Draft Legislative Environmental Impact Statement Regarding Requested Public Land Withdrawal in Vicinity of Highway 95 and Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, 15172-15173 [2024-04383]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
• Department of the Army

[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 42 (Friday, March 1, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15172-15173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-04383]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Draft Legislative Environmental Impact Statement Regarding 
Requested Public Land Withdrawal in Vicinity of Highway 95 and Yuma 
Proving Ground, Arizona

AGENCY: Department of the Army, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of the Army (Army) announces the 
availability of a Draft Legislative Environmental Impact Statement 
(Draft LEIS) regarding a requested public land withdrawal in the 
vicinity of Highway 95 and Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona. In accordance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the LEIS analyzes 
the potential environmental effects resulting from the withdrawal and 
reservation for military purposes of approximately 22,000 acres of 
public land managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of 
Land Management (BLM). If enacted into law by Congress, the withdrawal 
would add acreage to Yuma Proving Ground (YPG). The Army requires the 
additional land as a safety buffer for testing advanced air delivery 
technologies and aviation systems. An LEIS is being prepared for this 
proposed action because the withdrawal and reservation require 
congressional action.

DATES: Comments must be received by April 15, 2024.

ADDRESSES: The public can review a copy of the Draft LEIS at the Main 
Yuma Library (2951 S 21st Dr., Yuma, AZ 85364) or at the Quartzsite 
Public Library (465 N Plymouth Ave., Quartzsite, AZ 85346).
    The Draft LEIS is also available as an electronic file on the YPG 
project website: https://ypg-environmental.com/highway-95-land-withdrawal-leis/.
    Written comments may be sent by regular mail to the YPG 
Environmental Sciences Division, 301 C St., Bldg. 307, Yuma, AZ 85365. 
Comments may also be sent via email to: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Daniel Steward, YPG Environmental 
Sciences Division, via email at [email protected] or 
via phone at (928) 328-2125.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Army prepared this Draft LEIS in 
accordance with: NEPA (title 42 of the United States Code, section 
4321); Council on Environmental Quality NEPA regulations (title 40 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 1500-1508); and the Army's 
NEPA implementing regulation (32 CFR part 651).
    YPG is located in the southwestern corner of Arizona, near the 
California-Arizona border. The Colorado River bounds it to the west and 
the Gila River bounds it to the south. The installation lies 
approximately 23 miles northeast of the city of Yuma, Arizona. YPG is 
situated in both La Paz and Yuma Counties, Arizona, and the requested 
22,000-acre withdrawal involves land in each county. YPG occupies about 
1,300 square miles and extends approximately 60 miles north to south 
and 50 miles east to west.
    YPG's mission is to plan, conduct, assess, analyze, report, and 
support developmental, production, and operational tests on the 
following: medium- and long-range artillery; aircraft target 
acquisition equipment and armament; armored tracked and wheeled 
vehicles; a variety of munitions; and parachute systems for personnel 
and supplies. YPG also provides training support to the Army, other 
Department of Defense branches, other federal agencies, and 
international and commercial customers.
    The Draft LEIS analyzes the potential impacts of a legislative 
withdrawal and reservation for military purposes of approximately 
22,000 acres of public land managed by BLM. The requested action 
involves the withdrawal of the land from all forms of appropriation 
(such as mining claims) and an additional 800 acres of federal surface 
estate (meaning the subsurface is not included). The land lies between 
the current boundary of YPG and a section of Highway 95 between mile 
marker 76 and mile marker 91. The Army requires the additional land as 
a safety buffer to improve public safety and to meet testing and 
training requirements for advances in parachute technologies. If 
enacted into law, the withdrawal would add to--and be adjacent to--the 
829,565 acres withdrawn on July 1, 1952, under Public Land Order No. 
848, as amended, for use by the Army in connection with Yuma Test 
Station (currently known as YPG). The Army will request that the 
22,000-acre withdrawal be for an indefinite period--i.e., until there 
is no longer a military need for the land.
    The purpose of the requested land withdrawal is to provide 
additional area to support testing and training at YPG. The Army 
requires the additional land as a safety buffer for testing advanced 
air delivery technologies and aviation systems. The additional land 
will provide a larger surface safety zone and will allow the Army to 
execute more complex air delivery and tactical scenarios than are 
currently possible. A surface safety zone is an area in space and on 
the ground that provides an additional buffer in case of error or 
failure during testing or training. Surface safety zones protect people 
from being injured by material dropping from the sky during air 
delivery testing and training. Higher altitudes and greater offset 
distances are required to test parachute systems' full capabilities, 
and this testing requires a correspondingly greater surface safety 
zone.
    Due to land and airspace limitations, systems are currently not 
tested to their full capability for altitude and precision. Without the 
requested withdrawal, mission-required drops could land outside the YPG 
boundary and could result in injury or death to members of the public. 
The requested land withdrawal would restrict the public from accessing 
hazardous areas, thus reducing the potential for such injuries and 
deaths.
    The existing boundary between YPG and BLM land lacks a contiguous 
physical landmark demarcating the two areas, which has led to 
unintentional public intrusions onto YPG. The requested withdrawal area 
extends to Highway 95 and would establish the highway as a distinct 
physical landmark for the YPG boundary, thereby improving public 
safety.
    In addition to the Army's proposed action, the Draft LEIS analyzes 
an alternative involving a withdrawal for a shorter period and a No-
Action Alternative. Under a limited-duration withdrawal, Congress would 
withdraw and reserve for Army use the same area with the same boundary 
and land-management provisions as the proposed action, but the duration 
of the Highway 95 withdrawal would be limited to a shorter period 
(i.e., 25 years).

