The U.S. Navy invites the public to comment on the Meridian 2 Military Operations Area (MOA) draft Environmental Assessment (EA).

        The draft EA evaluates potential environmental effects of establishing this new MOA near Naval Air Station Meridian in east central Mississippi. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a cooperating agency in this project.

        Training Air Wing One (TW-1) aircraft would transit between NAS Meridian and the proposed MOA. MOA’s are established to contain certain military activities such as air combat maneuvers, air intercepts, acrobatics, etc. The draft EA also evaluates a proposed increase in flight activity at NAS Meridian. No personnel changes or construction activities are being proposed.

        An agency outreach meeting was held in Jackson on Aug. 20, 2009, to solicit information on possible impacts to the environmental and aeronautical communities. The minutes of that meeting are included in the public review draft EA.

        Copies of the draft EA are available for review online at:

http://www.cnic.navy.mil/meridian and http://www.public.navy.mil/airfor/facsfacjax.

Copies will also be available at the Eudora Welty Library, Jackson; Meridian-Lauderdale County Library; and the Evon A. Ford Library, Taylorsville; from Aug. 9-Sept. 9. Comments received from the public and other federal, state, and local agencies will be addressed in the Final EA.

        To be considered, comments must be postmarked by Sept. 12. Address comments to:

    Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic

        Code EV22-SML

        6506 Hampton Blvd.

        Norfolk, VA 23508-1278