Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Modernization and Expansion of Townsend Bombing Range in McIntosh County, GA, 47564-47565 [2010-19421]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• Department of the Navy
• Navy Department

[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 151 (Friday, August 6, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47564-47565]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-19421]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Navy


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Proposed Modernization and Expansion of Townsend Bombing Range in 
McIntosh County, GA

AGENCY: Department of the Navy, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to Section (102)(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, and regulations implemented by the Council 
on Environmental Quality (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 
1500-1508), Department of the Navy (DoN) NEPA regulations (32 CFR Part 
775), and United States Marine Corps (USMC) NEPA directives (Marine 
Corps Order P5090.2A, changes 1 and 2), the DoN intends to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and conduct public scoping 
meetings for the modernization and expansion of the Townsend Bombing 
Range (TBR) located in McIntosh County, Georgia to accommodate the use 
of inert (with spotting charges) Precision Guided Munitions (PGMs) with 
their associated larger land requirements. To accomplish this, the USMC 
proposes to acquire lands in the vicinity of TBR on which to create new 
target areas to allow for a greater variety of training activities. The 
TBR is owned by the DoN, and is operated by the Georgia Air National 
Guard (GA ANG). The DoN will prepare the EIS.

DATES AND ADDRESSES: The DoN is initiating a 30-day public scoping 
process to identify community interests and local issues to be 
addressed in the EIS, which starts with the publication of this Notice 
of Intent. Two public scoping meetings, using an informal open house 
format, will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the following dates and 
at the following locations in Georgia:
    (1) Tuesday, August 24, 2010, City of Ludowici Meeting Room, City 
Hall, 469 North Macon Street, Ludowici, GA 31316.
    (2) Thursday, August 26, 2010, Haynes Auditorium--Ida Hilton Public 
Library, 1105 Northway, Darien, GA 31305.
    The public is invited to attend these meetings to view project-
related displays, speak with USMC representatives, and submit public 
comment forms. All comments regarding the scope of issues that the USMC 
should consider during EIS preparation must be received prior to 
September 7, 2010. Additional information concerning the meetings and 
the proposed alternatives are available on the EIS website at https://www.townsendbombingrangeeis.com and will be announced in local and 
regional newspapers. Please submit requests for special assistance, 
sign language interpretation for the hearing impaired, oral comments, 
or other auxiliary aids needed at the scoping meeting to the EIS 
Project Manager by August 16, 2010.
    Submitting Comments: Federal, state, local agencies and interested 
parties are encouraged to provide oral and/or written comments 
regarding the scope of the EIS, reasonable alternatives and/or specific 
issues or topics of interest to the public. There are four ways by 
which comments can be submitted: (1) Attending one of the public 
scoping open-houses; (2) submitting through the project's public 
website at https://www.townsendbombingrangeeis.com; (3) E-mail to 
townsendbombingrangeeis@ene.com; (4) submitting written mailed comments 
on the scope of the EIS. All written comments should be submitted and/
or postmarked no later than September 7, 2010. Comments submitted by 
mail should be sent to: Townsend EIS, Project Manager, Post Office Box 
180458, Tallahassee, FL 32318.
    The USMC will consider all comments received during the scoping 
period. A mailing list has been assembled to facilitate preparation of 
the EIS. Those on this list will receive notices and documents related 
to EIS preparation. This list includes local, state, and federal 
agencies with jurisdiction or other interests in the alternatives. In 
addition, the mailing list includes adjacent property owners, affected 
municipalities, and other interested parties such as conservation 
organizations. Anyone wishing to be added to the mailing list may 
request to

