RECORD
F-22 FORCE
OF DECISION
for the
UNITED STATES AIR FORCE
DEVELOPMENT
EVALUATION
AND WEAPONS
NELLIS AFB, NEVADA
SCHOOL
BEDDOWN,
A Final Environmental Impact Statement(EIS) was preparedto aid in determining whether or not
to beddown F-22 aircraft at Nellis AFB for the F-22 Force Development Evaluation (FDE)
program and WeaponsSchool (WS). The beddown includes the following componentactions:
l
l
.
l
l
l
Basing 17 F-22 aircraft at Nellis AFB in three phasesoccurring in fiscal years
(October through September)2002 (6 aircraft), 2003 (2 aircraft), and 2008 (9
aircraft);
Implementing the F-22 FDE program at the basein 2002 and the WS in 2008;
Constructing or externally modifying eight on-basefacilities and internally
modifying two facilities to supportthe F-22 programs;
Adding 367 personnelat Nellis AFB;
Conducting an additional 4,472 annualsorties from Nellis AFB by 2008, of which
4,300 would usethe Nellis RangeComplex (NRC) and 172would occur at remote
ranges;and
Testing ordnancedelivery on approvedtargetsand releasingchaff and flares in
approvedairspace.
The Air Force would fulfill essentialelementsof its testing and training program for the F-22 by
implementing the beddown at Nellis AFB. The F-22 is the Air Force’s next-generationfighter
and is designedto meet combat requirementswell into the future. The F-22 possessesstealth
technology, state-of-the-artradar and electronics, sophisticatedweaponsystems,and the
capability to fly supersonicwhile minimizing fuel use. Thesecharacteristicsmake the F-22 a
formidable deterrentto potential adversaries,enabling the United Statesto maintain and extend
its combat superiority throughoutthe world.
For all new aircraft, like the F-22, the Air Force is requiredby law andpolicy to developthe
aircraft’s war combat capabilities. This includes testing andretesting aircraft systems,developing
andrefining the tactics and maneuversit can perform, and training initial aircrews to fly the F-22
undercombat conditions. This essentialwar-combat capability program is implemented under
the FDE program, and it also includes interrelatedWS activities. FDE program and WS are
interrelatedyet separateand will exist for the life of the F-22 in the Air Force inventory. They
are essentialprogramsensuringthe F-22 is being effectively used by its pilots in training and in
combat.
To provide for successfulF-22 FDE program and WS developmentactivities, the Air Force
proposesto beddownthis aircraft at Nellis AFB. This Air Force baseand its associatedairspace
and rangecomplex are the only Air Force sites truly capableof providing the specific and unique
requirementsneededfor the F-22 FDE program and WS, without major changesto airspace,land
resources,andbaseinfrastructure.
PUBLIC
INVOLVEMENT
Air Force Instruction 32-7061and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations
implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) require an early and openprocess
for identifying significant issuesrelated to a proposedaction and obtaining input from the public
prior to making a decision that could significantly affect the environment. Theseregulations
specify public involvement at variousjunctures in the developmentof an EIS, including public
scoping prior to the preparationof a Draft EIS, andpublic review of the Draft EIS prior to
preparingand publishing the Final EIS. A decision is made only after completion of the Final
EIS andafter a 30-day waiting period.
Prior to the publication of the Draft EIS, the public processincluded publishing the Notice Of
Intent in the Federal Register on August 11, 1997. After public notification in newspapersand
radio stations,threescoping meetingswere held August 26 through August 28 at the following
southernNevadalocations: Tonopah,Las Vegas,and Caliente. A total of 22 people attendedthe
meetings and provided comments. Of these22, sevenpeopleprovided oral input. By the end of
the scoping period, September30, 1997,13 written comments had beenreceived. These scoping
comments were usedto guide preparationof the Draft EIS.
