[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 219 (Tuesday, November 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69320-69321]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-22602]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Preparation of the Fort Bliss, TX and New Mexico, Mission Master 
Plan Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: This announces the intention of United States Army 
Installation Management Agency and the Fort Bliss Garrison Command to 
prepare a Supplemental Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 
(SEIS) to analyze the impacts of land use changes in support of Army 
Transformation, the Army Campaign Plan, and other Army initiatives. The 
SEIS will supplement the Fort Bliss, Texas and New Mexico, Mission 
Master Plan Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, for which a 
Record of Decision was signed in 2001. The proposed action will provide 
Fort Bliss with greater flexibility in planning and developing training 
missions and strategies in response to rapidly changing world 
conditions, Army Transformation initiatives, and long-

[[Page 69321]]

term Army planning. The SEIS will evaluate land use changes in the 
Tularosa Basin portions of McGregor Range and the South Training Areas.

DATES: A Draft SEIS is scheduled for publication on or about June 2006 
and a Final SEIS on or about December 2006.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be forwarded to: John F. Barrera, 
Attn: SEIS; IMSW-BLS-Z; Fort Bliss, TX 79916-6812; or faxed to (915) 
568-3548, or e-mailed at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean Offutt, Fort Bliss Public Affairs 
Office; ATZC-CGP; Fort Bliss, Texas, 79916-6812; Tel: (915) 568-4505.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The SEIS will assess the environmental 
impacts associated with Fort Bliss' response to Army Transformation 
initiatives and the Army Campaign Plan. Potential impacts or issues of 
Army Transformation at Fort Bliss were analyzed by the Department of 
the Army in the 2002 Programmatic EIS for Army Transformation. 
Implementation of these plans will results in changing land use 
designations within the Main Cantonment and Biggs Army Airfield, and 
the lower Tularosa Basin (below Otero Mesa) portions of McGregor Range 
and the South Training Areas. These changes would provide the 
capabilities to train additional units and allow off-road maneuvers on 
the Tularosa Basin portions of McGregor Range. Fort Bliss will maintain 
current mobilization missions and continue to support joint training 
objectives.
    Besides the No Action Alternative (no change to land use 
designations and continuance at the current level of operations and 
activities), the proposed action alternatives will:
    (1) Include those activities described in the No Action 
Alternative, plus changes land use to allow Mission Support Facilities 
in Training Area (TA) 1B, and off-road maneuver in TA 11, 25, and 29 
thru 32; and increased air defense training on Otero Mesa;
    (2) include actions of Alternative 1, plus changes land use to also 
allow off-road maneuvers in TA 10, 11, 29 and the Tularosa Basin 
portion of TA 12; and
    (3) include actions of Alternative 2, plus changes land use to also 
allow off-road maneuvers and weapons firing in TA 24, 26 and 27.
    The SEIS will include evaluation of each alternative's varying 
personnel and equipment requirements for range and maneuver training; 
supporting command, training and maintenance facilities, soldier and 
family housing, schools, infrastructure, utilities and related 
facilities. The SEIS will also analyze each alternative's impact upon 
the natural, cultural, and man-made environments in the west Texas and 
southern New Mexico region.
    Tribes, Federal, state, and local agencies and the public are 
invited to participate in the scoping process for the preparation of 
this SEIS. Scoping meetings will be held in convenient locations near 
the installation. Notification of the times and locations for the 
scoping meetings will be published in local newspapers. The scoping 
process will help identify additional possible alternatives, potential 
environmental impacts, and key issues of concern to be analyzed in the 
SEIS. To ensure scoping comments are fully considered in the Draft EIS, 
comments and suggestions should be received within the 30-day scoping 
period or no later than 15 days following the last scoping meeting, 
whichever ends last.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 05-22602 Filed 11-14-05; 8:45 am]
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