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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jeff Gardner, NREA Branch (B046), 3250 Catlin Avenue, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA 22134-0855, telephone: 703-432-6770, and e-mail: jeff.gardner@usmc.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2005, the Secretary of Defense and the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission recommended that certain realignment actions occur at MCB Quantico. The President and Congress approved these recommendations, which became law on November 9, 2005. These recommendations must now be implemented as provided for in the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Act of 1990 (Pub. L. 101-510), as amended, no later than September 15, 2011. The actions directed at MCB Quantico are the collocation of Military Department Investigation Agencies Headquarters with the Counterintelligence Field Activity, and the Defense Security Service at MCB Quantico. These realignment actions will add approximately 3,000 personnel to work at MCB Quantico by 2011.
Projected personnel growth in Marine Corps units currently on Mainside, requirements to consolidate personnel located elsewhere, replacement of inadequate facilities on Mainside, and an expectation that other federal and Marine Corps initiatives will continue to identify MCB Quantico as a site for relocation, combined with limited redevelopment potential on Mainside, comprise the additional need to develop Westside.
Proposed Action. The Marine Corps proposes development of the Westside of MCB Quantico including the 2005 BRAC action at MCB Quantico. The development would entail construction of new facilities in two undeveloped areas west of I-95. These areas, the Russell Road Area and the MCB-1 Area, would accommodate the collocation of Military Department Investigation Agencies with the Department of Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency at MCB Quantico as directed by the 2005 BRAC law. They would also provide space for adequate facilities to support Marine Corps units currently at MCB Quantico, as well as potentially other federal and Marine Corps initiatives that may identify MCB Quantico as a site for relocation. The components of the Proposed Action include construction and operation of new facilities with the necessary infrastructure, road improvements, and security measures to support new facilities.
Alternatives Considered: The Final EIS assesses two action Alternatives, A and B, that respectively provide development to support only the BRAC Action involving 3,000 personnel, or development to support both the BRAC Action and an additional 2,000 personnel that would relocate to the Westside. Both Alternatives A and B include the two development location options for the BRAC component that were identified in the 2006 Quantico Land Use Plan, I-95 West: (BRAC Option 1 (Russell Road) and BRAC Option 2 (MCB-1)). The following four options to implement the Proposed Action are evaluated by the Final EIS. Alternative B BRAC Option 1 (Russell Road) is the Marine Corps Preferred Alternative.
Alternative A, BRAC Action. Alternative A would add only the development required to accommodate those personnel (approximately 3,000) associated with the BRAC 2005 action. About 70 acres would be required for the facilities. About 735,000 square feet of space and provision of parking and necessary supporting infrastructure would be constructed. Road widening and intersection improvements would be required throughout the Russell Road/MCB-1 corridor, from the intersection of Russell Road with U.S. Route 1 to the Southern Russell Road Site and/or to the MCB-1 Area. Alternative A BRAC Option 1 (Russell Road) would site the entire BRAC development in the Southern Russell Road Site, south of Telegraph Road and just east of the intersection of Russell Road with Telegraph Road. Alternative A BRAC Option 2 (MCB-1) would site the entire BRAC development in the Northern MCB-1 Site along Hotpatch Road.
Alternative B, 5,000 Personnel Including BRAC. Alternative B would add 5,000 personnel to work in the Westside, including 3,000 BRAC and 2,000 non-BRAC personnel. The non-BRAC personnel include approximately 1,000 personnel currently working elsewhere at MCB Quantico. Total space needed for BRAC and non-BRAC components is estimated to be approximately 148 acres and 1,300,000 square feet of interior space. Road widening and intersection improvements would be required throughout the Russell Road/MCB-1 corridor, from the intersection of Russell Road with U.S. Route 1 to the Southern Russell Road Site and/or to the MCB-1 Area.
