[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 26, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29521-29523]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-12632]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Meetings of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for Basing the U.S. Marine Corps Joint Strike Fighter F-35B 
on the East Coast

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, and regulations implemented by the Council 
on Environmental Quality (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 
1500-1508), Department of Navy (DoN) NEPA regulations (32 CFR Part 
775), and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) NEPA directives (Marine Corps Order 
P5090.2A, changes 1 and 2), DoN has prepared and filed with the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (DEIS) that evaluates the potential environmental 
consequences that may result from the basing of the F-35B Joint Strike 
Fighter (JSF) on the East Coast of the United States.
    With the filing of the DEIS, DoN is initiating a 45-day public 
comment period and has scheduled five public comment meetings to 
receive oral and written comments on the DEIS. Federal, state, local 
agencies, and interested parties are encouraged to provide comments in 
person at any of the public comment meetings, or in writing anytime 
during the public comment period. This notice announces the date and 
location of the public meetings and provides supplementary information 
about the environmental planning effort.

DATES: The DEIS will be distributed to Federal, State, and local 
agencies, elected officials, and other interested

[[Page 29522]]

parties on May 28, 2010, initiating the 45-day public comment period 
which will end on July 12, 2010. Each of the five public meetings will 
be conducted as an informational open house. Marine Corps and Navy 
representatives will be available to clarify information related to the 
DEIS. All five public comment meetings will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 
p.m., on the dates and at the locations indicated below:
    (1) June 15, 2010, Havelock Tourist and Event Center, 201 Tourist 
Center Drive, Havelock, NC 28532.
    (2) June 16, 2010, Emerald Isle Community Center, 7500 Emerald 
Drive, Emerald Isle, NC 28594.
    (3) June 17, 2010, Fred A. Anderson Elementary School Cafeteria, 
507 Anderson Drive, Bayboro, NC 28515.
    (4) June 22, 2010, Holiday Inn Conference Convention Center, 2225 
Boundary Street, Beaufort, SC 29902.
    (5) June 24, 2010, Long County High School, 1 East Academy Street, 
Ludowici, GA 31316.
    Attendees can submit written comments at all public meetings. A 
stenographer will also be present to transcribe oral comments. Equal 
weight will be given to both oral and written comments and all comments 
(either presented orally through transcription and/or written) 
submitted during the public review period will become part of the 
public record on the DEIS and will be responded to in the Final EIS. 
Written comments may be submitted by regular U.S. mail or 
electronically as described below.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the DEIS is available at the project Web site, 
http://www.usmcJSFeast.com, and at the local libraries identified at 
the end of this notice. Comments on the DEIS can be submitted via the 
project Web site or in writing by submitting to: USMC F-35B East Coast 
Basing EIS, P.O. Box 56488, Jacksonville, FL 32241-6488. Mailed 
comments must be postmarked by July 12, 2010, and electronic comments 
must be submitted on or before July 12, 2010, to be considered in this 
environmental review process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: F-35B EIS Project Manager, 
Environmental Planning & Conservation Division, Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, Code EV21, 9742 Maryland Avenue, Z-
144, 1st Floor, Attn: Ms. Linda Blount, Norfolk, VA 23511.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Intent for the EIS was published 
in the Federal Register on January 15, 2009 (Vol. 74, No. 10, pp. 2514-
2515).

Proposed Action

    The Proposed Action would base and operate a total of 13 squadrons 
of F-35B aircraft on the East Coast of the United States. The F-35B 
aircraft is the world's first 5th generation Short Takeoff Vertical 
Landing (STOVL), stealth, supersonic, multi-role, fighter aircraft that 
would replace legacy Marine Corps air fleets of F/A-18s and AV-8Bs. 
Specifically, the proposal would base and operate 11 F-35B operational 
squadrons (which includes one Reserve squadron) with up to 16 aircraft 
per squadron and the PTC (composed of two Fleet Replacement Squadrons 
[FRSs]) with 20 aircraft per squadron. The Proposed Action involves 
replacing seven operational F/A-18 and four AV-8B (three operational 
squadrons and one FRS) squadrons of 152 authorized aircraft with up to 
216 F-35Bs; establishing a PTC with two F-35B FRSs; conducting flight 
operations to meet the training and combat readiness requirements; 
transitioning associated military personnel; and constructing and/or 
demolishing facilities and infrastructure needed to base and operate 
both the operational F-35B squadrons and the PTC.

