[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 185 (Friday, September 24, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58370-58372]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23984]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Legislative Environmental Impact
Statement for the Proposed Extension of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial
Gunnery Range Land Withdrawal
Lead Agency: Department of the Navy, DoD.
Cooperating Agency: Bureau of Land Management, Department of the
Interior.
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), the Department of the Navy (DoN) and the United States Marine
Corps (USMC), with the cooperation of the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), intends to prepare a Legislative Environmental Impact Statement
(L-EIS) and conduct public scoping meetings for the proposed extension
of the withdrawal of approximately 226,711 acres of public land in
Imperial and Riverside counties, California, for continued military use
of the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range (CMAGR).
The California Military Lands Withdrawal and Overflights Act of
1994 (Pub. L. 103-433) withdrew 226,711 acres of public land to DoN,
reserving these lands for defense-related purposes for a period of 20
years (until October 31, 2014). The Act provides that the DoN may seek
extension of the CMAGR withdrawal. As part of the withdrawal process,
the Secretary of the Navy is required to publish a Draft L-EIS
addressing legislative alternatives and the effects of continued
withdrawal. The CMAGR Draft L-EIS will evaluate the environmental
effects of the proposal to extend the land withdrawal for an additional
25 years (through 2039) and will evaluate alternative actions to
restructure the existing range boundary for improved efficiency in the
management of the CMAGR and adjacent lands.
DATES AND ADDRESSES: DoN is initiating a 90-day public scoping process
to identify community interests and specific issues to be addressed in
the L-EIS, which starts with the publication of this Notice of Intent
(NOI). Four public scoping meetings have been scheduled to enlist
written and oral comments regarding the scope of the Draft L-EIS
analysis:
1. Monday, December 6, 2010, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Yuma County
Library, Rooms B-C, 2951 S. 21st Drive, Yuma, Arizona 85364;
2. Tuesday, December 7, 2010, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Holiday Inn
Express--El Centro, Conference Room B, 350 Smoketree Drive, El Centro,
California 92243;
3. Wednesday, December 8, 2010, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., Holiday Inn,
1800 E. Palm Canyon, Palm Springs, California 92264; and
4. Thursday, December 9, 2010, 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., San Diego
Planning Commission Hearing Room, 5201 Ruffin Road, Suite B, San Diego,
California 92123.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: CMAGR L-EIS Project Manager (Attn:
Kelly Finn), NAVFAC Southwest, 1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA
92132-5190; phone 619-532-4452. Additional supplementary information
regarding the CMAGR Draft L-EIS is available at http://www.chocolatemountainrenewal.com. Please submit requests for special
assistance, sign language interpretation for the hearing impaired, or
other auxiliary aids needed at the scoping meeting to the L-EIS Project
Manager by November 26, 2010.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public scoping meeting schedules and
locations will also be published in local newspapers. The public is
invited to attend these meetings to view project-related displays,
speak with DoN and USMC representatives, and submit public comment
forms at information stations. A court reporter will be available at
the meetings to accept oral comments. The scoping meetings will be
conducted in an informal, open
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house style meeting format. All comments regarding the scope of issues
that should be considered in the Draft L-EIS must be received within 90
days of the publication date of this notice to ensure full
consideration in the Draft L-EIS analysis.
Submitting Comments: Federal, state, and local agencies and
interested parties are encouraged to provide oral and/or written
comments regarding the scope of the L-EIS, reasonable alternatives and/
or specific issues or topics of interest to the public. Comments may be
submitted by: (1) Attending one of the public scoping open houses and
providing oral or written comments, (2) submitting a comment form on
the project's public website at http://www.chocolatemountainrenewal.com, or (3) mail. Written comments should
be submitted to the L-EIS Project Manager listed below under FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. All written comments on the scope of the
L-EIS should be submitted and/or postmarked no later than December 23,
2010.
The USMC will consider all comments received during the scoping
period. A mailing list has been assembled to facilitate preparation of
the L-EIS. Those on this list will receive notices and information
related to L-EIS preparation. This list includes local, state, and
federal agencies with jurisdiction or other interests in the
alternatives. In addition, the mailing list includes affected
municipalities and other interested parties. Anyone wishing to be added
to the mailing list may request to be added by contacting the L-EIS
project manager at the address provided below.
Before including your address, telephone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, please be aware
that your entire comment--including any personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. Although
requests can be made to withhold personal identifying information from
public review, it may not be possible to keep this information from
disclosure.
The CMAGR has served as an aerial bombing and gunnery training
range since the 1940s. The CMAGR currently provides more than 700
square miles (459,000 acres) of land, and overlying and adjacent
special-use airspace that extends laterally for several thousands of
square miles that, among other activities, supports training in air
combat maneuvering and tactics; close air support (where air-to-ground
ordnance is fired to directly support friendly forces engaged in ground
combat); airborne laser system operations; air-to-air gunnery; and air-
to-ground bombing, rocketry, and strafing. Artillery, demolitions,
small arms, and Navy Special Warfare training are also conducted within
the range. The CMAGR is a centerpiece in a much larger training complex
that incorporates adjacent and nearby special use airspaces and ranges
to support full-spectrum combat operations so that Marines can
realistically train as they will fight.
