45836 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 171 / Friday, September 4, 2009 / Notices 

Installation 2025 study. The meeting 

will now be adjourned at 1445 EDT. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dennis Schmidt, Army Science Board 

Secretariat, at 703–604–7474 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Public 

attendees desiring to attend the 

classified session must have a Secret 

clearance and a need to know the 

information related to the survivability 

topic. Please contact Mr. Justin 

Bringhurst at 703–604–7468 or 

justin.bringhurst@us.army.mil to 

arrange access to this meeting. 

Brenda S. Bowen, 

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–21369 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–08–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army 

Record of Decision (ROD) for the 

Maneuver Center of Excellence 

(MCOE) Actions at Fort Benning, GA 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. 

ACTION: Record of Decision. 

SUMMARY: The Department of the Army 

announces the availability of the ROD 

that implements MCOE actions at Fort 

Benning including construction, 

operation and maintenance of proposed 

operational facilities, training areas 

(including ranges and maneuver areas), 

and infrastructure to accommodate the 

consolidated Armor and Infantry 

missions of the MCOE and the increase 

in military personnel and students due 

to Army growth. 

ADDRESSES: To obtain a copy of the 

ROD, contact Mr. John Brent, 

FortBenning Directorate of Public 

Works, Environmental Management 

Division, 6650 Meloy Hall, Building 6, 

Room 308, Fort Benning, GA 31905, or 

e-mail to: john.brent@us.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Two 

action alternatives were identified in the 

June 2009 MCOE Environmental Impact 

Statement (EIS) that would fulfill the 

purpose and need of the MCOE action: 

Alternative A and Alternative B. The No 

Action Alternative was also considered 

but it does not meet the purpose and 

need of the MCOE actions. The Army 

has identified Alternative A as its 

preferred alternative because it best 

meets the purpose and need of the 

MCOE actions. Of the two action 

alternatives, Alternative A is the 

environmentally preferred alternative. 

The Army has decided to proceed 

with implementing the Preferred 

Alternative (Alternative A) consistent 

with the analysis in the MCOE EIS and 

supporting studies and comments 

provided during formal comment and 

review periods. Administrative, 

maintenance, barracks, commercial 

services, medical, community, dining, 

and recreation facilities would be 

constructed in three of the four 

cantonment areas: Main Post, Sand Hill, 

and Harmony Church. Additional 

construction in the ranges and 

maneuver areas include small- and 

large-caliber weapons ranges, heavy 

maneuver areas and corridors, drivers’ 

training course, and vehicle recovery 

area to support the training 

requirements. In addition, MCOE 

activities will include a substantial 

long-term increase in training 

operations and associated land 

disturbance. Included in this EIS is an 

increase of 118 military personnel and 

2,640 new military students (daily 

average) resulting from Grow the Army 

actions. 

Special consideration was given to the 

effect of the preferred alternative on 

natural, cultural, and human 

environments. Mitigation measures, as 

described in the ROD, will be 

implemented to avoid, minimize, or 

compensate for the adverse effects 

identified in the MCOE EIS at Fort 

Benning for land use, operational noise, 

biological resources (fish and wildlife), 

water resources, cultural resources, and 

soils. Alternative B would also meet the 

MCOE purpose and need, but it was not 

selected because it would have 

substantially greater impacts on the redcockaded woodpecker (RCW) and other 

natural and cultural resources. The No 

Action Alternative would not meet the 

Army’s purpose and need for the MCOE 

actions. There are no differences 

between Alternatives A and B in impact 

to resources such as aesthetics and 

visual, socioeconomics, transportation, 

utilities, noise, hazardous and toxic 

materials and waste, and safety. 

Alternative A would impact fewer acres 

of soil and water resources than 

Alternative B resulting in substantially 

less impacts on biological resources, 

water resources, soils, and cultural 

resources. Impacts on land use and 

noise would be significant under both 

alternatives. Both alternatives will have 

significant impacts on special status 

species but Alternative B would have 

much greater impacts to the federally 

endangered RCW than Alternative A. 

The Preferred Alternative includes 

actions to avoid or reduce adverse 

effects on federally listed species as 

identified in the Army’s Biological 

Assessment and the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service’s Jeopardy Biological 

Opinion (JBO) including the Reasonable 

and Prudent Alternative, minimization 

measures, and terms and conditions. 

Even with these mitigation measures, 

impacts could still be potentially 

significant. Among the changes required 

by the JBO are the relocation of the 

Scout Leaders Course field training 

outside of Fort Benning boundaries to a 

location yet to be identified. This will 

further reduce impacts to environmental 

resources. This relocation action will be 

the subject of further National 

Environmental Policy Act analysis. 

Substantive comments received on 

the Final ElS during the waiting period 

are addressed in the ROD. 

An electronic version of the ROD is 

available at http://www.hqda.army.mil/ 

acsim/brac/nepa_eis_docs.htm. 

Dated: August 28, 2009. 

Addison D. Davis, IV, 

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, 

(Environment, Safety and Occupational 

Health). 

[FR Doc. E9–21300 Filed 9–3–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–08–M 

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 

Notice of Proposed Information 

Collection Request 

AGENCY: Department of Education. 

SUMMARY: The Secretary of Education 

requests comments on the Free 

Application for Federal Student Aid 

(FAFSA) that the Secretary proposes to 

use for the 2010–2011 award year. The 

FAFSA is completed by students and 

their families, and the information 

submitted on the form is used to 

determine the students’ eligibility and 

need for financial aid under the student 

financial assistance programs 

authorized under Title IV of the Higher 

Education Act of 1965, as amended 

(Title IV, HEA Programs). 

The Department is committed to 

improving the federal student aid 

application process for individuals 

completing the Free Application for 

Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Because 

99 percent of student applicants opt to 

apply electronically, much of the 

Department’s recent improvements have 

focused on FAFSA on the Web which 

maximizes the use of ‘skip logic’ and 

previously submitted FAFSA data, to 

dramatically reduce applicant’s burden. 

For the 2010–2011 cycle FAFSA on the 

Web and the Pre-filled FAFSA will be 

further improved by the implementation 

of significant enhancements facilitated 

by a Web technology upgrade. The 

upgraded application will include new 

features, functionality and a level of 

user interaction that was not previously 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES