[Federal Register: June 20, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 118)]
[Notices]
[Page 33983-33984]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20jn07-59]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Final Pinon Canyon Maneuver
Site (PCMS) Transformation Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and
Evaluation of Environmental Effects of Continued Land and Mineral
Withdrawal Under Public Law 104-201
AGENCY: Department of the Army, Department of Defense.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Army announces the availability of the Final PCMS
Transformation EIS evaluating the environmental effects of implementing
restationing actions of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005
and other Army transformation programs at the PCMS training area in Las
Animas County in southeastern Colorado. The Final EIS also documents
the U.S. Army's evaluation of environmental effects of withdrawal of
public land and mineral rights under Public Law 104-201.
DATES: The waiting period for the Final EIS will end 30 days after
publication of an NOA in the Federal Register by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency.
ADDRESSES: To obtain a copy of the FEIS contact the PCMS National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Coordinator, Directorate of
Environmental Compliance and Management, 1638 Elwell Street, Building
6236, Fort Carson, CO 80913-4000; e-mail:
carsdecampcmsnepa&conus.army.mil
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: PCMS NEPA Coordinator at (719) 526-
0912 or fax (719) 526-17050.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Final PCMS Transformation EIS evaluates
the environmental and socioeconomic effects of implementing three Army
transformation programs at the Fort
[[Page 33984]]
Carson: BRAC 2005; Integrated Global Presence and Basing Strategy (also
known as Global Defense Posture Realignment); and the Army Modular
Force initiative. These programs are part of the overall Army
restructuring and are needed to prepare the Army's combat forces for
deployment around the world.
The Proposed Action evaluated in the Final PCMS Transformation EIS
is the Army's preferred alternative to implement the three
transformation programs. The Proposed Action includes: (1) Increased
use of the PCMS training areas to provide training for approximately
8,500 realigned Active Component (AC) soldiers and additional Reserve
Component (RC) soldiers assigned to, or otherwise under the control of,
Fort Carson, and (2) construction of facilities in the cantonment and
training areas. The Final EIS also evaluates the environmental effects
of the current withdrawal and reservation of 2,517.12 acres of public
land and 130,139 acres of federally owned minerals within the PCMS
borders (as required by Section 2908 of Pub. L. 140-201.
The Proposed Action will provide for increased frequency of
training for existing and new units stationed at, or otherwise assigned
to Fort Carson. Training and maneuver activities would be similar to
the types of activities that presently occur on the PCMS. The increased
training requirements of additional AC and RC units, however, will
result in increased frequency of use of the training areas. The Army
will continue to implement land and environmental management programs
and practices to sustain its training lands for continued use.
Support facilities will be constructed in the PCMS cantonment area,
including a brigade support complex, medical facilities, storage
facilities, minimum soldier support functions, a vehicle maintenance
facility, motor pools and upgrade of roads and utilities. Similar to
existing facilities at the PCMS, the cantonment facilities constructed
under the Proposed Action alternative would be austere. No units will
be permanently stationed at the PCMS; therefore, the PCMS will not
support long-term soldier care and will have no role in providing
permanent support for dependents, civilian contractors, or personnel
other than minimal custodial staff. Outside the cantonment, the Army
will construct and operate a live hand grenade range, ammunition
holding area, protective equipment training facility, and communication
facilities, and upgrade an existing small-arms range building. These
projects are necessary to allow the PCMS to certify soldiers for
operational deployments.
The Final EIS also evaluated the No Action alternative in
accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality and Army NEPA
implementing regulations to provide a benchmark against which to
compare the magnitude of environmental effects of the Proposed Action.
Under the No Action alternative, no additional soldiers would train at
the PCMS despite the stationing of significant numbers of additional
soldiers at Fort Carson. The Proposed Action's construction would not
occur. Existing land and environmental management programs would
continue. This alternative is not feasible because restationing at Fort
Carson has been directed by BRAC 2005, and soldiers assigned to Fort
Carson need to be trained.
Alternatives for the BRAC realignment at Fort Carson were not
considered in the Final EIS in accordance with the BRAC Law, which
exempts such alternatives from consideration. Other alternatives
considered by the Army, but determined not to be feasible, included
training troops at other locales, acquiring additional land for
training, or varying training schedules to account for operational
deployments. These alternatives were determined not to be reasonable
because they did not meet the purpose and need of the action or
unreasonably restricted the Army's ability to react to changing
conditions. Acquisition of additional land was also not considered
reasonable, in part, because not enough information about it is
currently known.
The Proposed Action has the potential to result in adverse effects
to land use, air quality, noise, geology and soils, water resources,
biological resources, cultural resources, transportation, utilities,
and hazardous and toxic substances. With implementation of mitigation
measures and best management practices, none of the impacts would be
significant. Minor temporary beneficial effects will occur for
socioeconomic resources.
The Proposed Action does not include expansion of the PCMS or land
acquisition. The Proposed Action incorporates modifications to training
requirements to best meet current training needs. The Army plans to
prepare a separate EIS for PCMS land expansion once a proposed action
and initial set of alternatives have been developed for that action.
An electronic version of the Final EIS can be viewed or downloaded
from the following Web site: http://www.hqda.army.mil/acsim/brac/nepa_eis_docs.htm.
Copies can be requested from the PCMS NEPA Coordinator
or viewed at local libraries.
Dated: June 13, 2007.
Addison D. Davis, IV,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety and
Occupational Health).
[FR Doc. 07-3026 Filed 6-19-07; 8:45 am]
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