Notice2022-19461
Notice of Intent To Prepare Legislative Environmental Impact Statement Regarding Proposed Public Land Withdrawal in Vicinity of Arizona State Route 95, Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona
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Published
September 9, 2022
Issuing agencies
Defense DepartmentArmy Department
Abstract
The Department of the Army (Army) intends to prepare a legislative environmental impact statement (LEIS) regarding the withdrawal and reservation for military purposes of approximately 22,000 acres of public land now managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). This withdrawal and reservation would add to the existing withdrawal and reservation for the Army's Yuma Proving Ground (YPG), Arizona. It would improve public safety and meet testing and training requirements for advances in Global Positioning System (GPS)- guided parachute technologies. The additional land would allow for higher-altitude parachute releases and would provide an additional buffer in case of release-point errors and system failures. The proposed withdrawal area, which would extend to Arizona State Route (SR) 95, would establish SR 95 as a distinct physical landmark for the YPG boundary. This notice announces the beginning of the public comment process, including public scoping meetings. When the Army submits its land withdrawal application, BLM will file a separate Notice of Application for Withdrawal in the Federal Register. The LEIS will analyze potential impacts of the Army's use of the land. The LEIS will be transmitted to Congress to support legislative decision-making regarding the Army's request.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 174 (Friday, September 9, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 174 (Friday, September 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55414-55415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19461]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Notice of Intent To Prepare Legislative Environmental Impact
Statement Regarding Proposed Public Land Withdrawal in Vicinity of
Arizona State Route 95, Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona
AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army (Army) intends to prepare a
legislative environmental impact statement (LEIS) regarding the
withdrawal and reservation for military purposes of approximately
22,000 acres of public land now managed by the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM). This withdrawal and reservation would add to the
existing withdrawal and reservation for the Army's Yuma Proving Ground
(YPG), Arizona. It would improve public safety and meet testing and
training requirements for advances in Global Positioning System (GPS)-
guided parachute technologies. The additional land would allow for
higher-altitude parachute releases and would provide an additional
buffer in case of release-point errors and system failures. The
proposed withdrawal area, which would extend to Arizona State Route
(SR) 95, would establish SR 95 as a distinct physical landmark for the
YPG boundary. This notice announces the beginning of the public comment
process, including public scoping meetings. When the Army submits its
land withdrawal application, BLM will file a separate Notice of
Application for Withdrawal in the Federal Register. The LEIS will
analyze potential impacts of the Army's use of the land. The LEIS will
be transmitted to Congress to support legislative decision-making
regarding the Army's request.
DATES: To be considered during the LEIS process, comments must be
received by December 8, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Please mail written comments to: Mr. Daniel Steward,
Environmental Sciences Division, U.S. Army Garrison--Yuma Proving
Ground, 301 C St., Bldg. 307, Yuma, AZ 85365. Please email written
comments to: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#2f5a5c4e5d425601565f480146424c404201424d5701414a5f4e6f4e5d425601424643"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="384d4b594a55411641485f1651555b575516555a4016565d485978594a554116555154">[email protected]</span></a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Mr. Daniel Steward, YPG Environmental
Sciences Division, by telephone at (928) 328-2125 or by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#7014111e19151c5e1d5e030415071102145e1319063011021d095e1d191c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b8dcd9d6d1ddd496d596cbccddcfd9cadc96dbd1cef8d9cad5c196d5d1d4">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Army intends to prepare an LEIS to
analyze potential impacts from a possible legislative withdrawal for
military purposes of approximately 22,000 acres of public land managed
by BLM. The proposed action involves a withdrawal and reservation of
21,200 acres of public land from all forms of appropriation (such as
mining claims) and 800 acres of federal surface estate (meaning the
subsurface is not included). The land is needed to improve public
safety and meet testing and training requirements for advances in
parachute technologies. If enacted into law, the withdrawal would add
to--and be adjacent to--the 829,565 acres withdrawn on July 1, 1952,
under Public Land Order 848, as amended, for use by the Army in
connection with Yuma Test Station (currently known as YPG). The land
withdrawal the Army is currently seeking would be for an indefinite
period--i.e., until there is no longer a military need for the land.
YPG is located in the southwestern corner of Arizona, near the
California-Arizona border. It is bounded by the Colorado River to the
west and the Gila River to the south. The installation lies
approximately 23 miles northeast of the city of Yuma, Arizona. A
portion is situated in La Paz County and a portion is situated in Yuma
County. Both counties are in Arizona. The proposed withdrawal involves
land in each county. YPG occupies about 1,300 square miles and extends
approximately 60 miles north to south and 50 miles east to west. YPG's
mission is to plan, conduct, assess, analyze, report, and support
developmental, production, and operational tests on: medium- and long-
range artillery; aircraft target acquisition equipment and armament;
armored tracked and wheeled vehicles; a variety of munitions; and
parachute systems for personnel and supplies. YPG also provides
training support to the Army, DoD, other federal agencies, and
international and commercial customers.
The purpose of the proposed land withdrawal is to provide
approximately 22,000 acres of additional area for testing and training
at YPG. The Army requires the additional land as a safety buffer for
testing advanced air delivery technologies and aviation systems. The
additional land will also allow the Army to execute more complex air
delivery and tactical scenarios. Higher altitudes and greater offset
distances are required to test parachute systems' full capabilities.
