[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 200 (Wednesday, October 16, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55290-55291]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-22512]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

 Department of the Air Force


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Airspace Optimization for Readiness, Mountain Home Air Force Base, 
Idaho

AGENCY: Department of the Air Force, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The United States Air Force (USAF) is issuing this notice of 
intent to advise the public of its intent to prepare an Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate potential environmental impacts 
associated with a proposed action on Airspace Optimization at Mountain 
Home Air Force Base (AFB), Idaho (ID).

DATES: The USAF intends to hold open-house style public scoping 
meetings from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the following communities on 
the following dates: McDermitt, NV. Monday, November 4, 2019. McDermitt 
Combined Schools, 100 Olavarria Street, McDermitt, NV 89421. Boise, ID. 
Wednesday, November 6, 2019. The Riverside Hotel, 2900 West Chinden 
Boulevard, Boise, ID 83714. Grand View, ID. Thursday, November 7, 2019. 
Grand View Elementary School, 205 1st Street, Grand View, ID 83624. 
Mountain Home, ID. Friday, November 8, 2019, Mountain Home Junior High 
School, 1600 East 6th South Street, Mountain Home, ID 83647.

ADDRESSES: For questions regarding the Proposed Action or EIS 
development contact Grace Keesling at (210) 925-4534 or 
[email protected]. Comments will be accepted at any time 
during the environmental impact analysis process. However, to ensure 
the USAF has sufficient time to consider public input in the 
preparation of the Draft EIS, scoping comments should be submitted via 
the project website or to the address listed above by 25 November 2019. 
The project website (www.mountainhomeafbairspaceeis .com) provides more 
information on the

[[Page 55291]]

EIS and can be used to submit scoping comments. Scoping comments can 
also be submitted to Mountain Home AFB Airspace EIS, c/o Leidos, 1740 
East Fairview Ave., PMB 20, Meridian, ID 83642.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Mountain Home AFB managed airspace consists 
of six Military Operations Areas (MOAs) with airspace over portions of 
Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon and two USAF ranges in Idaho for inert 
weapons deployment. The Jarbidge North and Owyhee North MOAs have 
operational floors at 100 feet above ground level (AGL). The other four 
MOAs (Jarbidge South, Owyhee South, Paradise North, and Paradise South) 
have operational floors at 10,000 feet mean sea level (MSL) or 3,000 
feet AGL, whichever is higher. Supersonic aircraft flights are 
permitted above 30,000 feet MSL within all the MOAs except over the 
Duck Valley Indian Reservation. Supersonic events above 10,000 feet AGL 
are permitted only in the Jarbidge North and Owyhee North MOAs.
    Modifying this airspace will allow the USAF to provide a more 
realistic and efficient airspace training environment and improve 
aircrew proficiency in low-altitude tactics and radar masking using 
mountainous terrain for survival in a highly contested environment. The 
proposed airspace changes include: (1) changing low-altitude 
operational airspace floors that currently prohibit realistic low-
altitude training (LOWAT) certification and maintenance training and 
negatively impact vertical capability and capacity, (2) providing 
consistent low-level operational floors for low-altitude flights to 
allow use of topographic features of mountainous terrain to mask the 
aircraft and safely neutralize or avoid technologically advanced 
threats, and (3) allowing aircrews to descend at supersonic speed and 
to fly at lower supersonic altitudes so they can realistically train on 
evasive maneuvers.
    While only a small portion of overall flights, any low-altitude 
operations would be subject to specific limitations; however, these 
operations are essential for training and mission completion. 
Alternatives that address the training requirements will be defined as 
reasonable alternatives for analysis in the EIS. The analysis will also 
include the No Action Alternative which provides a benchmark to enable 
USAF decision-makers to compare the magnitude of the potential 
environmental effects of the Proposed Action. The Federal Aviation 
Administration is a Cooperating Agency for this EIS.
    Scoping and Agency Coordination: To effectively define the full 
range of issues to be evaluated in the EIS, the USAF will solicit 
written comments from interested local, state, and federal agencies and 
elected officials, Native American tribes, interested members of the 
public, and others. Public scoping meetings will be held in the local 
communities beneath or adjacent to the airspace. The scheduled dates, 
times, locations, and addresses for the public scoping meetings are 
concurrently being published in local media.

Adriane Paris,
Acting Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2019-22512 Filed 10-15-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 5001-10-P