Notice2023-07321
Final Legislative Environmental Impact Statement for Training and Public Land Withdrawal Extension, Fort Irwin, California
Primary source
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Published
April 7, 2023
Issuing agencies
Defense DepartmentArmy Department
Abstract
The Department of the Army announces the availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Training and Public Land Withdrawal Extension, Fort Irwin, California. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the EIS analyzes the potential environmental effects resulting from modernization of training activities and improvement of training facilities at the National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California. The Army also is issuing this notice to inform the public that the EIS will serve as a Legislative Environmental Impact Statement (LEIS) to support the extension of the public land withdrawal for portions of Fort Irwin. The Army will execute a Record of Decision (ROD) for the modernization of training activities and improvement of training facilities portion of the proposed action no sooner than 30 calendar days from the date of publication in the Federal Register of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Notice of Availability of the Final LEIS.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 67 (Friday, April 7, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 67 (Friday, April 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20869-20871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07321]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Final Legislative Environmental Impact Statement for Training and
Public Land Withdrawal Extension, Fort Irwin, California
AGENCY: Department of the Army, Department of Defense.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army announces the availability of the
Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Training and Public Land
Withdrawal Extension, Fort Irwin, California. In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the EIS analyzes the
potential environmental effects resulting from modernization of
training activities and improvement of training facilities at the
National Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, California. The Army also
is issuing this notice to inform the public that the EIS will serve as
a Legislative Environmental Impact Statement (LEIS) to support the
extension of the public land withdrawal for portions of Fort Irwin. The
Army will execute a Record of Decision (ROD) for the modernization of
training activities and improvement of training facilities portion of
the proposed action no sooner than 30 calendar days from the date of
publication in the Federal Register of the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA's) Notice of Availability of the Final LEIS.
ADDRESSES: The Final LEIS may be viewed at the following locations: (1)
Barstow Public Library, 304 East Buena Vista Street, Barstow, CA 92311;
(2) Fort Irwin NTC Post Library, 2nd Street Building 331, Fort Irwin,
CA 92310; (3) Fort Irwin Environmental Division Directorate of Public
Works, 5th Street Building 381, Fort Irwin, CA 92310. The Final LEIS
also is available as an electronic file on the Fort Irwin EIS website:
<a href="https://aec.army.mil/index.php/irwin-nepa-meeting">https://aec.army.mil/index.php/irwin-nepa-meeting</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Fort Irwin Public Affairs Office,
Renita Wickes at 760-380-4511, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to
4:00 p.m., or via email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#394c4a584b544017504b4e505717574d5a17545b4117574d5a145c504a1450575f56144b5c484c5c4a4d79584b544017545055"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="394c4a584b544017504b4e505717574d5a17545b4117574d5a145c504a1450575f56144b5c484c5c4a4d79584b544017545055">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Fort Irwin comprises approximately 753,537
acres in the Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County in southern
California. The NTC at Fort Irwin provides combined arms training for
Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs), including the Army's Stryker BCTs and
Armored BCTs. Training also is provided for Marine Corps, Navy, Air
Force, Army Reserve, National Guard units, and law enforcement
organizations, as well as units stationed at Fort Irwin. Fort Irwin is
one of the few places in the world where brigade-size units (5,000+
soldiers) can test their combat readiness due to Fort Irwin's size,
design, and terrain.
Fort Irwin's mission is to train visiting Army units and joint,
interagency, and multinational partners to fight and win in a complex
world. Fort Irwin must also take care of soldiers, civilians, and
family members. To achieve this mission, NTC designs and executes
[[Page 20870]]
training exercises that prepare brigade-level units for operational
deployments. The capacity is needed at NTC to conduct up to 12 BCT
training rotations per year.
The Final LEIS analyzes the potential effects from the
modernization of training, the improvement of training infrastructure,
and the extension of the existing public land withdrawal. Training
changes are required to support new training doctrine that focuses on
large Army formations operating against near-peer adversaries.
Improvements need to be made to infrastructure in order to adjust
training to reflect evolving weapon systems capabilities and new
mission requirements.
Approximately 110,000 acres of Fort Irwin training land is public
land that has been withdrawn from all types of appropriation and
reserved for military purposes under Public Law 107-107 (2001). This
public land withdrawal terminates on December 28, 2026. The Army has
identified a continuing military need for the land beyond the
termination date and intends to request that the U.S. Congress extend
the withdrawal for at least 25 years, or in the alternative, for an
indefinite period until there is no longer a military need for the
land. The U.S. Army proposed action is to implement changes to training
activities and training infrastructure at Fort Irwin. These actions
would be undertaken to meet current doctrinal standards, including the
National Defense Strategy, Army Regulation (AR) 350-1, Army Training
and Leader Development; AR 350-52, Training Support System; AR 350-50,
Combat Training Center Program; and AR 200-1, Environmental Protection
and Enhancement. Actions proposed include the establishment of, and
improvements to, training infrastructure such as trail networks,
communications systems, radar systems, training areas, urban training
sites, air operations infrastructure, and live-fire ranges.
