[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11216-11218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4461]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Navy
Notice of Public Meetings for the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for Land Acquisition and Airspace Establishment at Marine
Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, CA
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 Navy (DoN) NEPA regulations (32 CFR part 775)
and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) NEPA directives (Marine Corps Order
P5090.2A, changes 1 and 2), the DoN has prepared and filed with the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) that evaluates potential environmental impacts
associated with the proposed establishment of a large-scale training
range at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (``Combat Center'')
at Twentynine Palms, California. This proposed action would accommodate
sustained, combined-arms, live-fire and maneuver training exercises for
all elements of a Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB).
With the filing of the Draft EIS, the DoN is initiating a 90-day
public comment period and has scheduled three public open house
meetings to receive oral and written comments on the Draft EIS.
Federal, state and local agencies and interested parties are encouraged
to provide comments in person at any of the public open house meetings,
or in writing anytime during the public comment period. This notice
announces the dates and locations of the public meetings and provides
supplementary information about the environmental planning effort.
DATES: The Draft EIS public review period will begin February 25, 2011,
and end on May 26, 2011. The USMC is holding three informational open
house style public meetings to inform the public about the proposed
action and the alternatives under consideration, and to provide an
opportunity for the public to comment on the proposed action,
alternatives, and the adequacy and accuracy of the Draft EIS. USMC
representatives will be on hand to discuss and answer questions on the
proposed action, the NEPA process and the findings presented in the
Draft EIS. Public open house meetings will be held:
(1) Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Copper Mountain
College, Bell Center Gym, 6162 Rotary Way, Joshua Tree, CA 92252.
(2) Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Ontario High
School Gym, 901 W. Francis St., Ontario, CA 91762.
(3) Thursday, April 14, 2011, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Hilton Garden
Inn, Mirage/Sahara Conference Center, 12603 Mariposa Road, Victorville,
CA 92395.
Attendees will be able to submit written comments at the public
meetings. A stenographer will be present to transcribe oral comments.
Equal weight will be given to oral and written statements. All
statements, oral transcription and written, submitted during the public
review period will become part of the public record on the Draft EIS
and will be responded to in the Final EIS. Comments may also be
submitted by U.S. mail or electronically via the project Web site
provided below.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the Draft EIS is available at the project Web
site, http://www.marines.mil/unit/29palms/las, and at the local
libraries identified at the end of this notice. Comments on the Draft
EIS can be submitted via the project Web site or submitted in writing
to: Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, ATTN: 29Palms EIS
Project Manager, 1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92132-5190. All
comments must be postmarked or received by May 26, 2011, to ensure they
become part of the official record. All timely comments will be
responded to in the Final EIS.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Proudfoot, Program Manager Land
Acquisition at 760-830-3764 or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the EIS
was published in the Federal Register on October 30, 2008 (Vol. 73, No.
211, p. 64604), and a correction notice was published in the Federal
Register on November 21, 2008 (Vol. 73, No. 226, p. 70626), to correct
an error in the original October 30, 2008, NOI regarding the
[[Page 11217]]
scheduled dates for the public scoping meetings.
Proposed Action
The proposed action includes three fundamental and interrelated
components: Acquisition of Land contiguous to the existing Combat
Center to provide a sufficient area for realistic MEB-sized sustained,
combined-arms, live-fire, and maneuver training that meets at least a
minimum threshold level of MEB training requirements within appropriate
margins of safety.
Modification and Establishment of Special Use Airspace to enable
full integration of MEB-sized Aviation Combat Element operations and
both air- and ground-delivered live-fire ordnance use within
appropriate margins of safety.
Expanded Training implemented as a full-scale MEB Exercise
conducted twice per year for 24 continuous days each. Current levels of
proficiency training (Building Block training) may be conducted (up to
a single battalion in size) when MEB Exercises are not being conducted.
Purpose and Need
The proposed action is needed for the USMC to conduct sustained,
combined-arms live-fire and maneuver field training exercises for a
MEB-sized Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) consisting of three
battalion task forces and associated command, aviation and combat
logistics support elements. These training requirements, drawn from a
November 2006 Marine Requirements Oversight Council decision to
validate the need for a MEB-sized MAGTF training area, stem from the
USMC Strategy 21 commitment to increasingly employ MEBs as the primary
contingency response force. Marine Expeditionary Brigades must be
capable of performing a variety of missions throughout the spectrum of
conflict because they will encounter complex situations containing
asymmetric threats, nonlinear battlefields, and unclear delineation
between combatants and noncombatants. To overcome these challenges and
operate effectively, MEBs must be able to conduct maneuver-intensive
operations over extended distances, supported by closely coordinated
precision fires, aviation-delivered ordnance, and sustained, focused
logistical support. The proposed action is needed because existing
training bases, facilities, ranges, and live-fire ground and air
maneuver areas are inadequate to support MEB-sized training exercises.
