NAVAIR China Lake Public Affairs Office--The Department of the Navy has prepared and filed the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for Proposed Military Operational Increases and Implementation of Associated/Comprehensive Land Use Management Plans at the Naval Air Weapons Station (NAWS), China Lake with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Notice of Availability/Notice of Public Hearings of the DEIS is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on Friday, Nov. 22. This will start a 90-day public review period.

Public Hearings have been scheduled to inform, solicit and receive oral and written comments on the DEIS findings. The hearings, listed below, will begin with an open house at 6 p.m., followed by a formal presentation at 7 p.m. They are as follows:

Ridgecrest: Jan. 21, 2003, Kerr McGee Community Center, 100 W. California Ave.
Inyokern: Jan. 22, 2003, Inyokern Elementary School, 6601 Locust Ave.
Barstow: City of Barstow Council Chamber, 220 E. Mountain View St., Ste. A
Independence: Owens Valley Unified School District, 202 S. Clay St.
Trona: Trona School, 93600 Trona Rd.

Written comments can be submitted at any of the public hearings or mailed directly to:

Commander, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake
Attn: John O’Gara
Environmental Planning and Management Dept., Code 873000D
1 Administration Circle
China Lake, CA 93555-6100

All comments must be received on or before February 21, 2003.

Copies of the DEIS can be viewed after Tuesday, Nov.26 at the Information Repositories located at:

--Public Affairs Office, NAVAIR Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, Room 1015, Building 1, 1 Administration Circle, China Lake
--Kern County Library, Ridgecrest Branch, 131 E. Las Flores Ave.
--Inyo County Free Library, Independence Branch, 168 N. Edwards
--San Bernardino County Public Health Office, 13207 Market Street, Trona, Calif.

Further information about the DEIS or the proposed action, can be obtained on the China Lake Comprehensive Land Use Management Plan (CLUMP) EIS Home Page, http://www.nawcwpns.navy.mil/~cllump/cllump.html. Updates on the status of the DEIS process can be obtained by calling the DEIS Information Line, 760.939.4588 or toll free, 888.672.3244.

Questions regarding the proposed action, the DEIS, or how to be placed on the DEIS Mailing List can be addressed to Peggy Shoaf, Public Affairs, 760.939.1683 or e-mail [email protected].