Draft Program Comment Regarding World War II and Cold War Era Army Ammunition Production Facilities and Plants, 18706-18708 [06-3508]

Agencies

• Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
• Historic Preservation, Advisory Council

[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 12, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18706-18708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-3508]


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ADVISORY COUNCIL ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION


Draft Program Comment Regarding World War II and Cold War Era 
Army Ammunition Production Facilities and Plants

AGENCY: Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

ACTION: Notice of intent to issue program comment on World War II and 
Cold War Era Army Ammunition Production Facilities and Plants.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army (Army) is formulating its plan on 
how to manage its inventory of World War II (1939-1946) and Cold War 
(1946-1974) era Army Ammunition 1344 Production Facilities and Plants. 
In order to better meet its Federal historic preservation 
responsibilities in managing these properties, the Army has requested 
the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) to comment on the 
overall management of such properties, as opposed to submit each 
individual undertaking under such management to separate review. The 
Army and ACHP have drafted such a comment and now seek public input on 
it. ACHP will take into account this public input prior to deciding 
whether to issue the program comment.

DATES: Submit comments on or before May 12, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments concerning this proposed program 
comment to Dave Berwick, Army Program Manager, Office of Federal Agency 
Programs, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, 1100 Pennsylvania 
Avenue, NW., Suite 809, Washington, DC 20004. Fax 202-606-8672. You may 
submit electronic comments to dberwick@achp.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave Berwick (202) 606-8505.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act requires Federal agencies to consider the effects of 
their undertakings on historic properties and provide the Advisory 
Council on Historic Preservation (ACHP) a reasonable opportunity to 
comment with regard to such undertakings. ACHP has issued the 
regulations that set forth the process through which Federal agencies 
comply with these duties. Those regulations are codified under 36 CFR 
part 800 (``Section 106 regulations'').
    Under Section 800.14(e) of those regulations, agencies can request 
ACHP to provide a ``Program Comment'' on a particular category of 
undertakings in lieu of conducting individual reviews of each 
individual undertaking under such category, as set forth in 36 CFR 
800.4 through 800.6. An agency can meet its Section 106 
responsibilities for those undertakings by taking into account ACHP's 
Program Comment and by following the steps set forth in those comments.
    The Department of the Army (Army) has requested such a Program 
Comment to cover management of its World War II (WWII) and Cold War era 
Army Ammunition Production Facilities and Plants. A copy of the draft 
Program Comment can be found at the end of this notice. Once the public 
input resulting from this notice is considered, ACHP will decide 
whether to issue a final Program Comment to the Army.

Background on WWII and Cold War ERA Army Ammunition Production 
Facilities and Plans

    Beginning in 1940, the Ordnance Department, one of the seven Army 
technical services that were the forerunners of the present-day U.S. 
Army Materiel Command (AMC), established industrial facilities in order 
to carry out its mission of supplying ordnance to the United States 
Army Ground Forces, the Navy, the Coast Guard, the Marine Corps and 
numerous foreign countries. A majority of these facilities were 
Government-Owned Contractor-Operated (GOCO), and approximately 30 
survive as Army ammunition plants (AAPs) in the inventory of AMC. Over 
the years, many of the original plants fell into disuse and were 
closed. Others were updated to meet the changing needs of different 
periods of conflict including the Cold War. Historians agree that U.S. 
ammunition production was of enormous importance to the Allied victory 
in World War II based in part on the technologies developed; the 
efficiency of production facilities, aided in large part by input from 
U.S. industries; and the sheer firepower developed. A large percentage 
of the buildings and structures associated with these facilities were 
built based on standardized plans known as ``typical'' or ``ideal'' 
plans. Variations were carried

