Alternative Energy Draft EA - NASA Visitor Center at Wallops Flight ...

Environmental Consequences
staff. Therefore, no new permanent WFF jobs would be created and no impacts on population,
employment, or income are anticipated under Alternative One.
Alternative Two
Impacts for installation of solar panels would be similar to those described under Alternative
One; however, more construction workers would be needed and the construction period would be
longer. Assuming up to 10 workers would be on-site at any given time for installation of the
solar panels, and estimating that half of those workers (5) would be non-local and therefore
require lodging and meals, approximately $19,600 would enter the local economy based on per
diem rates alone over the 2-month construction period (peak season per diem rates were used for
the 2-month period of July and August). Local construction workers, with the exception of one
or two manufacturer’s representatives, and WFF staff would be used for installation of the
residential-scale wind turbines.
Construction activities would benefit the local economy due to employment opportunities for local
construction workers and increased numbers of people in Accomack County during business hours,
resulting in a potential increase in the use of local stores and businesses for purchases. The
operation and maintenance of the solar panels would be conducted by existing WFF maintenance
staff. Therefore, no new permanent WFF jobs would be created and no impacts on population,
employment, or income are anticipated under Alternative Two.
4.4.2 Environmental Justice
No Action Alternative
Under the No Action Alternative, implementation of the Alternative Energy Project would not
occur; therefore, there would be no disproportionately high or adverse impacts on low-income or
minority populations.
Proposed Action
NASA complies with EO 12898 by incorporating Environmental Justice into their mission. As a
result, NASA has prepared an EJIP that examines whether its programs and actions may
disproportionately and adversely affect minority and low-income populations around WFF.
Minority and low-income communities are located within Accomack County adjacent to WFF
property. Because no displacement of residences or businesses would occur as a result of the
Proposed Action, and the wind turbines would be similar to the types of infrastructure (i.e.,
towers and antennas) already established at WFF, visual impacts would be minimal and no
disproportionately high or adverse impacts on low-income or minority populations would occur.
Visual impacts on the communities surrounding WFF are discussed more in Section 4.4.5,
Aesthetics. In addition, the Proposed Action would involve activities similar to those currently
conducted at WFF, and the EJIP found that current WFF activities do not disproportionately
affect low-income or minority populations (NASA, 1996). Therefore, no impacts are predicted
for environmental justice.
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