All-Terrain Lifter, Army System (ATLAS)

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army

All-Terrain Lifter, Army System (ATLAS)

AGENCY: U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Product Manager, Construction Equipment/Material Handling

Equipment (PM CE/MHE) has prepared a Life-Cycle Environmental

Assessment (LCEA) which examines the potential impacts to the natural

and human environment from the life cycle activities of the All-Terrain

Lifter, Army System (ATLAS). Based on the LCEA, PM CE/MHE has

determined that the proposed action is not a major Federal action

significantly affecting the quality of the human environment, within

the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969.

Therefore, the preparation of an environmental impact statement is not

required and the Army is issuing this Finding of No Significant Impact

(FONSI).

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to, U.S. Army Tank-

automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), ATTN: AMSTA-DSA-TA-CE

(ATLAS), Warren, MI 48397-5000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For further information, or to obtain a copy of the ATLAS Life-Cycle

Environmental Assessment contact Mr. John Syers, Assistant Product

Manager (810) 574-8869.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

a. Proposed Action

This LCEA examines the potential impacts to the natural and human

environment from the procurement of the ATLAS to satisfy the Army's

need for an improved all-terrain forklift for Combat Service (CS) and

Combat Service Support (CSS) units, based on the issue 13.9 (Lack of

MHE Capability) of the Total Distribution Action Plan and identified in

task B-11 of the Army Strategic Mobility Program. A major change was

made to the ATLAS Operational Requirements Document (ORD) in November

1993 reducing the forklift's maximum speed of 45 mph, reducing its

cross-country mobility, and eliminating the ATLAS requirement to handle

Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) pods. The ORD changes also deleted

the requirement for replacement of the 4,000 lb Rough Terrain Fork Lift

(RTFL) and 6,000 lb Variable Reach Rough Terrain Fork Lift (VRRTFL)

with the ATLAS. In January 1995, an additional ORD change deleted the

requirement for the ATLAS to be NBC contamination survivable IAW AR 70-

71. The revised requirement resulted in the adoption of an NDI

acquisition approach to satisfy the revised ATLAS requirements. A

market investigation supported the June 1994 special IPR approving the

ATLAS program as a Non-Developmental Item (NDI) Component Integration

acquisition.

b. Environmental Impacts

The ATLAS life-cycle includes the transport of vehicles to test

sites, testing, vehicle production, deployment and operation of

production vehicles and their eventual demilitarization. Potential

environmental impacts of these life-cycle stages may include Air

Quality, Noise, Water, Soil and Groundwater, Hazardous Materials and

Hazardous Wastes, and Flora, Fauna and Threatened or Endangered Species

at each of these life-cycle phases.

c. Additional Findings

Impacts from the proposed action would be minimal and not

significant for the following reasons:

(1) The ATLAS will be used in its intended environment. This

intended environment includes vehicle production and some testing at

the Contractor's facility, and the remainder of life-cycle activities

at Army installations and facilities.

(2) The ATLAS is very similar to vehicles produced commercially and

vehicles already in the Army inventory. It is being produced in low to

moderate quantities and will not significantly increase the vehicle

population at Army installations and facilities.

(3) The overall environmental risk associated with the ATLAS is

low. It does not introduce any new technologies or processes. Vehicle

life cycle activities do not introduce any potential environmental

impacts that are not already currently mitigated by Army policy and

procedures.

(4) The ATLAS Product Manager has ensured that the Contractor

producing the vehicle is environmentally compliant, has no permit

violations, and has commercial practices for Hazardous Material

Management and Pollution Prevention in production of the ATLAS.

(5) The ATLAS Product Manager recognizes that Army installations

and facilities have environmental plans and measures in place to

address vehicle life cycle activities very similar to that of the ATLAS

to prevent, mitigate and remediate environmental damage caused by

vehicle operation. Vehicle operations at these Army installations and

facilities are in conjunction with normal activities that are already

addressed in their site specific environmental impact statements.

d. Determination

It is therefore concluded that this program:

(1) Is not a major federal action significantly affecting the

quality of human environment.

(2) Will not have a significant impact on the environment.

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(3) Is not likely to be environmentally controversial.

(4) Will not likely result in litigation based on environmental

quality issues.

(5) Does not require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

Harry W. McClellan, Jr.,

LTC, EN, Product Manager, Construction Equipment/Materials Handling

Equipment.

[FR Doc. 98-2668 Filed 2-3-98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3710-08-M