[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 187 (Friday, September 25, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60446-60447]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-21220]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

 Department of the Air Force


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent Deployment and Minuteman III 
Decommissioning and Disposal

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The United States Air Force (Air Force) is issuing this Notice 
of Intent (NOI) to advise the public of its intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate potential impacts on 
the human and natural environments of deploying the Ground Based 
Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) 
system and decommissioning and disposing of the Minuteman III ICBM 
system. The Air Force invites public participation in the scoping 
process to determine the scope and significant issues to be analyzed in 
depth in the EIS and eliminate issues which are not significant.

DATES: A public scoping period of 45-days will take place starting from 
the date of this NOI publication in the Federal Register. Comments will 
be accepted at any time during the environmental impact analysis 
process; however, to ensure the Air Force has sufficient time to 
consider public scoping comments during preparation of the Draft EIS, 
please submit comments within the 45-days scoping period. Major 
milestone dates for the GBSD EIS are as follows:

 Draft EIS and Notice of Availability (NOA) Publication, Spring 
2022
 Draft EIS Public Comment Period and Hearing, Spring 2022
 Final EIS and NOA Publication, Spring 2023
 Final ROD signature, Spring 2023
    Given the complexity and the scope of this proposal, the Air Force 
anticipates the environmental analysis to extend past two years for 
completion and has received senior agency official approval.

ADDRESSES: For GBSD deployment EIS inquiries or requests for printed or 
digital copies of the scoping materials, please contact Capt Christina 
Camp, phone: (318) 456-6519, or request materials by email: 
[email protected]. The public and interested parties can 
submit their comments through the project website at www.gbsdeis.com; 
or mail comments to AFCEC/CZN, Attn: GBSD Project EIS, 2261 Hughes 
Avenue, Suite 155, JBSA Lackland TX 78236-9853; FedEx and UPS 
deliveries to AFCEC/CZN, Attn: GBSD Project EIS; 3515 S General 
McMullen, San Antonio, TX 78226-9853.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the proposed action is to 
replace all ground based Minuteman III weapons systems within the 
continental United States with the GBSD system. The proposed action is 
needed to meet national security requirements and to comply with the 
John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 
(Pub. L. 115-232 Sec.  1663, 132 Stat. 2153), which directs the Air 
Force to develop and implement a strategy ``to accelerate the 
development, procurement, and fielding of the ground-based strategic 
deterrent program.'' The scope of the deployment activities would 
include replacing all ground based Minuteman III ICBMs in the United 
States, including motors, interstages, and missile guidance sets, with 
the GBSD weapon system, a technologically advanced ICBM system. All 
launch facilities, communication systems, infrastructure, and 
technologies would be modernized and replaced as necessary to support 
the GBSD system.
    The Secretary of the Air Force announced that the GBSD deployment 
will take place at three sequenced Operational Locations 1-3 (``Ops 1-
3''), with the scope of each Ops location occurring both on-base and in 
the associated missile fields. The Ops locations are the alternatives 
being consider in the EIS. Each location is the preferred alternative 
for its respective sequenced order, and includes Francis E. Warren Air 
Force Base (AFB) WY (Ops-1); Malmstrom AFB, MT (Ops-2); and Minot AFB, 
ND (Ops-3). The additional maintenance, training, storage, testing, 
support, decommissioning, and disposal actions would occur at Hill AFB, 
UT; the Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR), UT; Camp Guernsey, WY; and 
Camp Navajo, AZ.
    The EIS may consider alternatives that include deploying the GBSD 
system in phases. The Proposed Action would not include generating or 
disposing of nuclear material, and the number of ground based nuclear 
missiles would remain unchanged. Deployment of the GBSD system would 
begin in the mid-2020s, extending the capabilities of the ground-based 
leg of the U.S. nuclear triad through at least 2075.
    The EIS will analyze facility construction, modification, and 
operations at and around Francis E. Warren AFB and Camp Guernsey, 
Malmstrom AFB, Minot AFB, Hill AFB and UTTR, and Camp Navajo. During 
the transition from Minuteman III to GBSD, the two weapon systems would 
be partially operated and maintained concurrently for several years; 
therefore, the EIS also will analyze the overlapping actions and 
resulting impacts of conducting aspects of the programs in parallel. 
The EIS will also analyze the No Action Alternative which will also be 
fully considered. It serves as the baseline against which to compare 
the Proposed Action. Under the No Action Alternative, the Air Force 
would continue to maintain and operate the Minuteman III weapon system 
in its current configuration and the GBSD system would not be deployed. 
Expected environmental impacts are assumed to result from ground 
disturbing activities associated with construction of the GBSD system. 
It is anticipated that these environmental impacts, will be mitigated 
to the extent practical or avoided where possible. Further, the Air 
Force will pursue all required Federal and State permits, licenses, and 
other authorizations during the course of this EIS process, including 
but not limited to consultations under the National Historic 
Preservation Act of 1966 (54 U.S.C. 300101 et seq.) and the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), as well as permits under 
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq).
    The scoping process allows and invites early and meaningful 
participation by the public and is used to define the full range of 
issues and concerns to be evaluated in the EIS. As such, the Air Force 
is soliciting scoping comments and/or identification of

[[Page 60447]]

potential alternatives, information, and analysis relevant to the 
proposed action from interested local, state, and federal agencies and 
organizations; Native American Tribes; and members of the public. 
Concurrently, public scoping notices will be announced locally within 
the proposed actions region of influence. Due to public health concerns 
related to COVID-19, the Air Force will not hold face-to-face public 
scoping meetings. Public scoping will be accomplished remotely via the 
project website that includes materials on the project website at 
www.gbsdeis.com. The website provides posters, slides, other meeting 
materials, and a capability to provide public scoping comments. To make 
alternative arrangements to receive printed or digital copies of the 
scoping materials, please contact Capt Christina Camp at (318) 456-
6519, or by email: [email protected].

Adriane Paris,
Acting Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-21220 Filed 9-24-20; 8:45 am]
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