[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 91 (Thursday, May 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39605-39606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10141]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Air Force


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the 492nd Special Operations Wing Beddown at Davis-Monthan Air Force 
Base, Arizona

AGENCY: Department of the Air Force, lead Agency, 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), in accordance with the National Environmental Policy 
Act (NEPA), to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to 
evaluate the potential environmental impacts associated with 
transformation of the 492nd Special Operations Wing (492 SOW) into an 
Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) Power Projection Wing 
(PPW) at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base (AFB), Arizona. This PPW would 
include the 492 SOW, the 6th and 319th Special Operations Squadrons, an 
MC-130J squadron, activation of an Intelligence Squadron (IS) under the 
Air Combat Command (ACC) 361st Intelligence, Surveillance, and 
Reconnaissance Group (361 ISRG), and Special Tactics and Special 
Operations Theater Air Operations Squadrons. The beddown of the 492 SOW 
is planned as a replacement mission for the A-10 aircraft at Davis-
Monthan as they retire. There will likely be a short-term temporary 
overlap of the 492 SOW mission with the A-10s until their retirement is 
complete.

DATES: A public scoping period will take place starting from the date 
of this NOI publication in the Federal Register and will last for 30 
days. Comments will be accepted at any time during the environmental 
impact analysis process; however, to ensure the DAF has sufficient time 
to consider public scoping comments during preparation of the Draft 
EIS, please submit comments within the 30-day scoping period.
    The DAF invites the public, stakeholders, and other interested 
parties to attend the public scoping meeting. The in-person scoping 
meeting will be held on May 30 at the Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. 
Church Ave., Tucson, Arizona 85701. The in-person scoping meeting will 
take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. local time. A virtual scoping 
meeting is scheduled for June 4 at 5:30 p.m. local time. Information on 
how to attend the virtual scoping meeting is available on the project 
website (www.492sow-beddown-eis.com). The scoping meetings will

[[Page 39606]]

provide an opportunity for attendees to learn more about the Proposed 
Action and Alternative and provide an early and open process to assist 
the DAF in determining the scope of issues for analysis in the EIS, 
including identifying significant environmental issues and eliminating 
from further study non-significant issues. Project team members will be 
available to answer questions and there will also be an opportunity to 
provide written comments. Scoping meeting notification and scoping 
materials will be provided in English and Spanish.
    The Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Draft EIS is anticipated in 
the late Fall of 2024 and the NOA for the Final EIS is anticipated in 
the Summer of 2025. A decision could be made no earlier than 30 days 
after the Final EIS.

ADDRESSES: The project website (www.492sow-beddown-eis.com) provides 
information related to the EIS, such as environmental documents, 
schedule, and project details, as well as a comment form. Comments may 
be submitted via the website comment form, emailed to 
[email protected], or mailed to 492 SOW Beddown EIS, 13397 
Lakefront Drive; Suite 100 Earth City, MO 63045. Members of the public 
who want to receive future mailings informing them of the availability 
of the Draft EIS and Final EIS are encouraged to submit a comment that 
includes their name and email or postal mailing address. For other 
inquiries, please contact Mr. Nick Post, NEPA Project Manager at 
[email protected] or 1-210-925-3516.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose for the DAF's Proposed Action is 
to create co-located AFSOC and ACC units that have the resources 
required to optimize the DAF special operations and special warfare 
forces to support the National Defense Strategy (NDS) while maximizing 
AFSOC's capabilities as a power projection wing that provides United 
States Special Operations Command and combatant commands specialized 
airpower against the entire range of threats to the United States and 
our allies/partners. The need for the proposed action stems from 2023 
AFSOC strategic guidance, which aligns with the 2022 NDS. The strategic 
guidance emphasizes that the AFSOC mission is to enable the joint force 
by delivering AFSOC mission capabilities across the spectrum of 
competition and conflict. A new IS, as a geographically separated unit 
under ACC's 361 ISRG, is needed to continue to provide ACC direct 
support to the AFSOC mission. As AFSOC aircraft relocate to Davis-
Monthan AFB, Arizona, the ACC cryptologic operators, analysts, and 
mission support personnel that currently support those aircraft and 
missions would need to remain co-located. The unique capabilities of 
the ACC IS would be critical to the success of the 492 SOW mission. 
This action is needed because the global security environment has 
fundamentally changed. In response to the changing nature of threats to 
the United States, AFSOC needs to accelerate transformation to properly 
prepare, prevent, and prevail against any adversary in today's complex 
and uncertain operational environment.
    The DAF has identified a Proposed Action Alternative and the No 
Action Alternative to be carried forward for analysis in the EIS. Under 
the Proposed Action, the DAF would transform the 492 SOW into an 
AFSOC's PPW at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. This PPW would include the 
492 SOW, the 6th and 319th Special Operations Squadrons, an MC-130J 
squadron, activation of an IS as a geographically separated unit under 
the ACC 361 ISRG, and Special Tactics and Special Operations Theater 
Air Operations Squadrons. The Proposed Action would include the 
construction, renovation and demolition of facilities at Davis-Monthan 
AFB, as necessary to support the 492 SOW beddown. AFSOC aircrews would 
use airspace over areas in Southern Arizona and Southern New Mexico 
including special use airspace. No new special use airspace would be 
created and there would be no modifications to existing special use 
airspace as part of the Proposed Action Alternative.
    Under the No Action Alternative, the 492 SOW beddown would not 
occur at Davis-Monthan AFB and there would be no new AFSOC mission 
personnel or ACC IS personnel at Davis Monthan AFB.
    Potential impacts may include impacts to land use, airspace 
management, safety, noise, hazardous materials and waste, physical 
resources (including soil and water resources), air quality, 
transportation, socioeconomics, and environmental justice as well as 
potential impacts to cultural and biological resources due to ground 
disturbing activities.
    Potential permits that could be required include, but are not 
limited to, Section 404 of the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, General 
Construction, and a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System 
permit.
    Scoping and Agency Coordination: Consultation will include, but not 
necessarily be limited to, consultation under Section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act and consultation under Section 106 of the 
National Historic Preservation Act, to include consultation with 
federally recognized Native American Tribes. The DAF will determine the 
scope of the analysis by soliciting comments from interested local, 
state, and federally elected officials and agencies, federally 
recognized Native American tribes, as well as interested members of the 
public. Comments are requested on identification of potential 
alternatives, information, and analyses relevant to the Proposed 
Action.

Tommy W. Lee,
Acting Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-10141 Filed 5-8-24; 8:45 am]
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