[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 192 (Tuesday, October 5, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61452-61453]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-24910]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Military Training Activities at the Naval Weapons Systems Training
Facility Boardman, OR, and To Announce Public Scoping Meetings
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 of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental
Quality regulations (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508), the Department of the
Navy (DoN) announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental effects of
continuing training activities on and increasing usage of the Naval
Weapons Systems Training Facility (NWSTF) Boardman, Oregon.
DATES AND ADDRESSES: Two public scoping meetings will be held to
receive oral and/or written comments on environmental concerns that
should be addressed in the EIS. The public scoping meetings will be
held on the following dates and times, and at the following locations:
1. Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., at Port of Morrow
Conference Center, Riverfront Room, 2 Marine Drive, Boardman, OR 97818;
2. Thursday, October 28, 2010, 5 p.m.-8 p.m., at Hermiston
Conference Center, Rotary Room, 415 S. Highway 395, Hermiston, OR
97838.
Each scoping meeting will consist of an informal, open house
session with information stations staffed by DoN and National Guard
representatives. Details of the meeting locations and times will be
announced in local newspapers. Additional information concerning
meeting times will be available on the EIS Web page located at: http://www.NWSTFBoardmanEIS.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Amy Burt, Naval Facilities
Engineering Command, Northwest, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203,
Silverdale, Washington 98315-1101, Attn: NWSTF Boardman Project
Manager, Code EV1.AB.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DoN's proposed action includes range
enhancements and changes to training activities, capacities, and
facilities as they currently exist on NWSTF Boardman. The Proposed
Action would result in selectively focused but critical range
enhancements and increases in DoN and Oregon National Guard training
that are necessary to ensure NWSTF Boardman supports military training
and readiness objectives.
The overall strategic mission of NWSTF Boardman is to support naval
and joint services operational readiness by providing a suitable range
within the geographical vicinity for Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet and
Oregon National Guard forces in the northwest.
The EIS study area consists of NWSTF Boardman airspace, Military
Operating Area and Restricted Airspace totaling approximately 500
square miles, and 47,432 acres of land within the boundaries of NWSTF
Boardman. NWSTF Boardman is rectangular shaped oriented from north to
south, approximately 6 miles by 12 miles in size, and is situated 2.5
miles south of the town of Boardman and the Columbia River, and
southwest of Umatilla, Oregon.
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to: (1) Ensure that NWSTF
Boardman continues to support critical military training activities in
a realistic and cost-effective manner; (2) Achieve and maintain
military readiness using NWSTF Boardman to support and conduct current,
emerging, and future training and research, development, test and
evaluation (RDT&E) activities; and (3) Upgrade and modernize NWSTF
Boardman's existing capabilities to address shortfalls in available
training range capabilities in the Pacific Northwest.
The Proposed Action is needed to provide a training environment
consisting of range areas, facilities and instrumentation with the
capacity and capabilities to fully support required training tasks for
military units. In this regard, NWSTF Boardman furthers the military's
execution of its roles and responsibilities under United States Code
(U.S.C.) Title 10 (federal military) and U.S.C. Title 32 (State
National Guard). To comply with its Title 10 and 32 mandates, the
military needs to maintain current levels of military readiness by
improving training at NWSTF Boardman, accommodate possible future
increases in operational training and force structure changes, and
maintain the long-term viability of NWSTF Boardman as a military
training and testing area.
Under the No Action Alternative, training activities and major
range events would continue at current levels. The DoN and National
Guard training activities currently conducted on NWSTF Boardman,
presented as the No Action Alternative, have been ongoing at present
levels and frequencies for approximately 10 years.
Under Alternative 1, NWSTF Boardman would support an increase in
training activities to include force structure changes associated with
the introduction of new weapon systems, vehicles, and aircraft, in
addition to accommodating training activities currently conducted on
the range. Alternative 1 would also include the implementation of range
enhancements to allow NWSTF Boardman to comply with DoN and National
Guard requirements to enable military personnel to qualify on weapon
systems. These required range enhancements could include the
construction of a Multi-Purpose Machine Gun Range, a Digital Multi-
Purpose Training Range, a Convoy Live Fire training range, a Demolition
Training Range, construction of a joint range administration/Unmanned
Aerial System (UAS) maintenance building, UAS landing strip, and the
opening of a second target area for air to ground bombing exercises.
Alternative 2 consists of all elements of Alternative 1 plus the
addition of a third target area, a helicopter landing zone, a second
Convoy Live Fire range, four mortar pads, and a separate joint-use
administrative facility. Alternative 2 also includes an increase in
training activities associated with these additional range
enhancements.
Environmental issues that will be addressed in the EIS, as
applicable, include but are not limited to the following: Air quality,
airspace, biological resources, including threatened and endangered
species, cultural resources, water resources, geology and soils,
hazardous materials and waste, health and safety, noise,
socioeconomics, and transportation.
The DoN is initiating the scoping process to identify community
concerns and local issues that will be addressed in the EIS. Federal,
state and local agencies, Federally Recognized Native American Tribes,
the public, and all interested persons are encouraged to provide oral,
written, or electronic comments to the DoN to identify specific
environmental issues or topics of environmental concern that the
commenter believes the DoN should consider. All comments, electronic,
[[Page 61453]]
written or provided orally at the scoping meetings, will receive the
same consideration during EIS preparation.
Written comments on the scope of the EIS should be postmarked no
later than November 15, 2010. Comments may be mailed to Mrs. Amy Burt,
Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Northwest, 1101 Tautog Circle
Suite, 203, Silverdale, Washington 98315-1101, Attn: NWSTF Boardman EIS
Project Manager, Code EV1.AB. Comments may also be submitted on the
project Web site, http://www.NWSTFBoardmanEIS.com.
Dated: September 29, 2010.
D.J. Werner,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-24910 Filed 10-4-10; 8:45 am]
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