[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 58 (Monday, March 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18128-18129]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-06175]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Air Force


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the B-21 Beddown Main Operating Base 2 (Mob 2)/Main Operating Base 3 
(Mob 3) at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas or Whiteman Air Force Base, 
Missouri

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

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Air Force (DAF) is issuing this Notice 
of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to 
assess the potential environmental impacts associated with the beddown 
of the B-21 Main Operating Base 2 (MOB 2)/Main Operating Base 3 (MOB 3) 
at Dyess Air Force Base (AFB), Texas or Whiteman AFB, Missouri. The EIS 
will evaluate the potential impacts of the DAF's beddown proposal 
associated with infrastructure construction, demolition, renovations, 
additional personnel, and changes in aircraft operations at Dyess AFB 
and Whiteman AFB, including associated airspace. The B-21 will 
eventually replace existing B-1 and B-2 bomber aircraft.

DATES: A public scoping period of 45 days will take place starting from 
the date of this NOI publication in the Federal Register. This scoping 
period will be conducted in compliance with NEPA and section 106 
consultation pursuant to Code of Federal Regulations title 36, section 
800.2(d). Please provide substantive comments which identify potential 
alternatives (in accordance with 40 CFR 1502.14(a) and 32 CFR 989.8), 
information, and analyses relevant to the proposed action. Comments 
will be accepted at any time during the environmental impact analysis 
process; however, to ensure DAF has sufficient time to consider public 
scoping comments during preparation of the Draft EIS, please submit 
comments within the 45-day scoping period. Scoping comments should be 
submitted to the website or the address listed below by May 8, 2023. 
The Draft EIS is anticipated in Fall 2023 and the Final EIS is 
anticipated in Summer 2024. The Record of Decision would be approved 
and signed no earlier than 30 days after the Final EIS.
    The DAF intends to hold scoping meetings from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 
p.m. CST in the following communities on the following dates:

1. Virtual--Tuesday, April 11, 2023, via Zoom. Visit www.B21EIS.com for 
registration and meeting links. To listen only, dial in by phone at 
888-788-0099, Webinar ID: 813 5934 9395, Passcode: 570587
2. Virtual--Thursday, April 13, 2023, via Zoom. Visit www.B21EIS.com 
for registration and meeting links. To listen only, dial in by phone at 
888-788-0099, Webinar ID: 813 5934 9395, Passcode: 570587
3. Whiteman AFB--Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at the University of Central 
Missouri, 108 W. South St., Warrensburg, MO
4. Whiteman AFB--Thursday, April 20, 2023, at the Knob Noster High 
School, 504 South Washington Ave., Knob Noster, MO
5. Dyess AFB--Tuesday, April 25, 2023, at the Abilene Convention 
Center, 1100 N 6th St., Abilene, TX
6. Dyess AFB--Thursday, April 27, 2023, at the Tye Community Center, 
103 Scott St., Tye, TX

ADDRESSES: Additional information on the B-21 MOB 2/MOB 3 Beddown EIS 
environmental impact analysis process can be found on the project 
website at www.B21EIS.com. The project website can also be used to 
submit comments. Comments-by-mail regarding the proposal should be sent 
to Leidos, ATTN: B-21 EIS, 12304 Morganton Hwy #572, Morganton, GA 
30560. Inquiries regarding the proposal should be directed to Dyess AFB 
Public Affairs, ATTN: B-21 EIS, 7 Lancer Loop, Suite 136, Dyess AFB, TX 
79607; (325) 696-4820; [email protected]; or Whiteman AFB Public Affairs, 
ATTN: B-21 EIS, 509 Spirit Blvd., Bldg. 509, Suite 116, Whiteman AFB, 
MO 65305; (660) 687-5727; [email protected]. For printed 
material requests, the standard U.S. Postal Service shipping timeline 
will apply.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The beddown of the B-21 will take place 
through a series of beddowns at three Main Operating Bases (MOBs), 
referred to as MOB 1, MOB 2, and MOB 3. The candidate MOB locations 
were determined through the DAF's Strategic Basing Process (Air Force 
Instruction [AFI] 10-503, Strategic Basing), which identified Dyess AFB 
in Texas, Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota, and Whiteman AFB in Missouri 
as potential installations to beddown the B-21 Raider. The B-21 will 
operate under the direction of the Air Force Global Strike Command.
    The purpose of the Proposed Action is to implement the goals of the 
National Defense Strategy by modernizing the United States bomber fleet 
capabilities. The B-21 Raider is being developed to carry conventional 
payloads and to support the nuclear triad by providing a visible and 
flexible nuclear deterrent capability that will assure allies and 
partners through the United States' commitment to international 
treaties. MOB 2 will support training of crewmembers and personnel in 
the operation and maintenance of the B-21 aircraft in an appropriate 
geographic location that can provide sufficient airfield, facilities, 
infrastructure, and airspace to support the B-21 training and 
operations.
    In 2021, the DAF completed the B-21 MOB 1 Beddown at Dyess, AFB 
Texas or Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota EIS (hereinafter referred to as 
the ``MOB 1 EIS''). On June 3, 2021, the DAF signed a Record of 
Decision (ROD) for the MOB 1 EIS and selected Ellsworth AFB as the MOB 
1 location. Because the DAF chose Ellsworth AFB for MOB 1, the EIS for 
MOB 2/MOB 3 will evaluate potential environmental consequences 
associated with the remaining two alternative bases: Dyess AFB or 
Whiteman AFB.

