[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 207 (Friday, October 24, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63451-63452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-25424]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Disposal and Reuse of Naval Air Station (NAS) Brunswick, ME, and 
Notice of Public Scoping Meetings

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the Council on 
Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the 
Department of the Navy (DON) announces its intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential 
environmental consequences of the disposal and reuse of NAS Brunswick, 
Maine, per Public Law 101-510, the Defense Base Closure and Realignment 
Act of 1990, as amended in 2005 (BRAC Law). Potential impacts 
associated with reuse of NAS Brunswick, including changes in aviation, 
housing, school system, traffic patterns, and environmental remediation 
will be evaluated and will contribute to the alternatives considered.

DATES: The DON will conduct public scoping meetings in Brunswick, 
Cumberland County, Maine, to receive comments on the environmental 
concerns that should be addressed in the EIS. Public scoping open 
houses will be as follows:
    1. Open House: Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 4 p.m.-8 p.m., 
Brunswick Junior High School, Gymnasium, 65 Columbia Avenue, Brunswick, 
Maine.
    2. Open House: Thursday, November 13, 2008, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., 
Brunswick Municipal Meeting Facility (Old High School), 44 McKeen 
Street, Brunswick, Maine.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Director, BRAC Program Management 
Office Northeast, 4911 Broad Street, Building 679, Philadelphia, PA 
19112-1303, telephone: 215-897-4900, fax: 215-897-4902, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC) 
Commission was established by Public Law 101-510, the BRAC Law, to 
recommend military installations for realignment and closure. 
Recommendations of the 2005 BRAC Commission were included in a report 
presented to the President on September 8, 2005. The President approved 
and forwarded this report to Congress on September 16, 2005, which 
became effective as public law on November 9, 2005, and must be 
implemented in accordance with the requirements of the BRAC Law.
    The BRAC Law exempts the decision-making process of the Commission 
from the provisions of NEPA. The Law also relieves the DoD from the 
NEPA requirements to consider the need for closing, realigning, or 
transferring functions, and from looking at alternative installations 
to close or realign. The DON is preparing environmental impact analyses 
during the process of relocating functions from military installations 
being closed or realigned to other military installations after the 
receiving installations have been selected, but before the functions 
are relocated. The analyses will consider direct and indirect 
environmental and socioeconomic impacts of these actions and cumulative 
impacts of other reasonably foreseeable actions affecting the receiving 
installations.
    The BRAC recommendation for closure of NAS Brunswick is as follows: 
Close NAS Brunswick, Maine; relocate its aircraft along with dedicated 
personnel, equipment, and support to NAS Jacksonville, Florida; and 
consolidate the Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department with the 
Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, Jacksonville, Florida.
    NAS Brunswick is a 3,162-acre air installation located in 
Brunswick, Maine. Outlying facilities that are part of the BRAC 
recommendation include the Topsham Annex, McKeen Street

[[Page 63452]]

