[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 102 (Friday, May 27, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-13121]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 27, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army

 

Availability of the Finding of No Significant Impact for the 
Proposed Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Initial Development 
Program Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Council on Environmental Quality regulations 
for implementing the procedural provisions of the National 
Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), Department of 
Defense Directive 6050.1, and Army Regulation 200-2, the U.S. Army 
Space and Strategic Defense Command was tasked to conduct an assessment 
of potential environmental consequences of the THAAD Initial 
Development Program in support of the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) 
Initiative. A no-action alternative was also considered. The Program 
Executive Office, Missile Defense, has the responsibility for 
conducting the THAAD program, which is intended to demonstrate a high-
altitude interceptor missile system.
    The THAAD program activities would include development and flight 
testing of the THAAD interceptor missile system against ballistic and 
maneuvering targets. Some targets could carry a chemical simulant 
payload to quantify THAAD lethality against chemical warheads.
    This EA and the decision it supports cover the first two 
demonstration flight test scheduled to be conducted at White Sands 
Missile Range (WSMR), New Mexico, beginning in late 1994. The THAAD EA 
also analyzes the construction of a target launch complex for the THAAD 
program in the Firing-In-Extension area north of WSMR. The remaining 18 
flight tests involving missile intercepts of government-furnished 
target missiles will be covered in supplemental environmental 
documentation as information becomes available. All of the proposed 
locations were selected based on their ongoing work for similar 
programs and/or as a result of the competitive procurement process.
    Development and test activities for the THAAD program would be 
conducted at WSMR; Arnold Engineering and Development Center, Arnold 
Air Force Base, Tennessee; Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico; Lyndon 
B. Johnson Test Center, WSMR; Lockheed Missiles and Space Company, 
Incorporated, Courtland, Alabama, and Santa Cruz and Sunnyvale, 
California; Naval Surface Warfare Center, White Oak, Maryland; Phillips 
Laboratory, Edwards Air Force Base, California; Rockwell International 
Corporation, Rocketdyne Division, Canoga Park, California; United 
Technologies Corporation, Chemical Systems Division, San Jose, 
California; and Stanford Research Institute, Tracy, California. most 
THAAD program activities are considered routine for proposed test 
locations and would use mostly existing personnel.
    Alternatives to this proposed system to be analyzed are:
     Alternative test ranges.
     Alternative interceptor launch locations.
     Alternative target launch locations.
     Alternative materials and manufacturing processes.
     Conducting THAAD intercept testing against targets without 
chemical simulant payloads.
     No-action alternative in which the TMD program would 
continue to be developed without the ability of the THAAD program to 
intercept and destroy high-altitude enemy tactical missiles.

FINDINGS: To assess the significance of potential environmental 
impacts, a list of the site-specific activities necessary to accomplish 
the proposed action was first developed. The affected environment at 
all THAAD program activity locations was then described. Next, those 
activities with the potential for causing environmental impacts were 
identified. Each of these identified activities was subsequently 
evaluated in greater detail. Eleven broad environmental issue 
components were evaluated to provide a context for understanding the 
potential effects of the proposed action and to provide a basis for 
assessing the significance of potential impacts. The 11 areas of 
environmental consideration are air quality, biological resources, 
cultural resources, hazardous materials and waste, health and safety, 
infrastructure, land use, noise, physical resources, socioeconomics, 
and water resources. If a proposed activity was determined to present a 
potential for environmental impact, then the activity was evaluated by 
considering the intensity, extent, and context in which the impact 
would occur. As a result of the evaluation, impacts were assigned to 
one of three categories: No impact, not significant impact, or 
significant impact.
    Evaluation of the areas of environmental consideration for which a 
potential for impact was posed has shown that no significant impacts 
would occur from implementation of the THAAD Initial Development 
program activities at any of the proposed locations. The environmental 
consequences of all planned THAAD program activities evaluated were 
determined to be not significant for all locations.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and requests for copies may be forwarded 
to: Ms. Sharon Mitchell, U.S. Army Space and Strategic Defense Command, 
CSSD-EN-V, P.O. Box 1500, Huntsville, AL 35807-3801.

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before June 27, 1994.

    Dated: May 20, 1994.
Lewis D. Walker,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, (Environment, Safety, and 
Occupational Health) OASA(IL&E).
[FR Doc. 94-13121 Filed 5-26-94; 8:45 am]
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