[[Page 18129]]

The proposed beddown would include B-21 Operations Squadrons, Weapons 
Instructor Course (WIC), and Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) 
Squadron, as well as a Weapons Generation Facility (WGF). Potential 
impacts of these four components (i.e., Operations Squadrons, WIC, 
OT&E, and WGF) will be analyzed for both alternative locations, Dyess 
AFB and Whiteman AFB.
    The EIS will analyze Dyess AFB and Whiteman AFB as basing 
alternatives for the Proposed Action, as well as a No Action 
Alternative. The basing alternatives were developed to minimize mission 
impact, maximize facility reuse, minimize cost, and reduce overhead, as 
well as leverage the strengths of each base to optimize the B-21 
beddown strategy. At Dyess AFB, proposed activities include an 
estimated 4.2 million square feet (SF) of construction, 600,000 SF of 
renovation, and 300,000 SF of demolition. Proposed airspace for B-21 
operations out of Dyess AFB include special use airspace (SUA) units 
over areas in Texas and New Mexico. At Whiteman AFB, proposed 
activities include an estimated 600,000 SF of construction, 1.7 million 
SF of renovation, and 85,000 SF of demolition. Proposed airspace for B-
21 operations out of Whiteman AFB include SUA units over areas in 
Missouri and Kansas. The potential impacts of the alternatives and the 
No Action Alternative that the EIS may examine include impacts to land 
use, airspace, safety, noise, hazardous materials and solid waste, 
physical resources (including earth and water resources), air quality, 
transportation, cultural resources, biological resources, 
socioeconomics, and environmental justice.
    The DAF is preparing this EIS in accordance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969; 40 Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR), Parts 1500 through 1508 (85 FR 43359, July 16, 2020, as amended 
by 87 FR 23453, April 20, 2022), the Council on Environmental Quality 
(CEQ) regulations implementing NEPA; and the DAF's Environmental Impact 
Analysis Process (EIAP) as codified in 32 CFR part 989. Since the B-21 
basing action is a series of beddowns, once a base is selected for MOB 
2, the remaining base would subsequently become the MOB 3 beddown 
location.
    DAF anticipates potential noise impacts to be similar to, or less 
than, those currently experienced at Dyess AFB and Whiteman AFB, 
including associated airspace.
    Potential permits that may be required include, but are not limited 
to, section 404 of the Clean Water Act, General Construction, 
Floodplain Development, and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination 
System. Additionally, the DAF will coordinate with U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service under section 7 of the Endangered Species Act, as well 
as SHPO and federally recognized tribes regarding section 106 
consultation under the National Historic Preservation Act and will 
utilize the scoping process to partially fulfill consultation 
requirements.
    Scoping and Agency Coordination: The scoping process will be used 
to involve the public early in the planning and development of the EIS 
and 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 EIS, the DAF is soliciting scoping comments from 
interested local, state, and federal agencies (including, but not 
limited to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, State Historic Preservation 
Offices (SHPO), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) and interested 
members of the public.
    The proposed action at Dyess AFB and Whiteman AFB is subject to the 
Clean Water Act, sections 401, 404 and 404(b)(1) guidelines and have 
the potential to be located in a floodplain and/or wetland. Consistent 
with the requirements and objectives of Executive Order (E.O.) 11990, 
``Protection of Wetlands'', and E.O. 11988, ``Floodplain Management'', 
as amended by E.O. 13690, ``Establishing a Federal Flood Risk 
Management Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and 
Considering Stakeholder Input,'' state and federal regulatory agencies 
with special expertise in wetlands and floodplains will be contacted to 
request comment. Consistent with E.O. 11988, E.O. 13690, and E.O. 
11990, this NOI initiates early public review of the proposed actions 
and alternatives, which have the potential to be located in a 
floodplain and/or wetland.
    The DAF will hold scoping meetings to inform the public and solicit 
comments and concerns about the proposal. Scheduled dates, and times 
for each meeting, as well as registration information for virtual 
meetings, will be available on the project website (www.B21EIS.com) and 
published in the local media a minimum of fifteen (15) days prior to 
each meeting.

Tommy W. Lee,
Acting Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-06175 Filed 3-24-23; 8:45 am]
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