[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 58 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11289-11290]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05456]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Air Force


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Basing of the Permanent F-22 Formal Training Unit

AGENCY: Department of the Air Force, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Air Force is issuing this notice to advise the public of 
its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 
proposed action to permanently beddown its F-22 Formal Training Unit 
(FTU). With this notice, the Air Force is initiating its scoping 
process and inviting the participation of the affected public, federal, 
state, and local agencies, any affected Native American tribe, and 
other interested persons to identify potentially significant 
environmental issues and to solicit related comments to assist in 
developing the overall scope of the F-22 FTU EIS.

DATES: The Air Force invites the affected public, federal, state, and 
local agencies, any affected Native American tribe, and other 
interested persons to attend formal scoping meetings in locations to be 
announced in the areas of Langley AFB, Eglin AFB, and Tyndall AFB. The 
dates, times and locations for the scoping meetings will be announced

[[Page 11290]]

in local newspapers of general circulation by not later than 15 May 
2019 and no less than 15 days prior to the meetings.

ADDRESSES: The affected public, federal, state, and local agencies, any 
affected Native American tribe, and other interested persons should 
submit their scoping comments in writing to: Mr Mike Ackerman, (757) 
276-8556, AFCEC/CZN; Attn: F-22 FTU EIS, 2261 Hughes Ave., Ste. 155, 
JBSA Lackland, TX 78236-9853 or via email 
[email protected].
    For FedEx and UPS Deliveries mail to: F-22 FTU EIS Scoping, 3515 S 
General McMullen, San Antonio, TX 78226-9853.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EIS will assess the potential 
environmental consequences of the proposed action to beddown the F-22 
FTU at Langley Air Force Base (AFB), Virginia, and the No Action 
Alternative, which consists of continuing F-22 FTU operations from a 
combination of Eglin AFB, Florida and Tyndall AFB, Florida. The Air 
Force carefully considered other alternatives for this proposed action, 
but based upon early internal scoping, these alternatives are not 
currently considered reasonable or within the scope of the proposed EIS 
due to known operational restrictions. Scoping comments submitted by 
affected public, federal, state, and local agencies, any affected 
Native American tribe, and other interested persons should be 
substantive in nature, in order to assist the Air Force in early 
identification of significant issues, and to ensure those issues are 
properly analyzed.
    There is only one F-22 FTU and it consists of the F-22 aircraft in 
the 43rd Fighter Squadron (43 FS) and its associated T-38 aircraft in 
the 2d Fighter Training Squadron (2 FTS). The F-22 is the United 
States' premier fighter aircraft and essential to national security. It 
is a specialized ``Fifth-Generation'' fighter which introduces a large 
array of sensors that can detect both air and ground targets and share 
that data with other U.S. and Allied aircraft.
    In December 2018, the Air Force sought approval from the Council of 
Environmental Quality (CEQ) of alternative arrangements pursuant to 40 
CFR 1506.11 for implementing the procedural provisions of the National 
Environmental Policy Act, 42 U.S.C. 4321, et seq. (NEPA), for the 
interim beddown of the Air Force's F-22 FTU. The Air Force sought 
alternative arrangements due to emergency conditions resulting from 
Hurricane Michael displacing the 43 FS and 2 FTS from their home at 
Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), Florida. On 21 December, 2018, the Air 
Force announced its decision to accept alternative arrangements 
proposed and approved by the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) for 
the Air Force's interim beddown of the F-22 Formal Training Unit at 
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. The Air Force published a memorandum 
documenting the Air Force's decision to accept the CEQ's alternative 
arrangements in the Federal Register (84 FR 103, January 11, 2019). The 
alternative arrangements allowed the Air Force to comply with NEPA and 
temporarily restore training of replacement pilots for the F-22 FTU at 
Eglin AFB, by January 31, 2019.
    As part of the alternative arrangements, the Air Force agreed to 
issue a Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for the follow-on permanent 
F-22 FTU beddown, as soon as possible, but no later than April 1, 2019. 
This notification complies with that requirement.

Carlinda N. Lotson,
TSgt, USAF, Acting Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-05456 Filed 3-25-19; 8:45 am]
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