SPRINGFIELD, Va.— The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on behalf of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency will prepare an environmental impact statement for a new campus in the St. Louis area. The EIS will analyze potential construction and operation activities at four sites located in the St. Louis metropolitan area.
The sites under consideration are:
• Fenton: 1050 Dodge Drive, Fenton, Missouri (southwest of St. Louis);
• Mehlville: 13045 Tesson Ferry Road, St. Louis, Missouri (south of St. Louis);
• North St. Louis City: near the intersections of Cass and North Jefferson Avenues; and
• St. Clair County: along Interstate 64, adjacent to the northeast boundary of Scott Air Force Base, Illinois (east of St. Louis)
The EIS will evaluate potential environmental effects resulting from each of the action alternatives as well as a no action alternative. The EIS will also examine the potential cumulative impacts from other past, present and reasonably foreseeable future actions occurring within the vicinity of the proposed project. NGA anticipates moving from its current location to a new campus in 2021.
Attend a public scoping meeting and share your comments
Members of the public have an opportunity to assist USACE and NGA in identifying issues and potential impacts associated with the new facility. Three public scoping meetings for the EIS will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. during the week of December 8. These meetings will be an open-house format, and individuals are welcome to come and leave as they please. A list of the dates and public meeting locations is provided below:
· Tuesday, December 9: St. Louis Gateway Classic Foundation, 2012 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, St. Louis, Mo., 63106;
· Wednesday, December 10: Katy Cavins Community Center, 308 E. Fifth St., O’Fallon, Il., 62269; and
· Thursday, December 11: Crestwood Community Center, 9245 Whitecliff Park Lane, Crestwood, Mo., 63126.
Individuals unable to attend can also submit comments online through the Next NGA West website at nextNGAwest.com.
Preparation of the environmental impact statement
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is managing preparation of the EIS for NGA in accordance with Section 102 of the National Environmental Policy Act, Council on Environmental Quality regulations (40 CFR §§ 1500-1508), Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, and National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 requirements.
About NGA
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency delivers geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT, that provides a decisive advantage to warfighters, policymakers, intelligence professionals and first responders. Both an intelligence agency and combat support agency, NGA fulfills the president’s national security priorities in partnership with the intelligence community and the Department of Defense. Many of those missions, such as Global Positioning System support, aeronautical safety of navigation and precision targeting support, are accomplished from NGA’s facilities in St. Louis.
NGA is pursuing construction and operation of a modern facility in the St. Louis metropolitan area to better support its mission to provide timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security. The proposed new facility will support NGA’s current mission, improve its resiliency and address challenges associated with its current facility located on Second Street in the city of St. Louis, including physical constraints and security requirements.
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