Alternative B BRAC Option 1 (Russell Road) (The Preferred Alternative) would site the entire BRAC development in the Southern Russell Road Site; the remainder of the development for the additional 2,000 personnel would be sited in the MCB-1 Area, including approximately 300 personnel potentially at the Weapons Training Battalion Site. Alternative B BRAC Option 2 (MCB-1) would site the entire BRAC development in the MCB-1 Site along Hotpatch Road. The remaining development for 2,000 personnel could be completely sited in other parcels of the MCB-1 Area, or completely sited in the Southern Russell Road Site, or split between the two areas in some combination. Development for 300 personnel would be considered for the Weapons Training Battalion Site.
No Action Alternative. The No Action Alternative would maintain the status quo. The No Action Alternative would not permit the implementation of the BRAC-directed action and would not be consistent with current law.
Environmentally Preferred Alternative. The No Action Alternative maintains the status quo and therefore does not impact the existing environment. It is the environmentally preferred alternative. However, it does not meet the purpose and need of the action, and does not comply with BRAC law. Therefore, a further environmental comparison of the two action alternatives, which meet purpose and need, is provided.
Alternative A would disturb a smaller quantity of environmental resources and consequently would be environmentally preferred to Alternative B. In terms of satisfying the BRAC requirement, either BRAC Option 1 (Russell Road) or BRAC Option 2 (MCB-1) is equally environmentally preferred depending upon the environmental resource of concern. Option 1 under either alternative potentially disturbs a greater quantity of wetlands, which can be mitigated, however. Option 2 entails more roadway construction under Alternative A and results in more traffic congestion on Base under both Alternatives A and B by placing a higher density of personnel in one general area than Option 1. Option 2 also places more personnel within the radii of potentially disturbing sound contours from training exercises. Other impacts are similar for Options 1 and 2.
Environmental Impacts: Environmental impacts associated with the Preferred Alternative, Alternative B BRAC Option 1 (Russell Road), are discussed below.
Water Resources. The widening of Russell Road will cross Chopawamsic Creek, but would avoid all other wetlands or Waters of the U.S. The Marine Corps would obtain any required permits under the Virginia/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Joint Permit Application process. Implementation of stormwater and erosion and sedimentation best management measures would reduce impacts to water quality.
Biological Resources. The Preferred Alternative would directly impact an estimated 148 acres of primarily forested habitat. The Preferred Alternative would occupy approximately two percent of the total 6,895 forested acres in which the Russell Road and MCB-1 Areas are located and would be near roads that already act as a barrier to wildlife. Therefore impacts to forest habitat would be minimal. Impacts to migratory birds would also be minimal. Proposed site development would avoid areas containing the federally-threatened small whorled pogonia or its designated protection zone. No other threatened or endangered species are expected in the proposed development areas. Consistent with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommendations, widening of Russell Road would occur on the opposite side of most recently identified small whorled pogonia colonies. Through informal consultation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife agreed the road widening is not likely to adversely affect the small whorled pogonia and/or its associated habitat as long as the widening of Russell Road occurred as recommended.
Build out of the construction site has the potential, through the importation of aggregate and other construction materials, as well as landscaping and natural re-vegetation processes to introduce invasive or non-native species. Mitigation measures will be employed to prevent any such introduction of invasive or non-native species and all landscape plantings will be in accordance with the approved plant list described in the Base Exterior Architecture Plan.
Air Quality: MCBQ is located in an air quality control region that is in moderate nonattainment for ozone and in nonattainment for particulate matter with diameter less than or equal to 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5). It is also in an ozone transport region. Federal actions located in nonattainment and maintenance areas are required to demonstrate compliance with the general conformity guidelines. The Final EIS has a completed General Conformity Rule applicability analysis for the ozone precursor pollutants nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, for PM2.5, and for the PM2.5 precursor pollutant sulfur dioxide to analyze impacts to air quality. It determined that annual project emissions are well below de minimis values and are not regionally significant; therefore, a further conformity determination is not required and impacts from these pollutants are not significant. A Record of Non-Applicability was included in the Final EIS.
--This is a summary of a Federal Register article originally published on the page number listed below--
Notice of Record of Decision.
Citation: "73 FR 37418"
Federal Register Page Number: "37418"
"Notices"
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