[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 56 (Friday, March 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17644-17645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-06588]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Availability for the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Proposed Modernization and Expansion of Townsend 
Bombing Range, Georgia

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 the Navy (DoN) NEPA regulations (32 CFR part 775) 
and United States Marine Corps (USMC) NEPA directives (Marine Corps 
Order P5090.2A, changes 1 and 2), the USMC has prepared and filed with 
the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) a Final 
Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) that evaluated potential 
environmental impacts of acquiring additional property and constructing 
the necessary infrastructure to allow the use of 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 at Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, 
South Carolina.

DATES AND ADDRESSES: The USEPA's Notice of Availability (NOA) and 
Notice of Public Meeting for the Draft EIS was published in the Federal 
Register on July 13, 2012 (77 FR 41402). Federal, state, and local 
agencies, citizens groups and associations, and other interested 
parties provided oral and written comments to the USMC and identified 
specific issues or topics of environmental concern that should be 
addressed in the Final EIS. The USMC responded to all these comments 
and updated portions of the Final EIS, where appropriate.
    The Final EIS has been distributed to federal, state, and local 
agencies, citizens groups and associations, and other interested 
parties. In addition, a copy of the Final EIS was distributed to the 
following libraries:
    1. Ida Hilton Public Library, 1105 North Way, Darien, GA 31305.
    2. Long County Public Library, 28 South Main Street, Ludowici, GA 
31316.
    3. Hog Hammock Public Library, 1023 Hillery Lane, Sapelo Island, GA 
31327.

An electronic version of the Final EIS can be viewed or downloaded from 
the project Web site: http://www.townsendbombingrangeeis.com.

FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE CONTACT: Capt. Cochran, 596 Geiger Blvd. MCAS 
Beaufort, SC 29904 at 843-228-6123.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Through the preparation of a Universal Need 
Statement (UNS), Marine Aircraft Group 31 (MAG-31) identified its 
requirement for an air-to-ground training range that allows aircrews to 
utilize PGMs in a realistic training environment. Following the 
preparation of the UNS, the USMC began the process to certify the 
requirement to establish an air-to-ground training range to support 
MAG-31's aviation training needs and develop the approach to 
accommodate this requirement. MAG-31's need for an air-to-ground range 
that can accommodate realistic PGM training allowed the USMC and the 
DoN to request the DoD's approval to study the land acquisition 
alternatives that could support the creation of a modernized air-to-
ground training range. The USMC then initiated the preparation of the 
EIS to examine the potential impacts of the proposed land acquisition 
and airspace modification alternatives that could meet the training 
requirement.
    The USMC conducted a multi-step screening process to identify 
candidate ranges and alternatives that meet the purpose and need. To 
achieve this, the USMC: (1) Developed range evaluation criteria by 
identifying key physical and operational attributes required to support 
training with PGMs; (2) identified existing candidate DoD ranges in the 
Southeastern United States; and (3) evaluated the candidate ranges 
against the range evaluation criteria. As a result of the evaluations, 
seven candidate ranges were identified and subjected to initial 
analysis; however, only TBR satisfied all of the screening criteria and 
was carried forward for full analysis in the EIS.
    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 capabilities in the 
Beaufort, South Carolina Region.
    Proposed Action: The Proposed Action in the FEIS evaluated 
potential environmental impacts of acquiring additional property and 
constructing the

[[Page 17645]]

necessary infrastructure to allow the use of PGMs at TBR, Georgia.
    The Proposed Action includes five interrelated components:
    (1) Acquisition of land;
    (2) Acquisition of a timber easement;
    (3) Modification of existing airspace;
    (4) Construction of infrastructure to support PGM training; and
    (5) Improvement of training capabilities.
    Alternatives Evaluated in the FEIS: The USMC analyzed four action 
alternatives and a No Action Alternative. All four action alternatives 
involved the acquisition and management of land and a timber easement, 
the modification of existing airspace, and the construction of 
infrastructure to support PGM training, and would result in the 
improvement of training capabilities. The land acquired under each 
action alternative involved different strategic combinations of three 
possible land acquisition areas (referred to as ``Acquisition Area 
1A,'' ``Acquisition Area 1B,'' and ``Acquisition Area 3''). Similarly 
under all four action alternatives, the USMC proposed 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. All the action alternatives involved the 
installation of target scoring equipment, facility and/or tower 
construction, and roadway construction/improvement. The USMC identified 
Alternative 4 as the Preferred Alternative, which includes acquisition 
of Areas 1B and 3 (28,630 acres) and construction of six new target 
areas.
    Environmental Compliance: The USMC prepared the Final EIS per the 
guidance provided in 40 CFR 1502.9, with the purpose of fully analyzing 
environmental impacts as a result of implementing the Proposed Action 
through selection of the Preferred Alternative. Impacts were assessed 
for the following resource areas: Land use; socioeconomics; recreation; 
wetlands; water resources; airspace; noise; biological resources; 
cultural resources; air quality; transportation; noise; topography, 
geology, and soils; utilities and infrastructure; and hazardous 
materials and waste. However, it was determined through the EIS 
analysis that only socioeconomics would be significantly impacted as a 
result of the Proposed Action.
    Schedule: Publication of the USEPA's NOA signifies the beginning of 
a 30-day waiting period (No Action Period). In accordance with NEPA, 
the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Environment) 
will publish the Record of Decision in the Federal Register after the 
30-day waiting period has ended.

    Dated: March 8, 2013.
C.K. Chiappetta,
Lieutenant Commander, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Navy, 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2013-06588 Filed 3-21-13; 8:45 am]
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