[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 31, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-21524]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: August 31, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Office of the Secretary of the Army

 

Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) For Continued 
Military Training Use of National Forest Lands At Camp Shelby, MS

AGENCY: Department of the Army, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The FEIS addresses environmental considerations of 
alternatives for the continued military training and land use within 
the part of the DeSoto National Forest that lies within the boundaries 
of Camp Shelby. The proposed action does not involve an expansion of 
the site nor acquisition of additional land. Environmental impacts 
addressed in the FEIS include possible effects on endangered species, 
biodiversity, soil loss, wetlands, forest and recreational 
opportunities. The FEIS includes discussions of six land use 
alternatives, focusing on the direct and indirect environmental impacts 
of each.
    Concurrently with release of the FEIS, the Forest Service has 
released a Record of Decision (ROD) detailing which areas and types of 
activities are authorized for military training purposes on 117,000 
acres of National Forest lands within the current Special Use Permit 
boundaries at Camp Shelby. The Forest Service ROD authorizes the 
reconfiguration of existing training areas to permit simultaneous 
tracked vehicle maneuver training and range gunnery practice within 
Camp Shelby's current acreage, while excluding tracked vehicle maneuver 
within the Leaf River Wildlife Management Area.
    The regulations of the U.S. Forest Service allow for a 45-day 
appeal of the decision. Under Department of the Army regulations, once 
the FEIS is published there is a minimum 30-day waiting period prior to 
release of its ROD.
    As the Forest Service ROD indicates, a compromise decision is being 
considered allowing the agencies to balance environmental impacts while 
achieving many of the Army's training needs.
    The Army and Forest Service have been involved in discussions 
throughout the Environmental Impact Statement process. Regulations 
allow the decisionmakers to select one alternative or to combine 
components of several different alternatives. All elements of the 
decision reached must be within the range of environmental impacts 
discussed in the FEIS.
    The Army's Preferred Alternative for this FEIS is Alternative 1. 
With this alternative, the Army proposes to continue military training, 
and develop training areas suitable for battalion task force maneuvers 
in accordance with current Army doctrine. This alternative fully meets 
Camp Shelby's tracked vehicle training requirements. Full 
implementation of this alternative will be limited by, or subject to, 
the Forest Service Special Use Permit requirements
    The Department of the Army will issue its ROD in no less than 30 
days using the FEIS to verify its decision, and will subsequently 
commit manpower and resources to support operations and training 
activities at Camp Shelby. The Army will work toward the development of 
a ROD that will conform to the framework of the Forest Service ROD.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the FEIS or Summary of the FEIS have been mailed 
to individuals who participated in the public comment process or who 
requested a copy of one or the other. Copies have also been sent to 
city, county, state, and federal officials, civic organizations, and 
public libraries. Individuals not currently on the mailing list may 
obtain a copy of the FEIS or the Summary by request.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Colonel Woodrow G. Lyon, Training Site Commander, Camp Shelby Training 
Site, Camp Shelby, Mississippi 39407-5500, commercial telephone (601) 
584-2764.

    Dated: August 19, 1994.
Lewis D. Walker,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, (Environment, Safety and 
Occupational Health) OASA (IL&E)
[FR Doc. 94-21524 Filed 8-30-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-M