United States Department of Defense

NAVY ISSUES RECORD OF DECISION FOR REUSE OF NAVAL CIVIL ENGINEERING LABORATORY, PORT HUENEME, CALIFORNIAThe Department of the Navy today presented the record of decision(ROD) concerning the disposal and reuse of Naval CivilEngineering Laboratory (NCEL), Port Hueneme, Calif., to the cityof Port Hueneme in a ceremony at the Navy's ConstructionBattalion Center in Port Hueneme. On behalf of Secretary of theNavy John H. Dalton, the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy,William J. Cassidy Jr., presen

The ROD is the final step in the environmental evaluation process established by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). NEPA requires federal agencies such as the Department of the Navy to consider the impact that major federal actions, such as disposal and reuse of the NCEL Port Hueneme property, may have on the environment.

The ROD is an environmental document. It does not convey the NCEL property. Conveyance, or transfer of title, of the NCEL property is a separate matter that will be undertaken later in discussions among the Department of the Navy, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration, the city of Port Hueneme, and the Oxnard harbor district. The NCEL Port Hueneme record of decision represents the highly successful and well coordinated efforts of the city of Port Hueneme, the Oxnard harbor district, the Port Hueneme Surplus Property Authority, and the Department of the Navy. It is a significant step in the base closure process because it allows the local community to begin long term redevelopment and highlights the Navy's commitment to economic property at base closure sites.