Proposed Closure of Myrtle Beach AFB, South Carolina

Reasonable alternatives to closure of Myrtle Beach AFB analyzed and described in this DEIS are closure of Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ, or England AFB, La. The DEIS includes analyses of community setting, land use and aesthetics, transportation, utilities, hazardous materialswastes, geology and soils, water resources, air quality, noise, biological resources, and cultural and paleontological resources. Adverse impacts to the human biophysical environment were found to be negligible. Remediation of hazardous waste sites on the bases will be conducted and some additional data recovery to evaluate sites potentially eligible for the National Register of Historic Places will be undertaken. Beneficial impacts to the environment from reductions in air pollutant emissions and noise levels would result from base closure. When the Air Force closes a base, a caretaker force is established to maintain buildings, grounds, and essential utility systems, and to control access to the base. The property would be declared excess and made available only to the General Services Administration for reuse by other federal agencies or for disposal to local governments or the private sector.