[Federal Register: July 2, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 127)]
[Notices]
[Page 40453-40454]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02jy04-115]
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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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