[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11216-11218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4461]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Meetings for the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for Land Acquisition and Airspace Establishment at Marine 
Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, CA

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section (102)(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, and regulations implemented by the Council 
on Environmental Quality (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 
1500-1508), Department of Navy (DoN) NEPA regulations (32 CFR part 775) 
and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) NEPA directives (Marine Corps Order 
P5090.2A, changes 1 and 2), the DoN has prepared and filed with the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) that evaluates potential environmental impacts 
associated with the proposed establishment of a large-scale training 
range at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (``Combat Center'') 
at Twentynine Palms, California. This proposed action would accommodate 
sustained, combined-arms, live-fire and maneuver training exercises for 
all elements of a Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB).
    With the filing of the Draft EIS, the DoN is initiating a 90-day 
public comment period and has scheduled three public open house 
meetings to receive oral and written comments on the Draft EIS. 
Federal, state and local agencies and interested parties are encouraged 
to provide comments in person at any of the public open house meetings, 
or in writing anytime during the public comment period. This notice 
announces the dates and locations of the public meetings and provides 
supplementary information about the environmental planning effort.

DATES: The Draft EIS public review period will begin February 25, 2011, 
and end on May 26, 2011. The USMC is holding three informational open 
house style public meetings to inform the public about the proposed 
action and the alternatives under consideration, and to provide an 
opportunity for the public to comment on the proposed action, 
alternatives, and the adequacy and accuracy of the Draft EIS. USMC 
representatives will be on hand to discuss and answer questions on the 
proposed action, the NEPA process and the findings presented in the 
Draft EIS. Public open house meetings will be held:
    (1) Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Copper Mountain 
College, Bell Center Gym, 6162 Rotary Way, Joshua Tree, CA 92252.
    (2) Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Ontario High 
School Gym, 901 W. Francis St., Ontario, CA 91762.
    (3) Thursday, April 14, 2011, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at Hilton Garden 
Inn, Mirage/Sahara Conference Center, 12603 Mariposa Road, Victorville, 
CA 92395.
    Attendees will be able to submit written comments at the public 
meetings. A stenographer will be present to transcribe oral comments. 
Equal weight will be given to oral and written statements. All 
statements, oral transcription and written, submitted during the public 
review period will become part of the public record on the Draft EIS 
and will be responded to in the Final EIS. Comments may also be 
submitted by U.S. mail or electronically via the project Web site 
provided below.

ADDRESSES: A copy of the Draft EIS is available at the project Web 
site, http://www.marines.mil/unit/29palms/las, and at the local 
libraries identified at the end of this notice. Comments on the Draft 
EIS can be submitted via the project Web site or submitted in writing 
to: Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, ATTN: 29Palms EIS 
Project Manager, 1220 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92132-5190. All 
comments must be postmarked or received by May 26, 2011, to ensure they 
become part of the official record. All timely comments will be 
responded to in the Final EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Proudfoot, Program Manager Land 
Acquisition at 760-830-3764 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the EIS 
was published in the Federal Register on October 30, 2008 (Vol. 73, No. 
211, p. 64604), and a correction notice was published in the Federal 
Register on November 21, 2008 (Vol. 73, No. 226, p. 70626), to correct 
an error in the original October 30, 2008, NOI regarding the

[[Page 11217]]

scheduled dates for the public scoping meetings.

Proposed Action

    The proposed action includes three fundamental and interrelated 
components: Acquisition of Land contiguous to the existing Combat 
Center to provide a sufficient area for realistic MEB-sized sustained, 
combined-arms, live-fire, and maneuver training that meets at least a 
minimum threshold level of MEB training requirements within appropriate 
margins of safety.
    Modification and Establishment of Special Use Airspace to enable 
full integration of MEB-sized Aviation Combat Element operations and 
both air- and ground-delivered live-fire ordnance use within 
appropriate margins of safety.
    Expanded Training implemented as a full-scale MEB Exercise 
conducted twice per year for 24 continuous days each. Current levels of 
proficiency training (Building Block training) may be conducted (up to 
a single battalion in size) when MEB Exercises are not being conducted.

