[Federal Register: April 23, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 77)]
[Notices]
[Page 20160-20161]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr23ap07-89]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement (FEIS) and Section 4(f) Evaluation for Proposed Development
Activities at the Juneau International Airport, Juneau, AK; Notice of
Public Comment Period for the FEIS and Schedule of Public Information
Meeting; Notice of New Construction Significantly Affecting Wetlands
and Finding of No Practicable Alternative
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), National Marine Fisheries Services
(NMFS) and Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) are cooperating
agencies, by virtue of their jurisdictional authority, expertise, and/
or resources management responsibilities.
ACTION: Notice of availability of Final Environmental Impact
Statement, notice of public information meeting, and notice of public
comment period.
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Location of the Proposed Action: The Juneau International Airport is
located within the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ), approximately 9
miles northwest of downtown Juneau. Airport property encompasses
approximately 662 acres of land. Approximately 21.3 acres of land
located immediately east and west of the Airport on Mendenhall Wetlands
State Game Refuge would need to be acquired for implementation of the
preferred alternatives.
SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration announces that a Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for Proposed Development
Activities at the Juneau International Airport (JNU) has been prepared
and is available for public review and comment. The FEIS includes the
results of consultation with state and federal agencies regarding
applicable statutes. The FEIS also discusses impacts to the base
floodplain, wetlands and waters of the U.S. historic properties,
essential fish habitat, wildlife, and DOT Section 4(f) resources and
measures to mitigate those impacts.
The FAA is seeking comments on the FEIS, with specific attention to
those sections that have been substantively updated since publication
of the Draft EIS (DEIS). See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for a summary of
the substantive changes contained in the FEIS. All comments on the FEIS
are to be submitted either at the public meeting, or to SWCA
Environmental Consultants, at the address shown in the section below
entitled ``Written Comments Should Be Sent To'' or via the project Web
site at http://www.jnu-eis.org.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FAA as lead agency has prepared the FEIS
for proposed development activities at the Juneau International Airport
(JNU), Juneau, Alaska. These development activities include actions to:
Bring the Airport into compliance with FAA standards for
runway safety area,
Improve navigational alignment with Runway 26 at night and
during poor weather,
Construct and use a new, larger snow removal equipment and
maintenance facility,
Develop an improved, safer, and more secure access route
to the fuel farm,
[[Page 20161]]
Construct new aircraft parking and storage facilities to
meet existing and future demands, and
Implement an improved wildlife hazard management program
that will reduce potential for aircraft collisions with wildlife.
FAA published the Draft EIS (DEIS) in April 2005. The DEIS was
prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 (NEPA). The DEIS disclosed the environmental consequences
associated with the proposed development activities at JNU and analyzed
multiple alternatives associated with six Proposed Actions, including
No Action Alternatives.
After publication of the FEIS, FAA issued new guidance (a change to
Advisory Circular 150/5300-13) regarding undershoot protection
requirements for runway safety areas (RSA). This new guidance provided
FAA an opportunity to change some of the RSA configurations analyzed in
the DEIS. As a result, the FEIS includes three additional RSA
alternatives representing modifications of alternatives evaluated in
the DEIS. These alternatives are identified as RSA-5D--Relocate Runway
26 Threshold and Construct Additional Runway and Safety Areas; RSA-5E--
Displace Runway 08 Threshold 120 Feet and Construct Additional 26
Runway and Safety Area (Sponsor's Proposed Project); and RSA-6D--
Threshold Displacement using Declared Distance Criteria with Option for
EMAS. One of these modified alternatives, RSA-5E, was adopted by the
Airport Sponsor as the Proposed Action and is the FAA's preferred
alternative.
Other substantive FEIS changes were made in response to public
comment on the DEIS, with particular efforts to reduce environmental
impacts to the Refuge and important habitat. Among the changes included
are an alternative location for placement of the Automated Surface
Observation System, a modified channel configuration for the relocation
of lower Duck Creek, additional hydraulic modeling for the tidal
sloughs east of the existing runway, analysis of potential affects on
Mendenhall River hydraulics and geomorphology, a conceptual
compensatory mitigation plan, updated cost estimates, and detailed
analysis of potential impacts to Alaska Airlines special navigation
procedures employed at JNU.
Those portions of the FEIS containing the substantively updated
information include but are not limited to the following sections and
their subsections and their subsections: 2.2.2, 2.6, 2.11, 2.12, 2.13,
4.2, 4.3, and Appendices A, C, I, J, K, L, and M.
The proposed Airport improvements would be completed during the
2007-2015 time period and would result in impacts to wetlands, water
quality, wildlife habitat, vegetation, essential fish habitat, visual
quality, socioeconomics, air, noise and two DOT Section 4(f)
properties, the Dike Trail and the Mendenhall Wetlands State Game
Refuge.
FAA will not make decisions on the Proposed Actions for a minimum
of 30 days following publication of this Notice of Availability of the
FEIS in the Federal Register. FAA will record the appropriate decisions
in a Record of Decision.
FEIS Availability and Review
Copies of the FEIS may be viewed during regular business hours at
the following locations:
1. Federal Aviation Administration, Airports Division, 222 W. 7th
Avenue 14, Anchorage, AK 99513-7504. (907) 271-5454 or (907)
271-5438.
2. Juneau International Airport, Airport Managers Office, 1873
Shell Simmons Drive, Juneau, AK (907) 789-7821.
3. Valley Branch Public Library, Mendenhall Mall, Juneau, AK 99801.
(907) 789-0125.
4. Downtown Juneau Public Library, 292 Marine Way, Juneau, AK
99801. (907) 586-5249. The Juneau International Airport, Airport
Manager's office has a limited number of CDs of the entire FEIS and
Executive Summaries available for public distribution. These may be
obtained by contacting the Airport Manager's Office at (907) 789-7821.
The FEIS may also be viewed at the following Web site: http://www.jnu-eis.org
.
Public Comment and Information Meeting: A public information
meeting will be held on May 14, 2007, between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. (ADT)
at Centennial Hall, 101 Egan Drive, Juneau, AK 99801. A presentation
regarding the FAA's preferred alternatives will be provided at 6:30
p.m. (ADT). Written comments on the sections of the document identified
above may be submitted during the public information meeting or to the
address listed in the section entitled ``Written Comments Should Be
Sent to''.
On-line comments may be submitted using the form provided at the
project Web site http://www.jnu-eis.org by following the links to
Public Comment Form. Comments should be as specific as possible and
address the analysis of potential environmental impacts and the
adequacy of the proposed action or 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 reviewer's interests and concerns using quotations and other
specific references to the text of the Final EIS and related documents.
Matters that could have been raised with specificity during the comment
period on the Draft EIS or Final EIS may not be considered if they are
raised later in the decision process. 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patti Sullivan, Environmental
Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, Alaskan Region, Airports
Division, 222 W. 7th Avenue 14, Anchorage, AK 99513-7504. Ms.
Sullivan may be contacted during business hours at (907) 271-5454
(phone) and (907) 271-2851 (facsimile).
Written Comments Should Be Sent to: SWCA Environmental Consultants,
ATTN: Juneau Airport EIS, 257 East 200 South, Ste. 200, Salt Lake City,
Utah 84111.
Electronic comments may be submitted via the EIS Web site at http://www.jnu-eis.org
.
All comments must be received no later than 5 p.m. (ADT) on June
11, 2007.
Issued in Anchorage, Alaska on April 17, 2007.
Byron K. Huffman,
Manager, Airports Division, Alaskan Region.
[FR Doc. 07-2000 Filed 4-20-07; 8:45 am]
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