[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] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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