JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- The US Air Force is now accepting public scoping comments for the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Proposed Mortar and Artillery Training to evaluate the potential impacts associated with indirect live-fire training during all seasons at Eagle River Flats (ERF) Impact Area on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.
The USAF proposes to remove existing winter firing restrictions to allow for all-season indirect live-fire training at Richardson Training Area, JBER, and to expand ERF Impact Area by approximately 585 acres. The USAF is the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) lead agency, and the U.S. Army is a cooperating agency, for this EIS process.
The EIS will address the environmental consequences of action alternatives and the No Action alternative to: water resources, air quality and mission vulnerability, greenhouse gases, hazardous materials and waste, forest resources, fish, marine mammals and other wildlife, vegetation, cultural resources, noise, socioeconomics, and recreation. Public and agency scoping may identify other environmental resources for consideration in the EIS.
To ensure the USAF has sufficient time to consider public input in the preparation of the Draft EIS, scoping comments must be submitted online at https://jber-pmart-eis.com/#!/getInvolved/comment, emailed to jber.pa@us.af.mil, or mailed to JBER Public Affairs c/o Matthew Beattie, 10480 Sijan Ave., Suite 123, JBER, AK 99506, no later than May 11th, 2020.
Individual respondents may request confidentially. If you wish to withhold your name and address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comments. Such requests will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from organizations, businesses and from individuals or officials representing organizations or businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their entirety.
As a direct result of the National Emergency declared Friday, March 13, 2020, in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the Center for Disease Control’s recommendations for social distancing and avoiding large public gatherings, the USAF canceled two scoping meetings scheduled April 13 and 14 as listed in the original notice of intent published March 16 (Federal Register, Vol. 85., No. 51, 14928).
In lieu of public scoping meetings, proposal information is available at: https://JBER-PMART-EIS.com.