Notice2023-23047
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Master Plan and Installation Development at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 19, 2023
Issuing agencies
Defense DepartmentAir Force Department
Abstract
The Department of the Air Force (Air Force) is issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts associated with the proposed master plan and installation development at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 201 (Thursday, October 19, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 201 (Thursday, October 19, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72050-72051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23047]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Air Force
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for
Master Plan and Installation Development at Nellis Air Force Base,
Nevada
AGENCY: Department of the Air Force.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: The Department of the Air Force (Air Force) is issuing this
Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) to assess the potential social, economic, and environmental
impacts associated with the proposed master plan and installation
development at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada.
DATES: A public scoping period of 30 days will take place starting from
the date of the publication of this NOI in the Federal Register.
Comments will be accepted at any time during the environmental impact
analysis process; however, to ensure the Air Force has sufficient time
to consider public scoping comments during preparation of the Draft
EIS, please submit comments within the 30-day scoping period. The Draft
EIS is anticipated in late 2024. The Final EIS and a decision on which
alternative to implement is expected in late 2025.
During the scoping period, the Air Force will hold two in-person
public scoping meetings: November 14 and 15, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. to
7:00 p.m., at the Cora Coleman Senior Center located at 2100 Bonnie
Lane, Las Vegas, NV 89156. Both meetings are at the same location but
offered on two different days to provide options to interested
individuals.
ADDRESSES: All public meeting materials may be viewed on the EIS
website (<a href="https://www.nellisafbeis.com">https://www.nellisafbeis.com</a>). For those without access to a
computer or the internet, copies of the scoping materials may be
obtained by submitting a request to Nellis AFB Public Affairs at (702)
652-2750. Scoping comments may be submitted by one of the following
methods: (1) submit a written comment in person at one of the two
public scoping meetings, (2) mail a written comment to Attn: Master
Plan and Installation Development at Nellis AFB, 2222 S 4th Avenue,
P.O. Box 6257, Yuma, AZ 85366, and/or (3) submit a comment via the
project website at <a href="https://www.nellisafbeis.com">https://www.nellisafbeis.com</a>. For questions
regarding the Proposed Action or EIS development, or to request sign
language assistance at the in-person scoping meetings, contact Daniel
Fisher at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4226232c2b272e6c242b312a27306c70740237316c23246c2f2b2e"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="1e7a7f70777b723078776d767b6c302c285e6b6d307f7830737772">[email protected]</span></a> or (210) 925-2738.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Nellis AFB is proposing to develop the east
side of the Installation. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to
optimize Nellis AFB's current operational capabilities and capacity for
future warfighting training and testing. The Proposed Action is needed
because the current Nellis and United States Air Force Warfare Center
mission sets are outpacing the ability to expand resources and
capacity. In addition, the Air Force anticipates that facility
requirements are likely to increase over time through normal attrition
and the arrival of new missions and that the number of active duty and
civilian personnel would also increase. The existing infrastructure
does not meet current and future mission needs; mission capability at
Nellis AFB is nearing physical capacity, and additional flightline
support facilities and infrastructure are needed to meet anticipated
future growth. The Proposed Action is also needed to relieve stress on
facility and infrastructure constraints on the west side of the
Installation. Flying units are currently sharing hangar space, which is
not conducive to future mission growth. Presently, the Installation's
infrastructure and utilities are a limitation to operational expansion
and growth; utilities and the west-side ramp are reaching full
operational capacity and must be expanded to accommodate future
operations. Without expansion, the existing facilities and
infrastructure at Nellis AFB would be insufficient to meet Air Force
and Department of Defense current and future mission requirements.
The Proposed Action is development of the east side of Nellis AFB
to address current mission constraints and future mission growth
because the majority of the land available to construct facilities and
infrastructure is located in the undeveloped area on the east side of
the Installation. Constructed facilities and infrastructure will be
grouped by functional land use category, and facilities with similar
uses and mission functions will be located in the same general area.
For planning purposes, the Air Force grouped similar mission activities
into eight categories based on facility and infrastructure function and
conservatively estimated the anticipated amount of impervious surface
coverage typical of each functional category. The eight functional
categories are Airfield Operations/Industrial/Light Industrial;
Administrative/Small-scale Administrative; Medical/Community
[[Page 72051]]
Services/Community Commercial/Small-scale Retail and Service; Lodging/
Residential (Accompanied and Unaccompanied); Outdoor Recreation/Open
Space/Training Space; Transportation; Utilities/Infrastructure; and
Existing Pavements.
In order to address facility requirements needed to support current
and future mission structure changes and the associated increase in
mission personnel, the Air Force is proposing two alternatives to gain
functional capacity and support future mission growth at Nellis AFB:
Alternative 1, complete build-out covering approximately 2,000 acres,
and Alternative 2, partial build-out covering approximately 1,486
acres. The Air Force will also evaluate a No Action Alternative in the
EIS. The Air Force is early in the planning process and has not yet
identified a Preferred Alternative.
The EIS will provide analysis to inform decision-makers, as well as
the public and tribal partners, of the potential environmental
consequences and any associated mitigation, and will provide interested
persons or agencies opportunities to provide their input. The
environmental impacts analysis is expected to focus on potential
impacts related to air emissions from construction, potential
threatened and endangered species impacts from construction and habitat
reduction, soil and water quality impacts from soil compaction and
erosion, stormwater impacts from the increase in impervious surfaces,
and potential impacts to cultural resources. Impacts to transportation
may include increased traffic on and off the Installation. Permitting
actions for construction, air emissions, and stormwater pollution
prevention may be required. The Air Force will also consult with
appropriate resource agencies and Native American tribes to determine
the potential for significant impacts. Consultation will be
incorporated into the preparation of the EIS and will include, but not
be limited to, consultation under Section 7 of the Endangered Species
Act and consultation under Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act. Additional analysis will be provided in the Draft
EIS.
Scoping and Agency Coordination: To effectively define the full
range of issues to be evaluated in the EIS, the Air Force is soliciting
comments from interested local, state, and federal officials and
agencies; Native American tribes; and interested members of the public
and other stakeholders. Comments are requested on potential
alternatives and impacts, and identification of any relevant
information, studies, or analyses of any kind concerning impacts
affecting the quality of the natural and/or human environment.
Concurrent with the publication of this Notice of Intent, public
scoping notices will be announced locally.
Mia Day,
Acting Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-23047 Filed 10-18-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-10-P
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