HomeMy WebLinkAbout20200617.tiffDEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE
HEADQUARTERS AIR FORCE GLOBAL STRIKE COMMAND
September 29, 2020
James D. Hunsicker, GS -15, DAFC
Reply to: Tetra Tech, Inc., c/o Jennifer Jarvis
10306 Eaton Place, Fairfax, VA 22030 ATTN: GBSD Comments
Mr. Curtis Hall
Public Works Department
PO Box 758
Greeley, CO 80632
Dear Mr. Hall,
The United States Air Force (Air Force) will prepare an 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.
The scoping period for the GBSD EIS begins with publication of the Notice of Intent (NOI) to
prepare an EIS in the Federal Register on or about September 29, 2020. Advertisements will also be
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. Instead, 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.
The website will become accessible the day the NOI is published.
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
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.
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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.
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 no later than November 13, 2020, to ensure their consideration during the preparation of the
Draft EIS.
If you are unable to access the website or would like to request printed or digital copies of the
scoping materials, please send an email to gbsdeis@tetratech.com.
Thank you for your interest in this project.
Sincerely,
q-:)
JAMES D. HUNSICKER, GS -15, DAFC
Site Activation Task Force Lead
Air Force Global Strike Command
Attachment:
Locations Associated with the GBSD Deployment Program
LEWIS
RANGE
IDAHO
Hill AFB
Camp
Navajo
Selena
Idaho
Falls
•
Salt
Lake
City
ARIZONA
LEGEND
State Boundary
• Launch Facility (LF)
Missile Alert Facility (MAF)
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PadtABSAROKA
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COLon
PLATE
CANADA
MONTANA
WYOMING
2 Denver
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COLORADO
NORTH DAKOTA
Bismarck
*Pierre
S A N I) Hit t S
NEBRASKA
FE Warren
AFB
KANSAS
100 200
Miles
Map
View
Locations Associated with the
GBSD Deployment Program
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