Following thesescoping meetings, the Air Force preparedthe Draft EIS and made it available to
the public and agenciesfor review andcomment. Official public notification commencedwith
the publication of the Notice of Availability on June 18, 1999in the FederaERegister and local
newspapersin the affected area. Over 340 copieswere set to federal, state,andlocal agencies,
Native American organizations,specialinterest groups,and citizens. The document was sentto
thosein the public who requesteda copy and was made available at selectedpublic facilities such
as libraries and local governmentagencieswithin southernNevada. The public reviews and
comment period for the Draft EIS lasted45 days. During this time, hearingswere held to provide
an opportunity for the public to evaluatethe proposaland the analysis containedwithin the Draft
EIS. Public hearingswere held in threeNevadacommunities potentially affectedby the
ProposedAction: Las Vegas, Caliente, and Tonopahfrom July 13 to July 15,1999. The public
was notified of the hearingsthrough newspaperadvertisementsplaced in local newspapersin the
affectedarea. Twenty-nine peopleattendedthe threehearingswith nine people providing oral
testimony andthree comment sheetssubmitted. The Air Force received an additional 10written
comments during the public comment process. The closing dateof the 45-day comment period
was August 2, 1999.
Commentsreceivedduring the public review andcomment period were consideredin the
preparationof the Final EIS. Modifications were made to the Final EIS basedupon the input
receivedduring the public review and comment period for the Draft EIS to provide clarification
of the proposedaction, impact assessment,and managementactions to reduceenvironmental
effects.
ALTERNATIVES
ANALYZED
IN THE EIS
The EIS analyzedtwo alternatives,the ProposedAction andNo-Action. The beddown(Proposed
Action) will allow for the development,testing, andteaching of the combat capabilities the F-22
would use in war. The ProposedAction would comply with Federal law, as well as Department
of Defenseand Air Force policy, which require the Air Force to conduct FDE testing of the F-22
aircraft and provide WS training for F-22 pilots. Nellis AFB and the associatedNellis Range
Complex were found to representthe only location determined asreasonableto fulfill the purpose
and needfor the action. Beddown of F-22 aircraft at Nellis AFB and use of the unique assets
offered by the Nellis RangeComplex for testing and training meet the operationalrequirements
of both the FDE program and WS. Nellis AFB and the Nellis RangeComplex provide the
military airspace,securetraining ranges,rangeinstrumentation and simulated threats,
professionalexpertise,and infrastructureneededto implement the FDE program and WS for the
F-22. The ProposedAction was the Air Force’s preferredalternative.
Under the No-Action Alternative, no F-22 beddownwould occur at Nellis AFB, no on-base
constructionor personnelincreasesassociatedwith the F-22 would be implemented, and the FDE
program and WS for the F-22 would not usethe Nellis RangeComplex. This was the
environmentally preferredalternative.
DECISION
After consideringthe potential environmental consequencesof the ProposedAction and NoAction Alternative, as well as other factorsrelative to national defense,the Air Force has decided
to select the ProposedAction to beddownF-22 aircraft at Nellis AFB for the FDE program and
ws.
IMPACTS
Analysis in this EIS establishedthat the proposedF-22 beddown would result in either negligible
effects or would not changecurrentenvironmental conditions at Nellis AFB or in the NRC (Table
ES-l) for airspacemanagement,safety, land use,air quality, hazardousmaterials and waste,earth
and water resources,biological resources,cultural resources,transportation,andrecreationand
visual resources.The F-22 beddown would result in increasedaircraft noise aroundNellis AFB.
This would disproportionatelyaffect minority and low-income populations in the areanearthe
base.
-.
Constructionwould be minor and confined to Nellis AFB. All construction would occur within
previously disturbedareaswithout important plant and wildlife habitat. Theselocations are flat
and away from drainages,so erosionof soils and sedimentationwould be negligible. With the
exceptionof the location of the plannedMunitions StorageFacility, all areasslatedfor
construction havebeensurveyedfor cultural resourcesand none contain resourceseligible for the
National Register of Historic Places. For the Munitions StorageFacility, Nellis AFB will
conduct a cultural resourcessurvey prior to the start of constructionactivities. Should resources
deemedeligible for the National Registerof Historic Placesbe found, Nellis AFB will either
avoid them or mitigate effects to insignificant levels through datarecovery.
