[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 222 (Friday, November 15, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58541-58542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-29328]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for the Fort Bliss Mission and Master Plan, Fort Bliss, Texas

AGENCY: U.S. Army Air Defense Center and Fort Bliss, Fort Bliss, Texas, 
Department of the Army.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army is updating the Installation Master 
Plan for Fort Bliss, Texas, and New Mexico. As a part of its efforts to 
manage military training and to provide effective stewardship of 
installation lands, the Army will prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) on the overall missions and activities at Fort Bliss in 
accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Public 
Law 91-190 (42 U.S.C. 4341). It will evaluate potential impacts from 
existing mission activities and reasonably foreseeable mission and 
activity changes projected for Fort Bliss

[[Page 58542]]

as the installation adopts revisions to the installation's Master Plan, 
the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan, Cultural Resources 
Management Plan, and the Range Modernization Plan.
    Fort Bliss has approximately 1.1 million acres of land in Texas and 
New Mexico comprising a complex of facilities and ranges to support 
training and test activities of the U.S. Army and other organizations. 
The main components of this complex include the main cantonment area 
(which houses most support facilities), Biggs Army Airfield, and three 
military training ranges: South Fort Bliss, Dona Ana Range, and 
McGregor Range.
    The installation is the home of the Army Air Defense Artillery 
(ADA) Center and Fort Bliss, the Army Air Defense Artillery School, and 
over 30 tenant units. It is among the largest Army posts in the 
continental United States (CONUS) and is the only troop training 
installation in CONUS capable of supporting long-range missile firings.
    The following organizations are currently located or anticipated 
for stationing on the installation:
     The Test and Experimentation Command's Air Defense 
Artillery Test Directorate provides the ADA Center with an independent 
organization capable of conducting air defense weapons experimentation, 
force development, and operational testing.
     Joint Task Force Six provides assistance and support to 
various law enforcement agencies with drug interdiction missions.
     The U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy trains enlisted 
leaders.
     The William Beaumont Army Medical Center, a part of the 
Army Medical Command, provides full-service medical treatment for all 
military services in Arizona, New Mexico, and West Texas.
     Fort Bliss is the home station for the German Air Force 
Command in the United States and Canada, and the German Air Defense 
School.
     Four ADA Brigades aligned under the U.S. Army Forces 
Command are scheduled to be stationed at Fort Bliss.
    Alternatives: The EIS will identify existing mission activities and 
reasonably foreseeable mission and activity changes projected for Fort 
Bliss through the installation's Master Plan, Integrated Natural 
Resources Management Plan, Cultural Resources Management Plan, and 
Range Modernization Plan. The EIS will describe the existing 
environment, cultural and natural resources, social, economic, and 
environmental justice conditions and impacts to those existing 
conditions associated with the overall mission of Fort Bliss. The EIS 
will consider reasonable alternatives including the status quo, 
implementation of the Master Plan, and full mobilization of active Army 
and reserve forces planned for Fort Bliss as described in the 
installation's Mobilization Plan.
    Significant issues that will be addressed are current and planned 
Fort Bliss activities that could potentially impact over 1.1 million 
acres of the installation. Within this area are at least 13,900 known 
archaeological sites, 2,000 of which may be eligible for listing in the 
National Register of Historic Places, and potentially five federally 
listed endangered or threatened species. Implementation of the Master 
Plan will also result in demolition and new construction of facilities 
throughout the main cantonment area.
    Additional significant issues that must be considered but will be 
covered with their own environmental documentation are: Continued 
withdrawal of land from public domain (McGregor Range) for military 
training; and the U.S. Air Force's Holloman Air Force Base proposal to 
locate a target area on McGregor Range.
    Scoping: Scoping meetings in connection with this EIS will be held 
in three communities: Las Cruces and Alamogordo, New Mexico, and El 
Paso, Texas. Meeting times and locations will be published in local 
newspapers. These meetings will provide the opportunity for the public 
to become aware of the EIS and for the Army to gather public input 
regarding the scope of the study. Those unable to attend the scheduled 
scoping meetings may submit written comments regarding the scope of the 
EIS throughout the scoping period. A mailing list has been prepared for 
public scoping and review throughout the process of preparation of this 
PEIS. This list includes local, state and Federal agencies with 
jurisdictions or other interests in the project. In addition, the 
mailing list includes all adjacent property owners, affected 
municipalities and other interested parties such as conservation 
organizations. Anyone wishing to be added to the mailing list should 
contact the person identified below.
    For Further Information: Please direct written questions or 
comments concerning the scope of the Fort Bliss Mission and Master Plan 
EIS to: Mr. Keith Landreth, Chief of the Cultural/Natural Resource 
Division, Directorate of Environment, U.S. Army Air Defense Center and 
Fort Bliss, ATTN: ATZC-DOE-C, Fort Bliss, Texas 79916; telephone (915) 
568-3782.
Raymond J. Fatz,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, (Environment, Safety, and 
Occupational Health) OASA (I, L&E).
[FR Doc. 96-29328 Filed 11-14-96; 8:45 am]
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