Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 175 / Friday, September 10, 2010 / Notices 55313 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army 

Final Environmental Impact Statement 

(FEIS) for Grow the Army Actions at 

Fort Lewis and the Yakima Training 

Center (YTC), WA 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA). 

SUMMARY: The Department of the Army 

announces the availability of an FEIS for 

Fort Lewis and YTC that analyzes the 

environmental impacts of implementing 

the decisions in the 2007 Army Growth 

and Force Structure Realignment 

Programmatic EIS (also referred to as the 

Grow The Army PEIS or GTA PEIS) and 

other ongoing Army realignment and 

stationing initiatives, such as the 

potential for Combat Aviation Brigade 

(CAB) stationing that may potentially 

effect Fort Lewis and YTC. The 

Proposed Action could station up to 

5,700 Soldiers and their Families at Fort 

Lewis. The Proposed Action includes 

the stationing of 1,900 Soldiers directed 

under the GTA PEIS, the potential 

additional stationing of up to 1,000 

combat service support (CSS) Soldiers, 

and the potential stationing of a 

medium Combat Aviation Brigade 

(CAB) of approximately 2,800 Soldiers 

for a total of up to 5,700 Soldiers. After 

reviewing the alternatives analyzed in 

the FEIS, the Army has identified 

Alternative 4 as its preferred alternative, 

which includes all components of the 

GTA, CSS, and CAB alternatives (up to 

a total of 5,700 Soldiers and 8,260 

family members). 

DATES: The waiting period for the FEIS 

will end on September 27, 2010. 

ADDRESSES: Questions or comments 

regarding the FEIS should be forwarded 

to: Directorate of Public Works, 

Attention: IMWE–LEW–PWE (Mr. Paul 

T. Steucke, Jr.), Building 2012, Liggett 

Avenue, Box 339500 MS 17, Joint Base 

Lewis-McChord, WA 98433–9500. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Bill Van Hoesen, Joint Base LewisMcChord National Environmental 

Policy Act (NEPA) Coordinator, at (253) 

966–1780 during normal business 

hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

February 1, 2010, Fort Lewis, Yakima 

Training Center, and McChord Air Force 

Base were designated a joint base and 

renamed ‘‘Joint Base Lewis-McChord’’; 

however, the terms ‘‘Fort Lewis,’’ and 

‘‘Yakima Training Center (YTC)’’ are 

retained in the FEIS and will be used 

until the EIS process is complete. 

The FEIS analyzes the direct, indirect, 

and cumulative impacts of the site 

specific actions for the alternatives to 

implement the Proposed Action. These 

actions include troop stationing, 

maneuver and live-fire training, 

demolition of outdated facilities, and 

construction of new facilities and firing 

ranges. 

Four alternatives for the Proposed 

Action are analyzed. Under all 

alternatives, the Soldiers would train at 

Fort Lewis and YTC. 

(1) The No Action alternative assumes 

that the Army GTA decisions would not 

be implemented. Analysis of the No 

Action alternative serves as a baseline 

for comparison of the other alternatives. 

Under this alternative, planned 

construction that is not part of the GTA 

decisions includes troop barracks, 

recreational facilities, traffic flow 

improvements and other infrastructure 

upgrades at Fort Lewis. 

(2) The GTA alternative implements 

the Army GTA decisions affecting Fort 

Lewis and YTC. Maneuver and live-fire 

training of an additional 1,900 Soldiers 

will occur at Fort Lewis and YTC. This 

alternative also includes the training of 

three Stryker Brigade Combat Teams 

(SBCTs) simultaneously at Fort Lewis 

and YTC. Planned new construction 

includes brigade barracks complexes, 

the upgrade of substandard SBCT 

facilities to meet Army standards, and 

additional firing ranges at Fort Lewis 

and YTC. 

(3) The CSS alternative represents the 

potential stationing at Fort Lewis of up 

to 1,000 CSS Soldiers in addition to 

Alternative 2. Maneuver and live-fire 

training of up to 2,900 new Soldiers 

would occur at Fort Lewis and YTC. 

Specific construction projects cannot be 

identified until the types and numbers 

of CSS units are known, but new 

construction would include barracks, 

motor pools, classrooms, and 

administrative facilities. 

(4) The CAB alternative represents the 

potential stationing at Fort Lewis of a 

CAB in addition to Alternative 3. 

Maneuver and live-fire training of up to 

5,700 new Soldiers would occur at Fort 

Lewis and YTC. This maneuver would 

include the air and ground assets of the 

CAB. New construction facilities to 

support the CAB would be similar to 

those required for Alternative 3. 

The Army will soon initiate a 

programmatic environmental analysis 

that may result in the stationing of a 

CAB or additional CAB units at Fort 

Lewis. No final decisions have been 

made at the Headquarters, Department 

of the Army level on a CAB at this time. 

Copies of the FEIS are available at 

local libraries surrounding Fort Lewis 

and YTC. The FEIS can also be viewed 

at: http://www.lewis.army.mil/ 

publicworks/sites/envir/EIA_2.htm. 

Dated: September 1, 2010. 

Hershell E. Wolfe, 

Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the 

Army (Environment, Safety and Occupational 

Health). 

[FR Doc. 2010–22677 Filed 9–9–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–08–P 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 

Department of the Army 

Record of Decision (ROD) for 

Conversion of the 3rd Armored Cavalry 

Regiment (3rd ACR) to a Stryker 

Brigade Combat Team (SBCT) at Fort 

Hood, TX 

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DoD. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability (NOA). 

SUMMARY: The Department of the Army 

announces a ROD for conversion of the 

3rd ACR to an SBCT at Fort Hood and 

discusses the environmental impacts of 

this decision. After conversion, the 3rd 

ACR will provide the Army with a force 

structure that has the flexibility to 

respond better to threats in an 

unpredictable global security 

environment. The Army’s strategic 

estimate remains that its force 

requirements will best be met by a 

robust multiweight force, composed of a 

mix of Infantry BCTs and Heavy Armor 

BCTs augmented with the protection 

and versatility of an additional SBCT. 

The 3rd ACR at Fort Hood is being 

selected because the unit will have 

maximum time to convert and train 

with new equipment prior to 

redeploying. In addition, Fort Hood is 

an installation capable of providing 

fully modernized training infrastructure, 

as well as many of the existing garrison 

support facilities required for an SBCT, 

and has adequate maneuver space to 

accommodate SBCT training. The 3rd 

ACR will begin converting in 2012 and 

will be complete in Fiscal Year 2014. 

With this conversion, the Army will 

have nine SBCTs (eight Active 

Component and one Reserve 

Component). 

ADDRESSES: A request for a copy of the 

ROD can be sent to the Public Affairs 

Office, U.S. Army Environmental 

Command, Building E4460, Attention: 

IMAE–PA, 5179 Hoadley Road, 

Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD 21010– 

5401. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lieutenant Colonel David Patterson, 

Office of the Chief of Public Affairs, 

Media Relations Division, at (703) 697– 

7592. 


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