US Navy releases final EIS on training complex

The U.S. Navy has released the final environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposed expansion of the Fallon Range Training Complex (FRTC) that would include portions of Nye County.

The Navy’s proposal would include the renewal of the Navy’s current public land withdrawal, the expansion of land through the additional withdrawal of federal lands, acquisition of non-federal land, airspace expansion and modifications and upgrades to range infrastructure.

“The FRTC is currently operating with significant gaps in aviation weapons training and ground mobility training capability. The current size of the Bravo ranges and the Dixie Valley Training Area severely restricts the extent to which the Navy can use its various weapons systems to train, which has resulted in air crews and special operations forces being unable to train in sufficiently realistic conditions,” according to the documents.

The EIS proposes three alternatives under which the Navy would use the modernized training complex to conduct aviation and ground training and a no-action alternative that consists of not renewing the 1999 Public Land Withdrawal of 202,864 acres, which is scheduled to expire in November 2021, and not withdrawing or acquiring any new land.

The Navy’s preferred alternative would have significant impacts on public recreation, as approximately 421,005 acres would no longer be accessible to the public, the EIS draft said.

Under all alternatives, refuge lands would continue to be maintained as a refuge. However, the public would not have access to the portion of the refuge under the weapons danger zone. Under alternatives 1 and 2, 3,200 acres of the Fallon National Wildlife Refuge would be closed to the public. However, under the Navy’s preferred alternative, which is called alternative 3, 2,720 acres of the refuge would be closed.

The Navy’s preferred alternative would also result in permanent economic impacts associated with lost federal land grazing, according to the documents. While there would be impacts on individual ranchers, there would “not be a significant impact on the total economic activity within the affected counties.” Also, the Navy’s preferred alternative could potentially result in the loss of mining and geothermal opportunities.

Conservationists have long expressed concerns over potential detrimental effects that the Navy’s expansion could have on the environment and migratory birds.

The EIS draft, however, said that the Navy’s preferred alternative would not result in “significant impacts on biological resources.”

“Based on available literature and the analysis, impacts on sage grouse are expected to be minimal,” the document said.

After the Nevada Department of Wildlife had expressed concern regarding increased low-level overflights and requested a long-term study to assess potential impacts, the Navy proposed to fund a study that would monitor sage grouse lek behavior during aircraft overflights.

“Through the Navy’s Bird/Animal Aircraft-Strike Hazard program, potential impacts on migratory birds would be avoided and minimized,” the document said.

Another major concern among opponents of the Navy expansion has been the impact on the areas of cultural significance that belong to the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe. In its final EIS draft, the Navy acknowledged that “limiting tribal access to cultural resources may result in significant impacts.”

Meanwhile, the management of proposed expansion areas would require updates to the Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan.

“If the proposed action is implemented, the Integrated Cultural Resources Management Plan would be revised to include management practices for cultural resources in the expansion areas,” according to the document.

The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe has issued a statement last year opposing the expansion of the Fallon training range. The statement said that the Naval Air Station Fallon operations on the land that had been withdrawn in 1999 caused “a terrible transformation of ancestral lands and way of life through countless flyovers at low altitudes at all hours, regular sonic bombings and other excessive noise; and denied access to traditional lands, including spiritual and cultural sites.”

Implementation of this alternative would also result in “significant impacts on transportation and traffic,” because of the restriction of access to range areas, road closures and the rerouting of State Route 361 that traverses through the far northwestern part of Nye County and serves the town of Gabbs after Gabbs Valley Road.

Under the Navy’s preferred alternative, there would be no change in payments in lieu of taxes (PILT) for Nye, Mineral, Churchill, and Pershing counties, and minimal changes in PILT for Lyon County.

While there would be no significant impact from lost sales and tax revenue, lost hunting opportunities could result in a reduction in wildlife application fees and funding sources for Dept. of Wildlife, according to the documents.

The final EIS includes responses to public comments that the Navy received during the draft EIS review period. The Navy held seven scoping meetings in 2016 and seven meetings after the draft EIS was released in 2018.

Members of the public can now submit comments during the 30-day period following the issuance of the final EIS.