[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 115 (Wednesday, June 17, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28672-28673]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-14216]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

United States Air Force


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Modification of the Condor 1 and Condor 2 Military Operations Areas 
Used by the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard

AGENCY: Air National Guard, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of intent (NOI) to prepare an environmental impact 
statement.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] 4321-4347), 
the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA Regulations (40 Code of 
Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 1500-1508), and the United States Air 
Force's (USAF) Environmental Impact Analysis Process (EIAP, 32 CFR part 
989), the Air Force is issuing this notice to advise the public and 
other Federal agencies that the ANG intends to prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for proposed modifications of the Condor 1 and 
Condor 2 Military Operations Areas (MOAs) used by the 104th Fighter 
Wing (FW) of the Massachusetts ANG (MAANG). The 104th FW is based at 
Barnes ANG Base in Westfield, Massachusetts. The study area for this 
EIS includes portions of Piscataquis, Somerset, Franklin, and Oxford 
counties in Maine and a portion of Coos County, New Hampshire.
    The ANG and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) completed an 
Environmental Assessment (EA) of this proposal in June 2008. However, 
in response to requests from elected officials and the general public, 
the ANG has elected to prepare an EIS. The ANG conducted five previous 
scoping meetings in the towns of Rumford, Mexico, Rangeley, and 
Farmington (2), Maine as part of the EA process; the previous scoping 
meetings are sufficient and follow-on scoping meetings are not deemed 
necessary. However, the Air Force requests formal written scoping 
comments from the public, state and local government agencies, as well 
as affected Federal agencies for 30 days after the publication date of 
this NOI, to ascertain if there are additional issues relevant to the 
range of actions, alternatives, and impacts to be examined in detail in 
the draft EIS.
    The Condor 1 and 2 MOAs are centered approximately 200 nautical 
miles northeast of Barnes ANG Base. The altitudes of both MOAs 
currently extend from 7,000 feet above mean sea level (MSL) (between 
approximately 2,800 feet and 6,300 feet above ground level [AGL]) up to 
18,000 ft MSL. Condor 1 MOA is located immediately west of Condor 2 
MOA. The Condor 1 and 2 MOAs are currently utilized by aircraft from 
the MAANG, the Vermont ANG, the United States Air Force, and the United 
States Navy. Units from these services utilize a variety of aircraft 
including the F-15, F-16, KC-10, KC-135, and P-3. Of these aircraft, F-
15 and F-16 operations currently constitute 86-88% of annual operations 
in the Condor 1 and 2 MOAs.
    The Ready Aircrew Program (RAP) is the United States Air Force's 
continuation training program designed to focus training or develop 
capabilities needed to accomplish a unit's core missions. The RAP 
requirements for every qualified F-15 and F-16 pilot include Low 
Altitude Awareness Training (LOWAT) which includes realistic, mission 
oriented air-to-air operations while in a LOWAT-certified low-altitude 
block at or below 1,000 feet AGL, as well as Low Slow/Visual 
Identification intercept and Slow Shadow intercept training missions. 
These training missions require pilots to identify and engage aerial 
targets at low altitude, and perform low altitude navigation, tactical 
formation, and defensive maneuvering to avoid or negate threats.

[[Page 28673]]

    In order to be Combat Mission Ready, all F-15 and F-16 pilots are 
required to demonstrate proficiency in these skills down to 500 feet 
AGL, over land, on a regular basis. Pilot operational training 
standards require missions to be accomplished in the low, medium, and 
high altitude regimes. As currently defined, the floors of Condor 1 and 
2 MOAs are too high to allow for the effective and efficient completion 
of required training. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to rectify 
these deficiencies and provide the 104th FW with adequate training 
airspace in a safe training environment to fulfill its mission.
    The 104th FW proposes to combine the Condor 1 and 2 MOAs, divide 
the combined MOA into Condor Low MOA and Condor High MOA, and lower the 
flight floor of the proposed Condor Low MOA from 7,000 feet MSL to 500 
feet AGL. Condor Low MOA would extend from 500 feet AGL up to, but not 
include, 7,000 feet MSL. Condor High MOA would extend from 7,000 feet 
MSL up to, but not include, 18,000 MSL. As part of the EIAP, and in 
accordance with the requirements of NEPA, the EIS will consider 
potential alternatives to the Proposed Action. Other alternatives to be 
considered include lowering the floor of Condor 1 MOA and leaving 
Condor 2 MOA unchanged, completing low-altitude training in other 
airspace in the Northeast, deploying to conduct low-altitude training, 
and no action.
    The draft EIS will be made available for a 45-day public review and 
comment period. The Air Force will sponsor a public hearing on the 
draft EIS in mid-August 2009 at the Civic Center in Augusta, Maine. 
Notification of hearing time and related logistics will be made via 
local public notifications.
    No additional meetings are planned at this time. In addition to 
comments received at the public hearing, any written comments on the 
draft EIS received at the address below by October 1, 2009, will be 
considered in the preparation of this EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Major Stephen R. Lippert NGB/A 7AM, 
Program Manager, 3500 Fetchet Avenue, Andrews AFB, MD 20762-5157, Ph: 
(301) 836-8167, [email protected].

Bao-Anh Trinh,
Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-14216 Filed 6-16-09; 8:45 am]
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