Emission of air pollutants into the areaaroundNellis AFB would increaseunderthe Proposed
Action but would not significantly impact local air quality. Potential sourcesof emissions at
Nellis AFB would include facility construction,maintenanceactivities, refueling, private and
governmentvehicle travel, and aircraft operations. Theseincreasedemissions would remain
below de minimis levels and would not result in or contribute to exceedencesof federal air quality
standards.Since thesequantities arebelow de minimis and are not regionally significant, no
conformity determination is required.
Proposedadditional personnelfor the F-22 would representless than 5 percentof total base
personnel. With the number of major exercisesthat occur at Nellis AFB eachyear, variation in
basepopulation is common. The proposedpersonnelincreasewould havenegligible effects on
land use,water use,transportationnetworks,and the local economy. The F-22 beddown would
increasethe total number of aircraft at the base,but this total would still be less than the basehas
accommodatedin the past. For this reason,Nellis AFB has sufficient programsand procedures
alreadyestablishedto handle environmental effects associatedwith the proposedbeddown
without potential degradationto the environment. Hazardouswasteand materials management
proceduresalreadyestablishedfor other similar aircraft would continue to be followed. If new
materials or wasteswere generated,then Air Force procedureswould be establishedto contain
and properly disposeof them.
The proposedbeddown would increasenoise abovebaselineconditions aroundNellis AFB but
would remain within historical levels and would not adverselyimpact land use. This
determinationwas made by comparing the historical day-night noise level (DNL) range of 65
decibels(dB) or greateron land surroundingNellis AFB. Many yearsworth of datawas usedto
identify the long-term noise dynamics as identified in the following Air Installation Compatibility
Use Zone (AICUZ) documents:the 1981AICUZ report with 21,379 acresimpacted; 1992
AICUZ report (Clark County zones)with 15,633acresimpacted; and 1997AICUZ study
(Baseline)with 145 14 acresimpacted. Clark County usedthe 1992AICUZ report to establish
the zoning ordinancescurrently in usearoundNellis APB (referredto as Clark County noise
zones). The 1997AICUZ study identified c.urrentconditions and was usedas the baseline for the
noise analysis. The dataidentify that the noise contourssurroundingNellis have a highly dynamic
and cyclical history. Over just the past 20 years,the contourshave shrunk in total size and have
shifted to the northeastside of the baseover open,public land. This changereducedthe impacts
to residential, commercial, and industrial lands to the south andwest of the base. Baseline noise
contoursshow that current aircraft noise impacting the south and west sides of the baseis well
below historical levels and within the Clark County noise zones.
The proposedaction would increasethe amount of land affectedby DNL noise of 65 dB or
greaterby 8,700 acres(approximately 23,000acrestotal). This increasewould occur
predominantly to the northeastof the base. Noise on the south and west sidesof the basewould
increaseapproximately 2 dB or less at any location and would remain consistentwith Clark
County noise zonesfor all exceptapproximately 900 acresof residential land. Looking at the
historical trendsmentioned above,this land hasexperiencedDNL noise exceeding65 dB as
recently as the 1980’s. Changesin the Clark County noise zonesin the 1990’s excluded this area
from the DNL 65 dB contours. The proposedaction would increasenoise on this land by less
than 2 dB for a total projectedDNL noise level of 65 dB. These changeswould be within the
long-term noise cycle impacting the area.
The proposedaction would increasethe number of people affectedby DNL noise of 65 dB or
greateraroundNellis APB. Approximately 45,000people currently live within the Clark County
DNL noise zonesof 65 dB or greaterin the area. Under the proposedaction, four-fifths of these
people, approximately 36,000,would actually experienceDNL noise of 65 dB or greater(as
comparedto two thirds impacted underbaselineconditions, or approximately 3 1,000people).
About 1,000people outside the Clark County noise zoneswould also experienceincreasednoise
dueto the proposedaction, These peoplelive on the land outside the Clark County DNL 65 dB
noise contours describedabove. Under the proposedaction, they would be exposedto less than a
2 dB increasein noise.
