[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 145 (Friday, July 27, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39153-39154]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-18730]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Release of the Notice of Availability (NOA) on the Supplemental 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Disposal and Reuse of 
the Oakland Army Base, Oakland, CA

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: This Supplemental Draft EIS was prepared by the Army in 
compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 
and the President's Council on Environmental Quality. The closure of 
the Oakland Army Base, Oakland, California (OARB) was mandated in 
accordance with the recommendations of the Defense Base Closure and 
Realignment Act of 1990, Public Law 101-510, as amended (the ``BRAC 
law''. The NOA on the Army's original Draft EIS was published on 
November 19, 1999 (64 FR 63313). From January 2000 through May 2001, 
the Oakland Base Reuse Authority (OBRA) revised its Final Draft Reuse 
Plan to accommodate local planning requirements, resulting in an 
Amended Draft Final Reuse Plan. This Supplemental Draft EIS is prepared 
to address the analysis required of the OBRA Amended Draft Final Reuse 
Plan.

DATES: The review period for the Supplemental Draft EIS will end 45 
days after publication of the NOA in the Federal Register by the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency.

ADDRESSES: Questions and/or written comments regarding the Supplemental 
Draft EIS, or a request for a copy of the document may be directed to: 
Dr. Robert L. Koenigs, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento 
District (CESPK-PD), 1325 J Street, Sacramento, California 95814-2922.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Robert L. Koenigs at (916) 557-
6712; by facsimile at (916) 557-7856; or by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Supplemental Draft EIS analyzes three 
alternative courses of action with respect to the disposal and 
subsequent reuse of the 425 acres (371 land acres and 54 submerged land 
acres) comprising the OARB: (1) The no action disposal alternative, 
under which the property would be maintained in a

[[Page 39154]]

caretaker status after closure; (2) the unencumbered disposal 
alternative, under which the Army would transfer the property without 
encumbrances, such as environmental restrictions and easements; and (3) 
the encumbered disposal alternative, under which the Army would 
transfer the property with various environmental restrictions and 
easements, limiting the future use of the property. The Supplemental 
Draft EIS also analyzes the potential environmental and socioeconomic 
consequences of a range of community reuse alternatives: (1) Low 
intensity reuse alternative; (2) low-medium intensity reuse 
alternative; (3) medium intensity reuse alternative; (4) medium-high 
intensity reuse alternative; (5) medium-high/high intensity reuse 
alternative; (6) high intensity reuse alternative; and (7) very-high 
intensity reuse alternative.
    This Supplemental Draft EIS concludes the no action alternative is 
not reasonable because the BRAC law mandates closure of the OARB, and 
the Army has no requirement to retain the property. This Supplemental 
Draft EIS also concludes that the unencumbered disposal alternative is 
not feasible given environmental conditions and legal requirements.
    The Army's preferred alternative course of action is the encumbered 
disposal of excess property. Possible encumbrances include: covenants 
and restrictions pertaining to asbestos-containing material; lead-based 
paint; biological resources; historic properties; future remedial 
activities after transfer; infrastructure easements; and rights-of-way.
    This Supplemental Draft EIS analyzes community reuse of the OARB 
property as a secondary action resulting from closure and disposal by 
the Army. While the Army does not control the community's reuse of the 
property, under NEPA, the Army is required to analyze the reasonably 
foreseeable impacts of its disposal action. The local community has 
established the OBRA to develop and implement a reuse plan for the 
installation. Approval and implementation of the reuse plan are within 
the discretion of the OBRA.
    In response to required local coordination of federal projects 
under the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), the San Francisco Bay 
Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) indicated that the Final 
Draft Reuse Plan inconsistently allocated non-maritime uses to ``port 
priority use areas'' as designated under the San Francisco Bay Plan and 
Seaport Plan, the key planning documents of the San Francisco Coastal 
Zone Management Program (CZMP). To ensure proper compliance with the 
CZMP and CZMA, the Army temporarily suspended the NEPA process while 
OBRA, in consultation with the Port of Oakland, City of Oakland, 
Oakland Redevelopment Agency, and BCDC, worked to revise its Final 
Draft Reuse Plan and request an amendment to the Bay and Seaport Plans. 
In April 2001, the OBRA Governing Body approved an Amended Draft Final 
Reuse Plan. The BCDC also amended the Bay Plan and Seaport Plan to 
allow some areas originally designated ``port priority use areas'' to 
be used for non-maritime purposes. In May 2001, the BCDC agreed with 
the Army's determination that the proposed disposal and reuse of the 
OARB under the Amended Draft Final Reuse Plan is consistent with the 
amended Bay and Seaport Plans, and meets the requirements of the CZMP 
and CZMA. The detailed analysis of the incorporated Amended Final Draft 
Reuse Plan has been included as a new chapter in the Supplemental Draft 
EIS to accommodate public review and comment.
    Comments on the Supplemental Draft EIS received during the 45-day 
public comment period will be considered in preparing the Army's Final 
EIS and Record of Decision. Copies of the Supplemental Draft EIS are 
available for review at the following libraries: (1) Oakland Public 
Library Main Branch, Science, Social Science and Documents Section, 125 
Fourteenth Street, Oakland, California 94612; (2) West Oakland Branch 
Library, 1801 Adeline Street, Oakland, California 94607; and (3) Base 
Transition Office, 2475-D West 12th Street, Oakland, California 94607.

    Dated: July 20, 2001.
Raymond J. Fatz,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety and 
Occupational Health) OASA (I&E).
[FR Doc. 01-18730 Filed 7-26-01; 8:45 am]
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