[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 151 (Friday, August 6, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47564-47565]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-19421]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed Modernization and Expansion of Townsend Bombing Range in
McIntosh County, GA
AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section (102)(2)(c) of the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, and regulations implemented by the Council
on Environmental Quality (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts
1500-1508), Department of the Navy (DoN) NEPA regulations (32 CFR Part
775), and United States Marine Corps (USMC) NEPA directives (Marine
Corps Order P5090.2A, changes 1 and 2), the DoN intends to prepare an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and conduct public scoping
meetings for the modernization and expansion of the Townsend Bombing
Range (TBR) located in McIntosh County, Georgia to accommodate the use
of inert (with spotting charges) Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) with
their associated larger land requirements. To accomplish this, the USMC
proposes to acquire lands in the vicinity of TBR on which to create new
target areas to allow for a greater variety of training activities. The
TBR is owned by the DoN, and is operated by the Georgia Air National
Guard (GA ANG). The DoN will prepare the EIS.
DATES AND ADDRESSES: The DoN is initiating a 30-day public scoping
process to identify community interests and local issues to be
addressed in the EIS, which starts with the publication of this Notice
of Intent. Two public scoping meetings, using an informal open house
format, will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the following dates and
at the following locations in Georgia:
(1) Tuesday, August 24, 2010, City of Ludowici Meeting Room, City
Hall, 469 North Macon Street, Ludowici, GA 31316.
(2) Thursday, August 26, 2010, Haynes Auditorium--Ida Hilton Public
Library, 1105 Northway, Darien, GA 31305.
The public is invited to attend these meetings to view project-
related displays, speak with USMC representatives, and submit public
comment forms. All comments regarding the scope of issues that the USMC
should consider during EIS preparation must be received prior to
September 7, 2010. Additional information concerning the meetings and
the proposed alternatives are available on the EIS website at http://www.townsendbombingrangeeis.com and will be announced in local and
regional newspapers. Please submit requests for special assistance,
sign language interpretation for the hearing impaired, oral comments,
or other auxiliary aids needed at the scoping meeting to the EIS
Project Manager by August 16, 2010.
Submitting Comments: Federal, state, local agencies and interested
parties are encouraged to provide oral and/or written comments
regarding the scope of the EIS, reasonable alternatives and/or specific
issues or topics of interest to the public. There are four ways by
which comments can be submitted: (1) Attending one of the public
scoping open-houses; (2) submitting through the project's public
website at http://www.townsendbombingrangeeis.com; (3) E-mail to
[email protected]; (4) submitting written mailed comments
on the scope of the EIS. All written comments should be submitted and/
or postmarked no later than September 7, 2010. Comments submitted by
mail should be sent to: Townsend EIS, Project Manager, Post Office Box
180458, Tallahassee, FL 32318.
The USMC will consider all comments received during the scoping
period. A mailing list has been assembled to facilitate preparation of
the EIS. Those on this list will receive notices and documents related
to EIS preparation. This list includes local, state, and federal
agencies with jurisdiction or other interests in the alternatives. In
addition, the mailing list includes adjacent property owners, affected
municipalities, and other interested parties such as conservation
organizations. Anyone wishing to be added to the mailing list may
request to
[[Page 47565]]
be added by contacting the EIS project manager at the address provided
below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Community Planning and Liaison Office;
Attn: Ms. Alice Howard, Post Office Box 9103, Building 601, Marine
Corps Air Station Beaufort, Beaufort, South Carolina 29904-5001; phone:
843-228-7558; e-mail: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the Proposed Action is to
provide a modern air-to-ground training range which can accommodate
inert (with spotting charges) PGMs for aviation units stationed at MCAS
Beaufort through the modernization and expansion of TBR in order to
meet current training requirements.
The need for the Proposed Action is to more efficiently meet
current training requirements for USMC aviation assets by significantly
increasing air-to-ground training capabilities in the Beaufort, South
Carolina region. Presently, squadrons from Marine Corps Air Station
(MCAS) Beaufort must use West Coast training ranges to satisfy PGM
training requirements. Having a range available for this training would
result in greater training efficiency. To accomplish the proposed
action, the USMC would acquire land adjacent to the existing 5,183-acre
TBR and would expand the area of controlled access around the bombing
targets. The EIS will consider several land acquisition scenarios and
configurations of the range to meet the training requirements.
Preliminary Alternatives: At this time, it is anticipated that the
EIS will evaluate five action alternatives and the No Action
Alternative. Land acquisition scenarios were developed through the use
of modeling software to determine the land area necessary to
accommodate the use of inert (with spotting charges) PGMs at TBR in a
manner that will accomplish the training requirements while maintaining
public safety. The EIS will also consider other feasible land
acquisition scenarios that may be identified during scoping or during
the preparation of the EIS. The five action alternatives currently
identified for analysis in the EIS are as follows:
Alternative 1 proposes the acquisition of approximately 11,948
acres to the northwest and southeast of the TBR boundary along the
south side of State Highway 57.
Alternative 2 proposes a combination of the property acquisition
under Alternative 1 with an additional 24,880 acres located northeast
of TBR and to the north of State Highway 57, totaling approximately
36,828 acres.
Alternative 3 proposes the acquisition of approximately 24,880
acres located northeast of TBR and to the North of State Highway 57.
Alternative 4 proposes a combination of the property acquisition
under Alternative 1 with an additional 14,752 acres between TBR and the
Altamaha River, totaling approximately 26,700 acres.
Alternative 5 proposes a combination of the property acquisition
under Alternative 3 and Alternative 4 totaling approximately 51,580
acres.
The No Action Alternative proposes no land acquisition and no
changes to operations at TBR. Aviation units stationed at MCAS Beaufort
would continue to deploy to the western United States to undergo inert
(with spotting charges) PGM training and meet individual aircrew
training requirements.
Environmental Issues and Resources To Be Examined: The EIS will
evaluate potential environmental effects associated with each of the
alternatives. Issues to be addressed may include, but are not limited
to: Safety; land use; recreation; air quality; socioeconomics and
environmental justice; water resources; noise; cultural resources;
biological resources; forestry resources; and airspace/air traffic.
Relevant and reasonable measures that could avoid or mitigate
environmental effects also will be analyzed. Additionally, the USMC
will undertake any consultations required by the Endangered Species
Act, Clean Water Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and any other
applicable laws or regulations.
EIS Schedule: This Notice of Intent (NOI) is the first phase of the
EIS process and announces the 30-day public comment period and public
scoping meetings to identify community concerns and local issues that
should be addressed in the EIS. The next phase occurs when a Notice of
Availability (NOA) is published in the Federal Register and local media
to publicly announce the release of the Draft EIS. A 45-day public
comment period for the Draft EIS will commence upon publication of the
NOA in the Federal Register. The USMC will consider and respond to all
comments received on the Draft EIS when preparing the Final EIS. The
USMC intends to issue the Final EIS no later than Spring 2012, at which
time a NOA will be published in the Federal Register and local media. A
Record of Decision is anticipated in Fall 2012.
Dated: July 29, 2010.
D.J. Werner,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate Generals Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal
Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-19421 Filed 8-5-10; 8:45 am]
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