Parachute systems need larger buffer areas (i.e., surface safety zones)
than are currently available. The surface safety zone is an area in
space and on the ground that provides an additional buffer in case of
error or failure. Surface safety zones protect people from being
injured by material dropping from the sky during air delivery testing
and training.
Currently, because of land and airspace limitations, systems are
not tested to their full capability for altitude and precision. Higher-
elevation and GPS-guided air delivery methods are being developed to
provide better support to soldiers and other personnel in the field.
GPS-guided delivery is designed to ensure payloads arrive at the
intended location while keeping aircrews and other personnel out of
harm's way. A payload is a palletized package of various weights and
items, such as a vehicle, equipment, and/or supplies. Guided delivery
systems undergoing development require safety buffers to contain
potential testing errors and failures. The requested withdrawal area
would provide an additional safety buffer to protect the public.
Without the proposed withdrawal, drops could land outside the current
YPG boundary. This could result in injury or death to members of the
public. The land withdrawal would restrict the public from accessing
hazardous areas, thus reducing the potential for injuries and death.
The withdrawn land may also be used for other training and testing
activities that are not known at this time. Such activities would be
subject to additional National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
analysis.
Currently, the boundary between YPG and BLM land lacks a contiguous
physical landmark demarcating the two
[[Page 55415]]
areas, which has led to unintentional public intrusions onto YPG. The
requested withdrawal area extends to SR 95. This would establish the
highway as a distinct physical landmark for the YPG boundary, thereby
improving public safety.
In addition to the proposed action, the LEIS will analyze a range
of alternatives, including a no-action alternative under which there
would be no additional land withdrawal and YPG would not expand its
capability. While the proposed action entails a withdrawal of land for
an indefinite period, action alternatives could include the withdrawal
and reservation of land for a shorter duration (e.g., 25 years).
The Army will analyze potential environmental impacts resulting
from the withdrawal of land from BLM oversight and from expanding
military capability within the withdrawn area. The Army will cover
possible impacts to biological and cultural resources in a separate
NEPA analysis before training and testing begin.
The withdrawal could impact recreational activities that
occasionally take place on the BLM-managed land proposed for
withdrawal. Recreational use of the area is currently allowed, but if
Congress withdraws and reserves this land for YPG, public use would be
subject to the terms of the relevant legislation and applicable Army
regulations, procedures, and management plans. Thus, public use would
likely be restricted in some manner.
The LEIS will also identify mitigation measures that would reduce
or eliminate any adverse impacts resulting from the transfer of this
land to the Army's administrative control. The environmental analysis
will include coordination with area Native American Tribes, the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, and other federal, state, and local
agencies. The Army is not aware of any federal or state permits or
other approvals that would be required in conjunction with a
legislative withdrawal or reservation. The Army is requesting the
withdrawal of approximately 22,000 acres from all types of
appropriation (such as mining claims) under federal public land laws.
This administrative activity does not have the potential to cause
effects to historic properties within the meaning of 36 CFR part
800.3(a)(1), and is not subject to further review under Section 106 of
the National Historic Preservation Act.
The Army is the lead agency for the LEIS and BLM is a cooperating
agency. As a cooperating agency, BLM will join the Army in the public
comment process. Both agencies will thereby fulfill their requirements
to inform the public about the proposed action. Federal, state, and
local agencies, Native American Tribes, private organizations, and the
public are invited to participate in the public comment process for the
LEIS by participating in a public scoping meeting(s) and/or by
submitting written comments. The Army invites potential alternatives,
information, and analyses relevant to the proposed action. To be
considered, written comments must be sent no later than December 8,
2022. Comments may be mailed to Mr. Daniel Steward, Environmental
Sciences Division, U.S. Army Garrison--Yuma Proving Ground, 301 C St.,
Bldg. 307, Yuma, AZ 85365, or emailed to
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c6b3b5a7b4abbfe8bfb6a1e8afaba5a9abe8aba4bee8a8a3b6a786a7b4abbfe8abafaa"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="add8deccdfc0d483d4ddca83c4c0cec2c083c0cfd583c3c8ddccedccdfc0d483c0c4c1">[email protected]</span></a>.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention recommendations for social distancing and
avoiding large public gatherings, the Army will not hold in-person
public scoping meetings. YPG will instead host two online/telephonic
public scoping meetings 30 days after publication of this notice.
Specific details regarding the public scoping meetings will be
announced through local media and on the YPG LEIS website: <a href="https://ypg-environmental.com/highway-95-land-withdrawal-leis/">https://ypg-environmental.com/highway-95-land-withdrawal-leis/</a>. Public scoping
materials will also be posted to the YPG LEIS website.
For those who do not have ready access to a computer or to the
internet, hard copies of public scoping materials are available upon
request. Any mailed requests for public scoping materials must be
postmarked no later than September 29, 2022.
The public will also be invited to review and comment on the Draft
LEIS when it is released. Public comments will be considered before
proposed legislation is presented to Congress and before any decision
is made to implement the proposed action. Actual and estimated
milestone dates are as follows: BLM published a Notice of Application
for Withdrawal in the Federal Register on April 4, 2022; public
meetings were held on June 7 and 8, 2022; BLM filed a Notice of
Proposed Withdrawal in the Federal Register on June 30, 2022. LEIS
public scoping meetings are to be held 30 days after publication of
this Notice of Intent in the Federal Register; a 90-day public comment
period regarding the Draft LEIS is expected to start in July 2023; and
the Final LEIS is expected to be available in February 2024.
James W. Satterwhite Jr.,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-19461 Filed 9-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3711-02-P
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