The increasein noise aroundNellis APB associatedwith the ProposedAction would
disproportionatelyaffect minority and low income populations. To determine what is
disproportionate,the analysismust comparethe percentageof minority and low-income
populations in the impacted areato the percentageof thesepopulations in the entire Region of
Comparison (ROC). The minority population in the ROC, Clark County, is 25 percentand the
low-income population is 11 percent. Approximately 11,000people from the affectedpopulation
describedabove,or 30 percent,areminorities and approximately 6,000, or 16 percent,are low
income. It is reasonableto assumethe distribution of minority and low-income populations
remains similar throughoutthe affectedarea,about 300 minorities and 160 low income people
would be part of the 1000people outside the Clark County noise zonesbut impacted by DNL
noise of 65 dB from the proposedaction.
In the NRC, the F-22s would fly approximately 25,800 annualsortie-operationsrepresenting13
to 9 percentof the 200,000to 300,000sortie-operationsthat now occur annually. The F-22
would not use the NRC in substantively different ways than it is usednow or hasbeenusedin the
past. This usewould negligibly affect environmental conditions in the NRC.
During air combat maneuvering,the F-22 is estimatedto fly supersonicapproximately 10percent
of the time. All supersonicactivity by the F-22 would occur within NRC airspaceand at altitudes
authorizedfor supersonicflight. Sonic boom levels and frequencyof occurrencewould be
slightly higher than baselineconditions. Coyote and Elgin would experiencethe largest change,
with a CDNL (lower frequencyband weighted day-night level) 1 to 3 dB increaseand 4 to 6
additional sonic booms per month. All other supersonic-authorizedairspacewould be subjectto
increasesof CDNL 1 dB or less and lessthan 1 sonic boom per month.
The F-22 would deliver ordnanceonly on existing, previously disturbedtargets. No new areas
would be affected. The F-22 would also usedefensivecountermeasures,known as chaff and
flares,but only in areasalready subjectto and approvedfor their use. Overall, the activities
proposedfor the F-22 at the NRC would be consistentwith current activities and would not
significantly affect the environment. There would be no significant cumulative impacts from the
interaction of the F-22 beddownwith otherreasonablyforeseeableactions.
MANAGEMENT ACTIONS TO REDUCE THE POTENTIAL
FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
Reduction of the potential for environmental impacts representsan important part of NEPA.
Nellis AFB conductsseveralongoing efforts designedto achievereductions in the effect the base
has on the community and to work with groupsor membersof the community to addressissues.
All of theseefforts, as highlighted below, would continue to apply following the F-22 beddown.
Nellis AFB also proposesto expandits community interaction program to provide more emphasis
on informing and working with minority and low-income populations around the base. By
continuing andpotentially expandingtheseefforts, Nellis AFB would reducethe potential
impacts associatedwith the F-22 beddown.
NOISEABATEMENT
PROGRAM:Nellis AFB’s noise abatementprogram focuseson reducingnoise
over residential areassurroundingthe base. By employing this program, Nellis AFB will
continue to reducenoise effects on the generalpopulations,as well as affected minority and lowincome populations. Proceduresusedin the Noise Abatement Program include:
Routing takeoffs to avoid residential areasas much aspossible;
Controlling and schedulingmissions to reducenoise levels, especially at night or
early in the morning;
Altering the speed,rate of climb, andturning radius of aircraft to reduceoverall time
and time at low altitude over residential areas;
Minimizing the use of afterburnersfor takeoff;
Avoiding practice approachesearly in the morning on weekendsand holidays;
Conducting aircraft enginerun-upsin a portion of the airfield designedto minimize
the exposureof surroundingresidential areasto noise; and
Minimizing late-night enginerun-ups.
All of theseprocedureshave servedto reducenoise and its effects on the population nearNellis
AFB. The Air Force also will continue to evaluatethe noise generatedby the F-22. Should
further feasible noise abatementproceduresbe identified at the time of the beddown,the Air
Force would assessand potentially implement them.
