Fort Hood NEPA EA

EComm prepared a NEPA Environmental Assessment (EA) for a proposed major construction
effort within the restricted live-fire area on Fort Hood, Texas. Specifically the EA addressed the construction of a proposed Urban Assault Course (UAC), Shoot House (SH), and associated support facilities for the U.S. Department of the Army, Headquarters III Corps, and Fort Hood. The EA addressed a number of concerns, including: threatened and endangered bird species, wetlands, an adjacent creek, grasslands, cultural resources, and socio-economic issues.

The Proposed Action would result in the loss of approximately 0.21 acres of grassland habitat in the footprint areas of the buildings and support structures that will be constructed. In the short-term, the Proposed Action is expected to have insignificant impacts on air resources, land use, geological resources, water resources, vegetation, floodplains, wildlife resources, noise, aesthetic resources, solid waste and hazardous material, and socio-economics. Most of these impacts would be related to construction activities. As such no long-term impacts related to noise levels or air resources were anticipated. No impacts (either short- or long-term) on jurisdictional waters of the U.S. or wetlands, aquatic life, threatened or endangered species, cultural resources, environmental justice concerns, or transportation are anticipated.

The EA received high praise, including the following regulatory agency comment:

"This EA is one of the best the Department has reviewed; information on the site and potential impacts were addressed to a level not usually seen. This is the level of information that should be provided in all environmental documents. [EComm] was obviously familiar with the issues to be addressed as well as the level of information that should be provided; they should be considered for use on upcoming projects..."

Kathy Boydston, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department