Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 56 / Friday, March 23, 2007 / Notices 13751 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army 

Notice of Availability of the Fort Bliss, 

Texas and New Mexico, Mission Master 

Plan Final Supplemental Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of the Army 

announces the availability of a Final 

Supplemental Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) 

identifying the potential environmental 

effects of changing land and airspace 

use at Fort Bliss to support evolving 

changes in missions and units and 

support Army Transformation, 

Integrated Global Presence and Basing 

Strategy (IGPBS), Base Realignment and 

Closure (BRAC), the Army Campaign 

Plan, and other Army initiatives. 

The Final SEIS supplements the Fort 

Bliss, Texas and New Mexico, Mission 

Master Plan Programmatic 

Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), 

for which a Record of Decision was 

signed in 2001. 

DATES: The waiting period for the Final 

SEIS will end 30 days after publication 

of this NOA in the Federal Register. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Jean Offutt, Public Affairs Officer, 

IMSW–BLS–PA; Fort Bliss, TX 79916–

6812; telephone: (915) 568–6812; fax: 

(915) 568–2995; e-mail: 

jean.offutt@bliss.army.mil. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Proposed Action would change land use 

in the Main Cantonment Area to support 

units assigned to Fort Bliss under 

BRAC, and in the Fort Bliss Training 

Complex to support construction of livefire ranges and designation of off-road 

maneuver space needed to train soldiers 

to doctrinal standards. In addition to the 

Proposed Action, the Final SEIS 

analyses the environmental affects of 

three other action alternatives and a No 

Action Alternative. 

The action alternatives differ in the 

amount (216,000–352,000 acres) and 

location of additional land in the 

Tularosa Basin portion of McGregor 

Range proposed for off road maneuver, 

resulting in varied abilities to meet the 

defined need for maneuver training, 

accommodate units and missions in 

addition to the BRAC package, and 

flexibility to meet future requirements. 

Those portions of McGregor Range 

outside the Tularosa Basin, specifically 

Otero Mesa and the Sacramento 

Mountain foothills, would not 

experience changes in land use. 

Issues associated with land use 

changes in the Training Complex 

include potential impacts to natural 

resources and cultural resources, 

potential land use conflicts with grazing 

portions of the proposed off-road 

maneuver space on McGregor Range, 

access to roads to the Forest Service 

grazing allotments on McGregor Range, 

recreational use of McGregor Range, and 

closures on NM Highway 506. Noise 

issues are part of the upgrade and/or 

construction of firing ranges. 

Issues associated with land use 

changes and construction in the Main 

Cantonment Area include potential 

increases in air pollutant emissions, 

transportation issues, and 

socioeconomic issues including 

population growth and development 

public services and utilities, education, 

and quality of life. 

Alternative 4, the Proposed Action, is 

anticipated to generate substantial 

economic benefits and the significantly 

affect population growth and 

development, traffic, utility demands, 

and demand for public and medical 

services in the region. Expansion of offroad vehicle maneuver training into the 

Tularosa Basin portion of McGregor 

Range, along with increased maneuvers 

in the North and South training Areas, 

is expected to increase wind and water 

erosion significantly, and would likely 

result in long-term changes in 

vegetation communities in the ore 

intensely used training areas. Training 

related noise is also expected to increase 

in areas adjacent to Don ́ a Ana Range 

and portions of McGregor Range. 

Comments received on the Draft SEIS 

at public meetings and in writing are 

incorporated and addressed in the Final 

SEIS. 

Copies of the Final SEIS are available 

at the following libraries: In El Paso, the 

Richard Burges Regional Library, 9600 

Dyer; the Irving Schwartz Branch 

Library, 1865 Dean Martin; the Clardy 

Fox Branch Library, 5515 Robert Alva; 

and the Doris van Doren Regional 

Branch Library, 551 Redd Road. In Las 

Cruces, NM, the New Mexico State 

University Zuhl Library at 299 McFie 

Circle; and in Alamogordo, NM, at the 

Alamogordo Public Library, 920 Oregon 

Avenue. The document can also be 

reviewed at https://www.bliss.army.mil. 

John A. Macdonald, 

Brigadier General, U.S. Army, Deputy 

Commanding General, Installation 

Management Command. 

[FR Doc. 07–1432 Filed 3–22–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–08–M 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Hold an Open Meeting of the 

North Dakota River Task Force 

Established by the Missouri River 

Protection and Improvement Act of 

2000 (Title VII) 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The duties of the Task Force 

are to prepare and approve a plan for 

the use of the funds made available 

under Title VII to promote conservation 

practices in the Missouri River 

watershed, control and remove the 

sediment from the Missouri River, 

protect recreation on the Missouri River 

from sedimentation, and protect Indian 

and non-Indian historical and cultural 

sites along the Missouri River from 

erosion. 

DATES: North Dakota Missouri River 

Task Force established by the Missouri 

River Protection and Improvement Act 

of 2000 will hold a meeting on April 24, 

2007, from 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at 

the Best Western Doublewood Inn 

located at 1400 East Interchange Avenue 

in Bismarck, ND. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Laura Bentley at (402) 221–4627. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

objectives of the Task Force are to 

prepare and approve a plan for the use 

of the funds made available under Title 

VII, develop and recommend to the 

Secretary of the Army ways to 

implement critical restoration projects 

meeting the goals of the plan, and 

determine if these projects primarily 

benefit the Federal Government. 

This meeting is open to the public. 

Any interested person may attend, 

appear before, or file statements with 

the task force; however, statements and 

questions should be submitted in 

advance. For additional information, 

contact Laura Bentley, U.S. Army Corps 

of Engineers, 106 South 15th Street, 

Omaha, NE 68102–1618, 402–221–4627. 

Brenda S. Bowen, 

Army Federal Register Liaison Officer. 

[FR Doc. 07–1433 Filed 3–22–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–GW–M 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES