[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 135 (Friday, July 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41385-41387]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17098]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Meetings for the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Modernization and Expansion of Townsend 
Bombing Range, GA

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 of 1969 (NEPA) (42 United States Code [U.S.C.] Sections 
4321-4370h); the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for 
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (Title 40 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) Parts 1500-1508); Department of the Navy 
Procedures for Implementing NEPA (32 CFR part 775); and Marine Corps 
NEPA directives (Marine Corps Order P5090.2A), the U. S. Marine Corps 
(USMC)as prepared and filed with the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that 
evaluates potential environmental impacts of acquiring additional 
property and constructing the necessary infrastructure to allow the use 
of inert precision-guided munitions (PGMs) at Townsend Bombing Range 
(TBR), Georgia. Through the use of PGMs at TBR, the USMC can more 
efficiently meet current training requirements for pilots by 
significantly increasing air-to-ground training capabilities for Marine 
Air Group (MAG) 31 stationed at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) 
Beaufort, South Carolina.
    With the filing of the Draft EIS, the USMC is initiating a 45-day 
public comment period and has scheduled two 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 the public 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 and Addresses:  The Draft EIS public review period will begin 
July 13, 2012 and end August 27, 2012. The two public meetings will 
inform the public about the proposed action and the alternatives under 
consideration, and provide an opportunity for the public to comment on 
the Draft EIS. USMC representatives will be on hand to discuss the NEPA 
process, findings, and the Proposed Action presented in the Draft EIS. 
The public meetings will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the 
following dates and at the following locations in Georgia:

(1) Tuesday, August 7, 2012 at McIntosh County Middle School Gymnasium 
500 Green Street Darien, GA 31305.
(2) Thursday, August 9, 2012 at City Hall of Ludowici Meeting Room 469 
North Macon Street Ludowici, GA 31316.

    Copies of the Draft EIS are available for public review at the 
following public libraries:

Ida Hilton Public Library, 1105 North Way, Darien, GA, 31305;
Long County Public Library, 28 S. Main Street, Ludowici, GA, 31316; and 
Hog Hammock Public Library, 1023 Hillery Lane, Sapelo Island, GA, 
31327.

    The Draft EIS was distributed to Federal, State, and local 
agencies, elected officials, and other interested parties and 
individuals on July 13, 2012. The document can be viewed online and 
downloaded from http://www.townsendbombingrangeeis.com.
    A copy of the Draft EIS will also be made available upon written 
request to Townsend Bombing Range EIS Project Manager, Post Office Box 
180458, Tallahassee, Florida, 32318.
    Comments: Attendees will be able to submit written comments at the 
public meeting; a stenographer will also be present to transcribe oral 
comments. Equal weight will be given to oral and written statements. 
Comments on the Draft EIS can be submitted via the project email 
address ([email protected]), project Web site or 
submitted in writing to: Townsend Bombing Range EIS Project Manager, 
Post Office Box 180458, Tallahassee, Florida, 32318. All comments must 
be postmarked or electronically dated on or before August 27, 2012 to 
be sure they become part of the public record. 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.

For Further Assistance:  Contact Capt. Cochran, 596 Geiger Blvd. MCAS 
Beaufort, SC 29904 at 843-228-6123. Please submit requests for special 
assistance, sign language interpretation for the hearing impaired, or 
other auxiliary aids at the public meeting to Capt. Cochran.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A Notice of Intent to prepare this EIS was 
published in the Federal Register on August 6, 2010 (Vol. 75, No. 151, 
pp. 47564-47565).
    Purpose and Need: The purpose of the Proposed Action is to provide 
an air-to-ground training range capable of providing a wider variety of 
air-to-ground operations, including the use of PGMs, to meet current 
training requirements. The Proposed Action is needed to more 
efficiently meet current training requirements for USMC aviation assets 
by significantly increasing air-to-ground training

[[Page 41386]]

