[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 24 (Friday, February 4, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6510-6512]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-2065]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) for the Airfield Improvement Program at Palm Beach
International Airport, West Palm Beach, FL
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Location of Proposed Action: The Palm Beach International Airport
(PBIA) is located in east Palm Beach County, Florida, adjacent to the
City of West Palm Beach and immediately east of the Town of Haverhill.
SUMMARY: The FAA announces that the FEIS for the proposed Airfield
Improvement Program (AIP) at PBIA is available for public review.
The FEIS includes the Section 106 consultation with the Florida
State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) and the Keeper of the
National Register of Historic Places (Keeper) regarding the National
Register eligibility of properties within the EIS Area of Potential
Effect (APE) and the proposed action's potential effect to historic
resources eligible for, or listed-in, the National Register of Historic
Places. Pursuant to the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972 (CZMA), as
amended, the proposed AIP is being evaluated in the FEIS for
consistency with the Florida Coastal Management Program (FCMP).
Comments regarding the compatibility of the No-Action Alternative, the
AIP, and Alternative 2 with regard to Section 106 resources and the
Florida's Coastal Management Program are encouraged by the FAA.
The FAA is seeking comments on those sections of the FEIS that have
been updated and/or contain information that has become available since
the release of the DEIS. Please see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section below for more information.
Updated information regarding the forecasts of aviation operations
at PBIA became available and was published following the public
availability of the September, 2008 Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS). Also, Palm Beach County (the Airport Sponsor)
submitted to the FAA a revised implementation plan and schedule for the
proposed AIP after the publication of the DEIS. The FAA determined that
this information should be considered by the agency and be disclosed to
the public in the FEIS.
All comments on the FEIS are to be submitted to Mr. Bart Vernace of
the FAA, at the address shown in the section below entitled For Further
Information or to Submit Comments Contact. The FAA is providing a
forty-five (45) day comment period for the public to comment on the
FEIS. The comment period begins on the date of the publication of this
Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register, and will close on
March 21, 2011.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA, as the lead Federal agency, has
prepared the EIS for the proposed AIP at PBIA. The FAA published a DEIS
in September, 2008. The DEIS was prepared pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The DEIS comparatively
assessed and disclosed the potential future impacts of the No-Action
Alternative (no development at PBIA besides that which has already been
planned, environmentally reviewed, and/or that are needed for safety,
security or maintenance reasons), and two proposed action alternatives,
designated as the Airport Sponsor's AIP (Proposed Project) and
Alternative 2. The primary capacity enhancement elements of these two
proposed action alternatives consists of the following: AIP--relocate
existing Runway 10R/28L 100 feet south of its existing location and
expand the runway to a length of 8,000 feet and a width of 150 feet;
Alternative 2--construct new Runway 10L/28R located 800 feet north of
existing Runway 10L/28R to a length of 10,000 feet and a width of 150
feet. Both the AIP and Alternative 2 include other less substantial
airport-related projects that are either associated with the primary
runway development components of each alternative or are stand-alone
projects that could be constructed by the Airport Sponsor outside of
the EIS process.
Since the publication of the DEIS, the economic recession has
resulted in a decrease in aviation activity at PBIA and changes in the
FAA's forecasts of aviation activity for both PBIA and for the national
system. The actual and forecast decrease in aircraft operations at PBIA
have been, and are expected to continue to be, substantial enough to
bring into question the initially proposed timing for implementation of
the airport improvement program studied in the DEIS. As a result, the
FAA made a determination that the 2006 PBIA Master Plan Update
forecasts approved for use in the DEIS, and which were used as the
basis for the justification for the airport capacity enhancement
component of the Airport Sponsor's AIP, were no longer appropriate for
use in determining the timing for the implementation of the AIP and
Alternative 2. After the publication of the DEIS, and the review of
comments on the DEIS, the FAA determined that a more recent forecast of
aviation activity that is representative of the changed conditions at
PBIA should be used for the FEIS. Subsequently, the FAA decided that
the agency's own 2009 Terminal Area Forecast (2009 TAF) would be the
most applicable forecast of aviation activity
[[Page 6511]]
for use in the FEIS. The 2009 TAF shows that future aircraft activity
at PBIA would likely increase at only a modest annual rate when
compared to the 2006 PBIA Master Plan Update Forecasts.
After consultation with the FAA and review of the 2009 TAF, the
Airport Sponsor concluded, and the FAA agreed, that the airfield
capacity enhancement elements of the AIP and Alternative 2, the primary
components of which is the relocation and expansion of Runway 10R/28L,
would not be needed at PBIA by the year 2013, which was the proposed
AIP and Alternative 2 implementation year identified and evaluated by
the FAA in the DEIS.
As a result, the Airport Sponsor proposed to the FAA a revised
implementation plan and schedule for the AIP. The revised plan and
schedule consists of developing the AIP in two components, which are
designated in the FEIS as the Near-Term AIP Project and the Long-Term
AIP Project. The FAA subsequently evaluated in the FEIS both the
Airport Sponsor's AIP and Alternative 2 based on the revised
implementation plan and schedule.
The Near-Term AIP Alternative component consists of the development
of general aviation (GA) facilities in the northwest quadrant of PBIA;
widening Taxiway ``L'' from 50 feet to 75 feet, and the acquisition of
approximately 13.2 acres of property along the western PBIA property
line. The Long-Term AIP Alternative component consists of the expansion
of Runway 10R/28L as described above, the shortening of the southeast
end of Runway 14/32 by 3,412 feet, the extension of the northwest end
of Runway 14/32 by 480 feet, GA facility relocation, other connected
actions to the Runway 10R/28L project, and other minor stand alone
airport improvement projects.
