Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Patuxent River Complex Testing and Training and To Announce Public Scoping Meetings
| Published date | 15 February 2019 |
| Citation | 84 FR 4457 |
| Record Number | 2019-02325 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Navy Department |
Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 32 (Friday, February 15, 2019)
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 32 (Friday, February 15, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 4457]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-02325]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Patuxent River Complex Testing and Training and To Announce Public
Scoping Meetings
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as implemented by the Council on
Environmental Quality, the Department of the Navy (Navy) announces its
intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Research,
Development, Test and Evaluation (hereinafter referred to as
``testing'') and training activities within the Patuxent River Complex
(PRC), Naval Air Station Patuxent River, MD. The proposed action is to
continue conducting military testing and training activities within the
PRC to meet current and projected military readiness requirements. The
proposed action includes testing and training activities analyzed in
the Naval Air Systems Command, Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft
Division (NAWCAD) December 1998 PRC Final EIS and subsequent
Environmental Assessments, plus adjustments to current testing and
training activities required to support projected Navy military
readiness requirements into the foreseeable future.
DATES: The 45-day public scoping comment period begins February 15,
2019 and ends April 1, 2019. Public scoping meetings will be held on
March 4, 5, 6 and 7, 2019. All public comments are due by April 1,
2019.
ADDRESSES: The meetings will be held at the following locations:
1. March 4, 2019, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Light of Christ Anglican
Church, 9500 Northumberland Highway, Heathsville, VA 22473-0609.
2. March 5, 2019, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Southern Maryland Higher
Education Center, Building 1 Multi-Purpose Room, 44219 Airport Road,
California, MD 20619-2010.
3. March 6, 2019, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., University of Maryland,
Eastern Shore, Richard A. Henson Center Ballroom, 30690 University
Blvd. S, Princess Anne, MD 21853-1295.
4. March 7, 2019, 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., St. Paul's United
Methodist Church, Parish Hall, 205 Maryland Avenue, Cambridge, MD
21613-1924.
The Navy invites public comments on the scope of the analysis,
including potential environmental issues and viable alternatives to be
considered during the development of the Draft EIS. Comments may be
provided at the public scoping meetings, by mail, and through the EIS
website at: http://www.prceis.com. Comments must be postmarked or
received online by April 1, 2019. Mailed comments must be sent to the
address in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section for
consideration in the Draft EIS preparation.
The scoping meetings will consist of informal, open house sessions
with informational poster stations staffed by Navy representatives.
Meeting details will be announced in local area newspapers. Additional
information on the public scoping meetings will be available on the EIS
website at: http://www.prceis.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft
Division Range Sustainability Office, Atlantic Test Range, Building
2118, 23013 Cedar Point Road, Patuxent River, MD 20670-1183, Attn: Ms.
Crystal Ridgell, EIS Project Manager, 301-342-9902 or project website:
http://www.prceis.com.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NAWCAD is the Navy's action proponent for
activities in the PRC, and is based at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent
River, Maryland approximately 60 miles southeast of Washington, DC. The
PRC is a Major Range and Test Facility Base with the mission of testing
Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, aircraft systems, and inert weapons in
the military restricted and surrounding airspace that overlies the
middle Chesapeake Bay water range, the southern end of the Potomac and
Patuxent Rivers, as well as lands in Maryland, Virginia, and Delaware.
The PRC is critical to supporting NAWCAD's mission to deliver high
quality, affordable aircraft products and services in support of Navy
and Marine Corps military readiness. Navy pilots also conduct training
flights within the PRC.
The proposed action is to continue conducting military testing and
training activities within the PRC to meet current and projected
military readiness requirements. The proposed action includes testing
and training activities analyzed in the 1998 PRC Final EIS and
subsequent environmental assessments, as well as adjustments to current
testing and training activities to support projected Navy readiness
requirements into the foreseeable future.
The purpose of the proposed action is to provide Sailors and
Marines with equipment and technology that operates effectively and
safely to support current and projected future military readiness
requirements.
The need for the proposed action is to maintain military readiness
of naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression, and
maintaining freedom of the seas, now and into the future, consistent
with Title 10, Section 5062, of the United States Code.
The Navy will evaluate the potential environmental impacts from a
No Action Alternative and action alternatives, and will analyze
potential impacts on environmental resources from activities included
in the alternatives. These environmental resources include, but are not
limited to: Biological resources (e.g., aquatic and terrestrial
protected species); water resources and sediments; air quality;
airborne noise; cultural resources; socioeconomics; land use; public
health and safety; hazardous material and waste; and environmental
justice.
The scoping process is helpful in identifying public concerns and
local issues to be considered during the development of the Draft EIS.
Federal, state, and local agencies; federally recognized tribes; and
interested persons are encouraged to provide substantive comments to
the Navy on environmental resources and issue areas of concern that the
commenter believes the Navy should consider. All comments, provided
orally or in writing at the scoping meetings, submitted via the EIS
website, or mailed, will be taken into consideration during the
development of the Draft EIS.
Dated: February 15, 2019.
M.S. Werner,
Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-02325 Filed 2-14-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P