capabilities in the Beaufort, South Carolina Region.
    Proposed Action: The Proposed Action evaluated in the Draft EIS is 
to modernize and expand TBR to accommodate the MAG-31 requirement to 
train with inert PGMs and the larger Weapons Danger Zones (WDZs) their 
use requires. To accomplish this, the USMC proposes to acquire lands in 
the vicinity of TBR on which to create new target areas to allow for a 
greater variety of training activities. The Proposed Action includes 
five interrelated components:
    (1) Acquisition of land adjacent to TBR to accommodate the larger 
WDZs required for PGM training. To effectively deliver PGMs at TBR, the 
land area must be increased to ensure the containment of the WDZs, 
allow for their realistic combat employment, and ensure the safety of 
military personnel and civilians present at and around TBR.
    (2) Acquisition of a timber easement within the current TBR 
boundary to ensure public safety. It is necessary for the USMC to own 
all the timberland and to manage it in support of mission requirements.
    (3) Modification of existing airspace Restricted Area R-3007C by 
extending the current restricted area laterally to the proposed 
acquisition area boundary. The purpose of this additional airspace is 
to exclude non-participating aircraft from intruding into hazardous 
operations, as required by Federal Aviation Administration regulations. 
The proposed modification would eliminate the current gap from 100 feet 
Above Ground Level down to the surface of the ground over the areas 
proposed for acquisition.
    (4) Construction of Infrastructure to support PGM training. This 
includes the placement and/or construction of new targets, a new 
observation tower, and support facilities, as well as additional 
utilities, roads, and fencing.
    (5) Improvement of training capabilities of the individual aircrew 
air-to-ground ordnance delivery training syllabus for the F/A-18. 
Currently, MAG 31 pilots can accomplish less than half of their air-to-
ground training requirements at TBR. The expansion of TBR and the 
creation of new target areas would increase capabilities from 47 
percent to 85 percent of the individual air-to-ground ordnance delivery 
training syllabus for the F/A-18 at TBR.
    Alternatives Considered in the Draft EIS: The Draft EIS examines 
four action alternatives and a No Action Alternative. All four action 
alternatives would involve the acquisition and management of land and a 
timber easement, the modification of existing airspace, the 
infrastructure to support PGM training, and would result in the 
improvement of training capabilities. The land acquired under each 
action alternative would involve different strategic combinations of 
three possible land acquisition areas (referred to in the Draft EIS as 
``Acquisition Area 1A,'' ``Acquisition Area 1B,'' and ``Acquisition 
Area 3''). Similarly under all four action alternatives, the USMC 
proposes to modify the existing airspace based on the amount of land 
acquired. Any combination of the land proposed to be acquired would be 
under the current Restricted Area R-3007.
    Alternative 1 includes Acquisition Area 1A and Acquisition Area 1B, 
totaling an acquisition of 11,187 acres. Alternative 1 also includes 
the acquisition of a 3,007-acre timber easement. Restricted Area R-
3007A would be modified by extending the current restricted area 
laterally to the proposed acquisition area boundary. The proposed 
modification would eliminate the current gap from 100 feet above ground 
level down to the surface of the ground over the areas that are 
proposed for acquisition. Alternative 1 includes the construction of 
three new target areas: Target Area 6 (Airfield Site with Simulated 
Petroleum, Oil, and Lubricants [POL] Site/Fuel Farm); Target Area 7 
(Urban Target Area [UTA]); and Target Area 8 (Fuel Farm/POL Site). 
Under Alternative 1, air-to-ground training capabilities would increase 
from 47 percent up to 72 percent.
    Alternative 2 includes Acquisition Area 3, totaling an acquisition 
of 23,480 acres. Like Alternative 1, Alternative 2 also includes the 
acquisition of the timber easement and the same modification to 
existing airspace. Alternative 2 includes the construction of five new 
target areas: Target Area 1 (UTA); Target Area 2 (Terrorist Training 
Camp); Target Area 3 (Conventional Bull's Eye); Target Area 4 (Convoy 
Site); and Target Area 5 (Train Depot). Under Alternative 2, air-to-
ground training capabilities would increase from 47 percent up to 85 
percent.
    Alternative 3 includes Acquisition Area 1A, Acquisition Area 1B, 
and Acquisition Area 3, totaling an acquisition of 34,667 acres. Like 
Alternatives 1 and 2, Alternative 3 includes the acquisition of the 
timber easement and the same modification to existing airspace. 
Alternative 3 includes the construction of eight new target areas 
(Target Areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8), and training capabilities 
would increase from 47 percent up to 85 percent.
    Alternative 4 (Preferred Alternative) includes Acquisition Area 1B 
and Acquisition Area 3, totaling an acquisition of 28,436 acres. Like 
Alternatives 1, 2, and 3, Alternative 4 includes the acquisition of the 
timber easement and the same modification to existing airspace. 
Alternative 4 includes the construction of six new target areas (Target 
Areas 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 8), and training capabilities would increase 
from 47 percent up to 85 percent.
    No Action Alternative. Under the No Action Alternative, the 
Proposed Action would not take place and the status quo would continue, 
the USMC would not acquire any land for training purposes, and training 
operations at TBR would not change. The No Action Alternative would not 
provide a local East Coast range capable of supporting the use of PGMs 
by MAG-31. Aviation units stationed at MCAS Beaufort would continue to 
deploy to the southwestern United States to undergo PGM training and 
meet individual aircrew training requirements. TBR would continue to 
support current training operations, but would be unable to accommodate 
PGM training.
    Environmental Issues: The Draft EIS evaluates the potential 
environmental effects associated with each of the alternatives. Issues 
addressed include: Land use; socioeconomics; recreation; wetlands; 
water resources; airspace; noise; biological resources; cultural 
resources; air quality; transportation; noise; biological resources; 
cultural resources; topography, geology, and soils; utilities and 
infrastructure; and hazardous materials and waste. The Draft EIS also 
analyzes cumulative impacts from other past, present, and reasonably 
foreseeable future actions occurring near the project area. 
Environmental consequences of the Proposed Action would principally 
arise from tax revenue and timber sales tax revenue lost in both 
McIntosh and Long Counties, Georgia. Relevant and reasonable measures 
that could alleviate environmental effects have been considered.
    Schedule: A 45-day public comment period will start upon 
publication of the EPA Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal 
Register. Comments on the Draft EIS must be received by August 27, 
2012. The Department of the Navy (DoN) will consider and respond to all 
comments received on the Draft EIS when preparing the Final EIS. The 
DoN expects to issue the Final EIS in spring 2013, at which time a NOA 
will be published in the Federal Register and

[[Page 41387]]

local print media. A Record of Decision is expected in summer 2013.

J.M. Beal,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-17098 Filed 7-12-12; 8:45 am]
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