[[Page 15173]]

    Under the No-Action Alternative, Congress would not enact 
legislation to withdraw and reserve the land. BLM would retain 
management responsibility for the 22,000 acres of public land. Under 
this alternative, YPG would not meet mission requirements, but limited 
military testing and training would continue within the present-day YPG 
boundary. While the No-Action Alternative would not satisfy the purpose 
of or need for the proposed action, this alternative was retained to 
provide a comparative baseline against which to analyze the effects of 
the action alternatives.
    The Draft LEIS evaluates the potential direct, indirect, and 
cumulative environmental and socioeconomic effects of the proposed 
action. The resource areas and effects analyzed in the Draft LEIS 
include biological resources, cultural resources, existing land use, 
recreation, socioeconomics, and environmental justice. The analysis 
includes minimization measures, standard operating procedures, and best 
management practices routinely employed by YPG to reduce the potential 
adverse effects of the proposed action.
    Under the proposed action (i.e., the withdrawal of BLM land for an 
indefinite duration), there would be less-than-significant effects on 
all evaluated resources. The withdrawal alternatives would result in 
minor adverse effects on land use and recreation, but none of the 
effects would be significant. The proposed action would transfer 
management of this land from one federal agency to another. The Army's 
environmental compliance requirements would be the same as those of 
BLM. If Congress approves the withdrawal, the Army would conduct 
consultation on future actions under the National Historic Preservation 
Act and the Endangered Species Act, as appropriate. The environmental 
effects of the shorter-duration withdrawal alternative would be 
comparable to those of the proposed action but would last for a 
specific period.
    Federal, state, and local agencies, federally recognized Tribes, 
other Native American organizations, and the general public are invited 
to participate in the public comment process for the Draft LEIS. The 
public comment period begins with the publication of this notice of 
availability in the Federal Register and will last for 45 days. 
Comments must be received or postmarked within 45 days of publication 
in the Federal Register to be considered during the decision-making 
process. The Army will hold two virtual public meetings during the 
review period. For information about the virtual public meetings, 
please see the project website: https://ypg-environmental.com/highway-95-land-withdrawal-leis. The Army will consider all comments received 
on the Draft LEIS when preparing the Final LEIS.
    Congress will receive the Final LEIS as part of the withdrawal case 
file. Congress will decide whether to authorize the requested land 
withdrawal and reservation.

James W. Satterwhite Jr.,
Army Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-04383 Filed 2-29-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3711-02-P