[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 149 (Thursday, August 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44020-44021]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-12532]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Development of the Westside of Marine Corps Base Quantico,
Including the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Action, Marine
Corps Base Quantico (MCBQ), Virginia
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), and
applicable Marine Corps Order P5090.2A, guidelines for NEPA, the Marine
Corps announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the development of the westside of MCBQ, including the 2005
BRAC action at MCBQ, VA. The Marine Corps previously published a Notice
of Intent (NOI) to prepare a Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement (Vol. 67 FR 37405) for the development of the westside of
MCBQ on May 29, 2002. This NOI cancels the previous NOI, and
establishes the opportunity for the public to comment on the proposed
action which now includes the BRAC 2005 actions at MCBQ.
The Marine Corps will hold a public scoping meeting open house for
the purpose of further identifying the scope of issues to be addressed
in the EIS. Written and recorded comments will be accepted during this
time. To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed
action will be addressed, representatives from MCBQ will be
[[Page 44021]]
available to answer questions and solicit public comments from all
interested parties during the open house. Following future publication
of the draft EIS, at a time to be determined, a second public meeting
will be held to address comments on the draft document.
DATES: All written comments must be received by September 8, 2006. The
public scoping meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 22, 2006, at the
Ramada Inn, 4316 Inn Street, Triangle, VA between 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
ADDRESSES: Agencies and the public are also encouraged to provide
written comments in addition to, or in lieu of, oral comments at the
scoping open house. Written comments and requests for inclusion on the
EIS mailing list may be submitted to: Commander, NREA Branch (B 046),
Attn: J. Gardner, 3250 Catlin Avenue, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA
22134-0855.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jeff Gardner, 703-432-6770. Please
submit requests for special assistance, sign language interpretation
for the hearing impaired, or other auxiliary aids at the public meeting
to Mr. Gardner by August 14, 2006.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: MCBQ is a 60,000-acre combat education and
training base located approximately 30 miles south of Washington DC.
The 2005 BRAC law has directed the relocation and collocation of
Military Department Investigation Agencies and the Department of
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency to MCBQ. This is
expected to add approximately 3,000 personnel at MCBQ by 2011. Other
Federal and Marine Corps initiatives are expected to continue to
identify MCBQ as a possible site for relocation. As part of a long-
range planning effort to accommodate these anticipated requirements,
the Quantico Land Use Plan, I-95 West, was developed for the Marine
Corps which evaluated potential areas within the installation that are
the most suitable/practical for locating new development, including the
BRAC 2005 actions, without impacting its primary mission of military
education and training. The age and deteriorating condition of many
facilities on the Mainside of MCBQ dictate a need for their
replacement. Space available for new development or redevelopment is
limited due to many factors including acreage, current land use,
topography, and environmental constraints. To eliminate existing
incompatible land uses and better utilize land within the installation,
MCBQ has identified two parcels within the westside of MCBQ (hereon
referred to as the Westside Development Area) for potential future
development. These areas were determined to have suitable acreage for
the proposed development, reduced construction costs, and are not
overly constrained by environmental or operational factors. These
locations are: the Russell Road parcel and MCB-1 parcel. The proposed
action for this EIS is to use the Westside Development Area of MCBQ for
relocation of existing and future potential base functions and to
accommodate the BRAC 2005 actions. The components of the proposed
action include construction and operation of new facilities with a mix
of uses to include administrative, warehouse, maintenance, and
industrial facilities and the necessary infrastructure, road
improvements, and security measures to support the proposed action.
A range of alternatives was developed to assess the proposed action
based on the Quantico Land Use Plan, I-95 West (MCBQ, 2006). This study
identified potential development scenarios based on present and future
mission needs and land use analysis. Alternatives to implement the
proposed action include four intensities of development and two
proposed alternative locations for implementing the BRAC action. For
each development intensity alternative, sub-alternatives analyzing
development at either Location A or Location B will be addressed. First
alternative, high-intensity development would add up to 10,000
personnel, including 3,000 under BRAC. The construction would include
facilities designed primarily for administrative and operational
functions, including warehousing, maintenance, and support facilities.
Parking and road improvements would be included. Second alternative,
medium-intensity development would add up to 7,000 personnel, including
3,000 under BRAC. The construction under this alternative would remain
mixed use with a lower intensity of administrative facilities and
include parking and road improvements. Third alternative, low-intensity
development would add 5,000 personnel, including 3,000 under BRAC. The
majority of the construction under this alternative would include
warehousing and maintenance facilities and to a lesser extent
administrative and operational facilities. Road improvements would be
limited to those necessary to accommodate the BRAC action.
Additionally, a fourth alternative, the BRAC Action alternative, would
add only the development required to accommodate those personnel
(3,000) associated with the BRAC 2005 action. The construction
footprint would include 70 to 100 acres of land, construction of
approximately 735,000 square feet of new construction, and improvement
of existing roads. The No Action Alternative will also be evaluated as
required by NEPA. The EIS will address the following environmental
areas: topography, geology, and soils; water and biological resources;
air quality; noise; infrastructure and utilities; traffic; cultural
resources; land use; socioeconomics; and hazardous waste and materials.
Dated: July 27, 2006.
M.A. Harvison,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E6-12532 Filed 8-2-06; 8:45 am]
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