[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 119 (Wednesday, June 22, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37314-37315]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-13288]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Programmatic Environmental Assessment of Multi-Domain Task Force 
Stationing

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army (Army) completed a programmatic 
environmental assessment (PEA) regarding the impacts of stationing a 
Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) at 13 existing Army garrisons and joint 
bases, and is encouraging community participation in this process. The 
Army is making the PEA and a draft finding of no significant impact 
(FONSI) available for public comment. The PEA determined the 
environmental and socioeconomic impacts that would result from the 
Proposed Action would be either less than significant or significant 
but mitigable at all of the considered locations. The draft FONSI 
concluded that an environmental impact statement (EIS) is not required. 
Unless other significant impacts are brought to the Army's attention 
during public review of the PEA, the Army will

[[Page 37315]]

finalize the PEA and FONSI and will not prepare an EIS.

DATES: Comments must be received by July 22, 2022 to be considered in 
the PEA process.

ADDRESSES: Please mail written comments to: U.S. Army Environmental 
Command, ATTN: MDTF Public Comments, 2455 Reynolds Road, Mail Stop 112, 
JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-7588. You can also email written 
comments to: [email protected], with ``MDTF 
Public Comments'' in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Cathy Kropp, U.S. Army 
Environmental Command Public Affairs Office, by phone at (210) 466-1590 
or (210) 488-6061, or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Army prepared this PEA in accordance 
with: the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (title 42, 
section 4321, U.S. Code); Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) NEPA 
regulations (title 40, parts 1500 through 1508, Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR)); and the Army regulation implementing NEPA, 32 CFR 
part 651.
    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to support the Joint Force 
(i.e., all U.S. military services)--plus our allies--in the rapid and 
continuous integration of all domains of warfare: land, sea, air, 
space, and cyberspace. The Army proposes to station MDTFs at Army 
garrisons and joint bases so the MDTFs can quickly deploy to any 
theater of operations where they are needed.
    The PEA and the draft FONSI evaluated the following installations: 
Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Campbell, Kentucky; 
Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Drum, New York; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort 
Knox, Kentucky; Fort Riley, Kansas; Fort Stewart, Georgia; Joint Base 
Lewis-McChord (JBLM), Washington; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, 
Alaska; U.S. Army Garrison (USAG)-Hawai[revaps]i (Schofield Barracks 
and Helemano Military Reservation); and Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
    The PEA examined two MDTF alternatives: the full MDTF, which 
consists of approximately 3,000 soldiers; and the base MDTF, which 
consists of headquarters elements and approximately 400 soldiers. The 
PEA looks at only the base MDTF for Garrison (USAG)-Hawai[revaps]i.
    The Army initiated temporary MDTF pilot projects at JBLM and at 
USAG-Hawai`i. The Army established a temporary, full MDTF configuration 
at JBLM and a temporary, base MDTF configuration at USAG-
Hawai[revaps]i.
    Although the Army developed MDTF personnel and facility 
requirements, MDTF weapon system training doctrine is under development 
and is therefore unavailable at this time. The PEA did not analyze any 
MDTF training activities. When the Army finalizes its MDTF weapon 
system training doctrine, the Army will compare these doctrinal 
requirements against other, existing, ongoing training requirements to 
determine if a specific installation must conduct additional 
environmental analysis before the installation receives an MDTF.
    The PEA and the input received during the public comment period 
will provide decision-makers with the information necessary to evaluate 
the potential environmental and socioeconomic impacts associated with 
the Proposed Action.
    The PEA analyzed the direct, indirect, and cumulative impacts of 
the two Proposed Action Alternatives and the No-Action Alternative on 
the following nine resource areas: air quality; biological resources; 
cultural resources; soils; land use; socioeconomics; traffic and 
transportation; infrastructure and utilities; and water resources. The 
PEA concluded the impacts at all assessed installations would be either 
less than significant or significant but mitigable. Impacts will be 
minimized through avoidance of sensitive resources and through 
implementation of environmental protection measures.
    When planning how to execute an MDTF stationing decision, 
installations will complete a PEA checklist to determine what type of 
additional, site-specific NEPA analysis--if any--is required. If an 
installation determines the stationing of a particular MDTF will 
require additional NEPA analysis (i.e., analysis ``tiered'' from the 
PEA), the installation is required to complete the appropriate NEPA 
analysis before making any irreversible or irretrievable commitments 
related to the stationing action.
    Members of the general public, federally recognized Native American 
Tribes, Native Alaskan Entities, or Native Hawaiian Organizations, and 
federal, state, and local agencies are invited to submit written 
comments regarding the PEA and/or the draft FONSI. The PEA and the 
draft FONSI can be accessed on the U.S. Army Environmental Command NEPA 
Documents page at: https://aec.army.mil/index.php?cID=352. If you 
cannot access the documents online, please submit a request to: U.S. 
Army Environmental Command, ATTN: Public Affairs, 2455 Reynolds Road, 
Mail Stop 112, JBSA-Fort Sam Houston, TX 78234-7588. You can also email 
a request to: [email protected].

James Satterwhite Jr.,
U.S. Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-13288 Filed 6-21-22; 8:45 am]
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