Notice2024-12132
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for F-35A Lightning II Formal Training Unit Beddown at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, Klamath Falls, Oregon
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
June 4, 2024
Issuing agencies
Defense DepartmentAir Force Department
Abstract
The Department of the Air Force (DAF) 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 beddown of F-35A aircraft that would replace the legacy F-15C/D aircraft at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The DAF and NGB are joint lead agencies preparing the EIS and the Federal Aviation Administration is participating as a cooperating agency.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 108 (Tuesday, June 4, 2024)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 108 (Tuesday, June 4, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47927-47928]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-12132]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Air Force
Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for F-35A Lightning II Formal Training Unit Beddown at Kingsley
Field Air National Guard Base, Klamath Falls, Oregon
AGENCY: National Guard Bureau, Department of the Air Force, Department
of Defense.
ACTION: Notice of Intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Department of the Air Force (DAF) 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 beddown of F-35A aircraft that would replace the legacy
F-15C/D aircraft at Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base in Klamath
Falls, Oregon. The DAF and NGB are joint lead agencies preparing the
EIS and the Federal Aviation Administration is participating as a
cooperating agency.
[[Page 47928]]
DATES: A public scoping period of 30 days will take place starting from
the date of this NOI publication in the Federal Register.
Identification of potential alternatives, information, and analyses
relevant to the Proposed Action are requested and will be accepted at
any time during the EIS process. To ensure sufficient time to consider
public input in the preparation of the Draft EIS, scoping comments
should be submitted in writing to the website, or the address listed
below within the 30-day scoping period. An in-person scoping meeting is
scheduled at Klamath Falls, OR on June 26, 2024 at the Crater Lake-
Klamath Regional Airport. The Draft EIS is anticipated in Spring 2025
and the Final EIS is anticipated in Spring 2026. The Record of Decision
would be approved and signed no earlier than 30 days after the Final
EIS is published.
ADDRESSES: The project website <a href="http://www.KingsleyFieldF35EIS.com">www.KingsleyFieldF35EIS.com</a> provides
information on the EIS and the scoping process and can be used to
submit scoping comments on-line. Scoping comments may also be submitted
by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#437f22632b3126257e" http: NGB.A4.A4A.NEPA.COMMENTS.org">NGB.A4.A4A.NEPA.COMMENTS.org</a>@us.af.mil"><a href="http://NGB.A4.A4A.NEPA.COMMENTS.org">NGB.A4.A4A.NEPA.COMMENTS.org</a>@us.af.mil</a>, including ``F-35A
Beddown EIS'' in the subject line, or by mail to Mr. Devin Scherer,
National Guard Bureau, NGB/A4FR 3501 Fetchet Avenue, Joint Base
Andrews, MD 20762; (240) 612-8244. EIS inquiries and requests for
digital or print copies of scoping materials are available upon request
to Mr. Scherer at the email or mailing address provided. For printed
material requests, the standard U.S. Postal Service shipping timeline
will apply. Members of the public who want to receive future mailings
informing them about the availability of the Draft and Final EIS, or to
receive periodic fact sheets, are encouraged to submit a comment that
includes their name and email or postal mailing address.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the Proposed Action is to
replace aging F-15C/D aircraft currently utilized by the 173d Fighter
Wing (173 FW) with the state-of-the-art fighter aircraft to better
address future mission requirements, offer expanded capability, and
provide life-cycle cost savings in comparison to continued operation of
existing F-15C/D aircraft. The Proposed Action is needed because the F-
15C/D aircraft are reaching the end of their service life. The EIS will
assess the potential environmental consequences of beddown, operation,
and associated infrastructure construction of one formal training unit
squadron of F-35A Lightning II (F-35A) aircraft at Kingsley Field Air
National Guard Base (ANGB) at the Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport
in Klamath Falls, Oregon. The squadron would consist of 24 F-35A
Primary Aerospace Vehicles Authorized and two Backup Aerospace Vehicles
Authorized and would replace the existing 26 F-15C/D aircraft currently
operating at Kingsley Field ANGB. The EIS will also assess a No Action
Alternative.
Resource areas being analyzed for include noise, biological
resources, cultural resources, socioeconomics, soils and geology, water
resources, infrastructure and transportation, land use, hazardous
materials and wastes, health and safety, air quality, and environmental
justice and other sensitive receptors. Potential significant impacts
include those related to aircraft noise, air quality, and land use.
Should any permits or other authorizations be required, the NGB and DAF
will identify and obtain each. The EIS will be prepared in accordance
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969; the Council
on Environmental Quality regulations implementing NEPA; 40 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) parts 1500-1508 as well as agency
implementing regulations.
Scoping and Agency Coordination: Consultation will include, but not
necessarily be limited to, Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act,
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, and will include
consultations with federally recognized Native American Tribes. The
scoping process will be used to involve the public early in the
planning and development of the EIS to assist in identifying issues and
information to be addressed in the analysis. To effectively define the
full range of issues to be evaluated, NGB and DAF will determine the
scope of the analysis by requesting comments, including potential
alternatives, information, and analyses from interested local, State,
and Federal elected officials and agencies, Tribes, members of the
public, and others. Comments will be accepted throughout the process,
but in order to have comments incorporated into the Draft EIS, comments
should be received within 30 days of the publication of this notice in
the Federal Register. The scheduled dates, times, locations, and
addresses for the scoping meetings are concurrently being published in
local media and on the website. Public scoping will be accomplished by
an in-person meeting during the scoping period and the project website
will provide posters, a presentation, informational fact sheets,
downloadable comment forms to fill out and return by mail, and the
capability for the public to submit scoping comments on-line. Comments
received at the scoping meeting, via email, on the website, or by U.S.
mail will be considered equally.
Tommy W. Lee,
Acting Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-12132 Filed 6-3-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3911-44-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on June 4, 2024.
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.