[[Page 18707]]

out at the individual installations to account for differences in sites 
and specific production needs. In addition, temporary mobilization 
plans such as the 700- and 800-series plans were used for a variety of 
buildings at ammunition production facilities during WWII. The 700- and 
800-series designs were the standardized plans used for quickly 
constructing the temporary military facilities that were needed for 
mobilization. The 700-series plans were developed in the intervening 
period between WWI and WWII. Both plans were used during WWII, with 
some mobilizations camps combining buildings from both plans.
    Many of these WWII production facilities were used for Cold War 
ordnance development and remained active for years thereafter. A few 
Cold War-era facilities were newly constructed in the 1950s. Over the 
years these ammunition production facilities and plants were either 
transformed to keep up with changing technological needs or were left 
unused as technology and usefulness passed them by. Today, many are 
active, working facilities while others lie dormant until such time as 
they are required for future use or are determined excess.
    Army records indicate that there are 10,933 WWII and Cold War Era 
Army ammunition production facilities and plants, including associated 
buildings, structures, and utilities, located within approximately 30 
installations nationwide. The Army has requested that the Program 
Comment apply to all WWII and Cold War Era ammunition production 
facilities and plants and associated buildings, structures, and 
utilities. The WWII and Cold War Era Army ammunition plants were built 
as complete installations, containing not only the ammunition 
production facilities themselves, but also housing, storage, 
administration buildings, and associated structures. Most ammunition 
production facilities and plants from the World War II era were GOCO 
facilities, built for the Ordnance Department as Ordnance Works.
    The Army anticipates that all of its WWII and Cold War era Army 
Ammunition Production Facilities and Plants will be subject to the 
following categories of undertakings: Ongoing operations, maintenance 
and repair, rehabilitation, renovation, mothballing, cessation of 
maintenance, new construction, demolition, deconstruction and salvage, 
remediation activities, and transfer, sale, lease, and/or closure. The 
Army is requesting that the ACHP issue a Program Comment on the effects 
of these categories of undertakings on all WWII and Cold War Era Army 
Ammunition Production Facilities and Plants, including associated 
buildings, structures, and utilities.
    The proposed action will cover approximately 10,933 buildings and 
structures. The Department of Defense (DoD) has requested a similar 
program comment to cover all WWII and Cold War Era Ammunition Storage 
Facilities. If approved, the DoD Program Comment will cover an 
additional 5,421 associated ammunition storage buildings at Army 
Ammunition Plants.
    The categories of undertakings listed above are anticipated to 
occur as Army management activities continue. Therefore, there is a 
potential for adverse effects to historic ammunition production 
facilities and plants.

Text of the Draft Program Comment

    The following is the full text of the draft Program Comment:

Program Comment for World War II and Cold War Era Army Ammunition 
Production Facilities and Plants

I. Introduction

    This Program Comment provides the Department of the Army (Army) 
with an alternative way to comply with its responsibilities under 
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act with regard to 
the effect of the following management actions on World War II (WWII) 
and Cold War Era Army Ammunition Production Facilities and Plants that 
may be listed or eligible for listing on the National Register of 
Historic Places: Ongoing operations, maintenance and repair, 
rehabilitation, renovation, mothballing, cessation of maintenance, new 
construction, demolition, deconstruction and salvage, remediation 
activities, and transfer, sale, lease, and closure of such facilities.
    In order to take into account the effects on WWII and Cold War Era 
Army Ammunition Production Facilities and Plants (Facilities and 
Plants), the Army will conduct documentation in accordance with The 
Secretary of the Interior's Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and 
Historic Preservation.

II. Treatment of Properties

A. Army Mitigation

    1. The Army has an existing context study, Historic Context for the 
World War II Ordnance Department's Government-Owned Contractor-Operated 
(GOCO) Industrial Facilities 1939-1945 as well as documentation of nine 
World War II GOCO Plants.
    2. The Army will prepare a supplemental volume that revises and 
expands the existing context to include the Cold War Era (1946-1974). 
The updated context study will:

--Focus on the changes that the plants underwent to address changing 
weapons technology and defense needs; and
--Identify prominent architect-engineer firms that may have designed 
architecturally significant buildings for Army Ammunition Plants.

    3. The Army will prepare documentation that generally comports with 
the appropriate HABS/HAER standards for documentation for selected 
architecturally significant Facilities and Plants at two installations. 
This documentation will be similar to and follow the format of the 
existing documentation described in section II.A.1, above.
     4. Upon completion of the documentation, the Army will then make 
the existing documentation of the nine WWII GOCO Army Ammunition Plants 
and the WWII GOCO context and the new documentation, to the extent 
possible under security concerns, available in electronic format to 
Federal and State agencies that request it.
    5. In addition, as a result of on-going consultations with 
stakeholders, the Army will provide a list of properties covered by the 
Program Comment, by state, to the National Conference of State Historic 
Preservation Officers and the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation.
    6. The Army will also develop additional public information on the 
Army ammunition process, from production through storage, to include:

--A display that can be loaned to one of the Army's museums, such as 
the Ordnance Museum at Aberdeen Proving Ground, or used at conferences; 
and
--A popular publication on the ammunition process to accompany the 
display.