Housing Annex, East Brunswick Radio Transmitter Site, and the Sabino 
Hill and Small Point Rake Stations. A separate redevelopment plan has 
been prepared for the Topsham Annex and by separate action, an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) will be prepared to address probable 
impacts of the proposed reuse. Sabino Hill will revert to the previous 
landowner. As such, these facilities will not be evaluated in this EIS.
    The proposed action for this EIS is to provide for the disposal of 
NAS Brunswick and its excess properties by the Navy and its reuse by 
the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority (MRRA) in a manner 
consistent with the Brunswick Naval Air Station Reuse Master Plan 
(Reuse Plan) prepared by the Brunswick Local Redevelopment Authority 
(BLRA). The plan will be implemented by MRRA.
    The EIS will consider the alternatives that are reasonable to 
accomplish the proposed action. Alternatives to be considered include: 
(1) Disposal of the property by the Navy and reuse by MRRA in a manner 
consistent with the Brunswick Naval Air Station Master Reuse Plan; (2) 
disposal of the property by the Navy and reuse by MRRA in accordance 
with a high-density reuse scenario; and (3) no action, with the Navy 
closing NAS Brunswick and placing it in caretaker status.
    Alternative 1 includes the disposal of NAS Brunswick and its excess 
properties by the Navy and its reuse in a manner consistent with the 
Reuse Plan. The Plan provides a mix of land uses based on existing 
conditions on the installation and in the community, guiding principles 
for development established by the LRA, and public participation. This 
alternative would maintain the existing airfield for private aviation 
purposes. It is anticipated that full build-out of the Plan would be 
implemented over a 20-year period. The Reuse Plan calls for the 
development of approximately 1,630 acres (51%) of the total base 
property.
    In addition, approximately 1,570 acres (49%) of the base would be 
dedicated to a variety of active and passive land uses, including 
recreation, open space, and natural areas. The plan reuses the existing 
airfield and its supporting infrastructure, provides a mix of land use 
types and densities, and preserves open space and natural areas. The 
plan also incorporates elements based on smart-growth principles, 
including pedestrian-friendly transportation features (e.g., walkable 
neighborhoods, bike lanes, and compact development), open spaces, and a 
mix of land use types.
    Alternative 2 includes the disposal of NAS Brunswick and its excess 
properties by the Navy and its reuse in a manner that features a higher 
density of residential and community mixed-use development and does not 
include reuse of the airfield. Similar to Alternative 1, this 
alternative includes a mix of land use types, preserves open space and 
natural areas, and incorporates elements based on smart-growth 
principles, including pedestrian-friendly transportation and compact 
development. It is anticipated that full build-out of the high-density 
scenario would be implemented over a 20-year period.
    The Reuse Plan calls for the development of approximately 1,580 
acres (49%) of the total base property. In addition, approximately 
1,620 acres (51%) of the base would be dedicated to a variety of active 
and passive land uses, including recreation, open space, and natural 
areas. Although this alternative would have less developable acres than 
the preferred alternative, the density of residential and community 
mixed-uses would be higher.
    Alternative 3 is required by NEPA and will evaluate the impacts at 
NAS Brunswick in the event that the property is not disposed. Under 
this alternative, existing mission and support operations would be 
relocated; however, the installation would be retained by the U.S. 
government in caretaker status. No reuse or redevelopment would occur 
at the facility. The installation would be placed in caretaker status.
    The EIS will address potential direct, indirect, short-term, long-
term, and cumulative impacts on the human and natural environments, 
including potential impacts on topography, geology and soils, water 
resources, biological resources, air quality, noise, infrastructure and 
utilities, traffic, cultural resource, land use, socioeconomics, 
environmental justice, and waste management. Known areas of concern 
associated with the BRAC action include impacts on socioeconomics due 
to loss of the military and civilian workforce, impacts on local 
housing market and school system, impacts on local traffic patterns 
resulting from reuse scenarios, and the clean-up of installation 
remediation sites.
    The DON is initiating the scoping process to identify community 
concerns and issues that should be addressed in the EIS. Agencies and 
the public are encouraged to provide written comments at scheduled 
public scoping meetings. Comments should clearly describe specific 
issues or topics that the EIS should address. Written comments must be 
postmarked or e-mailed by midnight November 28, 2008, and should be 
sent to: Director, BRAC Program Management Office Northeast, 4911 Broad 
Street, Building 679, Philadelphia, PA 19112-1303, telephone: 215-897-
4900, fax: 215-897-4902, e-mail: [email protected].
    Requests for special assistance, sign language interpretation for 
the hearing impaired, language interpreters, or other auxiliary aids 
for scheduled public scoping meeting must be sent by mail or e-mail to 
Mr. Ron Bochenek, Ecology and Environment, Inc., 368 Pleasant View 
Drive, Lancaster, NY 14086, telephone: 716-684-8060, e-mail: 
[email protected].

    Dated: October 20, 2008.
T.M. Cruz,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
 [FR Doc. E8-25424 Filed 10-23-08; 8:45 am]
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