[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 127 (Friday, July 2, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40453-40454]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-15043]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration


Revision to the Date and Location of the Scoping Meetings for the 
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Joint Environmental Impact Statement/
Environmental Impact Report for Ontario International Airport, Ontario, 
CA

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration, DOT.

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

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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is issuing this 
revised notice to advise the public of a change in the date and 
location of governmental and public scoping meetings. 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, P.O. 
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) 
published this Notice of Intent on June 9, 2004. This revised notice is 
to advise the public of a change in the date and location of the 
governmental and public scoping meetings. The 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 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:

[[Page 40454]]

    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 
aircraft 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 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, impact to many 
of the existing south side facilities and land acquisitions 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 Monday, September 13, 2004.

Public Scoping Meetings

    The FAA and LAWA 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 now be held on 
Tuesday, August 17, 2004, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Pacific Daylight Time 
at the Ontario Convention Center, 2000 Convention Center Way, Ontario, 
California 91764 (enter public parking lot off Holt Avenue). The public 
scoping meeting will be held at the same location on Tuesday, August 
17, 2004, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time.

    Issued in Hawthorne, California on Friday June 25, 2004.
Mark A. McClardy,
Manager, Airports Division, Western--Pacific Region, AWP-600.
[FR Doc. 04-15043 Filed 7-1-04; 8:45 am]
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