[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 8, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26081-26082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 07-2263]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Fort 
Bliss, Texas and New Mexico, Mission Master Plan Final Supplemental 
Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army announces the availability of the 
Record of Decision (ROD) for the Final Supplemental Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) identifying the potential 
environmental effects of changing land and airspace use at Fort bliss 
to support evolving changes in missions and units and support Army 
Transformation, Integrated Global Presence and Basing Strategy (IGPBS), 
Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC), the Army Campaign Plan, and other 
Army initiatives.
    The Final SEIS supplements the Fort Bliss, Texas and New Mexico, 
Mission Master Plan Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), 
for which a Record of Decision was signed in 2001.

DATES: The waiting period for the Final SEIS ended April 23, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Jean Offutt, Public Affairs 
Officer, IMSW-BLS-PA; Fort Bliss, TX 79916-6812; telephone: (915) 568-
4505; fax: (915) 568-2995; e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Proposed Action (Alternative 4) is 
selected in this ROD. The Proposed Action changes land use in the Main 
Cantonment Area to support units assigned to Fort Bliss under BRAC, and 
in the Fort Bliss Training Complex to support construction of live-fire 
ranges and designation of off-road maneuver space needed to train those 
solders to doctrinal standards. This alternative opens to heavy off-
road vehicle maneuver 352,000 acres in the Tularosa Basin portion of 
McGregor Range, for a total off-road vehicle maneuver space of 687,000 
acres, and changes land use in the Main Cantonment to accommodate 
increases in military personnel. Selection of this alternative also 
accommodates units and missions in addition to the BRAC package, and 
maintains flexibility to meet future requirements. Those portions of 
McGregor Range outside the Tularosa Basin, specifically Otero Mesa and 
the Sacramento Mountain foothills, will not experience changes in land 
use.
    The final SEIS analyzed impacts from the No Action Alternative and 
four action alternatives in 14 resource areas; land use, Main 
Cantonment Area infrastructure, airspace use and management, earth 
resources, air quality, water resources, biological resources, cultural 
resources, noise, safety, hazardous materials and items of special 
concern, socioeconomics, and environmental justice. The affected 
environment included the Fort Bliss Main Cantonment Area, the Fort 
Bliss Training Complex, and adjacent off-post areas that may be 
affected by the proposed changes on Fort Bliss. The region of influence 
(ROI) varies among resource topics but generally consists of a three-
county area comprised of El Paso County in Texas and Do[ntilde]a Ana 
and Otero Counties in New Mexico.
    From a land use perspective, the No Action Alternative would be the 
environmentally preferable alternative. However, it would not meet the 
Army's need to provide training to doctrinal standards to the units 
stationed at Fort bliss. After the No Action Alternative, Alternative 1 
is environmentally preferable in comparison to the other action 
alternatives because it would limit the effects of off-road vehicle 
maneuver training on McGregor Range

[[Page 26082]]

to a smaller area than the other three alternatives. It would also 
avoid impacts to grazing in the north Tularosa Basin portion of 
McGregor Range, as well as impacts to grasslands in the southeast 
training areas.
    Copies of the ROD are available at the following libraries: In el 
Paso, the Richard Burges Regional Library, 9600 Dyer; the Irving 
Schwartz Branch Library, 1865 Dean Martin; the Clardy Fox Branch 
Library, 5515 Robert Alva; and the Doris van Doren Regional Branch 
Library, 551 Redd Branch Road. In Las Cruces, NM, the New Mexico State 
University Zuhl Library at 2999 McFie Circle; and in Alamogordo, NM at 
the Alamogordo Public Library, 920 Oregon Avenue. The document can also 
be reviewed at https://www.bliss.army.mil.

John A. Macdonald,
Brigadier General, U.S. Army, Deputy Commanding General, Installation 
Management Command.
[FR Doc. 07-2263 Filed 5-7-07; 8:45am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-M