[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 159 (Friday, August 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66699-66700]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18390]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Record of Decision for Legislative Environmental Impact Statement 
Regarding Training and Public Land Withdrawal Extension, Fort Irwin, 
California

AGENCY: Department of the Army, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army (Army) signed the Record of 
Decision (ROD) on February 29, 2024, for the Legislative Environmental 
Impact Statement (LEIS) Regarding Training and Public Land Withdrawal 
Extension, Fort Irwin, California.

[[Page 66700]]

    The Army selected a program of training infrastructure and range 
improvement, along with new uses for its Western Training Area (WTA). 
The ROD also determined that the Army will request that Congress renew 
the withdrawal of 110,000 acres of Fort Irwin training land, which 
consists of public land withdrawn from all types of appropriation and 
reserved for military purposes. The Army considered public comments 
received during the LEIS process. The ROD completes the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process for the action.

ADDRESSES: Questions and requests for copies of the ROD should be 
directed to the Fort Irwin Public Affairs Office at phone number 760-
380-4511, Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific 
Time, or via email at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please contact Renita Wickes, Public 
Affairs Office, IMPC-IRW-PAO (Wickes), 983 Inner Loop Rd., Fort Irwin, 
CA 93410; telephone: (760) 380-3078; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Army based its decision on the analysis 
contained in the Final LEIS, which addressed the Army's mission needs 
and the effects of the Army's action on the human environment at Fort 
Irwin, CA. The LEIS analyzed the effects of the proposed alternatives, 
issues of concern, and the comments provided during scoping and the 
public review period. The Army determined the selected alternative most 
closely achieves the purpose of and need for the proposed action while 
maintaining a high level of environmental stewardship. The Army 
determined that with implementation of the mitigation adopted in the 
ROD, there would be no significant adverse effects to the environment 
from any of the considered alternatives.
    The Army will implement a program of training area and range 
improvements and will execute new training in Fort Irwin's WTA. This 
new training in the WTA includes high- intensity, full-scale, brigade-
level maneuvers, with unrestricted ammunition use. Dud- producing 
munitions may be fired from the WTA, but no dud-producing munitions 
would be deliberately fired to impact in the WTA. The selected 
alternative also includes improvements to the Manix Trail, which takes 
training units to and from Fort Irwin and Marine Corps Logistics Base 
Barstow.
    Authority: This Notice of Availability is published in accordance 
with NEPA (42 U.S.C 4321, et seq.) and pursuant to NEPA regulations (40 
CFR 1501.9 and 32 CFR part 651).

James W. Satterwhite, Jr.,
U.S. Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-18390 Filed 8-15-24; 8:45 am]
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