The Final LEIS analyzes a range of Proposed Mission Change
Alternatives, a No Mission Change Alternative, a Withdrawal Extension
Alternative, and a No Withdrawal Extension Alternative.
<bullet> Mission Change Alternatives: The Mission Change
Alternatives represent different magnitudes of change in training and
training infrastructure. For Fort Irwin's Western Training Area, the
Final LEIS considers a range of medium to heavy-intensity training
alternatives.
<bullet> No Mission Change Alternative: The No Mission Change
Alternative would continue military training at the current level and
would result in no modernization of training or improvement of training
infrastructure at Fort Irwin. The Army is the decision maker regarding
the mission change alternatives.
<bullet> No Withdrawal Extension Alternative: The No Withdrawal
Extension Alternative would result in portions of the installation land
returning to the public domain.
Upon an application by the Army, the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM) will file in the Federal Register a separate notice of withdrawal
extension application. The Final EIS will be submitted to the U.S.
Congress as an LEIS to support the legislative request for extension of
this withdrawal and reservation.
All military activities under consideration would be conducted
within the existing boundaries of the installation, to include the
withdrawn land. The Final LEIS evaluates the potential direct,
indirect, and cumulative environmental and socioeconomic effects of the
proposed action. Adverse effects would be minimized to the greatest
extent possible through the implementation of specified avoidance,
minimization, and mitigation measures.
The resource areas and effects analyzed in the Final LEIS include
air quality, transportation, noise, water resources, geological
resources, biological resources, cultural resources, utilities, land
use, recreation, health and safety, hazardous materials, and waste.
Resources may be affected by changing the scope or increasing the
geographical area of military training activities within the current
Fort Irwin boundaries. The analysis also considers the potential for
cumulative environmental effects.
Both the Mission Change Alternatives and the No Mission Change
Alternative would result in unavoidable environmental effects.
<bullet> No Mission Change Alternative: Under the No Mission Change
Alternative, there would be less-than-significant effects on all
evaluated resources. The mission change alternatives would result in
minor to moderate adverse effects that would be in addition to the
effects of the No Mission Change Alternative; however, none of the
effects would be significant.
<bullet> Withdrawal Extension Alternative: The environmental
effects from the Withdrawal Extension Alternative would be comparable
to those discussed for the mission change alternatives.
<bullet> No Withdrawal Extension Alternative: While the effects of
the No Withdrawal Extension Alternative are uncertain, because of the
unknown future uses of these areas if Army training is not conducted on
the land, it is expected that the No Withdrawal Extension Alternative
would result in negligible effects on resources compared to the effects
of the Withdrawal Extension Alternative.
Fort Irwin met its obligations to consult under Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act concurrently with this NEPA process
through the development of a Programmatic Agreement in consultation
with the State Historic Preservation Office, the Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation, other government agencies, Native American
Tribes, and the public. The Programmatic Agreement was completed on
December 15, 2022 and is provided as an appendix to the Draft LEIS.
Fort Irwin has completed consultation under section 7 of the
Endangered Species Act (ESA) with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
regarding the proposed activities. The biological opinion (BO) that
resulted from this consultation was issued by the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service on December 13, 2021, and concludes that the proposed
actions are not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of
endangered or threatened species. Consultation identified appropriate
measures that are specified in the BO and that will be implemented by
Fort Irwin to avoid or minimize effects of the activities. Fort Irwin
will comply with the ESA and implement the measures that are specified
in the BO. The BO is provided as an appendix to the Draft LEIS.
The Department of the Army considered all comments received on the
Draft LEIS when preparing the Final LEIS. Based on the analysis in the
Final LEIS, the Army's preferred alternative consists of: the full
Mission Change Alternative with Alternative 4 applied to the Western
Training Area; and a request that Congress extend the land withdrawal
for 25 years, or for an indefinite period until there is no longer a
military need for the land.
Federal, State, and local agencies, Native Americans, Native
American organizations, and the public were invited to be involved in
the public comment process for the Draft LEIS by submitting written
comments. The Draft LEIS was published on May 21, 2021, and the comment
period closed on July 6, 2021. The NEPA Process included two public
meetings conducted telephonically on June 9, 2021. Responses to
comments on the Draft EIS are included in an appendix to the Final EIS.
The BLM will organize public participation following the
publication
[[Page 20871]]
of its notice of application for extension of the public land
withdrawal.
James W. Satterwhite Jr.,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-07321 Filed 4-6-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3711-02-P
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