|
In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act an Environmental Assessment
(EA) is being conducted to evaluate proposed capital improvements at the Virginia Highlands Airport.
An EA is a decision-making tool that analyzes the potential environmental effects of a
proposed action and its alternatives. The process provides a forum to address both
regulatory and public concerns, and identifies potential impacts.
The proposed action at Virginia Highlands Airport will be derived from the preferred operational
alternative out of the Airport Layout Plan Update.
Five components make up the Environmental Assessment document as follows:
-
Purpose and Need – This component identifies the need for the action, the purpose of the action (proposed solution to the problem), and the proposed timeframe for implementing the action.
-
Project Alternatives - This section describes the process used to identify reasonable alternatives meeting
the purpose and need for the sponsor’s proposed action described in the Purpose and Need, as well as the following
four elements: 1) Alternatives Considered but not Carried Forward, 2) Alternatives Further Considered 3) Screening
of Considered Alternatives, and 4) Selection of the Preferred Alternative.
The following alternatives were evaluated as part of the EA: Alternative 1, No Action; Alternative 2, Extend Runway 6 (34:1 Non-precision approach); Alternative 3, Extend Runway 6 (20:1 Visual approach).
As a result of the alternative screening completed as part of this EA, the sponsor’s preferred alternative was selected.
Alternative 3 was selected as the preferred development alternative from this EA.
-
Affected Environment – Describes existing environmental conditions of the potentially affected geographic area(s).
-
Environmental Consequences – This component presents the analysis of environmental consequences
associated with the project alternatives retained for detailed consideration. The environmental
consequences consist of 18 impact categories, and cumulative impacts,
as outlined in FAA Order 1050.1E, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures.
Noise contours were developed for the airport utilizing the FAA Integrated Noise Model (INM) for the 2007, 2012 No Action, and 2012 proposed development scenarios. The FAA’s threshold of impact is DNL 65.
DNL is the day-night average cumulative sound level that provides a measure of the total sound energy during a 24-hour period.
The FAA considers all land uses compatible with DNL 65 and lower. Aircraft noise levels are expected to increase
slightly between the base year and 2012; however, no noise impacts are anticipated, as the DNL 65 noise contours remain
on airport property, surrounding the runway.
-
Appendices – Supporting material including but not limited to the following: glossary, references, correspondence
and coordination, environmental reports (Wetland Delineation, Cultural Resources, Environmental Due Diligence Audit, etc.),
noise and air quality analysis documentation, and mitigation documentation as appropriate.
|
|
|