Purpose and Need

    The proposed action is needed for the USMC to conduct sustained, 
combined-arms live-fire and maneuver field training exercises for a 
MEB-sized Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) consisting of three 
battalion task forces and associated command, aviation and combat 
logistics support elements. These training requirements, drawn from a 
November 2006 Marine Requirements Oversight Council decision to 
validate the need for a MEB-sized MAGTF training area, stem from the 
USMC Strategy 21 commitment to increasingly employ MEBs as the primary 
contingency response force. Marine Expeditionary Brigades must be 
capable of performing a variety of missions throughout the spectrum of 
conflict because they will encounter complex situations containing 
asymmetric threats, nonlinear battlefields, and unclear delineation 
between combatants and noncombatants. To overcome these challenges and 
operate effectively, MEBs must be able to conduct maneuver-intensive 
operations over extended distances, supported by closely coordinated 
precision fires, aviation-delivered ordnance, and sustained, focused 
logistical support. The proposed action is needed because existing 
training bases, facilities, ranges, and live-fire ground and air 
maneuver areas are inadequate to support MEB-sized training exercises. 
An effective MEB-sized exercise requires live-fire and maneuver 
training space (and associated airspace) for three battalions, while 
the USMC's largest training site (the Combat Center) can only 
accommodate live-fire and maneuver training for up to two battalions. 
Current training capabilities and methods offer only limited practical 
experience and cannot provide realistic training opportunities that 
enhance the capability to rapidly and effectively integrate all 
elements of the large-scale MAGTF into a single cohesive force. In 
addition, because most of the training areas aboard the Combat Center 
are fully committed during traditional combined arms training (which 
occurs over 250 days per year), Building Block training for home 
station and external units are sometimes diminished in scope, forcing 
units to add remediation events to combat pre-deployment training to 
satisfy prerequisites for combat certification. The proposed action is 
needed to resolve training range deficiencies so that MEB training can 
be accommodated in accordance with the 2006 Marine Requirements 
Oversight Council decision and the pre-deployment readiness directives 
of USMC Order 3502.6, and so that Marines are able to train as they 
will fight.

Alternatives Considered in the Draft EIS

    The Draft EIS examines six action alternatives and the No-Action 
Alternative. The six action alternatives all have the same three 
fundamental components: acquisition of additional training land, 
establishment and modification of airspace, and a new field exercise 
program of sustained, combined-arms, live-fire and maneuver training 
that meets at least the minimum threshold requirements for training a 
MEB. Under all alternatives, acquired airspace would be returned to 
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) control to be made available for 
commercial and general aviation when not being used by the USMC. In 
addition, three of the action alternatives (Alternatives 4, 5 and 6) 
would allow for restricted public access for recreational use on a 
portion of the acquired land in the west study area (Johnson Valley) 
when military training activities are not being conducted.
    Each of the six action alternatives would involve limited 
construction activities, including: installation of up to three 
communications towers (similar to existing towers located within the 
Combat Center); periodic placement and redistribution of temporary 
target arrays; temporary ground excavation associated with normal 
vehicle and infantry maneuver operations (e.g., for trenches, fighting 
positions, etc.); some re-grading or other improvement/maintenance of 
existing unpaved access roads; and the development of up to 35 miles of 
new unpaved access roads. Under Alternative 3 only, four concrete tank 
crossings would be constructed across North Amboy Road. No other 
permanent fixtures or infrastructure would be constructed, demolished 
or modified under any of the six action alternatives.
    Additional personnel would be required to manage the land/airspace 
areas and expanded training capability under each action alternative. 
The increase in military and civilian personnel would vary by 
alternative, and are estimated to be between 59 and 77 additional 
personnel. In addition, during each proposed MEB Exercise, an estimated 
10,000 to 15,000 Marines would reside at the existing Exercise Support 
Base within the Combat Center.
    Alternative 1 would add approximately 201,657 acres to the existing 
Combat Center (180,353 acres to the west of the base and 21,304 acres 
to the south of the base). This alternative would establish new 
Restricted Area airspace over the acquired lands to the west to 
accommodate live-fire from aviation and surface units, establish new 
Military Operations Area airspace, and modify lateral and vertical 
dimensions of existing Military Operations Areas in other parts of the 
project area.
    Alternative 2 would add approximately 134,863 acres to the existing 
Combat Center (113,558 acres to the west of the base and the same 
21,304 acres to the south as in Alternative 1). Proposed training 
activities and airspace requirements would be similar to Alternative 1 
but would align with the smaller acquisition area of Alternative 2.
    Alternative 3 would add approximately 198,580 acres to the existing 
Combat Center (177,276 acres to the east of the base and the same 
21,304 acres to the south as in Alternative 1). This alternative would 
establish new Restricted Area airspace over the acquired lands to the 
east to accommodate live-fire from aviation and surface units, 
establish new Military Operations Area airspace, and modify lateral and 
vertical dimensions of existing Military Operations Areas in other 
parts of the project area.
    Alternative 4 would add approximately 201,657 acres to the existing 
Combat Center (180,353 acres to the west of the base and the same 
21,304 acres to the south as in Alternative 1) and accompanying Special 
Use Airspace. Proposed training activities

