[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 196 (Thursday, October 9, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52697-52698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-26868]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army
Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) for
Final Site Selection and Authorization for Implementation of the
Proposed G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Range, Camp Shelby Training Site, Camp
Shelby, Mississippi
AGENCIES: National Guard Bureau, Department of the Army, DoD;
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: In the July 1994 Military Use of Forest Service Lands Final
Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery
Range is referred to as the Multiple Purpose Range Complex-Heavy (MPRC-
H). Any reference to the MPRC-H in this or other documents refers to
the G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Range. The July 1994 FEIS and Record of
Decision provided an environmental analysis in support of the issuance
of a special use permit for continued military use of Forest Service
lands in De Soto National Forest. The FEIS recognized that military use
of Forest Service lands included construction of an MPRC-H within the
Camp Shelby complex, although it did not specify the location. This
draft document contains the site-specific environmental analysis
concerning the proposed location and alternatives on Camp Shelby for
MPRC-H construction.
The G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Range is a standard Army gunnery range
which has three maneuver avenues with two course roads per avenue. Only
non-dud producing (or ``nonexplosive'') ammunition will be fired within
the target array. The range has a maximum of 270 targets which can be
engaged with either live fire or the Multiple Integrated Laser
Engagement System (MILES). The proposed range facility would allow
armor and mechanized infantry units to fulfill all their gunnery
requirements on an annual basis. The proposed project would consist of
the range operation and control area, the downrange area, and the
vehicle holding and maintenance area. The range operation and control
area is the center of responsibility for overall control and
coordination of movement and training exercises within the complex and
is also the administrative center for the range complex. Range support
facilities in this area may include the control tower, general
instruction buildings, personnel and storage buildings, target
maintenance building, latrines, covered mess, covered bleachers, and
lysterbag holder. Also, an ammunition loading/unloading dock for armor
munitions and an ammunition breakdown shelter or infantry should be
provided (Huntsville Multiple Purpose Range Complex-Heavy Design
Information Guide).
The downrange area consists of three 4,500-meter by 300-meter
lanes, each separated by a 50-meter buffer zone, and contains the
following target and simulation devices: 4 moving armor targets, 20
stationary armor targets, 51 stationary infantry targets, 15 moving
infantry targets, and 30 defilade positions. Access to target
mechanisms would be provided by means of service roads to facilitate
the installation and maintenance of the target mechanisms. The maneuver
trails themselves would be used as much as possible. The vehicle
holding and maintenance area requires approximately 5,000 square meters
(1 to 2 acres), sufficient area for a maneuvering and parking area for
at least 17 tracked vehicles. In addition, this area would contain a
100-square-meter hardstand for maintenance purposes.
The proposed G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery Range supports collective
training at the small unit level (platoon level). The ``floor'' level
training requirement for maneuver units has been established at the
platoon level while progressing to company and battalion task force
level training. Units using the proposed range complex will include
tanks, infantry/cavalry fighting vehicles and attack helicopters. These
armor and mechanized infantry units are required to conduct annual crew
qualification. This is accomplished by firing Range Table VIII. Armor
units must also maintain a ``floor,'' minimum range facility that
accommodates platoon level collective training as well as individual
and crew qualification training. The proposed range complex provides
the facilities for conducting advanced combat gunnery training and
qualification. This advanced training develops collective skills at the
small unit level. It requires sections and platoons to employ moving
and stationary target engagement techniques with all weapon systems
during daylight and periods of limited visibility.
The lack of a MPRC-H at Camp Shelby was noted in the Department of
Defense response to a Government Accounting Office report, ``Peacetime
Training Did Not Adequately Prepare Combat Brigades for Gulf War,''
dated September 1991. The Mississippi Army National Guard considers
construction of this range complex vital to the training and combat
readiness of the armor and mechanized infantry units that train at Camp
Shelby. The proposed range complex will enhance the training
capabilities and efficiencies at Camp Shelby by providing for
simultaneous utilization of tank gunnery ranges and tank maneuver
areas. It will permit more tanks to complete fire requirements
simultaneously, leading to more efficient and effective utilization of
training facilities at Camp Shelby.
[[Page 52698]]
COMMENT PERIOD: The comment period for this DSEIS ends 45 days after
the date of publication of the Environmental Protection Agency's Notice
of Availability in the Federal Register. Two public meetings have been
conducted in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, concerning the proposed action.
An additional public hearing will be held during the 45-day comment
period. All comments will be addressed and incorporated into the final
document. Comments should be forwarded to the address listed below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Colonel Parker Hills, Public Affairs Office, Mississippi Army National
Guard, P.O. Box 5027, Jackson, Mississippi 39296-5027; telephone (601
973-6349, facsimile extension 6176.
Dated: October 2, 1997.
Raymond J. Fatz,
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Environment, Safety and
Occupational Health, OASA (I, L&E).
[FR Doc. 97-26868 Filed 10-8-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3710-08-M