Purpose and Need: The purpose of and need for the proposed CMAGR
renewal is for the DoN to retain a military aircrew training range for
near- and long-term preparedness of United States tactical air forces.
Extending the land withdrawal will provide for the continued effective
implementation of ongoing aircrew training while maintaining the
flexibility to adapt to the training needs of new technologies as they
develop. The performance of air operations in combat is directly
related to the quality and depth of training. The CMAGR provides a
unique combination of attributes that serve this training requirement,
including the favorable location and flying weather; sufficient land
and airspace; diverse terrain; and developed training support
facilities.
The CMAGR consists of approximately 459,000 acres of desert
mountain terrain in Imperial and Riverside counties, California. The
land jurisdiction map of the CMAGR closely resembles a checkerboard
where every other section (640 acres or 1 square mile) is managed by
either the DoN or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The DoN owns
232,116 acres of the checkerboard, while the alternate sections of the
range (226,711 acres) are made up of withdrawn lands managed by the
BLM.
Since the CMAGR comprises DoN-owned and BLM-managed public lands,
environmental stewardship for the CMAGR is implemented through the
Sikes Act for DoN land and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
for BLM land. Because the management goals and procedures of these acts
differ, two separate regulatory schemes are required to administer the
checkerboard land jurisdiction pattern of the range. Currently, DoN has
full administrative jurisdiction to manage military training and
resource management on DoN-owned lands within the CMAGR, and the BLM is
responsible for resource management on the alternating sections of
public lands withdrawn and reserved for DoN use.
Preliminary Alternatives: A range of alternatives, including the
no-action alternative required by NEPA, will be considered. The L-EIS
will also consider other reasonable alternatives that are identified
during scoping or the preparation of the L-EIS. Four preliminary action
alternatives have been identified. Alternatives 2, 3 and 4 would
include restructuring the CMAGR boundaries to more closely follow
certain prominent geographic features, such as aligning part of the
CMAGR boundary to closely parallel but no longer cross features such as
the Bradshaw Trail and Coachella Canal.
1. Alternative 1 would extend the current withdrawal with no
boundary or jurisdictional changes, for a period of 25 years.
2. Alternative 2 would extend the land withdrawal for a period of
25 years with restructured boundaries and would allocate full
administrative jurisdiction for resource management to DoN, in addition
to the military activities.
3. Alternative 3 would extend the land withdrawal for a period of
25 years and transfer all custody and accountability for the real
property within both the current withdrawal and the restructured
boundaries from BLM to DoN. All responsibility for resource management
and use of the lands would then reside with DoN.
4. Alternative 4 would extend the land withdrawal for a period of
25 years with the restructured boundaries; management of the military
activities would remain with DoN and the resource management would
remain with BLM.
5. Under Alternative 5, the No Action Alternative, the existing
land withdrawal for the CMAGR, provided by the California Military
Lands Withdrawal and Overflights Act of 1994, would expire. The
capability to support existing and future training activities at the
CMAGR that rely on these lands would cease. No alternative range is
located in the operational region that has the weapons training
capacity of the CMAGR. Consequently, aircrew and other training
terminated at the CMAGR by the No Action Alternative would have to be
relocated to ranges elsewhere in the country or curtailed. Range clean-
up operations at CMAGR would be required.
Environmental Issues and Resources To Be Examined: The Draft L-EIS
will evaluate the potential environmental effects associated with each
of the above alternatives and any additional alternatives developed
during the scoping period. Issues to be addressed include, but are not
limited to, biological resources, cultural resources, geology and
soils, hydrology, noise, air quality, safety, hazardous materials and
waste, socioeconomics and environmental justice. Relevant and
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reasonable measures that would avoid or mitigate environmental effects
will also 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 law or
regulation.
In accordance with the Engle Act of 1958, and the Federal Lands
Policy and Management Act of 1976, the DoN is required to file an
application with the BLM requesting the Secretary of the Interior
process a proposed legislative withdrawal and reservation of public
land to continue military training exercises at the CMAGR. The proposed
alternatives would withdraw at least 222,041 but not more than 242,058
acres of public land. As a result of the proposed boundary
restructuring, approximately 15,347 acres of public land not in the
existing 226,711 acre withdrawal would be withdrawn. The restructured
boundary would offer the best opportunities to define and manage a
secure boundary for the CMAGR, safeguard public use of adjacent public
land, and consolidate holdings for more efficient environmental
stewardship. The public land would be withdrawn from all forms of
appropriation under the public land laws, including surface entry,
mining, mineral leasing, and the Materials Act of 1947.
L-EIS Schedule: This notice is the first phase of the L-EIS process
and announces the 90-day public comment period and public scoping
meetings to identify community concerns and local issues that should be
addressed in the L-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 L-EIS. A minimum 45-day
public comment period for the Draft L-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 L-EIS when preparing
the Final L-EIS. After publication of the Draft L-EIS, one or more
public hearings will be held, and public notice will be given regarding
the time and place of the hearing(s). The Draft L-EIS will be available
for public and agency review and comment before the public hearing(s).
Dated: September 17, 2010.
D.J. Werner,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-23984 Filed 9-23-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P