[Federal Register: June 17, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 115)]
[Notices]
[Page 28672-28673]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17jn09-31]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
United States Air Force
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Modification of the Condor 1 and Condor 2 Military Operations Areas
Used by the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard
AGENCY: Air National Guard, Department of Defense.
ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact
statement.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 4321-4347),
the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA Regulations (40 Code of
Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 1500-1508), and the United States Air
Force's (USAF) Environmental Impact Analysis Process (EIAP, 32 CFR part
989), the Air Force is issuing this notice to advise the public and
other Federal agencies that the ANG intends to prepare an Environmental
Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed modifications of the Condor 1 and
Condor 2 Military Operations Areas (MOAs) used by the 104th Fighter
Wing (FW) of the Massachusetts ANG (MAANG). The 104th FW is based at
Barnes ANG Base in Westfield, Massachusetts. The study area for this
EIS includes portions of Piscataquis, Somerset, Franklin, and Oxford
counties in Maine and a portion of Coos County, New Hampshire.
The ANG and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completed an
Environmental Assessment (EA) of this proposal in June 2008. However,
in response to requests from elected officials and the general public,
the ANG has elected to prepare an EIS. The ANG conducted five previous
scoping meetings in the towns of Rumford, Mexico, Rangeley, and
Farmington (2), Maine as part of the EA process; the previous scoping
meetings are sufficient and follow-on scoping meetings are not deemed
necessary. However, the Air Force requests formal written scoping
comments from the public, state and local government agencies, as well
as affected Federal agencies for 30 days after the publication date of
this NOI, to ascertain if there are additional issues relevant to the
range of actions, alternatives, and impacts to be examined in detail in
the draft EIS.
The Condor 1 and 2 MOAs are centered approximately 200 nautical
miles northeast of Barnes ANG Base. The altitudes of both MOAs
currently extend from 7,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL) (between
approximately 2,800 feet and 6,300 feet above ground level [AGL]) up to
18,000 ft MSL. Condor 1 MOA is located immediately west of Condor 2
MOA. The Condor 1 and 2 MOAs are currently utilized by aircraft from
the MAANG, the Vermont ANG, the United States Air Force, and the United
States Navy. Units from these services utilize a variety of aircraft
including the F-15, F-16, KC-10, KC-135, and P-3. Of these aircraft, F-
15 and F-16 operations currently constitute 86-88% of annual operations
in the Condor 1 and 2 MOAs.
The Ready Aircrew Program (RAP) is the United States Air Force's
continuation training program designed to focus training or develop
capabilities needed to accomplish a unit's core missions. The RAP
requirements for every qualified F-15 and F-16 pilot include Low
Altitude Awareness Training (LOWAT) which includes realistic, mission
oriented air-to-air operations while in a LOWAT-certified low-altitude
block at or below 1,000 feet AGL, as well as Low Slow/Visual
Identification intercept and Slow Shadow intercept training missions.
These training missions require pilots to identify and engage aerial
targets at low altitude, and perform low altitude navigation, tactical
formation, and defensive maneuvering to avoid or negate threats.
[[Page 28673]]
In order to be Combat Mission Ready, all F-15 and F-16 pilots are
required to demonstrate proficiency in these skills down to 500 feet
AGL, over land, on a regular basis. Pilot operational training
standards require missions to be accomplished in the low, medium, and
high altitude regimes. As currently defined, the floors of Condor 1 and
2 MOAs are too high to allow for the effective and efficient completion
of required training. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to rectify
these deficiencies and provide the 104th FW with adequate training
airspace in a safe training environment to fulfill its mission.
The 104th FW proposes to combine the Condor 1 and 2 MOAs, divide
the combined MOA into Condor Low MOA and Condor High MOA, and lower the
flight floor of the proposed Condor Low MOA from 7,000 feet MSL to 500
feet AGL. Condor Low MOA would extend from 500 feet AGL up to, but not
include, 7,000 feet MSL. Condor High MOA would extend from 7,000 feet
MSL up to, but not include, 18,000 MSL. As part of the EIAP, and in
accordance with the requirements of NEPA, the EIS will consider
potential alternatives to the Proposed Action. Other alternatives to be
considered include lowering the floor of Condor 1 MOA and leaving
Condor 2 MOA unchanged, completing low-altitude training in other
airspace in the Northeast, deploying to conduct low-altitude training,
and no action.
The draft EIS will be made available for a 45-day public review and
comment period. The Air Force will sponsor a public hearing on the
draft EIS in mid-August 2009 at the Civic Center in Augusta, Maine.
Notification of hearing time and related logistics will be made via
local public notifications.
No additional meetings are planned at this time. In addition to
comments received at the public hearing, any written comments on the
draft EIS received at the address below by October 1, 2009, will be
considered in the preparation of this EIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Major Stephen R. Lippert NGB/A 7AM,
Program Manager, 3500 Fetchet Avenue, Andrews AFB, MD 20762-5157, Ph:
(301) 836-8167, stephen.lippert@ang.af.mil.
Bao-Anh Trinh,
Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-14216 Filed 6-16-09; 8:45 am]
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