[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 23 (Wednesday, February 4, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5789-5790]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-2668]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


All-Terrain Lifter, Army System (ATLAS)

AGENCY: U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Product Manager, Construction Equipment/Material Handling 
Equipment (PM CE/MHE) has prepared a Life-Cycle Environmental 
Assessment (LCEA) which examines the potential impacts to the natural 
and human environment from the life cycle activities of the All-Terrain 
Lifter, Army System (ATLAS). Based on the LCEA, PM CE/MHE has 
determined that the proposed action is not a major Federal action 
significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, within 
the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969. 
Therefore, the preparation of an environmental impact statement is not 
required and the Army is issuing this Finding of No Significant Impact 
(FONSI).

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to, U.S. Army Tank-
automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), ATTN: AMSTA-DSA-TA-CE 
(ATLAS), Warren, MI 48397-5000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For further information, or to obtain a copy of the ATLAS Life-Cycle 
Environmental Assessment contact Mr. John Syers, Assistant Product 
Manager (810) 574-8869.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

a. Proposed Action

    This LCEA examines the potential impacts to the natural and human 
environment from the procurement of the ATLAS to satisfy the Army's 
need for an improved all-terrain forklift for Combat Service (CS) and 
Combat Service Support (CSS) units, based on the issue 13.9 (Lack of 
MHE Capability) of the Total Distribution Action Plan and identified in 
task B-11 of the Army Strategic Mobility Program. A major change was 
made to the ATLAS Operational Requirements Document (ORD) in November 
1993 reducing the forklift's maximum speed of 45 mph, reducing its 
cross-country mobility, and eliminating the ATLAS requirement to handle 
Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) pods. The ORD changes also deleted 
the requirement for replacement of the 4,000 lb Rough Terrain Fork Lift 
(RTFL) and 6,000 lb Variable Reach Rough Terrain Fork Lift (VRRTFL) 
with the ATLAS. In January 1995, an additional ORD change deleted the 
requirement for the ATLAS to be NBC contamination survivable IAW AR 70-
71. The revised requirement resulted in the adoption of an NDI 
acquisition approach to satisfy the revised ATLAS requirements. A 
market investigation supported the June 1994 special IPR approving the 
ATLAS program as a Non-Developmental Item (NDI) Component Integration 
acquisition.

b. Environmental Impacts

    The ATLAS life-cycle includes the transport of vehicles to test 
sites, testing, vehicle production, deployment and operation of 
production vehicles and their eventual demilitarization. Potential 
environmental impacts of these life-cycle stages may include Air 
Quality, Noise, Water, Soil and Groundwater, Hazardous Materials and 
Hazardous Wastes, and Flora, Fauna and Threatened or Endangered Species 
at each of these life-cycle phases.

c. Additional Findings

    Impacts from the proposed action would be minimal and not 
significant for the following reasons:
    (1) The ATLAS will be used in its intended environment. This 
intended environment includes vehicle production and some testing at 
the Contractor's facility, and the remainder of life-cycle activities 
at Army installations and facilities.
    (2) The ATLAS is very similar to vehicles produced commercially and 
vehicles already in the Army inventory. It is being produced in low to 
moderate quantities and will not significantly increase the vehicle 
population at Army installations and facilities.
    (3) The overall environmental risk associated with the ATLAS is 
low. It does not introduce any new technologies or processes. Vehicle 
life cycle activities do not introduce any potential environmental 
impacts that are not already currently mitigated by Army policy and 
procedures.
    (4) The ATLAS Product Manager has ensured that the Contractor 
producing the vehicle is environmentally compliant, has no permit 
violations, and has commercial practices for Hazardous Material 
Management and Pollution Prevention in production of the ATLAS.
    (5) The ATLAS Product Manager recognizes that Army installations 
and facilities have environmental plans and measures in place to 
address vehicle life cycle activities very similar to that of the ATLAS 
to prevent, mitigate and remediate environmental damage caused by 
vehicle operation. Vehicle operations at these Army installations and 
facilities are in conjunction with normal activities that are already 
addressed in their site specific environmental impact statements.

d. Determination

    It is therefore concluded that this program:
    (1) Is not a major federal action significantly affecting the 
quality of human environment.
    (2) Will not have a significant impact on the environment.

[[Page 5790]]

    (3) Is not likely to be environmentally controversial.
    (4) Will not likely result in litigation based on environmental 
quality issues.
    (5) Does not require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
Harry W. McClellan, Jr.,
LTC, EN, Product Manager, Construction Equipment/Materials Handling 
Equipment.
[FR Doc. 98-2668 Filed 2-3-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-M