AIRINSTALLATIONCOMPATIBILITYUSEZONEPROGRAM
The Air Compatibility Use ZoneProgram
is an ongoingprogram for all Air Force airfields. It is designedto assistthe adjacentcommunity
by recommendingland useplanning that ensuressafeaircraft operationsandminimizes noise
impacts to the community. Elements of the AICUZ program include:
t
Maintaining a cooperative,open dialoguebetweenthe baseand the community for
land use planning;
+ Offering assistanceto the community in planning for changesin aircraft operations
and noise; and
+ Developing noise contoursaroundthe basethat can be usedby the community for
zoning ordinances.
Nellis AFB has conductedthe AICUZ program for almost two decades.Nellis AFB continuesto
work with the Clark County Planning and Zoning Commission to recommendconceptsfor land
useplans and zoning ordinances. Clark County has adoptedmany of thoserecommendationsin
order to reducethe potential for conflicts betweenaircraft operationsat Nellis AFB and
developmentin the nearbycommunity.
PROPOSEDMINORITYANDLOW-INCOMECOMMUNITYINTERACTION:
Nellis AFB hasbeen apart of
the Las Vegas metropolitan areacommunity for more than 50 years. Like any major institution in
a community, being a good neighbor is a top priority. At Nellis AFB, this has resulted in a public
outreachprogram through such eventsas air showsand restorationadvisory board meetings. To
augmentspecific outreachefforts, Nellis AFB proposesto expandits community interaction
program to provide more emphasison the minority and low-income populations aroundthe base.
This effort would aid thesesegmentsof the community in understandingthe function and
importance of Nellis AFB, as well asprovide a focusedopportunity for minority and low-income
populationsto work with the baseon issuesconcerningthem. Noise from aircraft operations,
including thoseby F-22s, would likely be a principal topic of the program.
NATIVE AMERICAN INTERACTION PROGRAM Nellis AFB has a comprehensiveNative American
Interaction Program andconductssubstantialgovernment-to-governmentrelations with Native
Americans affectedby activities at the baseand in the NRC. This ongoing interaction program
addressedthe F-22 proposal and EIS through:
+ Direct notification of the initiation of the EIS processto 17tribes and one
organizationwith historic or prehistoric ties to the land in the NRC vicinity.
+ Communication to insure that the 17 tribes and one organizationwere invited to
scoping meetings.
+ Direct distribution of copies of the draft EIS to the tribes to insure their awarenessof
the proposal and its potential effects, and to receive comments from them.
+ Meeting and discussionwith the tribes after receipt of comments on the draft EIS and
briefing of statusand scheduleof the F-22 NEPA processand F-22 program.
Nellis AFB’s Native American Interaction Program and associatedgovernment-to-government
relations would continue should the F-22 beddownoccur. Any future issuesfrom the Native
Americans regarding the F-22 would be addressedthrough this program.
CULTURAL RESOURCES: As describedin the Draft EIS, the proposedsite for the Munitions Storage
Facility has not been surveyedfor cultural resources.To comply with regulatory requirements
for the protection of cultural resources,Nellis AFB would undertakethe following management
actions to reducepotential effects:
l
Survey of the construction areaprior to grounddisturbance(beforeJanuary2000);
l
Evaluateany cultural resourcesidentified as a result of the survey;
l
Enter into Section 106consultation with the Nevada StateHistoric PreservationOfficer
(SHPO); and
l
If cultural resourcesdeemedeligible for the National Register of Historic Placesare
identified, either avoid them or mitigate the effects to insignificant levels through data
recovery.
..
SUMMARY
The EIS usedpublic involvement to identify impacts and assessthe environmental consequences
associatedwith the F-22 FDE and WS beddownat Nellis AFB. Measurescurrently implemented
to minimize the noise impacts aroundNellis AFB will be applied to F-22 operations. The Air
Force is taking all practicable meansto avoid or minimize harm from the selectedalternative.
Should additional prudent measuresbecomeavailable, the Air Force will implement to the
maximum extent possible,commensuratewith cost, mission capability, and flight safety.
The Air Force is committed to being a good neighborand will continue to work with the Clark
County Planning and Zoning Commission to evaluateland userecommendationsaroundNellis
AFB. This coordinationwill aid in the reduction of noise impacts on the surroundingcommunity.
20 DEC 99
Date
THOMAS J. KEC
LieutenantGeneral,USAF
Vice Commander,Air Combat Command