Availability for the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for Joint Training Exercise Roving Sands at Fort Bliss, Texas and New Mexico and White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Army Department, Office of the Secretary

Availability for the Final Programmatic Environmental Impact

Statement for Joint Training Exercise Roving Sands at Fort Bliss, Texas

and New Mexico and White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: Interested parties are hereby notified that the District

Engineer, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, has

prepared a Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (FPEIS)

for the U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) regarding Joint Training

Exercise Roving Sands (RS) proposed to be conducted at Fort Bliss and

White Sands Missile Range. This EIS addresses the next five RS

exercises as well as potential uses of RS sites by 3rd Armored Cavalry

Regiment and 11th Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Brigade.

Proposed action: Roving Sands is an annual training exercise

coordinated by the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, sponsored by

FORSCOM, and executed by the 11th ADA Brigade. The exercise will take

place at Fort Bliss, Texas and New Mexico; White Sands Missile Range,

Holloman Air Force Base, and Roswell, New Mexico. Most of the ground

activity will occur on established Fort Bliss training areas. As many

as 10,000 Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine personnel will participate

in the exercise, with about 200 aircraft and 3,000 wheeled vehicles.

Roving Sands is scheduled to be conducted during the April-June time

period each year. The exercise will last approximately three weeks.

Actual force employment and field training will be approximately 11

days. This action does not involve a discharge of dredged or fill

material into waters of the United States or wetlands and no evaluation

into Section 404(b)(1) of the Clean Water Act is required. Cultural and

biological surveys have been conducted to satisfy pertinent statutory

and regulatory requirements pertaining to historical and archaeological

resources as well as threatened and endangered species and critical

habitats. No threatened or endangered species or cultural resources

would be affected by this action. Advance planning has been used to

avoid any sites which are environmentally sensitive.

ADDRESSES: The public is encouraged to comment on the FPEIS. Copies of

the FPEIS are available upon written request to the U.S. Army Corps of

Engineers, Fort Worth District, Planning Division, Post Office Box

17300, Fort Worth, Texas 76102-0300, or at the Environmental Resources

Branch Office, Room 13A20, 819 Taylor Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102-

0300.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted and considered for 30 days

after the Environmental Protective Agency has published this Notice of

Availability in this publication.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions regarding this proposal may be directed to Mr. Arver

Ferguson, Jr., telephone (817) 334-3246, CESWF-PL-RE, 819 Taylor Street

Box 17300, Fort Worth, Texas 76102-0300.

Dated: February 7, 1994.

Lewis D. Walker,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety &

Occupational Health) OASA(I,L&E).

[FR Doc. 94-3384 Filed 2-11-94; 8:45 am]

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