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Comment Opposing HAMET Training on BLM Land in Royal Gorge, Colorado

Peaceful Skies Coalition

VIA E-MAIL

rgfo_comments@blm.gov

Re:      Scoping comment Bureau of Land Management Royal Gorge Field Office,

To Bureau of Land Management:

Peaceful Skies Coalition (PSC) is submitting comments on the Plan of Development, High Altitude Mountain Environment Training (HAMET) submitted to the Bureau of Land Management by Fort Carson and the US Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District. Limited HAMET activities have been carried out in this area in the past on US Forest Service land under a Casual Use Agreement.

Due to the tremendous increase in scope of the proposal and the controversial nature of the addition of forty-three helicopter landing zones (HLZ) and an exponentially greater number of flights for high altitude training, the Bureau of Land Management needs to reject the Plan of Development as submitted by Fort Carson and prepare an Environmental Impact Statement. The coalition does not agree that this project affords the BLM the authority to bypass the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to approve this as an “easement” under by Title V of the Federal Land Policy Management Act of 1979, as amended.

As stated in the CFR Title 43: Public Lands: Interior
PART 46—IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT OF 1969:

  • 46.100   Federal action subject to the procedural requirements of NEPA.

(a) A bureau proposed action is subject to the procedural requirements of NEPA if it would cause effects on the human environment (40 CFR 1508.14), and is subject to bureau control and responsibility (40 CFR 1508.18).

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