An effective MEB-sized exercise requires live-fire and maneuver
training space (and associated airspace) for three battalions, while
the USMC's largest training site (the Combat Center) can only
accommodate live-fire and maneuver training for up to two battalions.
Current training capabilities and methods offer only limited practical
experience and cannot provide realistic training opportunities that
enhance the capability to rapidly and effectively integrate all
elements of the large-scale MAGTF into a single cohesive force. In
addition, because most of the training areas aboard the Combat Center
are fully committed during traditional combined arms training (which
occurs over 250 days per year), Building Block training for home
station and external units are sometimes diminished in scope, forcing
units to add remediation events to combat pre-deployment training to
satisfy prerequisites for combat certification. The proposed action is
needed to resolve training range deficiencies so that MEB training can
be accommodated in accordance with the 2006 Marine Requirements
Oversight Council decision and the pre-deployment readiness directives
of USMC Order 3502.6, and so that Marines are able to train as they
will fight.
Alternatives Considered in the Draft EIS
The Draft EIS examines six action alternatives and the No-Action
Alternative. The six action alternatives all have the same three
fundamental components: acquisition of additional training land,
establishment and modification of airspace, and a new field exercise
program of sustained, combined-arms, live-fire and maneuver training
that meets at least the minimum threshold requirements for training a
MEB. Under all alternatives, acquired airspace would be returned to
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) control to be made available for
commercial and general aviation when not being used by the USMC. In
addition, three of the action alternatives (Alternatives 4, 5 and 6)
would allow for restricted public access for recreational use on a
portion of the acquired land in the west study area (Johnson Valley)
when military training activities are not being conducted.
Each of the six action alternatives would involve limited
construction activities, including: installation of up to three
communications towers (similar to existing towers located within the
Combat Center); periodic placement and redistribution of temporary
target arrays; temporary ground excavation associated with normal
vehicle and infantry maneuver operations (e.g., for trenches, fighting
positions, etc.); some re-grading or other improvement/maintenance of
existing unpaved access roads; and the development of up to 35 miles of
new unpaved access roads. Under Alternative 3 only, four concrete tank
crossings would be constructed across North Amboy Road. No other
permanent fixtures or infrastructure would be constructed, demolished
or modified under any of the six action alternatives.
Additional personnel would be required to manage the land/airspace
areas and expanded training capability under each action alternative.
The increase in military and civilian personnel would vary by
alternative, and are estimated to be between 59 and 77 additional
personnel. In addition, during each proposed MEB Exercise, an estimated
10,000 to 15,000 Marines would reside at the existing Exercise Support
Base within the Combat Center.
Alternative 1 would add approximately 201,657 acres to the existing
Combat Center (180,353 acres to the west of the base and 21,304 acres
to the south of the base). This alternative would establish new
Restricted Area airspace over the acquired lands to the west to
accommodate live-fire from aviation and surface units, establish new
Military Operations Area airspace, and modify lateral and vertical
dimensions of existing Military Operations Areas in other parts of the
project area.
Alternative 2 would add approximately 134,863 acres to the existing
Combat Center (113,558 acres to the west of the base and the same
21,304 acres to the south as in Alternative 1). Proposed training
activities and airspace requirements would be similar to Alternative 1
but would align with the smaller acquisition area of Alternative 2.
Alternative 3 would add approximately 198,580 acres to the existing
Combat Center (177,276 acres to the east of the base and the same
21,304 acres to the south as in Alternative 1). This alternative would
establish new Restricted Area airspace over the acquired lands to the
east to accommodate live-fire from aviation and surface units,
establish new Military Operations Area airspace, and modify lateral and
vertical dimensions of existing Military Operations Areas in other
parts of the project area.
Alternative 4 would add approximately 201,657 acres to the existing
Combat Center (180,353 acres to the west of the base and the same
21,304 acres to the south as in Alternative 1) and accompanying Special
Use Airspace. Proposed training activities
[[Page 11218]]
and airspace requirements would be similar to Alternative 1. The
western expansion area would be a Restricted Public Access Area,
available to the public for 10 months of the year when not used by the
USMC.