Purpose and Need

    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to efficiently and 
effectively maintain combat capability and mission readiness as the 
Marine Corps faces increased deployments across a spectrum of 
conflicts, and a corresponding increased difficulty in maintaining an 
aging legacy aircraft inventory. The need for the Proposed Action is to 
replace aging legacy aircraft and integrate the operational and PTC 
squadrons into the existing Marine Corps command and organizational 
structure. This action would also ensure that the Marine Corps' 
aircrews benefit from the aircraft's major technological improvements 
and enhanced training and readiness requirements.

Alternatives Considered in the DEIS

    The DEIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts of four 
action alternatives and the No Action Alternative.
     Alternative 1 (Preferred) would base three operational 
squadrons and the PTC at MCAS Beaufort and eight operational squadrons 
at MCAS Cherry Point.
     Alternative 2 would base the PTC at MCAS Beaufort and 
eleven operational squadrons at MCAS Cherry Point.
     Alternative 3 would base eight operational squadrons at 
MCAS Beaufort and three operational squadrons and the PTC at MCAS 
Cherry Point.
     Alternative 4 would base eleven operational squadrons at 
MCAS Beaufort and the PTC at MCAS Cherry Point.
     Under the No Action Alternative, the Marine Corps would 
not provide the facilities or functions to support basing or operating 
F-35B squadrons at these two Air Stations on the East Coast. There 
would be no transition of F-35B personnel, construction to support the 
F-35B, or F-35B operations. Existing F/A-18 and AV-8B squadrons would 
continue to be used at approximately the current levels. The Marine 
Corps would continue to repair and operate the existing aircraft at 
greater expense as the F/A-18 and AV-8B aircraft continue to 
deteriorate until the end of their useful life.
    Environmental resources evaluated for potential impacts in the DEIS 
include airfields and airspace; noise; air quality; hazardous 
materials, toxic substances, and hazardous wastes; safety; land use; 
socioeconomics; environmental justice/protection of children; community 
services; utilities and infrastructure; transportation and ground 
traffic; biological resources; geology, topography, and soils; water 
resources; cultural resources; and coastal zone management. The DEIS 
also analyzes cumulative impacts from other past, present, and 
reasonably foreseeable future actions occurring at or near MCAS 
Beaufort and MCAS Cherry Point.
    Environmental consequences of the Proposed Action would principally 
arise from construction and aircraft operations. Under the preferred 
alternative (Alternative 1), construction would occur at both Air 
Stations but would not affect any special status species or cultural 
resources. The noise environment at the two Air Stations would also 
change as a result of the preferred alternative. The other three 
alternatives have similar types and levels of impacts. The DEIS 
presents an array of construction and minimization measures associated 
with project design and planning that avoids and minimizes most 
potential impacts. The USMC will fully comply with regulatory 
requirements for the protection of environmental resources.
    Schedule: The Notice of Availability publication in the Federal 
Register and local print media starts the 45-day public comment period 
for the DEIS. The Marine Corps will consider and respond to all written 
and electronic comments, including email, submitted as described above 
in preparing the Final EIS. DoN intends to issue the

[[Page 29523]]

Final EIS in November 2010, at which time a Notice of Availability will 
be published in the Federal Register and local media. A Record of 
Decision is expected in December 2010.
    Copies of the DEIS are available for public review at the following 
libraries in North Carolina:
     Havelock-Craven County Public Library, 301 Cunningham 
Boulevard, Havelock;
     Bogue Banks Public Library, 320 Salter Path Rd., Suite W 
Pine Knoll Shores;
     Carteret County Public Library, 1702 Live Oak Street, 
Suite 100, Beaufort;
     Emerald Isle Library, 100 Leisure Lane, Emerald Isle; 
Western Carteret Public Library, 230 Taylor Notion Road, Cape Carteret;
     Newport Public Library, 210 Howard Boulevard, Newport;
     Pamlico County Library, 603 Main Street, Bayboro;
     New Bern-Craven County Public Library, 400 Johnson Street, 
New Bern; and
     Onslow County Public Library, 58 Doris Avenue East, 
Jacksonville.
    In South Carolina, copies of the DEIS are available at:
     Beaufort County Library, 311 Scott Street, Beaufort;
     Hilton Head Island Library, 11 Beach City Road, Hilton 
Head Island;
     Beaufort County Library, 1862 Trask Parkway, Lobeco; and
     Bluffton Community Library, 42 Bamberg Drive, Bluffton.
    In Georgia, copies of the DEIS are available at:
     Ida Hilton Public Library, 1105 Wayne Street, Darien;
     Long County Public Library, 28 S Main Street, Ludowici; 
and
     Brunswick Glynn County Regional Library, 208 Gloucester 
Street, Brunswick, GA.

    Dated: May 20, 2010.
A. M. Vallandingham,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-12632 Filed 5-25-10; 8:45 am]
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