[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3570-3571]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-01121]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Meeting for the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for Military Readiness Activities at the Fallon Range 
Training Complex (FRTC), Nevada

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), the Department of the Navy (DoN) has prepared and filed with the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) to assess the potential environmental impacts of 
ongoing and proposed military training activities within the FRTC EIS 
Study Area. The Bureau of Land Management is a cooperating agency for 
this EIS.
    With the filing of the Draft EIS, the DoN is initiating a 46-day 
public comment period beginning on January 23, 2015 and ending on March 
9, 2015 and has scheduled a public meeting to inform the public and 
receive comments on the accuracy and adequacy of the Draft EIS. This 
notice announces the date and location of the public meeting and 
provides supplementary information about the environmental planning 
effort.
    Dates and Addresses: The DoN will hold a public meeting to inform 
the public about the proposed action and alternatives under 
consideration and to provide an opportunity for the public to comment 
on the accuracy and adequacy of the environmental analysis presented in 
the Draft EIS. Federal, state, and local agencies and officials, Native 
American Indian Tribes and Nations, and interested organizations and 
individuals are encouraged to provide comments in person at the public 
meeting or in writing during the public review period.
    A public meeting will be held between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on 
Thursday, February 19, 2015, at the Churchill County Commission 
Chambers, 155 North Taylor Street, Fallon, Nevada 89406. The public 
meeting will be an open house session with informational poster 
stations staffed by DoN representatives. A brief DoN presentation will 
be given at 5:30 p.m.
    Attendees will be able to submit oral and written comments during 
the public meeting. Oral comments from the public will be recorded by a 
certified court reporter. Equal weight will be given to oral and 
written statements. Written comments may also be submitted to: Naval 
Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, Attention: Ms. Amy Kelley, 
Code EV21.AK; 1220 Pacific Highway, Building 1, 5th Floor; San Diego, 
CA 92132. Written comments may also be submitted electronically via the 
project Web site (www.FRTCEIS.com).
    All comments submitted during the public review period, oral or 
written, will become part of the public record. All comments will be 
reviewed and responded to in the Final EIS. For consideration in the 
Final EIS, comments must be postmarked or received online by March 9, 
2015.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command 
Southwest; Attention: Ms. Amy Kelley, Code EV21.AK; 1220 Pacific 
Highway Building 1, 5th Floor; San Diego, CA 92132.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FRTC is a set of well-defined geographic 
training areas in the high desert of northern Nevada encompassing 
airspace, land ranges, and associated electronic systems used primarily 
for air and ground training activities. In total, the complex 
encompasses approximately 230,000 acres of training land and 12,256 
square nautical miles of airspace. A portion of the FRTC, Naval Air 
Station (NAS) Fallon, is located six miles to the southeast of the city 
of Fallon. The land and airspace of the FRTC comprises the Study Area 
evaluated in the Draft EIS.
    The DoN's Proposed Action is to continue and enhance ground and 
aviation training activities within the existing FRTC study area. To 
support training requirements for fleet readiness, the DoN proposes to 
adjust training activities from current levels to the levels needed to 
accommodate evolving mission requirements, including those resulting 
from training, tactics development, testing, and introduction

[[Page 3571]]

of new aircraft and weapons systems into the fleet. A Notice of Intent 
to prepare this Draft EIS was published in the Federal Register on May 
28, 2013 (78 FR 31909).
    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to provide sustainable and 
modern airspace, range, maneuver areas, training facilities, and range 
infrastructure and resources to fully support training activities 
occurring within the FRTC in accordance with the assigned roles and 
missions for the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) and to 
provide ground training opportunities for other Services. The Proposed 
Action is needed to achieve and maintain military readiness by using 
the FRTC to support and conduct military readiness activities in 
compliance with the DoN's roles and responsibilities under Title 10 of 
the U.S. Code (U.S.C). To comply with its 10 U.S.C. 5062 mandates, the 
DoN needs to: (1) Maintain current levels of military readiness by 
enhancing training at the FRTC; (2) accommodate possible future 
increases in training activities at the FRTC; (3) accommodate training 
activities associated with force structure changes; and (4) maintain 
the long-term viability of the FRTC as a military training and testing 
range.
    The Draft EIS evaluates the potential environmental effects of the 
following three alternatives:
    1. No Action Alternative: Includes training activities of the same 
type, level of intensity, and frequency are currently conducted within 
the FRTC Study Area. The No Action Alternative provides a baseline 
against which the potential environmental impacts of the other action 
alternatives can be compared.
    2. Alternative 1: In addition to baseline training activities, 
Alternative 1 includes an overall 6 percent increase in the types of 
training activities and the number of training events conducted within 
the FRTC Study Area, and includes force structure changes (e.g., new 
aircraft, weapons, or tactics). The increased activities are Combat 
Search and Rescue exercises, Gunnery Exercise (Air-to-Ground), High-
speed Anti-radiation Missile Exercises, and Missile Exercises (Air-to-
Ground). In addition, two activities formerly conducted at the FRTC, 
Ground LASER Targeting and Dismounted Fire and Maneuver, are included 
under Alternative 1 as new activities.
    3. Alternative 2: Includes all elements of Alternative 1. In 
addition, training activities of the types currently conducted would be 
increased by 10 percent over levels identified in Alternative 1. This 
alternative is identified as the Preferred Alternative in the Draft 
EIS.
    The Draft EIS provides an analysis of the potential environmental 
effects of the proposed action on the following resources: Soils; air 
quality; water quality; noise (airborne); biological resources; land 
use and recreation; socioeconomics, environmental justice and 
protection of children; transportation; cultural resources; and public 
health and safety. The results of the analysis indicate that 
implementation of the Preferred Alternative (Alternative 2) would 
result in no potentially significant environmental impacts for any 
resource area. Consultation with the Nevada State Historic Preservation 
Officer (SHPO) and Native American Tribes under Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act is pending.
    The Draft EIS was distributed to federal, state, and local agencies 
and elected officials, Native American Indian Tribes and Nations, and 
other interested individuals and organizations. The Draft EIS is 
available for public electronic viewing or download at the project Web 
site at www.FRTCEIS.com. A paper copy of the Draft EIS may be reviewed 
at each of the following public libraries:
    1. Austin Branch Library, 88 Main Street, Austin, NV 89310.
    2. Carson City Library, 900 North Roop Street, Carson City, NV 
89701.
    3. Churchill County Library Annex, 507 South Maine Street, Fallon, 
NV 89406.
    4. Crescent Valley Branch Library, 5045 Tenabo Avenue, Crescent 
Valley Town Center, Suite 103, Crescent Valley, NV 89821.
    5. Eureka Branch Library, 80 South Monroe Street, Eureka, NV 89316.
    6. Gabbs Community Library, 602 3rd Street, Gabbs, NV 89409.
    A single compact disc of the Draft EIS will be made available upon 
written request.

(Authority: 35 U.S.C. 207, 37 CFR Part 404)

    Dated: January 16, 2015.
N.A. Hagerty-Ford,
Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register 
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-01121 Filed 1-22-15; 8:45 am]
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