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Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Establishment of New and/or Modification of Existing Military Operations Areas Near Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC

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 [Federal Register: October 6, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 195)]
[Notices]
[Page 59829-59830]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr06oc00-66]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Establishment of New and/or Modification of Existing Military
Operations Areas Near Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD.

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), the
Department of the Navy announces its intent to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental
consequences of the establishment of new and/or modification of
existing Military Operations Areas (MOAs) near Marine Corps Air Station
(MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina. The Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) will serve as a cooperating agency on this EIS.

DATES: All written scoping comments should be postmarked by November
20, 2000. Public scoping open houses will be held to receive oral and/
or written comments on environmental concerns that should be addressed
in the EIS on October 23, 2000, from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, in the Cape
Hatteras High School, Highway 12, Buxton, North Carolina; October 24,
2000, from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, in the Northside High School, 7860 Free
Union Church Road, Pinetown, North Carolina; October 25, 2000, from
5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, in the East Carteret High School, 3263 Highway 70,
Beaufort, North Carolina; and October 26, 2000, from 5:30 pm to 8:30
pm, in the New Bern Riverfront Convention Center, 203 South Front
Street, New Bern, North Carolina.

ADDRESSES: Written comments, statements and/or questions regarding
scoping issues should be addressed to: Atlantic Division, Naval
Facilities Engineering Command, (Code BD33KK), 1510 Gilbert Street,
Norfolk, Virginia, 23511.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Kelly Knight, telephone (757) 322-
4886, fax (757) 322-4894.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Establishment of new and/or modification of
existing MOAs is required to provide military aviators with more
realistic training opportunities. The purpose of this action is to
eliminate required administrative airspeed reductions so that aircraft
can maintain tactical flight profiles, and create additional SUA in
order to optimize existing aviation training. Military aviators using
existing SUA in the MCAS Cherry Point area are required to reduce
airspeed to 250 knots or less prior to entering non-SUA below 10,000
feet mean sea level (MSL) and when transiting from one non-contiguous
SUA to another. This airspeed reduction requires aircrews to initiate
speed reduction prior to departing existing SUA, thereby terminating
their tactical profile. This greatly diminishes training value due to
decreased realism in tactical flight profiles and restricted tactical
approach options, which require the repetition of non-tactical
maneuvers during training. Second, expansion of SUA over land is
desired to accommodate critical aircrew training requirements that do
not require the use of restricted airspace such as air combat
maneuvers, formation flight, air intercepts, staging and packaging of
multiple aircraft strikes, and a larger acquisition area for simulated
weapon systems delivery. These objectives cannot be met through non-SUA
actions due to the space requirements to accommodate such operations
and restrictive procedures inherent in Airspace for Special Use
development and utilization.
    Seven MOA alternatives have been identified so far, four individual
MOA alternatives and three combination MOA alternatives, for
consideration in the EIS. The individual MOA alternatives include: (1)
Establishment of the Core MOA at a proposed location east of MCAS
Cherry Point and extending from Cape Lookout north to Portsmouth Island
and overlying the Cape Lookout National Seashore; (2) establishment of
the Mattamuskeet MOA at a proposed location located northeast of MCAS
Cherry Point and overlying portions of Pamlico, Beaufort, Hyde,
Tyrrell, and Washington counties and the Lake Mattamuskeet and
Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuges; (3) establishment of the Cherry
MOA at a proposed location northwest of MCAS Cherry Point and overlying
portions of Craven, Pamlico, Beaufort and Hyde counties; and (4)
modification of the Pamlico B MOA located northeast of MCAS Cherry
Point and overlying the Pamlico Sound and portions of Carteret, Hyde
and Dare counties. Unlike the first three proposed MOAs, Pamlico B is
an existing MOA the use of which would be modified by lowering its base
altitude from 8,000 feet mean sea level (MSL) to 3,000 feet MSL. All
other existing dimensions would remain unchanged. The proposed floor
for any MOA alternative under consideration is 3,000 feet above ground
level. In addition to these four individual MOA alternatives, three
combination MOA alternatives have been identified. They include: (1)
Core and Mattamuskeet MOAs, (2) Core and Cherry MOAs, and (3) Core and
Pamlico B MOAs. The No Action Alternative, which would neither
establish new nor modify existing MOAS, will also be analyzed in this
EIS.
    Environmental issues to be addressed in the EIS include, but are
not limited to, the effects on wildlife and threatened and endangered
species, public lands and waters, civilian aviation, public health and
safety, recreation, and community noise.
    The Marine Corps will initiate a scoping process for the purpose of
determining the extent of issues to be addressed, and identifying
significant issues related to this action. Public scoping meetings will
be held as noted in the Dates section of this notice. These meetings
will be advertised in area newspapers.
    Marine Corps representatives will be available at these meetings to
receive comments from the public regarding issues of concern to the
public. Federal, state and local agencies, and interested individuals
are encouraged to take this opportunity to identify environmental
concerns that should be addressed during the preparation of the EIS.
Agencies and the public are also invited and encouraged to provide
written comment on scoping issues in addition to, or in lieu of, oral
comments at the public meeting. To be most helpful, scoping comments
should clearly describe specific issues or topics that the commentor
believes the EIS should address. Written statements and/or questions
regarding the scoping process should be mailed by November 20, 2000 to:
Commander, Atlantic Division (Attn: Code BD33KK), Naval Facilities
Engineering Command, 1510 Gilbert Street, Norfolk, Virginia 23511.

[[Page 59830]]

    Dated: September 25, 2000.
Elsie L. Munsell,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy, (Environment and Safety).
[FR Doc. 00-25655 Filed 10-5-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P

 
 

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