    Copies of this information will be available electronically, to the 
extent possible under security concerns, and hard copies will be placed 
in a permanent repository, such as the Center for Military History.
    7. The Army will encourage adaptive reuse of the properties when 
feasible, as well as the use of historic tax credits by private 
developers under lease arrangements. The Army should also incorporate 
adaptive reuse and preservation principles into master planning 
documents and activities.
    The above actions satisfy the Army's requirement to take into 
account the effects of the following management actions WWII and Cold 
War-era Army ammunition plants and production

[[Page 18708]]

facilities that may be listed or eligible for listing on the National 
Register of Historic Places: Ongoing operations, maintenance and 
repair, rehabilitation, renovation, mothballing, cessation of 
maintenance activities, new construction, demolition, deconstruction 
and salvage, remedial activities, and transfer, sale, lease and/or 
closure of such facilities.

III. Applicability

    A. This Program Comment applies solely to WWII and Cold War Era 
Army ammunition production facilities and plants. The Program Comment 
does not apply to the following properties that are listed, or eligible 
for listing, on the National Register of Historic Places: (1) 
Archeological properties, (2) properties of traditional religious and 
cultural significance to federally recognized Indian tribes or Native 
Hawaiian organizations, and/or (3) ammunition production facilities in 
National Register of Historic Places districts where the ammunition 
production facility is a contributing element of the district and the 
proposed undertaking has a potential to adversely affect such historic 
district. This third exclusion does not apply to historic districts 
that are entirely within the boundaries of an ammunition production 
plant. In those cases the Program Comment would be applicable to such 
districts.
    B. An installation with an existing Section 106 agreement document 
that addresses WWII and Cold War-era ammunition plants and production 
facilities can choose to:
    1. Continue to follow the stipulations in the existing agreement 
document for the remaining period of the agreement; or
    2. Seek to amend the existing agreement document to incorporate, in 
whole or in part, the terms of this Program Comment; or
    3. Terminate the existing agreement document and re-initiate 
consultation informed by this Program Comment, if necessary.
    C. All future Section 106 agreement documents developed by Army 
installations related to undertakings and properties addressed in this 
Program Comment shall include appropriate provisions detailing whether 
and how the terms of the Program Comment apply to such undertakings.

IV. Completion Schedule

    On or before 60 days following issuance of the Program Comment, the 
Army and ACHP will establish a schedule for completion of the 
treatments outlined above.

V. Effect of the Program Comment

    By following this Program Comment, the Army has met its 
responsibilities for compliance under Section 106 regarding the effect 
of the following management actions on WWII and Cold War Era Army 
Ammunition Production Facilities and Plants that may be listed or 
eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places: 
ongoing operations, maintenance and repair, rehabilitation, renovation, 
mothballing, cessation of maintenance, new construction, demolition, 
deconstruction and salvage, remediation activities, and transfer, sale, 
lease, and closure of such facilities. Accordingly, the Army will no 
longer be required to follow the case-by-case Section 106 review 
process for such effects.

VI. Duration and Review of the Program Comment

    This Program Comment will remain in effect until such time as 
Headquarters, Department of the Army determines that such comments are 
no longer needed and notifies ACHP in writing, or ACHP withdraws the 
comments in accordance with 36 CFR 800.14(e)(6). Following such 
withdrawal, the Army would be required to comply with the requirements 
of 36 CFR 800.3 through 800.7 regarding the effects under this Program 
Comments' scope.
    Headquarters, Department of the Army and ACHP will review the 
implementation of the Program Comment ten years after its issuance.

    Authority: 36 CFR Sec.  800.14(e).

    Dated: April 7, 2006.
John M. Fowler,
Executive Director.
[FR Doc. 06-3508 Filed 4-1-06; 8:45 am]
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