Public Meetings Set on Marine Base Expansion Proposal

The Marine Corps and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will jointly host meetings next month  in Joshua Tree, Ontario, and Victorville to share information and gather public comments on the Marine Corps' proposal to expand the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), at Twentynine Palms, Calif., in San Bernardino County.

BLM will be answering questions and taking comments in an open house style format on a five-year segregation or classification of public land to maintain the legal status quo of the lands in the proposed expansion pending action by the U.S. Congress to withdraw the lands for military use under the Engle Act.

In the same meetings, the Marine Corps will be answering questions and taking comments on its recently released Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) that analyzes potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed expansion of the training range at the MCAGCC.  The proposed action would accommodate sustained, combined-arms, live-fire, and maneuver training exercises for all elements of a Marine Expeditionary Brigade.  The Department of the Navy has prepared the DEIS in cooperation with the BLM and Federal Aviation Administration.
 
BLM and Marine Corps representatives will be on hand to discuss and answer questions on the proposals at three locations:

• Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 5 to 9 p.m., Copper Mountain College, Bell Center Gym, 6162 Rotary Way, Joshua Tree, Calif.
• Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 5 to 9 p.m., Ontario High School Gym, 901 W. Francis St, Ontario, Calif.
• Thursday, April 14, 2011, 5 to 9 p.m., Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center, 12603 Mariposa Rd., Victorville, Calif.

To download a copy of the DEIS, or to find where hard copies are available for review, please visit www.marines.mil/unit/29palms/las.  Comments on the segregation or DEIS may be submitted at a public meeting or in writing.  A stenographer will be available for those wanting to submit an oral comment at the meeting.  All written comments must be postmarked or received by May 26, 2011, to be considered.  Written comments may be submitted via the website above, or mailed to:

Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Southwest
ATTN: 29 Palms EIS Project Manager
1220 Pacific Highway
San Diego, CA 92132

For further information, please contact the BLM Barstow Field Office, (760) 252-6000, or the Proposed 29 Palms Training Land and Airspace Acquisition Project, (760) 830-3764.

California Desert District Office   22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos      Moreno Valley, CA 92553