[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]


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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.

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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]
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