F-22 Plus-Up Environmental Assessment - Joint Base Elmendorf ...

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SECTION 7 (ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT) COMPLIANCE WILDLIFE ANALYSIS FOR F-22 PLUS- UP ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON (JBER), ALASKA 1.1 Introduction The United States Air Force (Air Force) is preparing an F-22 Plus-Up Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential environmental consequences of the proposal to add six primary and one back-up F-22 aircraft to the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) F-22 inventory, an increase in primary aircraft of approximately 17 percent. 1.2 Purpose and Need for F-22 Plus-Up at JBER In 2006 the Air Force selected Elmendorf Air Force Base (AFB), Alaska, as the location for the Second F-22 Operational Wing [F-22 Beddown Environmental Assessment (EA), Elmendorf, Alaska, and Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), date 2006]. 1.2.1 Purpose for F-22 Plus-Up at JBER On July 29, 2010, the Department of the Air Force announced actions to consolidate the F-22 fleet. The Secretary of the Air Force and the Chief of Staff of the Air Force determined that the most effective basing for the F-22 requires redistributing aircraft from one Holloman AFB, New Mexico F-22 squadron to existing F-22 units at JBER; Langley AFB, Virginia; and Nellis AFB, Nevada. The second Holloman AFB F-22 squadron would be relocated to Tyndall AFB, Florida, an existing F-22 base. This consolidation would maximize combat aircraft and squadrons available for contingencies, and enhance F-22 operational flexibility (Air Force 2010). The purpose of the proposed plus-up of F-22 aircraft at JBER is to provide additional Air Force capabilities at a strategic location to meet mission responsibilities for worldwide deployment. 1.2.2 Need for F-22 Plus-Up at JBER Two squadrons of F-15C aircraft and one squadron of F-15E aircraft were relocated from JBER between 2005 and 2010. Since World War II, JBER has provided an advanced location on U.S. soil for projection of U.S. global interests. Additional F-22 aircraft are needed at JBER to provide U.S. Air Force capability to respond efficiently to national objectives, be available for contingencies, and enhance F-22 operational flexibility. 1.3 Project Description The Proposed Action is to augment the existing F-22 Operational Wing at JBER with six primary aircraft and one backup aircraft. This augmentation, when added to the existing JBER 36 primary and three back-up F-22 aircraft, would result in two F-22 squadrons with 21 primary and two back-up aircraft each. Addition of the six primary and one back-up F-22 aircraft would F-22 Plus-Up Environmental Assessment Wildlife Analysis Page 1-1
not require additional construction or physical modification of habitat, and no changes would occur to JBER Water Resources, Hazardous Materials/Waste, Cultural Resources, and Geology and Soils. No changes to current F-22 flight paths or approach and departure patterns would occur. With the addition of the six operational aircraft to the existing inventory, an increase in F-22 sorties of approximately 21 percent is expected to result. The "no action" alternative considered in the EA would not add seven aircraft to the inventory. 1.4 Threatened, Endangered, and Candidate Species to be Evaluated Threatened, Endangered, and Candidate Species Identified by USFWS (2010a) or NOAA-NMFS (2010) Suspected or Recorded in Upper Cook Inlet Project Area Common Name Scientific Name ESA Status Location Description Occupies Cook Inlet waters Beluga Whale including Knik Arm and waters (Cook Inlet Distinct Delphinapterus leucas Endangered of North Gulf of Alaska (NMFS Population Segment [DPS]) 2008a) Steller Sea Lion* (Western AK DPS) Eumetopias jubatus Endangered Steller's Eider* Polysticta stelleri Threatened Yellow-billed Loon* Gavia adamsii Candidate Kittlitz’s Murrelet* Northern Sea Otter Southwest Alaska DPS* Chinook salmon*: Lower Columbia River (spring) Puget Sound Snake River (spring/summer) Snake River (fall) Upper Columbia River (spring) Brachyramphus brevirostris Enhydra lutris kenyoni Onchorhynchus tshawytshca Candidate Threatened Threatened Threatened Threatened Threatened Endangered Threatened Includes sea lions born on rookeries from Prince William Sound westward (NMFS 2008b). Occurs in northern and western Alaska (USDI 2007). Nest near freshwater lakes in the arctic tundra and winter along the Alaskan coast to the Puget Sound (USDI 2009a). Nest near glaciers in rocky slopes near Gulf of Alaska waters, winters off shore in Gulf of Alaska (USDI 2010b) Alaska Peninsula to the western Aleutian Islands. The nearest Management Unit [Kodiak, Kamishak Alaska Peninsula (KKAP)] includes the western shore of the lower Cook Inlet south of the project area USFWS 2010c). These stock range throughout the North Pacific. However, the specific occurrence of listed salmonids within close proximity to Elmendorf AFB is highly unlikely (NMFS 2010). Wildlife Analysis Page 1-2 F-22 Plus-Up Environmental Assessment
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F-22 Plus-Up Environmental Assessme
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Cover Sheet ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMEN
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Page 2-13 Table 2.2-3. Baseline and
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Page 3-51 Table 3.8-1. Special Use
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Table 5.1-1. Past, Present, and Rea
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Table 5.1-2. Past, Present, and Rea
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Appendix A Characteristics of Chaff
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APPENDIX A CHARACTERISTICS OF CHAFF
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Table 2. Characteristics of RR-188
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they demonstrate ejection of 98 per
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Appendix B Characteristics and Anal
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APPENDIX B CHARACTERISTICS AND ANAL
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Figure 1. MJU-10/B Flare F-22 Plus-
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Flare failure would occur if the fl
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4.2 Flare Strike Risk Residual flar
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and velocity. A slug is defined as
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The S&I device maximum momentum wou
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Appendix C Public and Agency Outrea
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Senator Lisa Murkowski ATTN: Karen
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New Koliganek Village Council ATTN:
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Alaska Department of Natural Resour
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Page 216 and 217: F-22 Plus-Up Environmental Assessme
Page 218 and 219: Senator Lisa Murkowski ATTN: Karen
Page 220 and 221: Village of Stony River ATTN: Mary W
Page 225 and 226: Senator Lisa Murkowski ATTN: Karen
Page 227 and 228: Village of Stony River ATTN: Mary W
Page 229 and 230: Appendix D Aircraft Noise Analysis
Page 261 and 262: Appendix E Sec 7 (ESA) Compliance W
Page 263: SECTION 7 (ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT)
Page 267 and 268: Other diet items include cod, pollo
Page 269 and 270: 1.5.6 Northern Sea Otter—Southwes
Page 271 and 272: Most sound is actually transmitted
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Page 291 and 292: important in determining whether an
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Page 299 and 300: APPENDIX 2. INFORMATION ON BELUGA W
Page 301 and 302: Delphinapterus leucas, after exposu
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F2.1 Ungulates Wild ungulates appea
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F2.2 Waterfowl and Other Waterbirds
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leaving an aircraft during training
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Cavedo, A. M., K. S. Latimer, H. L.
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Perry, E. A., D. J. Boness, and S.
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