Oregon Airspace Initiative

UPDATE: The Final Environmental Impact Statement for Proposed Establishment and Modification of Oregon Military Training Airspace has been prepared.

The Final EIS is available to the public as announced in the Notice of Availability as published in the Federal Register on July 24, 2015. More information below.

The purpose of the proposed Oregon Airspace Initiative is to provide properly-configured and located military airspace which will provide efficient, realistic mission-oriented training with adequate size, and within reasonably close proximity, to support advanced 21st century air-to-air tactical fighters and evolving training requirements of the Oregon Air National Guard (ANG).

Several factors have driven the Proposed Action for the Establishment and Modification of Oregon Military Training Airspace. Among these factors are travel distance and time required to access existing training airspace areas, the frequency of weather conditions which limit the availability of coastal airspace areas for operational training, and finally, the need to modify the configuration and vertical limits in order to effectively meet the needs of the evolving missions and technological advancements of the F-15 Eagle.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 United States Code [USC] 4321-4347), Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508), and 32 CFR Part 989 et seq., Environmental Impact Analysis Process [EIAP]), the National Guard Bureau (NGB) is preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that considers the potential consequences to the human and natural environment that may result from implementation of this action. The NGB, 142nd FW, 173rd FW, and the FAA continue to cooperate on the airspace proposal and the analysis within the document. The Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the EIS was published in the Federal Register on May 17, 2013.

Public involvement is of primary importance in complying with NEPA, which requires full and honest disclosure of potential environmental impacts to the public. The EIAP provides multiple opportunities for public involvement. The public has an important role in providing input during this process to help the NGB make more informed decisions about implementing this proposal.

We have provided on this page the Final EIS and other documents which explain and highlight details of this Oregon Airspace Initiative proposal. Any questions or comments should be directed to: usaf.jbanafw.ngb-a7.mbx.a7a-nepa-comments@mail.mil. Please include "Oregon Airspace Initiative EIS" in the subject line.

OR

By U.S. Mail to:

Kevin Marek, NGB/A7AM
Shepperd Hall
3501 Fetchet Avenue
Joint Base Andrews MD 20762-5157

Oregon Airspace Initiative

Review more project background and details