[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 221 (Thursday, November 15, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57455-57456]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-24909]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Public Meetings for the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Modernization of the Fallon Range Training Complex, 
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 of 1969, as implemented by the Council on Environmental 
Quality, the Department of the Navy (DoN) has prepared and filed with 
the United States Environmental Protection Agency a Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts 
of modernization of the Fallon Range Training Complex (FRTC), Naval Air 
Station Fallon, Nevada, to include renewing the current public land 
withdrawal, expanding land ranges, expanding and modifying airspace, 
and upgrading range infrastructure. The DoN is not proposing to change 
the level or type of training, rather activities would be redistributed 
across the expanded ranges. The DoN will hold seven public meetings to 
inform the public and receive oral and written comments on the Draft 
EIS. This notice announces the dates and locations of the public 
meetings and provides information about the environmental planning 
effort.

DATES: The 60-day public comment period begins November 16, 2018, and 
ends January 15, 2019. Public meetings will be held on December 10, 11, 
12 and 13, 2018. All public comments are due by January 15, 2019.

ADDRESSES: The public meetings will be held in the following locations:
    1. December 10, 2018, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Hawthorne Convention 
Center, 932 E Street, Hawthorne, NV 89415-2281.
    2. December 10, 2018, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Gabbs School 
Gymnasium, 511 E Avenue, Gabbs, NV 89409-0147.
    3. December 11, 2018, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Austin Town Hall, 
135 Court Street, Austin, NV 89310-9302.
    4. December 11, 2018, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eureka Opera House, 
Grand Hall, 31 South Main Street, Eureka, NV 89316-1500.
    5. December 12, 2018, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., Fallon Convention 
Center, 100 Campus Way, Fallon, NV 89406-2661.
    6. December 13, 2018, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., C Punch Inn and 
Casino, Kumiva Room, 1420 Cornell Avenue, Lovelock, NV 89419-0056.
    7. December 13, 2018, 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., West 2nd Events 
Center, 600 West 2nd Street, Reno, NV 89503-5312.
    The DoN will hold seven public meetings to inform the public about 
the proposed action, alternatives under consideration, the 
environmental analysis, and to provide an opportunity for the public to 
submit oral and written comments on the Draft EIS. Public meetings will 
include an open house session with informational poster stations 
staffed by DoN representatives, followed by a brief presentation by the 
DoN, and a public oral comment session. A stenographer will be 
available throughout the meeting to record oral comments from the 
public. In the interest of available time, and to ensure all who wish 
to provide an oral statement to the stenographer have the opportunity 
to do so, each speaker's comments will be limited to three minutes. 
Equal weight will be given to oral and written statements. Federal, 
state, and local agencies and officials, Native American tribes, and 
interested organizations and individuals are encouraged to provide 
comments in person at the public meetings or in writing during the 
public review period.
    Comments may be provided at the public meetings, by mail, and 
through the project website at: http://www.FRTCModernization.com. 
Mailed comments should be submitted to: Naval Facilities Engineering 
Command Southwest, Code EV21.SG, 1220 Pacific Highway, Building 1, 5th 
Floor, San Diego, CA 92132-5190, Attn: Ms. Sara Goodwin, EIS Project 
Manager.
    All comments submitted during the public review period, oral or 
written, will become part of the public record and will be reviewed and 
considered in the preparation of the Final EIS. For consideration in 
the Final EIS, comments must be postmarked or received online by 
January 15, 2019.

[[Page 57456]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Naval Facilities Engineering Command 
Southwest, Code EV21.SG, 1220 Pacific Highway; Building 1, 5th floor, 
San Diego, CA 92132-5190, Attn: Ms. Sara Goodwin, EIS Project Manager, 
619-532-4463, or project website: http://www.FRTCModernization.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Bureau of Land Management, Federal 
Aviation Administration, and United States Fish and Wildlife Service 
are federal cooperating agencies for this EIS. Additional state and 
county cooperating agencies include: Nevada Department of Wildlife, 
Nevada Division of Minerals, Nevada Department of Agriculture, Nevada 
Department of Transportation, Nevada Governor's Office of Energy, 
Churchill County, Eureka County, Lander County, Mineral County, Nye 
County, and Pershing County. The DoN is also working with thirteen 
federally recognized Native American tribes and one Tribal Council.
    The FRTC is a training complex in the high desert of northern 
Nevada encompassing airspace, land ranges, and electronic systems used 
primarily for air and ground training activities. The DoN's proposed 
action is to modernize the FRTC by expanding land ranges and modifying 
associated airspace configurations. The proposed action has the 
following elements:
     Congressional renewal of the 1999 public land withdrawal 
of 202,864 acres which is scheduled to expire in November 2021.
     Withdrawal and reservation by Congress for military use of 
up to approximately 618,727 acres of additional federal land.
     Acquisition of approximately 65,153 acres of private or 
state-owned (non-federal) land.
     Expansion of associated special use airspace and 
reconfiguration of existing airspace.
     Modification of range infrastructure to support 
modernization, including construction of new targets.
    The purpose of the proposed action is to provide sustainable and 
modernized airspace, range, maneuver areas, training facilities, and 
range infrastructure and resources that would support acceptably 
realistic air warfare training activities as well as special operations 
ground training activities in order to meet emergent and future 
threats. The proposed action would enable the DoN's execution of its 
congressionally mandated roles and responsibilities under 10 United 
States Code (U.S.C), section 5062 and 10 U.S.C. 167. Current range 
configurations do not support realistic training. Increasing the size 
of the range would allow the DoN to realistically train with precision-
guided munitions, which require greater safety buffer zones because 
they are launched from aircraft at higher altitudes and longer 
distances from targets. It would also allow ground forces to 
realistically conduct tactical ground mobility training.
    The Draft EIS is available at the project website at http://www.FRTCModernization.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 89310-0121.
    2. Carson City Library, 900 North Roop Street, Carson City, NV 
89701-3101.
    3. Churchill County Library, 553 S. Maine Street, Fallon, NV 89406-
3306.
    4. Crescent Valley Branch Library, Crescent Valley Town Center, 
5045 Tenabo Avenue, Suite 103, Crescent Valley, NV 89821-8051.
    5. Downtown Reno Library, 301 S. Center Street, Reno, NV 89501-
2102.
    6. Eureka Branch Library, 80 South Monroe Street, Eureka, NV 89316-
0293.
    7. Fernley Branch Library, 575 Silver Lace Blvd., Fernley, NV 
89408-1591.
    8. Gabbs Community Library, 602 3rd Street, Gabbs, NV 89409-0206.
    9. Mineral County Library 110 First Street, Hawthorne, NV 89415-
1390.
    10. Pershing County Library, 1125 Central Avenue, Lovelock, NV 
89419-0781.
    11. Yerington Branch Library, 20 Nevin Way, Yerington, NV 89447-
2399.
    A compact disc of the Draft EIS will be made available upon written 
request by contacting: Naval Facilities Engineering Command Southwest, 
Code EV21.SG, 1220 Pacific Highway; Building 1, 5th floor, San Diego, 
CA 92132-5190, Attn: Ms. Sara Goodwin, EIS Project Manager.

    Dated: November 9, 2018.
Meredith Steingold Werner,
Commander, Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal Register 
Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-24909 Filed 11-14-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3810-FF-P