Alternative 5 would add the same 180,353 acres of land to the west
of the base as in Alternatives 1 and 4 but no additional land to the
south. Proposed training activities and airspace requirements would be
similar to Alternative 1 and 4. The western expansion area would be a
Restricted Public Access Area, available to the public for 10 months of
the year when not used by the USMC.
Alternative 6 (Preferred Alternative) would add approximately
167,971 acres to the existing Combat Center (146,667 acres to the west
of the base and the same 21,304 acres to the south as in Alternative 1)
and accompanying Special Use Airspace. Of the western land acquisition,
approximately 108,530 acres would be exclusive USMC Use, while the
remaining 38,137 acres would be a Restricted Public Access Area,
available to the public 10 months per year when it is not being used by
the USMC. Proposed training activities and airspace requirements would
otherwise be similar to Alternative 1.
The No Action Alternative would seek no additional lands and no
additions or changes to Special Use Airspace associated with the Combat
Center's current range complex.
Environmental Effects Identified in Draft EIS
Potential impacts were evaluated in the Draft EIS under all
alternatives for the following resources: land use, recreation,
socioeconomics and environmental justice, public health and safety,
visual resources, transportation and circulation, airspace management,
air quality, noise, biological resources, cultural resources,
geological resources and water resources.
The Draft EIS includes mitigation measures, special conservation
measures, and features of project design to avoid or minimize potential
impacts. The proposed action would fully comply with regulatory
requirements for the protection of environmental resources. A
Biological Assessment has been prepared for submittal to the U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service in compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered
Species Act. In addition, the USMC is coordinating with the California
State Historic Preservation Office on Section 106 of the National
Historic Preservation Act, and with the Mojave Desert Air Quality
Management District on the Clean Air Act.
The proposed action would result in unavoidable impacts related to
land use (due to inconsistencies with federal and local land use plans
and policies, incompatibility with mining claims and leases, and the
acquisition of privately-owned land), recreation (due to the loss of
recreational use of the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle [OHV] Area),
socioeconomics (due to decreased spending and income from OHV and other
recreational activities, and impacts to existing commercial and private
aircraft flight routes), public health and safety (due to potential
public contact with munitions constituents or other hazards under
Alternatives 4, 5 and 6), air quality (due to air emissions from
construction and training activities), biological resources (due to the
likelihood of training exercise-related incidental take of desert
tortoises), cultural resources (due to the potential loss of
archeological sites, even if mitigated through data recovery),
geological resources (due to compaction of soils, disruption of surface
crust, shearing of soil profiles, and soil particle dispersion as dust
due to military activities), and water resources (due to increased
demand for potable groundwater supplies).
Schedule: The Notice of Availability (NOA) publication in the
Federal Register and local print media starts the 90-day public comment
period for the Draft EIS. The DoN will consider and respond to all
written, oral and electronic comments, submitted as described above, in
the Final EIS. The DoN intends to issue the Final EIS in November 2011,
at which time an NOA will be published in the Federal Register and
local print media. A Record of Decision is expected to be published in
April 2012.
Copies of the Draft EIS can be found on the project Web site,
http://www.marines.mil/unit/29palms/las or at the following locations:
(1) Newton T. Bass Apple Valley Branch Library, 14901 Dale Evans
Parkway, Apple Valley, CA 92307.
(2) Barstow Branch Library, 304 E. Buena Vista St., Barstow, CA
92311.
(3) Joshua Tree Library, 6465 Park Blvd., Joshua Tree, CA 92252.
(4) Lucerne Valley Janice Horst Branch Library, 33103 Old Woman
Springs Road, Lucerne Valley, CA 92356.
(5) Needles Branch Library, 1111 Bailey Ave., Needles, CA 92363.
(6) Ovitt Family Community Library, 215 E. C St., Ontario, CA
91764.
(7) Sacramento Public Library Central Branch, 828 I Street,
Sacramento, CA 95814.
(8) San Bernardino County Library, 104 W. Fourth St., San
Bernardino, CA 92415.
(9) Twentynine Palms Library, 6078 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, CA
92277.
(10) Victorville City Library, 15011 Circle Drive, Victorville, CA
92395.
(11) Yucca Valley Branch Library, 57098 29 Palms Highway, Yucca
Valley, CA 92284.
Dated: February 18, 2011.
D. J. Werner,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy,
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-4461 Filed 2-28-11; 8:45 am]
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