[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 21 (Friday, January 31, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5387-5388]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01851]


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

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Notice of Availability for the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Disposition of Hangars 2 and 3, Fort Wainwright, AK

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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

SUMMARY: The Department of the Army announces the availability of the 
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Disposition of 
Hangars 2 and 3 at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The Final EIS analyzes and 
evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with proposed 
disposition options for two historic World War II-era hangars and 
supporting infrastructure located on the Main Post of Fort Wainwright. 
Cultural resources would experience significant impacts under both 
alternatives; however, both the Ladd Field National Historic Landmark 
and Cold War Historic District will retain their historic integrity 
despite the loss of the hangars as contributing resources to these 
districts.
    The Army considered several reuse alternatives for the hangars. All 
but one of these reuse alternatives were incompatible with the current 
or future military mission at Fort Wainwright. The one reuse 
alternative that was compatible (using one of the hangars as an 
unmanned aerial system maintenance hangar) was determined to be 
prohibitively expensive. As a result, only one action alternative was 
considered to be reasonable and was analyzed in detail in the Final 
EIS: demolition of Hangars 2 and 3 (Alternative 1). This alternative is 
the Army's preferred alternative. The No Action Alternative was also 
considered and carried through for detailed analysis in the Final EIS. 
Under the No Action Alternative, demolition of Hangars 2 and 3 would 
not occur, the hangars would remain vacant, and they would be 
maintained at minimal levels. The No Action Alternative provides the 
environmental baseline conditions for comparing the impacts associated 
with the other alternative.

DATES: The waiting period for the Final EIS will end 30 days after the 
publication of a Notice of Availability in the Federal Register by the 
United States Environmental Protection Agency.

ADDRESSES: Please send questions or requests for a copy of the Final 
EIS to Mr. Matthew Sprau, Directorate of Public Works, Attention: IMFW-
PWE (Sprau), 1060 Gaffney Road 4500, Fort Wainwright, AK 
99703-4500 or by email to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Linda Douglass, Public Affairs 
Office (PAO), IMFW-PAO (Douglass), 1060 Gaffney Road 5900, 
Fort Wainwright, AK 99703-5900; telephone (907) 353-6701, email: 
[email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Hangars 2 and 3 are contributing resources 
to the Ladd Field National Historic Landmark (Ladd Field NHL) and the 
Ladd Air Force Base Cold War Historic District (Cold War Historic 
District) at Fort Wainwright. The Ladd Field NHL was listed in the 
National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and the Cold War Historic 
District was determined to be eligible for the National Register of 
Historic Places in 2010. Constructed between 1943 and 1944 as semi-
permanent structures, these hangars have received varying degrees of 
operational maintenance over the years, but no large-scale 
rehabilitation has occurred. To accommodate changing

[[Page 5388]]

missions, the Army completed numerous interior modifications, including 
creating doorways and windows and altering the interior lateral cross-
bracing. The lack of rehabilitation, interior modifications, the age of 
the structures, a fire in Hangar 2, and the harsh Alaskan environment 
all have contributed to the compromised structural integrity of both 
buildings. The United States Army Garrison Fort Wainwright, Alaska 
(USAG FWA) has condemned the buildings, and they are no longer used 
because they present a safety hazard.
    The Final EIS has been prepared in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 United States 
Code Sec.  4321 et seq.); NEPA-implementing regulations issued by the 
President's Council on Environmental Quality (40 Code of Federal 
Regulations [CFR] Sec. Sec.  1500-1508); and the Army's NEPA-
implementing regulation (32 CFR Sec.  651, Environmental Analysis of 
Army Actions). The purpose of the Final EIS is to inform the decision 
makers, agencies, interested parties, Alaska Native tribes, and the 
public of possible environmental consequences associated with the 
reasonable disposition alternatives for Hangars 2 and 3.
    The USAG FWA entered into consultation concerning the proposed 
disposition of Hangars 2 and 3 as required by Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act and its implementing regulations (36 
CFR Sec.  800). The USAG FWA concludes that the disposition would 
result in historic properties being adversely affected. The disposition 
of the hangars would adversely affect the hangars as contributing 
resources to the Ladd Field NHL and the Cold War Historic District and, 
in so doing, would adversely affect both districts. The Army entered 
into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Alaska State Historic 
Preservation Office and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 
pursuant to 36 CFR Sec.  800.6(2)(c) to mitigate adverse effects.
    Mitigation measures provided in the MOA require public outreach in 
the pursuit of more visibility and appreciation for the Ladd Field NHL, 
re-evaluation of the Ladd Field NHL, and stewardship of the Ladd Field 
NHL. Mitigation under the No Action Alternative would be the same as 
under Alternative 1, except the time frame for completing the 
stipulations would be based on the date of execution of the MOA rather 
than on the demolition of the hangars.
    Public and agency comments received on the Draft EIS did not result 
in modification of the alternatives or the environmental analysis; 
therefore, the full text of the EIS has not been reprinted. Instead, an 
erratum was prepared to supplement the Draft EIS, and these two 
documents together constitute the Final EIS for the Disposition of 
Hangars 2 and 3 at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. Public and agency comments 
received on the Draft EIS and government responses can be found in 
Appendix E of the Final EIS. Comments received resulted in the 
inclusion of two additional mitigation measures in the final National 
Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) Section 106 Memorandum of Agreement. 
These additional mitigation measures are also appropriately reflected 
in the Final EIS, Section 3.0 Errata Sheet Revisions to be Made to the 
Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
    An electronic version of the Final EIS can be viewed or downloaded 
from the following Web site: http://www.wainwright.army.mil/env/NEPA/Current.html Copies of the Final EIS will also be available for review 
at the Noel Wien Public Library in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2014-01851 Filed 1-30-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-P