Maine State Library Digital Maine Transportation Documents Transportation 2-1-2007 Environmental Assessment : Modifications of the Condor 1 and Condor 2 Military Operations Areas; Massachusetts Air National Guard 102nd Fighter Wing Otis Air National Guard Base, Falmouth, Massachusetts (Draft, February 2007) Maine Department of Transportation Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalmaine.com/mdot_docs Draft ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT MODIFICATION OF THE CONDOR 1 AND CONDOR 2 MILITARY OPERATIONS AREAS Massachusetts Air National Guard 102nd Fighter Wing Otis Air National Guard Base Falmouth, Massachusetts February 2007 AIR NATIONAL GUARD READINESS CENTER ENVIRONMENTAL DIVISION FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ºF degrees Fahrenheit Ldn day-night average A-weighted µ/m3 microns per cubic meter sound level nd 102 FW 102 Fighter Wing Ldnmr onset rate-adjusted monthly day- AAMRL Armstrong Aerospace Medical night average A-weighted sound Research Laboratory level ACBT Air Combat Training LOWAT Low Altitude Awareness Training ACM Air Combat Maneuvering MAANG Massachusetts Air National Guard AFI Air Force Instruction MDEP Maine Department of AGL above ground level Environmental Protection AHAS Avian Hazard Advisory System MDIFW Maine Department of Inland AHC Advanced Handling Characteristics Fisheries and Wildlife ANG Air National Guard MOA military operations area AQCR Air Quality Control Region MOU Memorandum of Understanding APE Area of Potential Effect mph miles per hour AT Appalachian Trail MR_NMAP Military Operating Area and Range ATC Air Traffic Control Noise Model and Assessment ATCAA Air Traffic Control Assigned Program Airspace MSL mean sea level BAM Bird Avoidance Model MTR military training route BASH Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality BFM Basic Fighter Maneuvering Standards CAA Clean Air Act NEADS North East Air Defense Sector CAP Combat Air Patrol NEPA National Environmental Policy CEQ Council on Environmental Quality Act CFR Code of Federal Regulations NEXRAD Next Generation Radar CLNA Connecticut Lakes Natural Area NHDES New Hampshire Department of CMR Combat Mission Ready Environmental Services CO Carbon Monoxide NHNHB New Hampshire Natural Heritage CTANG Connecticut Air National Guard Bureau CWA Clean Water Act NHPA National Historic Preservation Act dB decibel NM nautical mile dBA A-weighted decibel NMFS National Marine Fisheries Service DoD Department of Defense NO2 nitrogen dioxide DOT Department of Transportation NPS National Park Service EA Environmental Assessment NRCS Natural Resource Conservation EIAP Environmental Impact Analysis Service Process NRHP National Register of Historic Places EIS Environmental Impact Statement NWR National Wildlife Refuge EO Executive Order O3 ozone ESA Endangered Species Act PM Particulate Matter FAA Federal Aviation Administration PM10 particulate matter less than 10 FAC Forward Air Control microns in diameter FICON Federal Interagency Committee on PM2.5 particulate matter less than 2.5 Noise microns in diameter FLIP Flight Information Publication ppm parts per million FONSI Finding of No Significant Impact PRL Public Reserved Lands FW Fighter Wing PSD Prevention of Significant HAPs hazardous air pollutants Deterioration HUD Housing and Urban Development RAP Ready Aircrew Program