HomeMy WebLinkAbout20231075.tiffDEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE GLOBAL STRIKE COMMAND
Beth A. Hart, GS -15, DAF
Reply to: Sentinel (GBSD) Project EIS
10306 Eaton Place, Suite 340
Fairfax, VA 22030
Dear Stakeholder
RECEIVED
APR 01 2023
WELD COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS
31 March 2023
Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) (Title 42 United States Code
§ 4321); the Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (Title 40 Code of
Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508); and the Air Force Environmental Impact Analysis Process
(EIAP) as codified in 32 CFR Part 989, the Air Force has prepared a Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) that analyzes the potential environmental consequences associated with the proposed
deployment of the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)
weapon system, called Sentinel, and decommissioning and disposal of the aging Minuteman III ICBM
weapon system. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation,
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, and Wyoming Army
National Guard are cooperating agencies for the EIS.
The purpose of the Proposed Action is to replace all land -based Minuteman III missiles deployed
in the continental U.S. with the technologically advanced Sentinel system. The Proposed Action is needed
to meet national security requirements and to comply with the John S. McCain National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Publ. L. 115-232 § 1663, 132 Stat. 2153), which directs the Air
Force to develop and implement a strategy "to accelerate the development, procurement, and fielding of
the ground based strategic deterrent program."
In addition to replacing all land -based Minuteman III ICBMs with the Sentinel ICBMs, all launch
facilities, communication systems, infrastructure, and technologies would be modernized and replaced as
necessary to support the Sentinel system. Decommissioning and disposal activities would include
destruction of all Minuteman III weapon systems and associated components to prevent their further use
for their originally intended purpose. While certain components and subsystems of the Minuteman III
have been upgraded, most of the fundamental infrastructure used today is the nearly 50 -year -old original
equipment. The Proposed Action would not include generating or disposing of nuclear material, and the
number of land -based nuclear missiles would remain unchanged. The nuclear warheads from the
Minuteman III system would be used for the Sentinel system. Deployment of the Sentinel system would
begin in 2023, extending the capabilities of the land -based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad through at least
2075.
Construction and operational activities would take place on -base and in the missile fields at
Francis E. Warren (F.E.) Air Force Base (AFB), WY; Malmstrom AFB, MT; and Minot AFB, ND.
Additional construction, maintenance, training, storage, testing, support, decommissioning, and disposal
actions would occur at Hill AFB, UT; the Utah Test and Training Range, UT; Camp Guernsey, WY; and
Camp Navajo, AZ. Deployment of the Sentinel system would begin in 2023 at F.E. Warren AFB, and be
implemented at Malmstrom AFB and Minot AFB over the next 15 years. The proposed Sentinel
deployment activities would include the construction and renovation of approximately 1,569,000 square
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feet of on -base facilities, and the refurbishment of all 450 launch facilities and 45 missile alert facilities,
construction of 62 new communication towers on newly acquired properties, the establishment of
approximately 3,000 miles of new utility corridors, and the potential to conduct utility work within the
nearly 5,000 miles of existing utility easements throughout the missile fields of F.E. Warren, Malmstrom,
and Minot AFBs. During construction, a workforce hub would be established in or near Great Falls and
Lewistown, MT, Kimball, NE, and Minot, ND, housing up to 3,000 temporary workers and support
personnel each, and 19 centralized construction laydown areas would be established in or near Stoneham,
CO; Augusta, Belt, Denton, Judith Gap, Lewistown, Stanford, Vaughn, and Winifred, MT; Kimball and
Sydney, NE; Balfour, Bowbells, Garrison, Mohall, Ruso, Stanley, and Wabek, ND; and Albin, WY.
While there would be no construction at Camp Navajo, the proposed Sentinel deployment activities
would include use of the existing missile storage area during Minuteman III decommissioning and
disposal activities.
The EIS evaluates two alternatives to the Proposed Action, the Reduced Utility Corridors
Alternative and the No Action Alternative (as required by NEPA). The Reduced Utility Corridors
Alternative would replace all land -based Minuteman III ICBMs deployed in the continental United States
with Sentinel ICBMs, as would the Proposed Action. And, while it includes most of the elements of the
Proposed Action, it also proposes establishing appreciably fewer miles of new utility corridors and
reutilizing marginally fewer miles of existing utility corridors. Under the No Action Alternative, the Air
Force would continue to maintain and operate the Minuteman III weapon system in its current
configuration, and the Sentinel weapon system would not be deployed.
The Draft EIS was published on July 1, 2022, and a Federal Register notice was published on the
same date. The Air Force requested that comments on the draft be submitted within 45 days of the notice
to ensure their consideration in the Final EIS. The Final EIS includes changes made to the Draft in
response to substantive comments received. In addition to the changes in the analysis and content of the
EIS, the Final EIS includes responses to all substantive comments received during the 45 -day public
comment period. These responses are located in Volume II, Appendix B.
A Notice of Availability (NOA) of the Final EIS will be published in the Federal Register on or
about March 31, 2023. The Final EIS will be posted on the project website (www.gbsdeis.com) on the
day the NOA is published. Advertisements also will be published in local newspapers notifying the public
that the Final EIS is available.
Thank you for your participation in the Air Force's Environmental Impact Analysis Process and
your contributions to improving the analysis presented in the Final EIS. If you are unable to access the
website or would like to request printed or digital copies of materials, please send an email to
gbsdeis@tetratech.com.
Sincerely
HART.BETH.A HART.8ETHO. 244107997
.1244107997 -0500023.03.2213:48:53
BETH A. HART, GS -15, DAF
Division Chief, Site Activation Task Force
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