[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 44 (Monday, March 8, 1999)] [Notices] [Page 10997] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-5641] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Department of the Navy Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Disposal of Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) Bethpage, NY AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DOD. ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the Department of the Navy, in association with the County of Nassau, New York, announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental effects of disposal and subsequent reuse of the Naval Weapons Industrial Reserve Plant (NWIRP) Bethpage, New York. The Navy will be the lead agency for the NEPA documentation. The County of Nassau intends to serve as the lead agency for the purposes of compliance with the New York State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). The EIS is being prepared to satisfy NEPA and also to be sufficient to permit the County and other involved agencies to rely upon the EIS for purposes of complying with SEQRA. No separate EIS is being prepared under SEQRA. The NWIRP Bethpage property consists of two non-contiguous land parcels encompassing 109.5 acres and several individual buildings within the former 605-acre Northrop Grumman Corporation campus in the hamlet of Bethpage, Town of Oyster Bay, Nassau County, New York. Currently, the Plant is developed with manufacturing, light industrial, and administrative land uses. The EIS will address the potential disposal of NWIRP Bethpage to Nassau County and the potential impacts of subsequent reuse. All available property will be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of applicable laws, including Public Law 105-85, Section 2852, which enables the Navy to dispose of the property, without consideration, to the County of Nassau. In addition to disposal options, the EIS will evaluate three reuse alternatives developed by Nassau County. The reuse alternatives vary in the types and amount of construction as well as the proposed land uses. Light industrial, commercial, and administrative uses are included in the potential reuse scenarios. Issues to be addressed in the EIS include, but are not limited to, land use and zoning, socioeconomics, community facilities and services, transportation, air quality, noise, infrastructure, cultural resources, natural resources, and petroleum and hazardous materials. A public scoping meeting to receive oral and written comments will be held on March 23, 1999 at Bethpage High School located at the corner of Cherry and Stewart Avenues, Bethpage, New York. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. A brief presentation will precede the request for public comment. Navy and Nassau County representatives will be available at this meeting to receive comments from the public regarding issues of concern. It is important that federal, state, and local agencies, and interested individuals take this opportunity to identify environmental concerns that should be addressed during the preparation of the EIS. In the interest of available time, each speaker will be asked to limit oral comments to five minutes. Agencies and the public are also invited and encouraged to provide written comments in addition to, or in lieu of, oral comments at the public meeting. To be most helpful, comments should clearly describe specific issues or topics, which the commentor believes the EIS, should address. ADDRESSES: Written statements and/or questions regarding the scoping process should be mailed no later than April 21, 1999, to: Commanding Officer, Northern Division Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Attention Mr. Bob Ostermueller (Code 202), 10 Industrial Highway Mail Stop 82, Lester, PA 19113-2090. Copies of comments may also be sent to Benet E. Bridgeman, Esq., County Attorney's Office, One West Street, Mineola, NY 11501-4810. Dated: March 3, 1999. Pamela A. Holden, Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register Liaison Officer. [FR Doc. 99-5641 Filed 3-5-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P