[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 248 (Tuesday, December 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80910-80911]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33086]



[[Page 80910]]

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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Revised Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement for Military Training Activities at the Naval Weapons Systems 
Training Facility Boardman, OR, and Notice of Request for Public 
Scoping Comments

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: This notice is to advise the public that the Department of the 
Navy (DoN) is revising the scope for the Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for continued and increased training activities on Naval Weapons 
Systems Training Facility (NWSTF) Boardman, Oregon, and to invite the 
public to provide comments for consideration during preparation of the 
revised EIS.
    This revised Notice of Intent has been published because since the 
October 5, 2010 publication of the original Notice of Intent in the 
Federal Register (75 FR 61452), the DoN is modifying its proposed 
action to include the addition of new Special Use Airspace in the form 
of a Military Operations Area (MOA). This new MOA would preserve 
required training capabilities at NWSTF Boardman that are necessary to 
maintain military readiness. Additional information concerning the 
proposed new MOA, including a map, is available on the NWSTF Boardman 
EIS Web page located at: http://www.NWSTFBoardmanEIS.com.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mrs. Amy Burt, Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command Northwest, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, 
Silverdale, Washington, 98315-1101, Attn: NWSTF Boardman Project 
Manager.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The overall strategic mission of NWSTF 
Boardman is to support naval and joint services operational readiness 
by providing a suitable range within the geographical vicinity for 
Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet and Oregon National Guard forces in the 
northwest. The development of structures of significant height on lands 
beneath the existing Special Use Airspace associated with NWSTF 
Boardman has resulted, and may continue to result, in the potential 
loss of ability to train at the range. To alleviate this situation, the 
DoN is proposing to add a new MOA to the northeast of the existing 
Special Use Airspace at NWSTF Boardman for the purpose of preserving 
training capabilities at the range that are necessary to maintain 
military readiness, including the capability to continue low altitude 
training. Adding the MOA would be consistent with the DoN's proposed 
action at NWSTF Boardman announced on October 5, 2010, which included 
range enhancements and changes to training activities, capacities, and 
facilities as they currently exist.
    The new Boardman Northeast MOA would have two parts, A and B, with 
the current Boardman Air Traffic Control Assigned Airspace (ATCAA) 
being extended to include the area above the new MOA and to facilitate 
scheduling use of the airspace. The floor of MOA A would begin at 500 
feet Above Ground Level (AGL) and extend upwards to, but not including, 
4,000 feet above Mean Sea Level (MSL). MOA A would overlap a portion of 
existing Restricted Airspace R-5706 that starts at 3,500 feet MSL and 
underlie the existing MOA (Boardman MOA) that starts at 4,000 feet MSL 
to the northeast of the NWSTF Boardman property. The floor of MOA B 
airspace would begin at 4,000 feet MSL and extend upwards to, but not 
including, 18,000 feet MSL, and would abut the existing Boardman MOA. 
The dimensions of the Boardman Northeast MOA would be approximately 11 
nautical miles west to east and approximately five nautical miles north 
to south. The extension of the ATCAA would be approximately six 
nautical miles west to east and approximately five nautical miles north 
to south.
    Hours of operations for the new MOA would be the same as the 
existing Boardman MOA, 7:30 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Monday through Friday 
and at other times by notice to Airman six hours in advance. Civilian 
or other nonparticipating air traffic flying with an air traffic 
control clearance and under instrument flight rules (IFR) will be 
restricted from entering the Northeast MOA when it is in use by the 
military. Civilian or other nonparticipating air traffic flying under 
visual flight rules (VFR) would be informed of Northeast MOA activation 
and advised to avoid the area; however, it is not compulsory that 
civilian or other nonparticipating air traffic flying under VFR, or 
under IFR without air traffic control clearance, remain clear of the 
area.
    The Boardman ATCAA would permit the continuation of flight 
activities above the new MOA and 18,000 feet MSL. Aircraft flying under 
VFR will not be permitted to enter the Boardman ATCAA when active. The 
ATCAA is not depicted on aeronautical charts.
    The proposed Northeast MOA would be established by the Federal 
Aviation Administration (FAA) according to authority given to the FAA 
under 49 U.S. Code (U.S.C.) Section 40103. In regulations found at 14 
CFR 73.1 et seq. and FAA Joint Order 7400.2H, Procedures for Handling 
of Airspace, FAA sets forth the procedures for establishing various 
types of Special Use Airspace, including MOAs. According to FAA Order 
1050.1E, Change 1, Environmental Impacts: Policies and Procedures, and 
a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Defense 
and FAA signed October 4, 2005, since the DoN proposes the designation 
of the MOA, DoN will serve as lead agency under the National 
Environmental Policy Act and invite FAA as a cooperating agency. That 
MOU indicates that ``the resultant environmental documents of the lead 
agency are accepted and used in decisions and planning by all agencies 
involved with the proposed action.'' Therefore, once the EIS is 
complete and DoN has made its decision on whether to proceed with a 
designation request, the FAA will then proceed with their airspace 
designation process, described in the above-mentioned authorities.
    The new MOA would be analyzed in Alternatives 1 and 2, both of 
which would support an increase in training activities. In addition to 
the new MOA, Alternative 1 would include force structure changes 
associated with the introduction of new weapon systems, vehicles and 
aircraft, in addition to accommodating training activities currently 
conducted on the range. Alternative 1 would also include the 
implementation of range enhancements to allow NWSTF Boardman to comply 
with DoN and National Guard requirements to enable military personnel 
to qualify on weapon systems. These required range enhancements could 
include the construction of a Multi-Purpose Machine Gun Range, a 
Digital Multi-Purpose Training Range, a Convoy Live Fire Training 
Range, a Demolition Training Range and construction of a joint range 
operations center/Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) maintenance building and 
UAS landing strip.
    Alternative 2 would consist of all elements of Alternative 1 plus 
the addition of a second Convoy Live Fire Training Range and 
construction of a separate range operations center building, 
independent of the UAS maintenance building and UAS landing strip. The 
No Action Alternative remains unchanged.
    The DoN is reopening the scoping period to identify new community 
concerns and local issues to be addressed in the EIS as a result of the 
proposal to request establishment of a

[[Page 80911]]

new MOA at NWSTF Boardman. Scoping comments previously submitted 
following publication of the original October 5, 2010 Notice of Intent 
are still valid and need not be resubmitted. The DoN encourages 
Federal, state, and local agencies, Federally Recognized Native 
American Tribes, the public and all interested persons to provide 
written or electronic comments to the DoN to identify any new specific 
environmental issues or topics of environmental concern related to the 
DoN's proposal to include designation of a new MOA as part of the 
proposed action.
    Written comments must be postmarked no later than January 26, 2012. 
Comments should be mailed to Mrs. Amy Burt, Naval Facilities 
Engineering Command, Northwest, 1101 Tautog Circle, Suite 203, 
Silverdale, Washington 98315-1101, Attn: NWSTF Boardman EIS Project 
Manager. Comments may also be submitted on the project Web site, 
www.NWSTFBoardmanEIS.com.

    Dated: December 16, 2011.
L.M. Senay,
Lieutenant, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, Alternate 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-33086 Filed 12-23-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P