[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]
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