Environmental Impact Analysis Process Preliminary Draft Environmental Impact Statement For The Closure Of Mather Air Force Base

The proposed action is to close Mather Air Force Base, located near Sacramento, California. This action would involve relocation of the Undergraduate Navigational Training Unit (UNT) at Castle AFB, located near Merced, McClellan AFB, located in Sacramento, California. Alternatives to the action are relocating the UNT to Randolph AFB, located near San Antonio, Texas, relocating the 940th AREFG to Beale AFB, located 25 miles north of Sacramento, and keeping the 940th AREFG at Mather as a tenant at a private airport. The last alternative was not evaluated because no proposal for development of a private airport currently exists. Significant issues identified for the propose and alternative actions were socioeconomics, noise, safety, hazardous wastes, air quality, and ecology. These issues were addressed for each base. With the exception of Mather AFB, all significant impacts are associated with increased noise levels. Only the major impacts are discussed here.