[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 53 (Wednesday, March 18, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15438-15439]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-05576]



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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Air Force


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Legislative Environmental Impact 
Statement and Notice of Scoping Meetings for the Proposed Extension of 
the Military Land Withdrawal at Barry M. Goldwater Range, Arizona

AGENCY: Department of the Air Force and United States Marine Corps, 
DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The United States Air Force (USAF) (co-lead agency), in 
coordination with the United States Marine Corps (USMC) (co-lead 
agency), is issuing this notice to advise the public of the intent to 
prepare a Legislative Environmental Impact Statement (LEIS) for the 
proposed extension of the Barry M. Goldwater Range (BMGR) land 
withdrawal and reservation in Arizona. The LEIS will also address a 
proposal to withdrawal approximately 2,366 acres of additional public 
land adjacent to Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Airfield to enhance the 
security and safety of flight operations at the airfield. Five public 
scoping meetings will be held, which is an important part of the LEIS 
process as it allows for an early and open process, giving the public 
an opportunity to help determine the scope of issues and alternatives 
to be addressed in the LEIS.

DATES: The scoping meetings will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., 
at the locations and dates listed below:

 Thursday, April 9, 2020: Palmcroft Elementary Cafeteria, 901 W 
Palmcroft Drive, Yuma, AZ 85364
 Monday, April 13, 2020: Longview Elementary, Cafeteria, 1209 E 
Indian School Rd., Phoenix, AZ 85014
 Tuesday, April 14: Gila Bend Unified Schools Media Center, 308 
N Martin Ave., Gila Bend, AZ 85337
 Thursday, April 16, 2020: Ajo Ambulance, Training Room, 1850 N 
Gila Bend Hwy., Ajo, AZ 85321
 Thursday, April 30, 2020: Flowing Wells Public Library, 
Multipurpose Room, 1730 W Wetmore Rd., Tucson, AZ 85705

ADDRESSES: Information on the BMGR Land Withdrawal and the LEIS process 
can be accessed at the project website at www.barry-m-goldwater-leis.com. The project website can also be used to submit comments. 
Inquiries and comments regarding the USAF/USMC proposal may be 
submitted by mail to BMGR Land Withdrawal LEIS, P.O. Box 2324, Phoenix, 
AZ 85003, or email to [email protected].
    To ensure the Air Force and Marine Corps have sufficient time to 
consider public input in the preparation of the Draft LEIS, scoping 
comments must be submitted to the website or mailed to one of the 
addresses listed above no later than May 19, 2020.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jon Haliscak at 210-395-0615.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The current BMGR land withdrawal and 
reservation expires in October 2024. In accordance with the Military 
Lands Withdrawal Act of 1999, the USAF and USMC have notified Congress 
of a continuing military need for the BMGR. National defense land 
withdrawal applications have been prepared and submitted to the Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM) in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976.
    The purpose of extending the BMGR land withdrawal and reservation 
is to retain one of the nation's premier ranges for training tactical 
air-combat aircrews and other military personnel to fight, survive, and 
win in the air-ground battlespace. The readiness of air and ground 
forces is dependent on the quantity and quality of tactics development/
testing and training that warfighters receive, which, in turn, is 
reliant on the capacities and capabilities of the ranges available to 
support their training. The BMGR's attributes of favorable location and 
flying weather, suitable land and airspace, diverse terrain, and 
developed training support facilities make it one of the most capable 
and productive tactical aviation ranges available to U.S. forces, and 
critical to supporting essential training both now and into the 
foreseeable future.
    The LEIS will analyze various alternatives for extending 
authorization for the BMGR. Preliminary alternatives have been 
developed. As part of scoping, comments received during may result in 
changes or additions to these alternatives.
    Alternative 1 would reauthorize the existing land withdrawal and 
management of BMGR for another 25 years. The USAF and USMC would 
continue to manage the withdrawn public lands in BMGR East and BMGR 
West, respectively. The USAF and USMC, through the Offices of the 
Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) and Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV), 
would continue to consult with the Secretary of the Department of the 
Interior (SECDOI) before using the BMGR for non-reserved purposes. The 
existing boundary and land area of the BMGR, which encompasses 
approximately 1,733,921 acres, would not change. Alternative 1A would 
implement Alternative 1 except the period of withdrawal would be for 
another 50 years. Alternative 1B would implement Alternative 1 except 
the withdrawal would be for an indefinite period until the BMGR is no 
longer needed by the USAF and USMC. Alternative 1C would permanently 
transfer administrative jurisdiction of the lands comprising BMGR East 
and BMGR West to SECAF and SECNAV, respectively.
    Alternative 2 would reauthorize the existing land withdrawal and 
management of BMGR for another 25 years, but the BMGR East boundary 
would be extended to include the Gila Bend Addition, an area contiguous 
to and south of the Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Field that consists 
of approximately 2,366 acres of federal public land. USAF and USMC 
would continue to manage the withdrawn public lands in BMGR East and 
BMGR West, respectively. The SECAF and SECNAV would continue to consult 
with the SECDOI before using the BMGR for non-reserved purposes. 
Alternative 2A would implement Alternative 2 except the period of 
withdrawal would be for another 50 years. Alternative 2B would 
implement Alternative 2 except the withdrawal would be for an 
indefinite period until the BMGR is no longer needed by the USAF and 
USMC. Alternative 2C would permanently transfer administrative 
jurisdiction of the lands comprising BMGR East and the Gila Bend 
Addition to SECAF and BMGR West to SECNAV.
    The No Action alternative would consist of Congress not extending 
the land withdrawal, and the current land withdrawal and reservation 
would expire in October 2024. Military training and testing use of the 
range surface would end, including missions involving live-fire use of 
air-to-air, air-to-ground, ground-to-ground, or ground-to-air 
munitions. If Congress declines to extend the withdrawal and 
reservation of the BMGR, responsibility for the formerly withdrawn 
public lands in the BMGR would revert to Department of the Interior.
    The LEIS will consider potential impacts to land use, airspace, 
safety, noise, hazardous materials and waste, earth resources, water 
resources, air quality, transportation, wilderness and wilderness study 
areas, cultural resources, biological resources, socioeconomics, 
environmental justice, and any additional resources or alternatives 
identified through the scoping process.
    Scoping and Agency Coordination: The scoping process will be used 
to

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involve the public early in the planning and development of the EIS, to 
help identify issues to be addressed in the environmental analysis. To 
effectively define the full range of issues and concerns to be 
evaluated in the LEIS, the USAF and USMC are soliciting scoping 
comments from interested local, state, and federal agencies and 
interested members of the public.
    Scheduled dates and addresses for meetings will also be published 
in the Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), Ajo Copper News, Gila Bend Sun, 
Arizona Republic (Phoenix metropolitan area), Casa Grande Dispatch, The 
Glendale Star, Yuma Sun, Baja El Sol (Yuma), La Voz (Phoenix), and The 
Runner (Tohono O'odham Nation) newspapers a minimum of 15 days prior to 
each meeting.

Adriane Paris,
Acting Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-05576 Filed 3-17-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-10-P