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Home My WebLink About20213258.tiffDEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE GLOBAL STRIKE COMMAND James D. Hunsicker, GS -15, DAFC Reply to: Tetra Tech, Inc. do Jennifer Jarvis 10306 Eaton Place, Fairfax, VA 22030 ATTN: GBSD Comments Dear Community Member, REC blvtL) NOV 19 2021 WELD COUNTY COMMISSIONERS November 15, 2021 The United States Air Force (Air Force) is preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential impacts on the human and natural environments of deploying the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD) intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) system and decommissioning and disposing of the Minuteman III ICBM system (the Proposed Action). Deployment -related actions would occur both on -base and in the missile fields at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base (AFB), WY; Malmstrom AFB, MT; and Minot AFB, ND. Additional 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. The EIS will be prepared in accordance with 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 Wyoming Army National Guard is a cooperating agency for this EIS. You are receiving this letter because a limited portion of your property may support future GBSD infrastructure. You have been identified as having an ownership interest in property that may require future access for construction and maintenance of a new GBSD utility corridor or a communications tower on a portion of the property. Newly proposed utility corridors and their associated easements and communication towers would be established to support the GBSD missile system. Attached is a figure for your convenience. Notably, we are not seeking access to your property at this time, but the Air Force did want to ensure you were contacted and made aware that future access and acquisition of a limited property interest may be required so that you can provide comments or concerns regarding the GBSD proposal. The Air Force does not anticipate the need to contact any landowners to negotiate easements or land purchase until calendar year 2023, and you will be contacted separately if access becomes necessary. The scoping period for the GBSD EIS began with publication of the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an -EIS in the Federal Register on September 25, 2020. Advertisements were also published in local newspapers notifying the public of the EIS scoping period. The scoping process is used to involve the public early in planning and developing the EIS and to help identify issues to be addressed in the environmental analysis. Because of public health concerns surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Air Force will not hold face-to-face public scoping meetings. Ins a[l, scoping materials that would have been presented at the meetings are available for review on the project website at https://www.gbsdeis.com. On the website, you will find information about the NEPA process, details of the Proposed Action and alternatives, and opportunities for public engagement and providing comments. GBSD deployment activities would include replacing all land -based Minuteman III ICBMs in the United States, including motors, interstages, and missile guidance sets, with the GBSD weapon system, a technologically advanced ICBM system. All launch facilities, communication systems, infrastructure, and technologies would be modernized and replaced as necessary to support the GBSD system. The Proposed Action would not include generating or disposing of nuclear material, and the number of land -based nuclear missiles would remain unchanged Decommissioning and disposal activities would include aegyirylt_)n; cc..+iors Cc •. PWC um / E R I C H) , BC,(TT),pl,(-re) oacn( RRN, CAC%/(3O,crn(TP) It/ act /o1I (I/9Q/QI 2021-3258 2 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. Deployment of the GBSD system would begin in the mid -2020s, extending the capabilities of the land -based leg of the U.S. nuclear triad through at least 2075. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to replace all land -based Minuteman III missiles deployed in the continental United States with the GBSD 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." The Proposed Action would be consistent with the 2018 Nuclear Posture Review as well as with all relevant international obligations of the United States. Implementing the Proposed Action would ensure the United States continues to have effective, responsive, and resilient ICBMs and associated infrastructure for its land -based nuclear defense. The proposed ICBMs and supporting upgrades would enable the United States to continue to provide long-term, tangible evidence to both allies and potential adversaries of our nuclear weapons capabilities, thus contributing to nuclear deterrence and assurance, and providing a safeguard against arms competition. The EIS will assess the potential environmental consequences of deploying the GBSD weapon system and decommissioning and disposing of the Minuteman III system. The EIS will also analyze the No Action Alternative, which serves as the baseline against which to compare the Proposed Action. 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 GBSD system would not be deployed. As this proposed action may affect wetlands/floodplains, it is subject to the requirements and objectives of Executive Orders 11990 and 11988. This letter also serves the purpose of providing notice of potential wetland or floodplain impacts in association with the GBSD proposal to solicit your input on this issue if you have concerns about these potential impacts. To effectively define the full range of issues and concerns to be evaluated in the EIS, the Air Force is soliciting scoping comments from interested local, state, and federal agencies and organizations; Native American Tribes; and members of the public. Scoping comments can be provided via a comment form on the project website, via email to gbsdeis@tetratech.com, or in writing to Tetra Tech, Inc., c/o Jennifer Jarvis, 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 340, Fairfax, VA 22030, ATTN: GBSD Comments. Although comments will be accepted at any time during the EIAP, the Air Force requests that you provide your comments within 30 days, to ensure their consideration during the preparation of the Draft EIS. If you are unable to access the website or would like to request digital copies of the scoping materials, please send an email to gbsdeis@tetratech.com. Thank you for your interest in this project. Sincerely, JAMES D. HUNSICKER, GS -15, DAFC Site Activation Task Force Lead Air Force Global Strike Command Attachment: Proposed Utility Corridors Associated with the GBSD Deployment Program PL TTE Camp Guernsey GOSHEN • SIOUX - Torrington BOX BUTTE Allia SHERIfl N Scottsbluff • Gering _ SCO TTo bLUFF • • ARAMIE Qr © o O O O O o ° O Cheyenne ARMMER Wellington I A &Fort Collins F.E. Warren AFB Pawnee National Grassland A • 0 0 • • c • • • BANNER • • O • • O O � O • O O O O A O O ® O o O o ©• O O O O O•• O ° ° o O o O O O O • O • O • •O O • O Pawnee® O • • o O O • O O National ° O © • LO N O O O assland 0 0 O o4 • _ ® .• O O Oo MORRILL Camp Guernsey VVY „ _ NE .4. r V O 0 0 OO OOO OO OO O FE. Vlfarren AFB O 8 O oci CO cP' OO © •O O O O Brushnir rt Morgan O O 0 0•! 0 O O O O O o O O 0 O `� n ° • O 0 Sidney A O O 000000000 O • • O © • •Sterling WASHINGTON fSW _ LEGEND nn County Boundary • City/Town O Launch Facility (LF) • Missile Alert Facility (MAF) A Proposed Communication Towers A 0 10 20 Miles Source: ESRI World Street Map 2021. F.E. Warren Air Force Base Proposed Communication Towers Hello