[[Page 47565]]

be added by contacting the EIS project manager at the address provided 
below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Community Planning and Liaison Office; 
Attn: Ms. Alice Howard, Post Office Box 9103, Building 601, Marine 
Corps Air Station Beaufort, Beaufort, South Carolina 29904-5001; phone: 
843-228-7558; e-mail: townsendbombingrangeeis@ene.com.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the Proposed Action is to 
provide a modern air-to-ground training range which can accommodate 
inert (with spotting charges) PGMs for aviation units stationed at MCAS 
Beaufort through the modernization and expansion of TBR in order to 
meet current training requirements.
    The need for the Proposed Action is to more efficiently meet 
current training requirements for USMC aviation assets by significantly 
increasing air-to-ground training capabilities in the Beaufort, South 
Carolina region. Presently, squadrons from Marine Corps Air Station 
(MCAS) Beaufort must use West Coast training ranges to satisfy PGM 
training requirements. Having a range available for this training would 
result in greater training efficiency. To accomplish the proposed 
action, the USMC would acquire land adjacent to the existing 5,183-acre 
TBR and would expand the area of controlled access around the bombing 
targets. The EIS will consider several land acquisition scenarios and 
configurations of the range to meet the training requirements.
    Preliminary Alternatives: At this time, it is anticipated that the 
EIS will evaluate five action alternatives and the No Action 
Alternative. Land acquisition scenarios were developed through the use 
of modeling software to determine the land area necessary to 
accommodate the use of inert (with spotting charges) PGMs at TBR in a 
manner that will accomplish the training requirements while maintaining 
public safety. The EIS will also consider other feasible land 
acquisition scenarios that may be identified during scoping or during 
the preparation of the EIS. The five action alternatives currently 
identified for analysis in the EIS are as follows:
    Alternative 1 proposes the acquisition of approximately 11,948 
acres to the northwest and southeast of the TBR boundary along the 
south side of State Highway 57.
    Alternative 2 proposes a combination of the property acquisition 
under Alternative 1 with an additional 24,880 acres located northeast 
of TBR and to the north of State Highway 57, totaling approximately 
36,828 acres.
    Alternative 3 proposes the acquisition of approximately 24,880 
acres located northeast of TBR and to the North of State Highway 57.
    Alternative 4 proposes a combination of the property acquisition 
under Alternative 1 with an additional 14,752 acres between TBR and the 
Altamaha River, totaling approximately 26,700 acres.
    Alternative 5 proposes a combination of the property acquisition 
under Alternative 3 and Alternative 4 totaling approximately 51,580 
acres.
    The No Action Alternative proposes no land acquisition and no 
changes to operations at TBR. Aviation units stationed at MCAS Beaufort 
would continue to deploy to the western United States to undergo inert 
(with spotting charges) PGM training and meet individual aircrew 
training requirements.
    Environmental Issues and Resources To Be Examined: The EIS will 
evaluate potential environmental effects associated with each of the 
alternatives. Issues to be addressed may include, but are not limited 
to: Safety; land use; recreation; air quality; socioeconomics and 
environmental justice; water resources; noise; cultural resources; 
biological resources; forestry resources; and airspace/air traffic. 
Relevant and reasonable measures that could avoid or mitigate 
environmental effects also will be analyzed. Additionally, the USMC 
will undertake any consultations required by the Endangered Species 
Act, Clean Water Act, National Historic Preservation Act, and any other 
applicable laws or regulations.
    EIS Schedule: This Notice of Intent (NOI) is the first phase of the 
EIS process and announces the 30-day public comment period and public 
scoping meetings to identify community concerns and local issues that 
should be addressed in the EIS. The next phase occurs when a Notice of 
Availability (NOA) is published in the Federal Register and local media 
to publicly announce the release of the Draft EIS. A 45-day public 
comment period for the Draft EIS will commence upon publication of the 
NOA in the Federal Register. The USMC will consider and respond to all 
comments received on the Draft EIS when preparing the Final EIS. The 
USMC intends to issue the Final EIS no later than Spring 2012, at which 
time a NOA will be published in the Federal Register and local media. A 
Record of Decision is anticipated in Fall 2012.

    Dated: July 29, 2010.
D.J. Werner,
Lieutenant Commander, Judge Advocate Generals Corps, U.S. Navy, Federal 
Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-19421 Filed 8-5-10; 8:45 am]
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