Extension of the Barry M. Goldwater Range Land Withdrawal and Proposed Gila Bend Addition Land Withdrawal
Abstract
This final LEIS addresses the proposed extension of the military land withdrawal and reservation for the approximately 1.7-million-acre Barry M. Goldwater Range (BMGR) in southwestern Arizona. In order for the Air Force and the Marine Corps to continue military use of the lands withdrawn under the Military Lands Withdrawal Act of 1999 (Public Law 106-65) after October 4, 2024 Congress must extend the withdrawal. The purpose of and need for extending the BMGR is to maintain the readiness of the nation's air forces by retaining one of its premier ranges for training tactical air combat aircrews and other personnel to fight, survive, and win in the air-ground battlespace. This final LEIS also evaluates the proposed withdrawal of about 2,366 acres of public land adjacent to the Gila Bend Air Force Auxiliary Airfield (AFAF), referred to as the Gila Bend Addition. The proposed Gila Bend Addition would enhance the security and safety of flight operations at Gila Bend AFAF, as well as allow the Air Force to control land use and access to ensure surface activities remain compatible with training operations in the overlying airspace. This final LEIS analyzes two sets of four action alternatives. One set of alternatives would extend the land withdrawal without changes to the BMGR boundary and the second set would withdraw the existing range and include the Gila Bend Addition. Under the no action alternative, the public land in the BMGR would not be withdrawn and the Gila Bend Addition would not be added to BMGR East. The effects on military land and airspace use, civil aviation, perimeter and non-military land use, utilities, ground transportation and traffic, recreation resources, earth resources, water resources, air quality, climate change, biological resources, cultural resources, noise, visual resources, hazardous materials and waste, public health and safety, socioeconomics, and environmental justice are discussed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2021
- Accession Number
- AD1154572
Entities
People
- Jon Haliscak
Organizations
- Arizona Game and Fish Department
- Bureau of Land Management
- United States Department of the Air Force
- United States Department of the Navy
- United States Fish and Wildlife Service