Department of the Navy June 10, 2011 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 as implemented by the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] parts 1500-1508), the Department of the Navy (DoN), with the cooperation of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement/Legislative Environmental Impact Statement (EIS/LEIS) to evaluate the potential environmental effects associated with the continued withdrawal of approximately 1.1 million acres of public land in Kern, Inyo, and San Bernardino counties, California. This public land withdrawal comprises the current North and South ranges at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWSCL). The proposed land withdrawal extension will allow the DoN to continue defense-related research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) and training missions at NAWSCL, in addition to other land uses. The California Military Lands Withdrawal and Overflights Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-433, part of the California Desert Protection Act) withdrew and reserved the lands known then as the China Lake Naval Weapons Center (subsequently renamed NAWSCL) for defense-related purposes for a period of 20 years (until October 14, 2014). The Act provides that the DoN may seek extension of the withdrawal of such lands. As a part of the withdrawal process, the Secretary of the Navy is required to publish a draft EIS addressing the effects of continued withdrawal and hold public hearings in order to receive public comments on the proposal by October 12, 2012. The NAWSCL EIS/LEIS will examine current and proposed land uses in support of the DoN's military mission. The EIS/LEIS will specifically focus on those military land uses granted to the DoN under Public Law 103-433 that include: (1) Use as an RDT&E laboratory; (2) use as a range for air warfare weapons and weapons systems; (3) use as a high hazard training area for aerial gunnery, rocketry, electronic warfare and countermeasures, and tactical maneuvering and air support; (4) geothermal leasing and development, and related power production activities; and, (5) other defense-related purposes. The environmental analysis in the EIS/LEIS will be incorporated in an update to the May 2005 NAWSCL Comprehensive Land Use Management Plan (CLUMP). The CLUMP facilitates NAWSCL in planning for and managing land use and environmental resources on the withdrawn public lands in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) (43 U.S.C. 1701). The updated CLUMP will include an examination of both military land uses authorized under Public Law 103- 433 and those mission-compatible non-military land uses authorized in the 2005 CLUMP. Dates and Addresses: The DoN is initiating a 90-day public scoping process to identify community interests and specific issues to be addressed in the EIS/LEIS. This public scoping process starts with the publication of this Notice of Intent. Three public scoping meetings will be held to receive oral and/or written comments on issues to be addressed in the EIS/LEIS: 1. Tuesday, July 19, 2011, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Historic USO Building, 230 West Ridgecrest Boulevard, Ridgecrest, California 93555; 2. Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Statham Hall, 138 Jackson Street, Lone Pine, California 93545; and 3. Thursday, July 21, 2011, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Trona Community Senior Center, 13187 Market Street, Trona, California 93562. Additional information concerning meeting times and locations is available on the NAWSCL EIS/LEIS Web site at https:// www.ChinalakeLEIS.com. Public scoping meeting schedules and locations will also be announced in local newspapers. Each of the public scoping meetings will consist of an informal, open house session with information stations staffed by DoN and BLM representatives. Comments, both written and oral, will be collected at each of the three public scoping meetings and on the project Web site.