[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 174 (Friday, September 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55414-55415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-19461]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Notice of Intent To Prepare Legislative Environmental Impact 
Statement Regarding Proposed Public Land Withdrawal in Vicinity of 
Arizona State Route 95, Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of the Army (Army) intends to prepare a 
legislative environmental impact statement (LEIS) regarding the 
withdrawal and reservation for military purposes of approximately 
22,000 acres of public land now managed by the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM). This withdrawal and reservation would add to the 
existing withdrawal and reservation for the Army's Yuma Proving Ground 
(YPG), Arizona. It would improve public safety and meet testing and 
training requirements for advances in Global Positioning System (GPS)-
guided parachute technologies. The additional land would allow for 
higher-altitude parachute releases and would provide an additional 
buffer in case of release-point errors and system failures. The 
proposed withdrawal area, which would extend to Arizona State Route 
(SR) 95, would establish SR 95 as a distinct physical landmark for the 
YPG boundary. This notice announces the beginning of the public comment 
process, including public scoping meetings. When the Army submits its 
land withdrawal application, BLM will file a separate Notice of 
Application for Withdrawal in the Federal Register. The LEIS will 
analyze potential impacts of the Army's use of the land. The LEIS will 
be transmitted to Congress to support legislative decision-making 
regarding the Army's request.

DATES: To be considered during the LEIS process, comments must be 
received by December 8, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Please mail written comments to: Mr. Daniel Steward, 
Environmental Sciences Division, U.S. Army Garrison--Yuma Proving 
Ground, 301 C St., Bldg. 307, Yuma, AZ 85365. Please email written 
comments to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Mr. Daniel Steward, YPG Environmental 
Sciences Division, by telephone at (928) 328-2125 or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Army intends to prepare an LEIS to 
analyze potential impacts from a possible legislative withdrawal for 
military purposes of approximately 22,000 acres of public land managed 
by BLM. The proposed action involves a withdrawal and reservation of 
21,200 acres of public land from all forms of appropriation (such as 
mining claims) and 800 acres of federal surface estate (meaning the 
subsurface is not included). The land is needed to improve public 
safety and meet testing and training requirements for advances in 
parachute technologies. If enacted into law, the withdrawal would add 
to--and be adjacent to--the 829,565 acres withdrawn on July 1, 1952, 
under Public Land Order 848, as amended, for use by the Army in 
connection with Yuma Test Station (currently known as YPG). The land 
withdrawal the Army is currently seeking would be for an indefinite 
period--i.e., until there is no longer a military need for the land.
    YPG is located in the southwestern corner of Arizona, near the 
California-Arizona border. It is bounded by the Colorado River to the 
west and the Gila River to the south. The installation lies 
approximately 23 miles northeast of the city of Yuma, Arizona. A 
portion is situated in La Paz County and a portion is situated in Yuma 
County. Both counties are in Arizona. The proposed withdrawal involves 
land in each county. YPG occupies about 1,300 square miles and extends 
approximately 60 miles north to south and 50 miles east to west. YPG's 
mission is to plan, conduct, assess, analyze, report, and support 
developmental, production, and operational tests on: medium- and long-
range artillery; aircraft target acquisition equipment and armament; 
armored tracked and wheeled vehicles; a variety of munitions; and 
parachute systems for personnel and supplies. YPG also provides 
training support to the Army, DoD, other federal agencies, and 
international and commercial customers.
    The purpose of the proposed land withdrawal is to provide 
approximately 22,000 acres of additional area for testing and training 
at YPG. The Army requires the additional land as a safety buffer for 
testing advanced air delivery technologies and aviation systems. The 
additional land will also allow the Army to execute more complex air 
delivery and tactical scenarios. Higher altitudes and greater offset 
distances are required to test parachute systems' full capabilities. 
Parachute systems need larger buffer areas (i.e., surface safety zones) 
than are currently available. The surface safety zone is an area in 
space and on the ground that provides an additional buffer in case of 
error or failure. Surface safety zones protect people from being 
injured by material dropping from the sky during air delivery testing 
and training.
    Currently, because of land and airspace limitations, systems are 
not tested to their full capability for altitude and precision. Higher-
elevation and GPS-guided air delivery methods are being developed to 
provide better support to soldiers and other personnel in the field. 
GPS-guided delivery is designed to ensure payloads arrive at the 
intended location while keeping aircrews and other personnel out of 
harm's way. A payload is a palletized package of various weights and 
items, such as a vehicle, equipment, and/or supplies. Guided delivery 
systems undergoing development require safety buffers to contain 
potential testing errors and failures. The requested withdrawal area 
would provide an additional safety buffer to protect the public. 
Without the proposed withdrawal, drops could land outside the current 
YPG boundary. This could result in injury or death to members of the 
public. The land withdrawal would restrict the public from accessing 
hazardous areas, thus reducing the potential for injuries and death. 
The withdrawn land may also be used for other training and testing 
activities that are not known at this time. Such activities would be 
subject to additional National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
analysis.
    Currently, the boundary between YPG and BLM land lacks a contiguous 
physical landmark demarcating the two

