cultural resources, 
natural resources, hazardous wastes and soils contamination. Analysis 
includes the evaluation of direct, indirect, short-term, and cumulative 
impacts; and irreversible and irretrievable commitment of resources 
associated with the proposed action. No decision on the proposed action 
will be made until the NEPA process has been completed and a Record of 
Decision is signed.
    The DEIS has been distributed to various federal, state, and local 
agencies, elected officials, and special interest groups and public 
libraries. The DEIS is also available for public review at the Bethpage 
Public Library located at 47 Powell Avenue, Bethpage, New York 11714.
    Navy will conduct a public hearing to receive oral and written 
comments concerning the DEIS. A brief presentation will precede a 
request for public information and comments. Navy 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 parties are invited and urged to be 
present or represented at the hearing. Those who intend to speak will 
be asked to submit a speaker card (available at the door). Oral 
comments will be heard and transcribed by a stenographer. To ensure 
accuracy of the record, all statements should also be submitted in 
writing. All statements, both oral and written, will become part of the 
public record in the study. Equal weight will be given to both oral and 
written comments. 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: Commanding Officer, Northern 
Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Code 202, 10 Industrial 
Highway, Lester, Pennsylvania 19113, (Attn. Mr. Robert Ostermueller, 
telephone (610) 595-0759, facsimile (610) 595-0778). Written comments 
must be received not later than Monday, December 13, 1999.

    Dated: October 26, 1999.
C.G. Carlson,
Major, U.S. Marine Corps, Alternate Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 99-28403 Filed 10-28-99; 8:45 am]
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