[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 99 (Thursday, May 22, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28042-28043]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-12819]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment and 
Conduct Scoping for Air Traffic Procedural Changes Associate With the 
Midwest Airspace Plan

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Assessment (EA) 
and conduct scoping meetings.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Central Region, is 
issuing this notice to advise the public, pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, (NEPA) 42 U.S.C. 
4332(2)(C) that the FAA intends to prepare an EA for the proposed 
Midwest Airspace Plan (MAP). While not required for an EA, the FAA is 
issuing this Notice of Intent to facilitate public involvement. This

[[Page 28043]]

EA will assess the potential environmental impacts resulting from 
proposed modifications to air traffic routings in the metropolitan St. 
Louis, Missouri and surrounding areas. Airports in this area include 
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, Spirit of St. Louis Airport, 
St. Louis Downtown Airport, St. Louis Regional Airport, Scott Air Force 
Base/Mid-America Airport, as well as other smaller general aviation use 
airports. All reasonable alternatives will be considered including a no 
action alternative/option.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Donna O'Neill, Airspace Branch, ACE-
520, Air Traffic Division, Federal Aviation Administration, 901 E. 
Locust, Kansas City, MO 64106; telephone: (816) 329-2560.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA issued its Final Environmental 
Impact Statement (FEIS) on W-1-W, a new staggered parallel runway at 
St. Louis-Lambert International Airport on December 19, 1997. The 
subsequent Record of Decision (ROD) on Improvements to Lambert-St. 
Louis International Airport, dated September 30, 1998 directed that 
action be taken to develop air traffic control and airspace management 
procedures to effect the safe and efficient movement of air traffic to 
and from the proposed new runway, including the development of a system 
for the routing of arriving and departing traffic and the design, 
establishment, and publication of standardized flight operating 
procedures including instrument approach procedures and standard 
instrument departure procedures.
    The FAA's Midwest Airspace Plan examines alternative ways to modify 
air traffic routes and procedures to enhance safety and improve 
operational efficiency in the St. Louis airspace environment. The 
Midwest Airspace Plan encompasses a geographic area of approximately 75 
miles around the Lambert-St. Louis International Airport. Airports in 
the study area include: Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, Spirit 
of St. Louis Airport, St. Louis Downtown Airport, St. Louis Regional 
Airport, Scott Air Force Base/Mid-America Airport, as well as other 
smaller general aviation use airports.
    The FAA will examine methods that will take advantage of new and 
emerging ATC technologies, improved performance characteristics of 
modern aircraft, as well as improvements in navigation capabilities. 
The proposal will address the merits of alternative airspace design 
scenarios that safely and efficiently use regional airspace and utilize 
the additional runway being constructed at the Lambert-St. Louis 
International Airport.
    As part of the airspace redesign effort, the FAA will conduct 
detailed analyses, which will be used to evaluate the potential 
environmental impacts in the study area. During scoping, and upon 
publication of a draft EA and a final EA, the FAA will be contacting 
and coordinating with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as 
the public, to obtain comments and suggestions regarding the EA for the 
proposed project. The EA will assess impacts and reasonable 
alternatives including a no action alternative, pursuant to NEPA; FAA 
Order 1050.1, Policies and Procedures for Assessing Environmental 
Impacts; DOT Order 5610.1, Procedures for Considering Environmental 
Impacts; and the President's Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) 
Regulations implementing the provisions of NEPA, 40 CFR Parts 1500-
1508, and other appropriate Agency guidance.
    Public Scoping Process: While not required for an EA, the FAA will 
use the scoping process as outlined in the Council on Environmental 
Quality (CEQ) Regulations and guidelines to facilitate public 
involvement. Concerned individuals and agencies are invited to express 
their views either in writing or by providing oral comments at a 
scoping meeting. The purpose of the scoping process is: (1) To provide 
a description of the proposed action, (2) to provide an early and open 
process to determine the scope of issues to be addressed and to 
identify potentially significant issues or impacts related to the 
proposed action that should be analyzed in the EA, (3) to identify 
other coordination and any permit requirements associated with the 
proposed action, (4) to identify and eliminate from detailed study 
those issues that are not significant or those that have been 
adequately addressed during a prior environmental review process.
    The FAA has scheduled four public scoping meetings. Each meeting 
will be held from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at sites listed below. Each of the 
meetings will begin with an overview of the project (7 p.m.-7:15 p.m.), 
followed by an informal open house period (7:15 p.m.-8:30 p.m.) and 
will conclude with a question and answer session (8:30 p.m.-9 p.m.). 
The open house portion of each public scoping meeting will include 
redesign displays and graphics and will provide an opportunity for one-
on-one interaction between representatives of the FAA and the general 
public. Comments will be received via court recorder or written form 
throughout the duration of the meeting.
    Scoping Meeting dates and locations are:

--June 11, 2003--Collinsville, IL Holiday Inn
--June 17, 2003--Kirkwood, MO Holiday Inn
--June 18, 2003--St. Peters, MO City Hall
--June 19, 2003--Alton, IL Holiday Inn

    In meeting with NEPA coordination requirements, the FAA has 
scheduled one meeting that will be dedicated primarily to federal, 
state and local agency staff, and Native American governments. This 
meeting is scheduled on June 11 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Sheraton St. 
Louis City Center Hotel, St. Louis, MO. Although this meeting will be 
held primarily for the benefit of federal, tribal, state and local 
agency staff, it will also be open to the public.
    The scoping period begins with this announcement. To ensure that 
all issues are identified, the FAA is requesting comments and 
suggestions on the project scope from all interested federal, state and 
local agencies and other interested parties. In furtherance of this 
effort, the FAA has established an Internet Web site that can be 
accessed at: http://www.faa.gov/ats/central/enviro/map.html. Additional 
information about the Midwest Airspace Plan, including the scoping 
meeting schedule and meeting locations can be found at this internet 
site. Additionally, the FAA will be maintaining the following telephone 
number for general information: 816-329-2560.
    Dates: The FAA will accept formal scoping comments through July 18, 
2003. Written comments should be directed to the following address: 
Federal Aviation Administration, 901 E. Locust, Attn: ACE-520-MAP, 
Kansas City, MO 64106. Comments will also be accepted electronically 
via http://www.faa.gov/ats/nar/central/enviro/map.html.

    Issued in Kansas City, Missouri on May 6, 2003.
Paul J. Sheridan,
Acting Manager, Air Traffic Division, Central Region.
[FR Doc. 03-12819 Filed 5-21-03; 8:45 am]
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