[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 111 (Wednesday, June 9, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32394-32396]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-12986]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report and Hold Scoping Meetings for Ontario 
International Airport, Ontario, CA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice to hold one (1) public scoping meeting and one (1) 
governmental and public agency scoping meeting.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is issuing this 
notice to advise the public that a joint Environmental Impact 
Statement/Environmental Impact Report will be prepared for development 
recommended by the Master Plan for Ontario International Airport, 
Ontario, California. To ensure that all significant issues related to 
the proposed action are identified, one (1) public scoping meeting and 
one (1) governmental and public agency scoping meeting will be held.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Mendelsohn, Environmental 
Protection Specialist, AWP-621.6, Southern California Standards 
Section, Federal Aviation Administration, Western-Pacific Region, PO 
Box 92007, Los Angeles, California 90009-2007, Telephone: (310) 725-
3637. Comments on the scope of the EIS/EIR should be submitted to the 
address above and must be received no later than 5 p.m. Pacific 
Daylight Time, on Monday, September 13, 2004.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 
cooperation with the city of Los Angeles, California, will prepare a 
joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report for 
future development recommended by the Master Plan for Ontario 
International Airport (ONT). The need to prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) is based on the procedures described in FAA 
Order 5050.4A, Airport Environmental Handbook.
    ONT is a commercial service airport located within a standard 
metropolitan statistical area and the proposed airside

[[Page 32395]]

development includes relocation of the runways, separation of the 
runways, extension of a runway and construction and/or relocation of 
taxiway(s). The proposed landside improvements include additional 
terminals, additional gates, construction and/or expansion of parking 
lots, construction and/or expansion of access roads, construction, 
expansion and/or relocation of the existing surface transportation 
center, construction, expansion and/or relocation of the general 
aviation facilities, construction, expansion and/or relocation of 
airport maintenance area, construction, expansion and/or relocation of 
an airport administration facility, construction, expansion and/or 
relocation of aircraft safety facility (aircraft rescue and 
firefighting (ARFF) facility). The proposed project also may include an 
airport people mover (APM). The area around the airport contains non-
compatible land uses in terms of aircraft noise; and the proposed 
development is likely to be controversial.
    Significant growth in the demand for air travel through 2030 is 
expected in the ONT service area. The Southern California Association 
of Governments (SCAG) 2004 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) predicts 
a doubling of regional passenger demand by 2030 and predicts that air 
cargo demand will more than triple. The RTP proposes to accommodate 
this growth at outlying airports rather than expansion of Los Angeles 
International Airport (LAX). The proposed LAX Master Plan supports this 
concept and plans to modernize facilities but to maintain the airport 
capacity at about 78 Million Annual Passengers (MAP). Other airports in 
the region also are constrained from growth, generally by either the 
limitations of their facilities or by court settlements that restrict 
growth to control environmental impacts to surrounding residents. The 
RTP relies on the Ontario International Airport to accommodate a larger 
share of the total regional passenger and air cargo demand in the 
future than it currently accommodates (6 to 6.5 million passengers used 
ONT in 2003) to serve this growing regional demand. The ONT Master Plan 
development alternatives, therefore, propose airport improvements that 
can accommodate passenger growth to 30 million Annual Passengers or the 
estimated capacity of the two existing dependent runways.
    The city of Los Angeles, pursuant to the California Environmental 
Quality Act of 1970 (CEQA) also will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Report (EIR) for the proposed development. In an effort to eliminate 
unnecessary duplication and reduce delay, the document to be prepared, 
will be a joint EIS/EIR in accordance with the President's Council on 
Environmental Quality Regulations described in 40 Code of Federal 
Regulations, Sections 1500.5 and 1506.2.
    The Joint Lead Agencies for the preparation of the EIS/EIR will be 
the Federal Aviation Administration and the city of Los Angeles, 
California.
    The following master planning development alternatives and the No 
Action/No Project Alternative are proposed to be evaluated in the EIS/
EIR as described below:
    No Action/No Project Alternative--The No Action/No project 
Alternative represents the conditions that would occur at ONT without 
comprehensive Master Plan improvements. This alternative will not 
include any new facilities or improvements to existing facilities other 
than those that have independent utility, are unconnected actions to 
comprehensive Master Plan improvements and have (or are) undergoing 
separate environmental review. When forecasted operations are realized, 
current facilities would not provide an acceptable level of service to 
accommodate this increased passenger demand.
    Alternative 1--Linear expansion of existing passenger terminals and 
aircrafts apron (gates) on the north side of the airport, relocation of 
both runways to the south and east to create additional terminal area 
circulation, separation of the runways and construction of a center 
taxiway between north and south runways to improve airfield efficiency 
and safety, construction of structured auto parking lots, construction/
expansion of terminal access roads, relocation and/or expansion of the 
existing ground transportation center, construction of additional 
economy parking lots, relocation and/or expansion of employee parking 
lot, expansion and/or relocation of general aviation facilities, 
expansion and/or relocation of airport maintenance area, construction 
and/or relocation of an airport administration facility, expansion/
construction/relocation of aircraft safety facility (aircraft rescue 
and firefighting (ARFF) facility), impact to some existing south side 
facilities, an airport people mover (APM) system may be constructed, 
surface transportation improvements may be constructed, land 
acquisition of approximately 33 acres, construction of new parallel 
taxiways, relocation of existing parallel taxiways and construction/
relocation of connector taxiways.
    Alternative 2.--Linear expansion of the existing passenger 
terminals on the north side of the airport, construction of a passenger 
terminal on the south side of the airport, no relocation of runways, 
extension of south runway to the east, relocation of Taxiway S, 
construction of structured auto parking lots, construction/expansion of 
terminal access roads including new ground access facilities for the 
new south terminal, relocation and/or expansion of the existing ground 
transportation center, construction of additional economy parking lots, 
relocation and/or expansion of employee parking lot, expansion and/or 
relocation of general aviation facilities, expansion and/or relocation 
of airport maintenance area, construction and/or relocation of an 
airport transportation administration facility, expansion/construction/
relocation of aircraft safety facility (aircraft rescue and 
firefighting (ARFF) facility), an airport people mover (APM) system may 
be constructed, surface transportation improvements may be constructed, 
impacted to many of the existing south side facilities and land 
acquisition of approximately 220 acres.
    Comments and suggestions are invited from Federal, State, and local 
agencies, and other interested parties to ensure that the full range of 
issues related to these proposed projects are addressed and all 
significant issues are identified. Written comments and suggestions 
concerning the scope of the EIS/EIR may be mailed to the FAA 
informational contact listed above and must be received no later than 5 
p.m. Pacific Daylight Time, on than Monday, September 13, 2004.
    Public Scoping Meetings: The FAA and LWA will jointly hold one (1) 
public and one (1) governmental agency scoping meeting to solicit input 
from the public and various Federal, State and local agencies that have 
jurisdiction by law or have specific expertise with respect to any 
environmental impacts associated with the proposed projects. A scoping 
meeting specifically for governmental and public agencies will be held 
on Tuesday, July 13, 2004, from 1 p.m to 3 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time 
at the Ontario International Airport, Lobby of Terminal Building 1 (Old 
Terminal), Ontario, California 91761. The public scoping meeting will 
be held at the same location on Tuesday, July 13, 2004, from 6 p.m. to 
9 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.


[[Page 32396]]


    Issued in Hawthorne, California on Friday May 28, 2004.
Mickael Agaibi,
Acting Manager, Airports Division, Western-Pacific Region, AWP-600.
[FR Doc. 04-12986 Filed 6-8-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-M