IICEP Interagency and Intergovernmental RF Radio Frequency Coordination for Environmental ROI Region of Influence Planning SDWA Safe Drinking Water Act IFR Instrument Flight Rules SERE Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and IMC Instrument Meteorological Escape Conditions SEL Sound Exposure Level INT Tactical Intercepts SHPO State Historic Preservation Office IR Instrument Route SIP State Implementation Plan ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS SO2 sulfur dioxide SUA Special Use Airspace THPO Tribal Historic Preservation Office USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USAF U.S. Air Force USEPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency USFS U.S. Forest Service USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service VFR Visual Flight Rules VMC Visual Meteorological Conditions VTANG Vermont Air National Guard VR visual route WMA Wildlife Management Area 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2 3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ES-1 4 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1-1 5 6 1.1 PURPOSE AND NEED 1-1 7 1.2 LOCATION 1-1 8 1.3 PURPOSE OF THE PROPOSED ACTION 1-5 9 1.4 NEED FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION 1-6 10 1.5 SUMMARY OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY REQUIREMENTS 1-8 11 1.5.1 National Environmental Policy Act 1-8 12 1.5.2 Interagency/Intergovernmental Coordination for Environmental 13 Planning 1-8 14 1.5.3 Air Conformity Requirements 1-9 15 1.5.4 Federal Aviation Administration Regulations 1-10 16 2.0 DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED ACTION AND ALTERNATIVES 2-1 17 18 2.1 CURRENT TRAINING ACTIVITY 2-1 19 2.2 PROPOSED ACTION 2-3 20 2.3 ALTERNATIVES TO THE PROPOSED ACTION 2-6 21 2.3.1 Evaluated Alternatives 2-6 22 2.3.2 Alternatives Considered but Eliminated 2-7 23 2.3.3 No-Action Alternative 2-8 24 2.4 CONCURRENT NEPA ACTIONS 2-8 25 3.0 AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT 3-1 26 27 3.1 AIRSPACE MANAGEMENT 3-1 28 3.1.1 Definition of the Resource 3-1 29 3.1.2 Existing Conditions 3-5 30 3.2 SAFETY 3-8 31 3.2.1 Definition of the Resource 3-8 32 3.2.2 Existing Conditions 3-9 33 3.3 NOISE 3-11 34 3.3.1 Definition of the Resource 3-11 35 3.3.2 Existing Conditions 3-12 36 3.4 AIR QUALITY 3-16 37 3.4.1 Definition of the Resource 3-16 38 3.4.2 Existing Conditions 3-18 39 3.5 GEOLOGICAL RESOURCES 3-21 40 3.5.1 Definition of the Resource 3-21 41 3.5.2 Existing Conditions 3-22 42 3.6 WATER RESOURCES 3-24 43 3.6.1 Definition of the Resource 3-24 Draft Environmental Assessment i Modification of the Condor 1 and Condor 2 Military Operations Areas February 2007 1 3.6.2 Existing Conditions 3-25 2 3.7 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES 3-27 3 3.7.1 Definition of the Resource 3-27 4 3.7.2 Existing Conditions 3-27 5 3.8 LAND USE 3-38 6 3.8.1 Definition of the Resource 3-38 7 3.8.2 Existing Conditions 3-38 8 3.9 SOCIOECONOMIC RESOURCES 3-42 9 3.9.1 Definition of the Resource 3-42 10 3.9.2 Existing Conditions 3-43 11 3.10 CULTURAL RESOURCES 3-48 12 3.10.1 Definition of the Resource 3-48 13 3.10.2 Existing Conditions 3-49 14 4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES 4-1 15 16 4.1 AIRSPACE MANAGEMENT 4-1 17 4.1.1 Significance Criteria 4-1 18 4.1.2 Proposed Action 4-1 19 4.1.3 Lower Airspace