81 FR 93905 - Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the KC-46A Main Operating Base #4 Beddown

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Air Force

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 246 (December 22, 2016)

The United States Air Force (USAF) is issuing this notice to advise the public of the intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the KC-46A Main Operating Base #4 (MOB 4) Beddown. The EIS will assess the potential environmental consequences of various alternatives of the beddown of KC-46A tanker aircraft, associated infrastructure and personnel in support of the MOB 4 mission at an existing active duty, continental United States Air Force Base (AFB).

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 246 (Thursday, December 22, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 93905-93906]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30828]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Air Force


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the KC-46A Main Operating Base #4 Beddown

AGENCY: United States Air Force, Department of Defense.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The United States Air Force (USAF) is issuing this notice to 
advise the public of the intent to prepare an Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the KC-46A Main Operating Base #4 (MOB 4) Beddown. 
The EIS will assess the potential environmental consequences of various 
alternatives of the beddown of KC-46A tanker aircraft, associated 
infrastructure and personnel in support of the MOB 4 mission at an 
existing active duty, continental United States Air Force Base (AFB).

DATES: USAF invites the public, stakeholders, and other interested 
parties to attend open house public scoping meetings from 5 p.m. to 8 
p.m. in the following locations on the following dates:

1. Travis AFB: January 10, 2017; Northern Solano Association of 
Realtors, Fairfield, California.
2. Fairchild AFB: January 12, 2017; The Lincoln Center, Lincoln 
Ballroom, Spokane, Washington.
3. Joint Base McGuire-Dix Lakehurst (JBMDL): January 17, 2017; New 
Hanover Township Senior Center, Cookstown, New Jersey.
4. Dover AFB: January 19, 2017; AMC Museum, Dover, Delaware.
5. Grand Forks AFB: January 24, 2017; Alerus Center, Hawk Meeting Room, 
Grand Forks, North Dakota.

ADDRESSES: The project Web site (www.KC-46A-MOB4.com) provides more 
information on the EIS and can be used to submit scoping comments. 
Scoping comments may also be submitted to Mr. Bill Bushman, AFCEC/CZN; 
Attn: KC-46A MOB 4 EIS; 2261 Hughes Ave, Suite 155; JBSA Lackland, TX 
78236-9853.
    Comments will be accepted at any time during the environmental 
impact analysis process. However, to ensure the USAF has sufficient 
time to consider public input in the preparation of the Draft EIS, 
scoping comments should be submitted to the Web site or the address 
listed above by February 3, 2017.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The MOB 4 mission includes the beddown of 24 
or 36 KC-46A aircraft in two or three squadrons, respectively. The KC-
46A aircraft will recapitalize the aging tanker fleet and would 
continue supporting the mission of providing worldwide refueling, 
cargo, and aeromedical evacuation support. The proposed basing 
alternatives for MOB 4 mission include Dover AFB, Delaware; Fairchild 
AFB, Washington; Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota; JBMDL, New Jersey; and 
Travis AFB, California.
    Scoping and Agency Coordination: To effectively define the full 
range of issues to be evaluated in the EIS, the USAF will determine the 
scope of the analysis by soliciting comments from interested

[[Page 93906]]

local, state and federal elected officials and agencies, as well as 
interested members of the public and others. Implementation of the KC-
46A MOB 4 mission at Dover AFB, Grand Forks AFB, JBMDL and Travis AFB 
would have the potential to be located in a floodplain and/or wetland. 
Consistent with the requirements and objectives of Executive Order (EO) 
11990, ``Protection of Wetlands,'' and EO 11988, ``Floodplain 
Management,'' as amended by EO 13690, ``Establishing a Federal Flood 
Risk Management Standard and a Process for Further Soliciting and 
Considering Stakeholder Input,'' state and federal regulatory agencies 
with special expertise in wetlands and floodplains will be contacted to 
request comment. Consistent with EO 11988, EO 13690, and EO 11990, this 
Notice of Intent initiates early public review of the alternatives that 
have the potential to be located in a floodplain and/or wetland. 
Scoping meetings will be held in the local communities near the 
alternative basing locations. The scheduled dates, times, locations, 
and addresses for the scoping meetings will also be published in local 
media a minimum of 15 days prior to the scoping meetings.

Henry Williams,
Acting Air Force Federal Register Liaison Officer.
[FR Doc. 2016-30828 Filed 12-21-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 5001-10-P