[[Page 11218]]

and airspace requirements would be similar to Alternative 1. The 
western expansion area would be a Restricted Public Access Area, 
available to the public for 10 months of the year when not used by the 
USMC.
    Alternative 5 would add the same 180,353 acres of land to the west 
of the base as in Alternatives 1 and 4 but no additional land to the 
south. Proposed training activities and airspace requirements would be 
similar to Alternative 1 and 4. The western expansion area would be a 
Restricted Public Access Area, available to the public for 10 months of 
the year when not used by the USMC.
    Alternative 6 (Preferred Alternative) would add approximately 
167,971 acres to the existing Combat Center (146,667 acres to the west 
of the base and the same 21,304 acres to the south as in Alternative 1) 
and accompanying Special Use Airspace. Of the western land acquisition, 
approximately 108,530 acres would be exclusive USMC Use, while the 
remaining 38,137 acres would be a Restricted Public Access Area, 
available to the public 10 months per year when it is not being used by 
the USMC. Proposed training activities and airspace requirements would 
otherwise be similar to Alternative 1.
    The No Action Alternative would seek no additional lands and no 
additions or changes to Special Use Airspace associated with the Combat 
Center's current range complex.

Environmental Effects Identified in Draft EIS

    Potential impacts were evaluated in the Draft EIS under all 
alternatives for the following resources: land use, recreation, 
socioeconomics and environmental justice, public health and safety, 
visual resources, transportation and circulation, airspace management, 
air quality, noise, biological resources, cultural resources, 
geological resources and water resources.
    The Draft EIS includes mitigation measures, special conservation 
measures, and features of project design to avoid or minimize potential 
impacts. The proposed action would fully comply with regulatory 
requirements for the protection of environmental resources. A 
Biological Assessment has been prepared for submittal to the U.S. Fish 
& Wildlife Service in compliance with Section 7 of the Endangered 
Species Act. In addition, the USMC is coordinating with the California 
State Historic Preservation Office on Section 106 of the National 
Historic Preservation Act, and with the Mojave Desert Air Quality 
Management District on the Clean Air Act.
    The proposed action would result in unavoidable impacts related to 
land use (due to inconsistencies with federal and local land use plans 
and policies, incompatibility with mining claims and leases, and the 
acquisition of privately-owned land), recreation (due to the loss of 
recreational use of the Johnson Valley Off-Highway Vehicle [OHV] Area), 
socioeconomics (due to decreased spending and income from OHV and other 
recreational activities, and impacts to existing commercial and private 
aircraft flight routes), public health and safety (due to potential 
public contact with munitions constituents or other hazards under 
Alternatives 4, 5 and 6), air quality (due to air emissions from 
construction and training activities), biological resources (due to the 
likelihood of training exercise-related incidental take of desert 
tortoises), cultural resources (due to the potential loss of 
archeological sites, even if mitigated through data recovery), 
geological resources (due to compaction of soils, disruption of surface 
crust, shearing of soil profiles, and soil particle dispersion as dust 
due to military activities), and water resources (due to increased 
demand for potable groundwater supplies).
    Schedule: The Notice of Availability (NOA) publication in the 
Federal Register and local print media starts the 90-day public comment 
period for the Draft EIS. The DoN will consider and respond to all 
written, oral and electronic comments, submitted as described above, in 
the Final EIS. The DoN intends to issue the Final EIS in November 2011, 
at which time an NOA will be published in the Federal Register and 
local print media. A Record of Decision is expected to be published in 
April 2012.
    Copies of the Draft EIS can be found on the project Web site, 
http://www.marines.mil/unit/29palms/las or at the following locations:
    (1) Newton T. Bass Apple Valley Branch Library, 14901 Dale Evans 
Parkway, Apple Valley, CA 92307.
    (2) Barstow Branch Library, 304 E. Buena Vista St., Barstow, CA 
92311.
    (3) Joshua Tree Library, 6465 Park Blvd., Joshua Tree, CA 92252.
    (4) Lucerne Valley Janice Horst Branch Library, 33103 Old Woman 
Springs Road, Lucerne Valley, CA 92356.
    (5) Needles Branch Library, 1111 Bailey Ave., Needles, CA 92363.
    (6) Ovitt Family Community Library, 215 E. C St., Ontario, CA 
91764.
    (7) Sacramento Public Library Central Branch, 828 I Street, 
Sacramento, CA 95814.
    (8) San Bernardino County Library, 104 W. Fourth St., San 
Bernardino, CA 92415.
    (9) Twentynine Palms Library, 6078 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, CA 
92277.
    (10) Victorville City Library, 15011 Circle Drive, Victorville, CA 
92395.
    (11) Yucca Valley Branch Library, 57098 29 Palms Highway, Yucca 
Valley, CA 92284.

    Dated: February 18, 2011.
D. J. Werner,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-4461 Filed 2-28-11; 8:45 am]
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