CCP 06-09-2003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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. The military department, under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A), must consider all reasonable disposal alternatives and their respective environmental consequences. The NEP A process is intended to help the military department make informcd and environmentally responsible disposal decisions. NEP A requires the military department to conduct environmental analysis concerning the environmental impact of the proposed disposal action, to include: reasonably anticipated reuse activities; alternatives to the proposed disposal and reuse action; and any appropriate environmental mitigation actions. The military department is required to analyze the impacts to natural and cultural resources and may be required to consult with other federal agencies before making final property disposal decisions. It is DOD policy that the LRA's reuse plan, if available and to the extent legally permissible, will be a primary factor in the development of the proposed action and reasonable alternatives under NEP A. In the event the LRA does not reach a consensus or fails to prepare a reuse plan, the military will prepare the NEPA analysis using reasonable assumptions as to the likely reuse scenarios and their reasonable alternatives. . If the property disposal is likely to have a "significant" impact on the environment, the military department is required to prepare an "environmental impact statement" (EIS). The EIS is a lengthy document and preparing an EIS is a time consuming process. Moreover, the military department is required to provide opportunities for significant public involvement, including the opportunity for public comment and participation in a number of public hearings. The LRA and community leaders should ensure that they are heavily involved in this process. . '[he base reuse environmental process . Many environmental issues must be addressed to prepare an installation for closure and transfer and the local communities should be involved in the process. Because the environmental decisions are based on how the land is going to be reused, the military department must know what the LRA is going to do as soon as possible so it can tailor the cleanup actions consistently with the reuse plan. Once the military department knows the reuse plan, it is required to identity significant environmental issues to the LRA that may limit certain types ofland use. This way, environmental priorities can be reconciled with reuse and then appropriate cleanup levels ,vill be established to reflect anticipated future land uses. Moreover, all DOD installations being closed or realigned will establish a Restoration Advisory Board (RAB), if property will be available for transfer. RABs are co-chaired by community and installation representatives and serve as a forum for information exchange and partnership among public, the installation, EP A, and the state on environmental restoration issues. It is in this forum that the public reviews restoration documents and provides input.