[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 166 (Friday, August 26, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 58919-58920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-20502]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
To Announce Public Scoping Meetings for the Fallon Range Training 
Complex Modernization: Expansion of Land Ranges, Airspace 
Modifications, and Public Land Withdrawal Renewal

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, as implemented by the Council on Environmental 
Quality Regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations parts 1500-1508), 
the Department of the Navy (DoN) announces its intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to assess the potential 
environmental consequences of maintaining and modernizing the Fallon 
Range Training Complex (FRTC) in Nevada, which would include land range 
expansion through additional land withdrawal and land acquisition, 
airspace modifications, and public land withdrawal renewal. The Navy's 
action proponent for this proposal is Commander, United States Pacific 
Fleet (PACFLT). The Bureau of Land Management, the Federal Aviation 
Administration, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service will 
participate as cooperating agencies in the preparation of the EIS.

DATES AND ADDRESSES: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for public 
scoping meeting dates, times, and addresses.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Since the initial operation of Naval Air 
Station Fallon in the 1940s and the formal establishment of the FRTC in 
1977, the ranges and airspace of the FRTC have been extensively used by 
the DoN and other Services to conduct air warfare and ground training, 
including live-fire training activities. The FRTC is the DoN's premier 
integrated strike warfare training complex, supporting combat elements 
of PACFLT, United State (U.S.) Fleet Forces Command, U.S. Marine Corps, 
Naval Special Warfare Command, and others. It is located in the high 
desert of northern Nevada, 65 miles east of the city of Reno, Nevada, 
and is comprised of: Special Use Airspace (SUA), including restricted 
areas, Military Operations Areas (MOAs), and Air Traffic Control 
Assigned Airspace (ATCAAs); land training ranges; fixed and mobile land 
targets, and control facilities; threat electronic warfare, early 
warning radars, and surface-to-air missile systems; and instrumentation 
facilities.
    The current FRTC bombing ranges (B-16, B-17, B-19, and B-20) have 
not changed substantially in size or configuration since the 1990s. 
However, warfare technology, to include dynamic improvements to stand-
off weapons, platform sensors, threat systems, and strike tactics, and 
the accuracy of applications that produce and manage safety footprints 
for air-to-ground weapons training, have continued to evolve. In 
response to these changes, and to formalize FRTC training requirements, 
the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (the DoN's primary 
authority on naval aviation training and tactics development), together 
with subject matter training experts from the Naval Special Warfare 
Command, conducted a training capabilities study. This study analyzed 
the capabilities that should be provided at the FRTC to meet evolving 
DoN training needs in air warfare, strike warfare, and Naval special 
warfare. It concluded that training capabilities currently available at 
the FRTC do not, and will not, meet the real-world training needs 
identified by Fleet and Unified Commanders. Therefore, to minimize the 
identified shortcomings and provide the responsive and realistic 
training capabilities needed to meet evolving aviation and ground 
training requirements, PACFLT proposes to maintain and modernize the 
capabilities of the FRTC, including its land ranges, airspace, and 
infrastructure. The proposed modernization would have the benefit of 
maintaining and enhancing the safety and security of local and regional 
populations and infrastructure.
    PACFLT's proposed action includes the renewal of the existing 
202,859-acre public land withdrawal that expires on November 6, 2021; 
the withdrawal and reservation for military use of approximately 
604,744 acres of additional public land to expand existing land ranges; 
acquisition of approximately 65,160 acres of non-

[[Page 58920]]

federal land to expand existing land ranges; expansion of associated 
SUA, as well as reconfiguration of existing airspace; and modification 
of range infrastructure to support expansion and modernization. The 
aviation and ground training to be conducted in the modernized FRTC 
would be of the same general types and at the same tempos as analyzed 
by PACFLT in Alternative 2 of the Final EIS for Military Readiness 
Activities at Fallon Range Training Complex, Nevada (December 2015). 
Specific details concerning the proposed land expansion and SUA 
reconfiguration may be found on the project Web site at 
www.FRTCModernization.com.
    The EIS will also assess the potential environmental effects of the 
no action alternative. Under the no action alternative, there would be 
no renewal of the existing land withdrawal, which expires on November 
6, 2021, and there would be no range expansion, airspace changes, or 
modification of range infrastructure. As a result, the DoN would 
reassess the military mission of NAS Fallon and the FRTC.
    In addition to the proposed action and the no action alternative, 
the EIS will also assess the potential environmental effects of other 
action alternatives. Public comments submitted during the scoping 
process will inform PACFLT's development of other action alternatives 
for analysis in the EIS.
    Federal agencies, state agencies, local agencies, Native American 
Tribes and Nations, and interested persons are encouraged to provide 
comments to PACFLT to identify specific community interests, issues, or 
topics of environmental concern that PACFLT should consider in the EIS. 
Resource areas to be addressed in the EIS will include soils; air 
quality/climate; water quality; airborne noise; biological resources; 
land use and recreation; socioeconomics, environmental justice, and the 
protection of children; transportation; cultural resources; Native 
American traditional resources; and public health and safety.
    The public scoping process starts with the publication of this 
Notice of Intent. Seven open house information sessions are scheduled 
to receive oral or written comments on issues to be addressed in the 
EIS:
    1. Monday, October 3, 2016, 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Fallon 
Convention Center, 100 Campus Way, Fallon, NV 89406.
    2. Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Pershing 
County Community Center, 820 6th Street, Lovelock, NV 89419.
    3. Tuesday, October 4, 2016, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Evelyn Mount 
Northeast Community Center, 1301 Valley Road, Reno, NV 89512.
    4. Wednesday, October 5, 2016, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Emma Nevada 
Town Hall, 135 Court Street, Austin, NV 89310.
    5. Thursday, October 6, 2016, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Eureka 
Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room, 431 McCoy Street, Eureka, NV 
89316.
    6. Friday, October 7, 2016, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Hawthorne 
Convention Center, 950 E Street, Hawthorne, NV 89415.
    7. Friday, October 7, 2016, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., Gabbs School 
Gymnasium, 511 E Avenue, Gabbs, NV 89409.
    Each of the seven information sessions will begin with a brief 
presentation about the project, followed by an open house with 
information stations staffed by PACFLT and DoN representatives. 
Additional information concerning each open house, as well as further 
project information, is available on the EIS Web page: http://www.FRTCModernization.com.
    All comments, provided orally or in writing at the scoping 
meetings, or submitted via the project Web site or the U.S. Postal 
Service will be taken into consideration during EIS preparation. All 
comments must be postmarked or received online no later than November 
25, 2016. Comments should be mailed to: Naval Facilities Engineering 
Command Southwest; Attention: Amy P. Kelley, Code EV21.AK; 1220 Pacific 
Highway; Building 1, 5th Floor; San Diego, California 92132.

    Dated: August 18, 2016.
C. Pan,
Lieutenant, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Alternate 
Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-20502 Filed 8-25-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P