DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- The Air Force announces an extension to the public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of optimizing the special use airspace available to support Air Force missions in Arizona.
The Air Force began soliciting comments in early August and has extended the public comment period to Nov. 12, 2024 to allow additional time for the interested public to review the Draft EIS and submit comments. No changes have been made to the Draft EIS or supporting materials, all of which are available on the project website (www.ArizonaRegionalAirspaceEIS.com).
Proposed Action: The Air Force is proposing to alleviate training shortfalls and address evolving training needs by requesting that the Federal Aviation Administration implement regional airspace modifications to include: adjusting the times of use, adjusting the horizontal dimensions, adjusting the altitudes to support low-altitude training, authorizing supersonic training at lower altitudes, and authorizing the use of chaff and lowering the minimum release altitude for flares. The Proposed Action does not include the creation of new special use airspace or any changes at the installations (personnel, infrastructure, aircraft inventory, or airfield operations), changes to land use beneath the airspace, or weapons release. The special use airspace being addressed in the EIS is located throughout Arizona and a small area of western New Mexico. The Draft EIS is available for review and download on the project website (www.ArizonaRegionalAirspaceEIS.com) or a paper copy may be reviewed in the several local libraries (see website for all library repositories).
Public Comments: Comments submitted during the initial public comment period from Aug. 9 – Oct. 9, 2024, are currently being reviewed and do not need to be resubmitted. Further comments can be submitted online at the project website or by mailing to:
Arizona Regional Airspace EIS, c/o Stantec
501 Butler Farm Rd., Suite H
Hampton, VA 23666.
To ensure full consideration of all comments in preparing the Final EIS, comments should be submitted by November 12, 2024.