Final EIS Released for Townsend Bombing Range

Townsend Bombing Range,Georgia This month the Department of the Navy issued a Notice of Availability for the Final Environmental Impact Study for the Proposed Modernization and Expansion of Townsend Bombing Range in Georgia. The USMC has prepared and filed with the United States EPA the Final EIS that evaluated potential environmental impacts of acquiring additional property and constructing the necessary infrastructure to allow the use of precision-guided munitions at the range.

It was determined that through the use of PGMs at the range, the USMC can more sufficiently meet current training requirements for pilots by significantly increasing air-to-ground training capabilities at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, South Carolina. The USMC prepared the Final EIS with the purpose of fully analyzing environmental impacts as a result of implementing the Proposed Action through selection of the Preferred Alternative. Impacts were assessed for the following resource areas: land use; socioeconomics; recreation; wetlands; water resources; airspace; noise; biological resources; cultural resources; air quality; transportation; noise; topography, geology, and soils; utilities and infrastructure; and hazardous materials and waste. However, it was determined through the EIS analysis that only socioeconomics would be significantly impacted as a result of the Proposed Action.

The Final EIS has been distributed to federal, state, and local agencies, citizens groups and associations, and other interested parties. An electronic version of the Final EIS can be viewed or downloaded from the project web site: http://www.townsendbombingrangeeis.com. The Notice of Availability posted in the Federal Register can be found at https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2013/03/22/2013-06588/notice-of-availability-for-the-final-environmental-impact-statement-for-the-proposed-modernization.