Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Mission and Master Plan, Fort Bliss, Texas and New Mexico

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental

Impact Statement for the Mission and Master Plan, Fort Bliss, Texas and

New Mexico

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: This announces the availability of the Draft Programmatic

Environmental Impact Statement (DPEIS). The DPEIS assesses the

potential environmental impacts of the approval of revisions to

components of the Fort Bliss Real Property Master Plan and adoption of

the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan, Integrated Cultural

Resources Management Plan, and the Training Area Development Concept,

as well as modifies the general land use plan to increase the

availability of controlled access field training sites in the Fort

Bliss Training Complex.

DATES: The public comment period for the DPEIS will end 45 days after

publication of the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register by

the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

ADDRESSES: To obtain a copy of the DPEIS, contact Vicki Hamilton, U.S.

Army Air Defense Artillery Center and Fort Bliss, Directorate of the

Environment, ATTN: AZC-DOE-C (PEIS), Building 624 North, Pleasanton

Road, Fort Bliss, TX 79916-6812.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Vicki Hamilton at (915) 568-2774, or e-mail [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The alternatives to no action (continuation

of current mission, land use and management) considered in this DPEIS

are:

a. Alternative 1: Incorporates the current missions assigned to

Fort Bliss as described in the no action alternative. Alternative 1 is

to adopt recent updates to components of the Fort Bliss Real Property

Master Plan (the Long-range Component, Short-range Component, and

informal modifications to the Mobilization Component). In addition, the

Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan, the Integrated Cultural

Resource Management Plan and the supplement to the Long-range component

with a definitive land use plan for the Fort Bliss Training Complex

presented in Chapter 3.0 (Current Conditions) of the Training Area

Development Concept would be adopted. Adoption of these plans would

authorize the steps leading to program and appropriate project

implementation as described in the DPEIS.

b. Alternative 2: Adopts the general land use plan for increasing

the availability of controlled access field training sites on the Fort

Bliss Training Complex in addition to actions in Alternative 1. If

adopted programmatically, evaluation of proposed specific sites will be

accomplished in a separate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

document(s) that may be tiered off of the Final PEIS that follows this

DPEIS.

c. Alternative 3: Adopts the general land use plan for conceptual

uses of the Fort Bliss Training Complex presented in Chapter 4.0

(Future Development Concept) of the Training Area Development Concept

in addition to actions in Alternatives 1 and 2. If approved

programmatically, evaluation of specific projects proposed in the

future will be accomplished under the NEPA. The document includes

analyses of the environmental consequences each alternative may have on

land use, infrastructure, airspace, earth resources, air quality, water

resources, biological resources, cultural resources, noise, safety,

hazardous materials and items of special concern, socioeconomics, and

environmental justice. The findings indicate that potential

environmental impacts from each alternative may include changes to land

use, increased soil erosion, slight impacts to biological and cultural

resources, and cumulative impacts to water resources. Improved

management practices are anticipated under Alternatives 1, 2 and 3. The

level of land use may increase under Alternatives 2 and 3.

A public meeting for the purpose of receiving comments on this

DPEIS will be in El Paso, Texas; and Las Cruces and Alamogordo, New

Mexico. Additional detail will follow in the media, or contact the Fort

Bliss Public Affairs Office at (915) 568-4505. Public comments received

on the DPEIS will be addressed in the Final PEIS and considered by the

Army in its Record of Decision.

The revised Long-range Component of the Fort Bliss Real Property

master Plan, the Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan, the

Integrated Cultural Resource Management Plan, and the Training Area

Development Concept are available for review in the following

libraries: (1) El Paso Public Library main Library, 501 North Oregon

Street, El Paso, TX 79901, (2) Irving Schwartz Branch, El Paso Public

Library, 1865 Dean Martin Drive, El Paso, TX 79936; (3) Westside

Branch, El Paso Public Library, 125 Belvidere Street, El Paso, TX

79912; (4) Library, Dell City, TX 79837; (5) University of Texas at El

Paso, Library, 500 West University Avenue, El Paso, TX 79968; (6)

Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E Picacho Avenue, Las Cruces, NM 88001;

(7) Library, 920 Oregon, Alamogordo, NM 88310; (8) New Mexico State

University Branson Library, Frenger at Williams, Las Cruces, NM 88003;

(9) New Mexico State University, Roswell, Library, 52 University

Boulevard, Roswell, NM 88202-6000; (10) Library, 20 Curlew Place,

Cloudcraft, NM 88317-9998.

Dated: August 12, 1998.

Raymond J. Fatz,

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety and

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

[FR Doc. 98-22107 Filed 8-17-98; 8:45 am]

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