The Near-Term Alternative 2 component consists of essentially the
same projects as the Near-Term AIP Alternative component, with the
exception of a revised configuration for the GA development area in the
northwest quadrant of PBIA. The Long-Term Alternative 2 component
consists of the development of new Runway 10L/28R as described above,
the closure of Runway 14/32, relocation of portions of Concourses ``B''
and ``C'', relocation of the ARFF and Air Cargo Building, other
connected actions to the Runway 10L/28R project, and other minor stand
alone airport improvement projects.
The Airport Sponsor is requesting the FAA's ``unconditional''
approval of the Near-Term AIP Project through the FAA's findings and
determinations in its Record of Decision (ROD) on the FEIS. If
``unconditional'' approval is granted by the FAA in its ROD, the
Airport Sponsor anticipates that the Near-Term AIP Projects would be
constructed and operational by the year 2015. However, the FAA
acknowledges that the development schedule for future GA facilities
would be influenced by prevailing market conditions, the demand for
additional GA facilities, and respective business decisions by the
Airport Sponsor and Fixed Base Operators (FBO's). Therefore, the build-
out of the Near-Term AIP or Near-Term Alternative 2 GA facilities could
occur sometime before or after the FEIS Near-Term study year of 2015.
Through the EIS process and the FAA's subsequent ROD, the Airport
Sponsor is also requesting the FAA's ``conditional'' approval of the
Long-Term AIP Project. The Long-Term AIP Project consists of the
primary airfield capacity enhancement components of the AIP, which
includes the relocation and expansion of Runway 10R/28L and connected
actions, as well as other minor stand-alone airport improvement
projects. The Long-Term AIP Project would be considered by the FAA for
unconditional approval only when the number of aircraft operations at
PBIA returns to the levels that would cause unacceptable aircraft
operational delay. At such time that this occurs, the FAA will consider
the appropriate level of additional NEPA processing and environmental
analysis/documentation that may be needed to fully evaluate and
disclose the potential environmental impacts associated with the Long-
Term AIP Project and its connected actions.
Public Comment: Because of the amount of time that has elapsed
since the publication of the DEIS, the consideration of revised
forecasts (FAA's 2009 TAF) in the FEIS, and the Airport Sponsor's
revised implementation plan and schedule for the proposed project, the
FAA is seeking comments on its FEIS for a period of 45 days following
the publication of the NOA of the FEIS in the Federal Register. After
review and consideration of the comments received on the FEIS, and
sometime after the 45-day comment period on the FEIS has ended, the FAA
will issue its ROD. The public comment period on the FEIS will begin on
February 4, 2011 and will close on March 21, 2011. Copies of the FEIS
are available for review at the following locations during regular
business hours:
Palm Beach County Library Greenacres Branch, 3750 Jog
Road, Greenacres, FL 33467.
Palm Beach County Library Okeechobee Boulevard Branch,
5689 West Okeechobee Boulevard, West Palm Beach, FL 33417.
West Palm Beach Public Library, 411 Clematis Street, West
Palm Beach, FL 33401.
A limited number of copies of the FEIS will be available for review
by appointment only during regular business hours at the following
locations:
Federal Aviation Administration, Orlando Airports District
Office, 5950 Hazeltine National Drive Citadel International Building,
Suite 400, Orlando, Florida. Contact Bart Vernace at (407) 812-6331.
Palm Beach International Airport, Palm Beach County
Department of Airports, 846 Palm Beach International Airport, West Palm
Beach, Florida. Contact Gary Sypek at (561) 471-7412.
An electronic copy of the FEIS will be available for review and
download from the EIS Web site (http://www.pbia-eis.com) beginning
February 4, 2011.
Written comments on the FEIS may be mailed or e-mailed to Mr. Bart
Vernace of the FAA at the address shown in the section below entitled
For Further Information or to Submit Comments Contact. All comments
must be postmarked by March 21, 2011.
Comments should be as specific as possible and address the analysis
of potential environmental impacts, the adequacy of the proposed
action, or the merits of alternatives and the mitigation being
considered. Reviewers should organize their participation so that it is
meaningful and makes the agency aware of the viewer's interests and
concerns using quotations and other specific references to the text of
the FEIS and related documents. This commenting procedure is intended
to ensure that substantive comments and concerns are made available to
the FAA in a timely manner so that the FAA has an opportunity to
address them in its ROD.
Comments can only be accepted with the full name and address of the
individual commenting. Before including your address, phone number, e-
mail address, or other personal identifying information in your
comment, be advised that your entire comment--including your personal
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask the FAA in your comment to withhold from public
review your personal identifying information, the FAA cannot guarantee
that it will be able to do so.
For Further Information or to Submit Comments Contact: Mr. Bart
Vernace, PE, Assistant Manager, Federal Aviation Administration,
Orlando Airports District Office, 5950 Hazeltine National
[[Page 6512]]
Drive, Citadel International Building, Suite 400, Orlando, Florida
32822. Phone: (407) 812-6331. E-mail: [email protected].
Issued in Orlando, Florida on January 25, 2011.
W. Dean Stringer,
Manager, Orlando Airports District Office, Federal Aviation
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-2065 Filed 2-3-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-13-P