[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 97 (Monday, May 19, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28806-28808]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-11114]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Air Force


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for 
Disposal and Reuse of Buckley Annex, Colorado

AGENCY: Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The United States Air Force is issuing this notice to advise 
the public that the Air Force intends to prepare an Environmental 
Assessment (EA) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 (NEPA) to assess the potential environmental impacts of the 
disposal and reuse of Buckley Annex, Colorado. This notice signifies 
the beginning of the Air Force's NEPA ``scoping'' and invites 
interested members of the public to participate in the NEPA process.
    The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations at 40 CFR 
1501.7 require an early and open

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process for determining the scope of issues to be addressed in the 
environmental analysis and for identifying the significant issues 
related to the proposed action. The scope identifies the range of 
actions, alternatives, and impacts to be considered in detail in the 
environmental analysis. This process of soliciting public input is 
called ``scoping.'' Scoping ensures that any significant issues are 
identified early and studied properly, and that minor issues do not 
consume the agency's time and effort.
    Site Description. The Buckley Annex property consists of about 72 
acres located just west of the former Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, 
CO. The land is improved with 6 buildings containing nearly 640,000 
square feet. Environmental information about this site can be found in 
the environmental condition of property documents at the following Web 
sites:
    http://www.airforcebrac2005.org/Buckley%20Docs2.htm.
    http://www.afcee.brooks.af.mil/products/ecp/default.asp.
    Need for the Proposed Action. In accordance with the Base Closure 
and Realignment Act amendments contained in Title XXX of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002 (Pub. L. 107-107), the 
Secretary of Defense submitted a consolidated Department of Defense 
(DoD) list of recommended actions to an independent commission 
appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. The 2005 
Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (Commission) evaluated 
the recommendations and sent its findings to the President, who 
forwarded the recommendations to Congress on September 23, 2005. The 
Base Closure Act provides that, unless disapproved by Congress within a 
specified period, the recommendations are to be implemented. In the 
absence of Congressional disapproval, the Commission's recommendations 
became binding on November 9, 2005. Action with respect to Buckley 
Annex is being implemented as required by the Base Closure Act.
    In its 2005 report to the President, the Commission recommended 
closure of the Buckley Annex. Pursuant to that recommendation, all Air 
Force missions at Buckley Annex must cease or be relocated. Following 
closure, the property will be excess to the Air Force needs. 
Accordingly, the Air Force proposes to dispose of its real property 
interests at the Buckley Annex.
    The Base Closure Act requires the Air Force to treat the reuse plan 
of the local redevelopment authority as the Proposed Action for 
purposes of the environmental analysis if the plan is approved by the 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as meeting the 
requirements of the Base Closure Act. The redevelopment authority for 
the Buckley Annex property is the Lowry Redevelopment Authority. After 
conducting considerable public outreach, the redevelopment authority 
developed a proposed reuse plan and has submitted the plan to HUD for 
review and approval. HUD has not issued a final decision on whether the 
plan fulfills the requirements in the Base Closure Act.
    Proposed Action. As explained above, if the redevelopment 
authority's reuse plan is approved by HUD, the Air Force Proposed 
Action for purposes of NEPA environmental assessment will be the reuse 
plan. The redevelopment authority's reuse plan, dated February 2008, 
can be found at the following Web site: http://www.lowry.org. The reuse 
plan involves the demolition of all installation facilities to allow 
construction of mixed use commercial/residential (800 low- and medium-
density residential units) with components involving a boulevard, open 
space, park, and storm water detention.
    Alternatives to the Proposed Action. The Higher Density Residential 
Alternative involves the demolition of all installation facilities to 
allow construction of a higher density residential use with commercial 
development and associated outdoor recreation areas and roadways.
    The Lower Density Residential Alternative involves the demolition 
of all installation facilities to allow construction of a lower density 
residential use with commercial development and associated outdoor 
recreation areas and roadways.
    The Facility Reuse Alternative involves the retention of Building 
444 and associated Building 445 for reuse as an office complex. Other 
facilities on the property would be demolished to allow for recreation 
and open space uses.
    The No-Action Alternative involves the Air Force retaining the 
Buckley Annex property and maintaining it in caretaker status.
    Scope of the EA. The EA will address the potential environmental 
impacts of disposal of the property to public or private entities. In 
analyzing the environmental impacts of property disposal, the Air Force 
will consider the reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts 
associated with the likely reuse of the property, as well as the 
potential environmental impacts of reasonable reuse alternatives. 
Although NEPA does not require publication of a notice-of-intent (NOI) 
to prepare an EA or formal scoping process, it encourages public input 
opportunities. The Air Force invites full public participation in the 
NEPA process to promote open communication and better decision-making. 
All persons and organizations that have a potential interest in the 
Proposed Action, including minority, low-income, disadvantaged, and 
Native American groups are urged to participate in the NEPA 
environmental analysis process. To ensure sufficient time to adequately 
consider public comments concerning environmental issues and disposal 
alternatives to be included in the EA, the Air Force recommends that 
comments and reuse proposals be forwarded to the address listed below 
at the earliest possible date.
    NEPA and Scoping Process. Public participation opportunities with 
respect to the Proposed Action and this EA are guided by the provisions 
of 32 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 989, Environmental Impact 
Analysis Process (EIAP) for Air Force actions. If during the 
environmental review process the Air Force finds that no significant 
adverse environmental impacts are associated with the Proposed Action, 
then a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) would be issued.
    The draft EA and a draft Finding of No Significant Impact, if 
appropriate, will be made available for a 30-day comment period. During 
this time, the Air Force will consider any comments submitted by 
agencies, organizations, or members of the public on the Proposed 
Action, the draft EA, or the draft FONSI. The Air Force is issuing this 
NOI to facilitate the environmental review process by soliciting 
scoping comments in advance of the 30-day period for submission of 
written comments on the EA. At the conclusion of the comment period, 
the Air Force may, if appropriate, execute the FONSI and proceed with 
the Proposed Action.
    However, if the Air Force finds that significant adverse 
environmental impacts would be associated with the proposed 
redevelopment, an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) would be 
prepared. In that event, the Air Force would provide a forum for public 
officials and the community to provide information and comments; a 
scoping meeting would be held in Denver, Colorado, probably during the 
months of October or November 2008. Notice of the time and location of 
this meeting would be provided at a later date, and publicized in the 
community. The purpose of this meeting would be

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to help identify issues that need to be assessed and discussed in the 
EIS. During this meeting, the Air Force would discuss the proposal to 
close and dispose of Buckley Annex, describe the process involved in 
preparing an EIS, and ask your help in identifying alternative uses for 
Buckley Annex and any significant environmental impacts that may result 
from its closure and disposal. In soliciting disposal and reuse 
alternatives, the Air Force would consider reasonable alternatives 
offered by any federal, state, or local government agency, and any 
federally sponsored or private entity or individual. The resulting EIS 
would be considered in making disposal decisions documented in the Air 
Force's Final Disposal Plan and Record of Decision.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct written comments or requests 
for further information concerning the Buckley Annex disposal and reuse 
EA to: Robert L. Lopez, HQ AFCEE/BC, 3300 Sidney Brooks, Brooks City-
Base, Texas 78235-5112, 210-536-4508. e-mail: 
[email protected].

Bao-Anh Trinh,
Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-11114 Filed 5-16-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-05-P