[[Page 55415]]

areas, which has led to unintentional public intrusions onto YPG. The 
requested withdrawal area extends to SR 95. This would establish the 
highway as a distinct physical landmark for the YPG boundary, thereby 
improving public safety.
    In addition to the proposed action, the LEIS will analyze a range 
of alternatives, including a no-action alternative under which there 
would be no additional land withdrawal and YPG would not expand its 
capability. While the proposed action entails a withdrawal of land for 
an indefinite period, action alternatives could include the withdrawal 
and reservation of land for a shorter duration (e.g., 25 years).
    The Army will analyze potential environmental impacts resulting 
from the withdrawal of land from BLM oversight and from expanding 
military capability within the withdrawn area. The Army will cover 
possible impacts to biological and cultural resources in a separate 
NEPA analysis before training and testing begin.
    The withdrawal could impact recreational activities that 
occasionally take place on the BLM-managed land proposed for 
withdrawal. Recreational use of the area is currently allowed, but if 
Congress withdraws and reserves this land for YPG, public use would be 
subject to the terms of the relevant legislation and applicable Army 
regulations, procedures, and management plans. Thus, public use would 
likely be restricted in some manner.
    The LEIS will also identify mitigation measures that would reduce 
or eliminate any adverse impacts resulting from the transfer of this 
land to the Army's administrative control. The environmental analysis 
will include coordination with area Native American Tribes, the U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, and other federal, state, and local 
agencies. The Army is not aware of any federal or state permits or 
other approvals that would be required in conjunction with a 
legislative withdrawal or reservation. The Army is requesting the 
withdrawal of approximately 22,000 acres from all types of 
appropriation (such as mining claims) under federal public land laws. 
This administrative activity does not have the potential to cause 
effects to historic properties within the meaning of 36 CFR part 
800.3(a)(1), and is not subject to further review under Section 106 of 
the National Historic Preservation Act.
    The Army is the lead agency for the LEIS and BLM is a cooperating 
agency. As a cooperating agency, BLM will join the Army in the public 
comment process. Both agencies will thereby fulfill their requirements 
to inform the public about the proposed action. Federal, state, and 
local agencies, Native American Tribes, private organizations, and the 
public are invited to participate in the public comment process for the 
LEIS by participating in a public scoping meeting(s) and/or by 
submitting written comments. The Army invites potential alternatives, 
information, and analyses relevant to the proposed action. To be 
considered, written comments must be sent no later than December 8, 
2022. Comments may be mailed to Mr. Daniel Steward, Environmental 
Sciences Division, U.S. Army Garrison--Yuma Proving Ground, 301 C St., 
Bldg. 307, Yuma, AZ 85365, or emailed to 
[email protected].
    In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and to Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention recommendations for social distancing and 
avoiding large public gatherings, the Army will not hold in-person 
public scoping meetings. YPG will instead host two online/telephonic 
public scoping meetings 30 days after publication of this notice. 
Specific details regarding the public scoping meetings will be 
announced through local media and on the YPG LEIS website: https://ypg-environmental.com/highway-95-land-withdrawal-leis/. Public scoping 
materials will also be posted to the YPG LEIS website.
    For those who do not have ready access to a computer or to the 
internet, hard copies of public scoping materials are available upon 
request. Any mailed requests for public scoping materials must be 
postmarked no later than September 29, 2022.
    The public will also be invited to review and comment on the Draft 
LEIS when it is released. Public comments will be considered before 
proposed legislation is presented to Congress and before any decision 
is made to implement the proposed action. Actual and estimated 
milestone dates are as follows: BLM published a Notice of Application 
for Withdrawal in the Federal Register on April 4, 2022; public 
meetings were held on June 7 and 8, 2022; BLM filed a Notice of 
Proposed Withdrawal in the Federal Register on June 30, 2022. LEIS 
public scoping meetings are to be held 30 days after publication of 
this Notice of Intent in the Federal Register; a 90-day public comment 
period regarding the Draft LEIS is expected to start in July 2023; and 
the Final LEIS is expected to be available in February 2024.

James W. Satterwhite Jr.,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-19461 Filed 9-8-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3711-02-P