[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 101 (Wednesday, May 25, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30319-30320]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-12914]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Real Property Master Plan Programmatic Environmental Impact 
Statement, at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army intends to prepare a Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) to analyze the environmental 
impacts resulting from adoption and implementation of a Real Property 
Master Plan (RPMP), including test areas and training activities at 
Yuma Proving Ground.

ADDRESSES: For questions concerning the RPMP PEIS, please contact Mr. 
Sergio Obregon, U.S. Army Garrison Yuma Proving Ground, National 
Environmental Policy Act Coordinator, IMWE-YMA-PWE, 301 C Street, Yuma, 
AZ 85365-9498. Written comments may be mailed to that address or e-
mailed to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Chuck Wullenjohn, Yuma Proving 
Ground Public Affairs Office, at (928) 328-6189 Monday through Thursday 
from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mountain Standard Time.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Yuma Proving Ground consists of 
approximately 840,000 acres of DoD-managed land in the Sonoran Desert 
in southwestern Arizona and occupies portions of Yuma and La Paz 
counties. The mission at Yuma Proving Ground is ensuring the readiness 
of U. S. forces and materiel to perform in hot arid conditions around 
the world. This requires rigorous testing of ground and aerial 
vehicles, weapons, munitions, sensors, and guidance systems and 
realistic training. The U.S. has been engaged in hostile conflicts in 
environments similar to those found at Yuma Proving Ground, resulting 
in a need for increased testing of existing and developing military 
equipment, vehicles, and munitions under these environmental 
conditions. To meet these needs, the U.S. Army intends to prepare a 
RPMP PEIS at Yuma Proving Ground to analyze potential impacts from new 
construction, changes in testing and training, and activities conducted 
under private industry partnerships. Renewable energy initiatives will 
also be discussed in the PEIS, but project-specific NEPA analysis will 
be required prior to implementing specific renewable energy 
initiatives.
    Alternatives will consist of alternative siting locations for 
certain activities within Yuma Proving Ground and different magnitudes 
of implementation with regard to spatial extent of potential impacts 
and frequency and duration of specific events. The EIS will also 
analyze the No Action Alternative, under which no new construction 
would occur and there would be no changes in testing and training 
activities conducted at Yuma Proving Ground.
    No changes are proposed to activities conducted at off-post areas 
in Arizona and California that are used for specific testing activities 
under conditions not found at Yuma Proving Ground. Therefore, these 
areas would not be considered in the development of alternatives for 
the RPMP PEIS.
    All activities under consideration would be conducted within the 
boundaries of the installation. Resource areas that may be impacted 
include air quality, airspace, traffic, noise, water resources, 
biological resources, cultural resources, socioeconomics, utilities, 
land use, and solid and hazardous materials/waste. Impacts to these 
resources may occur as a result of converting existing land use to 
support military testing and training or from increasing the scope or 
magnitude of testing and training activities. The analysis will also 
consider the potential for cumulative environmental effects.
    The public will be invited to participate in the scoping process to 
provide input on the proposed action and alternatives, which will be 
evaluated in the PEIS. After publication of the Notice of Intent to 
prepare the PEIS, the Army will schedule at least two public meetings 
to provide information about the proposed action

[[Page 30320]]

and alternatives and to solicit input and feedback from the public on 
issues to be addressed in the PEIS. Meetings will be announced in local 
media. The public will also be invited to review and comment on the 
Draft PEIS when it is released. Comments from the public will be 
considered before any decision is made regarding implementing the 
proposed action.

Brenda S. Bowen,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-12914 Filed 5-24-11; 8:45 am]
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