in Condor 1 MOA with Condor 2 MOA Unchanged 20 Alternative 4-3 21 4.1.4 No-Action Alternative 4-3 22 4.2 SAFETY 4-4 23 4.2.1 Significance Criteria 4-4 24 4.2.2 Proposed Action 4-4 25 4.2.3 Lower Airspace in Condor 1 MOA with Condor 2 MOA Unchanged 26 Alternative 4-5 27 4.2.4 No-Action Alternative 4-5 28 4.3 NOISE 4-5 29 4.3.1 Significance Criteria 4-5 30 4.3.2 Proposed Action 4-6 31 4.3.3 Lower Airspace in Condor 1 MOA with Condor 2 MOA Unchanged 32 Alternative 4-8 33 4.3.4 No-Action Alternative 4-9 34 4.4 AIR QUALITY 4-9 35 4.4.1 Significance Criteria 4-9 36 4.4.2 Proposed Action 4-9 37 4.4.3 Lower Airspace in Condor 1 MOA with Condor 2 MOA Unchanged 38 Alternative 4-10 39 4.4.4 No-Action Alternative 4-11 40 4.5 GEOLOGICAL RESOURCES 4-11 41 4.5.1 Significance Criteria 4-11 42 4.5.2 Proposed Action 4-11 43 4.5.3 Lower Airspace in Condor 1 MOA with Condor 2 MOA Unchanged 44 Alternative 4-12 45 4.5.4 No-Action Alternative 4-12 Draft Environmental Assessment ii Modification of the Condor 1 and Condor 2 Military Operations Areas February 2007 1 4.6 WATER RESOURCES 4-12 2 4.6.1 Significance Criteria 4-12 3 4.6.2 Proposed Action 4-13 4 4.6.3 Lower Airspace in Condor 1 MOA with Condor 2 MOA Unchanged 5 Alternative 4-13 6 4.6.4 No-Action Alternative 4-14 7 4.7 BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES 4-14 8 4.7.1 Significance Criteria 4-14 9 4.7.2 Proposed Action 4-16 10 4.7.3 Lower Airspace in Condor 1 MOA with Condor 2 MOA Unchanged 11 Alternative 4-21 12 4.7.4 No-Action Alternative 4-21 13 4.8 LAND USE 4-22 14 4.8.1 Significance Criteria 4-22 15 4.8.2 Proposed Action 4-23 16 4.8.3 Lower Airspace in Condor 1 MOA with Condor 2 MOA Unchanged 17 Alternative 4-27 18 4.8.4 No-Action Alternative 4-27 19 4.9 SOCIOECONOMIC RESOURCES 4-27 20 4.9.1 Significance Criteria 4-27 21 4.9.2 Proposed Action 4-28 22 4.9.3 Lower Airspace in Condor 1 MOA with Condor 2 MOA Unchanged 23 Alternative 4-29 24 4.9.4 No-Action Alternative 4-29 25 4.10 CULTURAL RESOURCES 4-29 26 4.10.1 Significance Criteria 4-29 27 4.10.2 Proposed Action 4-30 28 4.10.3 Lower Airspace in Condor 1 MOA with Condor 2 MOA Unchanged 29 Alternative 4-32 30 4.10.4 No-Action Alternative 4-33 31 5.0 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS 5-1 32 33 5.1 METHODS FOR THE CUMULATIVE IMPACT ANALYSIS 5-1 34 5.1.1 Scope of Cumulative Impact Analysis 5-1 35 5.1.2 Cumulative Effects Analysis 5-3 36 5.1.3 Conclusions of the Cumulative Impacts Analysis 5-9 37 6.0 SUMARY OF FINDINGS 6-1 38 39 6.1 SUMMARY OF POTENTIAL EFFECTS FOR THE PROPOSED ACTION 6-1 40 6.1.1 Airspace Management 6-1 41 6.1.2 Safety 6-1 42 6.1.3 Noise 6-1 43 6.1.4 Air Quality 6-2 44 6.1.5 Geological Resources 6-2 45 6.1.6 Water Resources 6-2 Draft Environmental Assessment iii Modification of the Condor 1 and Condor 2 Military Operations Areas February 2007 1 6.1.7 Biological Resources 6-3 2 6.1.8 Land Use 6-3 3 6.1.9 Socioeconomics 6-4 4 6.1.10 Cultural Resources 6-4 5 6 6.2 SUMMARY OF THE PROPOSED ALTERNATIVES 6-5 7 6.2.1 Lower Airspace in Condor 1 MOA with Condor 2 MOA Unchanged 6-5 8 6.2.2 No-Action Alternative 6-5 9 7.0 SPECIAL PROCEDURES 7-1 10 8.0 REFERENCES 8-1 11 9.0 LIST OF PREPARERS 9-1 12 LIST OF FIGURES 13 Figure 1-1 Site Location Map, Otis Air National Guard Base, Falmouth, MA 1-3 14 Figure 1-2 Location of the Condor 1 and Condor 2 MOAs and MTRs 1-4 15 Figure 2-1 Proposed