UH Hilo Center for Maunakea Stewardship - Research Library

Finding of no significant impact / anticipated negative determination high-altitude mountainous environment training September 2011

Author:
U.S. Army Pacific-Hawaii, Mission Support Element,
Title:
Finding of no significant impact / anticipated negative determination high-altitude mountainous environment training September 2011
Periodical:
PTA
Year:
2011
Pages:
6
Subject:
Environmental impact analysis Helicopter pilots training High-Altitude Mountainous Environmental Training (HAMET) Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) United States Army Infantry Division 25th
Summary:
This Environmental Assessment (EA) was for the purpose of training up to 90 helicopter pilots and crews of the 25th Infantry Division-25th Combat Aviation Brigade in High-Altitude Mountainous Environmental Training (HAMET) flight operations in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan and to satisfy mandatory annual training requirements. HAMET training would be an incremental training process that would proceed from lower to higher elevations while building upon skills acquired at each altitude and would be taught in three phases. Phase I would consist of academic classroom instruction and simulator training conducted at Wheeler Army Air Field and Schofield Barracks, Oahu. Phase II would be an element of annual and pre-deployment individual flight technique training conducted on high-altitude landing zones (LZs) in mountainous environments, with aviators in their assigned aircraft. Phase III would be collective (group) training based at Bradshaw Army Air Field, Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA), and Schofield Barracks, where tactical and mission flight training would be conducted inside military training areas. The EA for HAMET flight training for the 25th CAB (USAG-HI 2011) would evaluate: a range of alternatives considered to be reasonable under the screening criteria of availability, the number of pilots that could be trained, feasibility (i.e., time and cost), and quality of life for the soldiers and their families. The Action Alternatives considered were: Alternative 1, the Preferred Alternative, where HAMET flights would be conducted from Bradshaw Army Airfield at PTA to three pre-existing Mauna Kea LZs and three pre-existing Mauna Loa LZs; Alternative 2, where HAMET flight operations would be conducted from Bradshaw Army Airfield at PTA to three pre-existing Mauna Kea LZs; Alternative 3, where HAMET flight operations would be conducted from Bradshaw Army Airfield at PTA to three pre-existing Mauna Loa LZs; Alternative 4, where HAMET flight operations would be conducted at other high-altitude state or federal lands locations in the State of Hawaii; Alternative 5, where HAMET flight operations would be conducted at an offsite flight training center in Gypsum, Colorado or El Paso, Texas. A "No Action Alternative" was also considered where HAMET Phase II flight training would not be conducted if no action were taken. After careful review of the analysis and conservation measures set forth in the EA (USAG-HI 2010, Subsection 6.3), and public comments received as part of this process, it was determined that implementing the Preferred Alternative would result in no significant direct, indirect, or cumulative impacts on the resources discussed. As a result, the Preferred Alternative was selected to accomplish the CAB's HAMET requirement. It was also determined that implementing the Preferred Alternative was not a major federal or state action that would significantly affect the quality of the environment. Accordingly, the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement for this Proposed Action was not required and would not be undertaken.
URL:
http://oeqc2.doh.hawaii.gov/EA_EIS_Library/2011-10-08-HA-FEA-High-Altitude-Mountanous-Env-Trng.pdf
Date:
April 2011
Collection:
EIS