[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 199 (Wednesday, October 15, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53601-53602]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-27284]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Fort Greely Maneuver 
Area and Air Drop Zone, and Fort Wainwright Maneuver Area

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Military Lands Withdrawal Act, Public Law 99-606, enacted 
by Congress on November 6,

[[Page 53602]]

1986, identified For Greely Maneuver Area, Fort Greely Air Drop Zone, 
and Fort Wainwright Maneuver Area (also known as the Yukon Maneuver 
Area) as lands withdrawn from public use until November 6, 2001. The 
Act requires the Army to publish a Draft EIS for continued or renewed 
withdrawal of these lands by November 6, 1998. The Department of the 
Army will be directing the preparation of the EIS for the renewed 
withdrawal of the Fort Greely Maneuver Area and Air Drop Zone, and Fort 
Wainwright Maneuver Area. Both sites are located near Fairbanks in 
interior Alaska. In preparing the Draft EIS, the Army and the Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM) have mutually agreed to use the legislative 
environmental impact statement (LEIS) process pursuant to 40 C.F.R. 
15061.8 to comply with the requirements of Public Law 99-606. This LEIS 
will be prepared in cooperation with BLM and will be completed by 
November 6, 1998, in accordance with Public Law 99-606. Therefore, 
pursuant to the LEIS process, a Final LEIS (FLEIS) will be prepared and 
a Notice of Availability of the FLEIS will be published in the Federal 
Register; however, there will not be a Record of Decision.
    Scoping: Federal, state, local agencies and the public are invited 
to participate in the scoping process for the completion of the renewed 
withdrawal of Fort Greely Maneuver Area and Air Drop Zone, and Fort 
Wainright Maneuver Area. The scoping process will identify the 
significant issues of the proposed renewed withdrawals which will need 
to be addressed in the LEIS. Scoping meetings will be held in 
Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Delta Junction, Alaska, within 60 days of the 
publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register. 
Notification of the times and locations for the public scoping meetings 
will be published in local newspapers.
    Comments: Written comments identifying issues and concerns to be 
addressed in the LEIS will be accepted within 60 days of the public 
scoping meetings. Written comments may be forwarded to: Directorate of 
Pubic Works, Attn: APVR-RPW-EV (Mr. Steve Wilson), 730 Quartermaster 
Drive, Fort Richardson, AK 99505-6500.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Steve Wilson, Public Works Division, Fort Richardson, at (907) 384-
2710/Fax (907) 384-3047.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Fort Greely Maneuver Area and Air Drop 
Zone comprise approximately 623,585 acres near Delta Junction, Alaska.
    The Fort Wainwright Maneuver Area comprises approximately 247,952 
acres near Fairbanks, Alaska. Both sites were withdrawn from public use 
from the BLM for military purposes with the enactment of Public Law 99-
606 on November 6, 1986. The Act specifies these lands are reserved for 
use by the Secretary of the Army for military maneuvering, training, 
artillery firing, aerial gunnery, infantry tactics, equipment 
development and testing, as well as other defense related purposes. 
Both sites are used to train in an extremely cold environment and to 
test the effect of this environment on military equipment. The Fort 
Greely Maneuver Area and Air Drop Zone, and the Fort Wainwright 
Maneuver Area are used by the Army, Air Force, and other military 
units. The Army and BLM jointly manage the natural resources on both 
sites recognizing the primary military role of these withdrawal lands.
    The Department of the Army has determined there is a continuing 
military requirement for the use of these withdrawal lands to train and 
maintain military units at the required state of readiness. With the 
completion of the LEIS, the Army proposes to renew its withdrawal from 
public use the Fort Greely Maneuver Area and Air Drop Zone, and the 
Fort Wainwright Maneuver Area. Reasonable and feasible alternatives 
will be developed as part of the EIS process.
    Preliminary planning criteria which have been identified for the 
completion of the LEIS for both sites include: non-military activities 
on the withdrawal lands; valid existing rights on the withdrawal lands; 
consistency with existing plans of adjacent land owners and local 
governments; natural resource management of the withdrawal lands; 
public access to portions of the withdrawal lands; and subsistence use 
of the withdrawal lands. The LEIS will be completed utilizing existing 
data, information, plans, land use analyses and previously completed 
EIS's and Environmental Assessments for these withdrawal lands.

    Dated: October 9, 1997.
Raymond J. Fatz,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, (Environment, Safety and 
Occupational Health) OASA(I,L&E).
[FR Doc. 97-27284 Filed 10-14-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-M