Army extends time to submit comments on PEA study | News

The following is a news release from Environmental Public Affairs:

On Jan. 18, the Army announced the availability of the Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) and draft Finding of No Significant Impact (FNSI) for Army force structure reductions and realignments that may occur through 2020.

The PEA evaluates and assesses the environmental and socioeconomic impacts associated with potential adjustments to Army forces at 21 installations. The Army has completed the analysis to evaluate changes to its forces that are necessary to reduce spending while maintaining critical national defense capabilities.

The comment period, originally scheduled to end Feb. 19, has been extended until March 21, 2013.

The public is invited to review the documents, which are available online at http://aec.army.mil/usaec/nepa/topics00.html and provide their comments by email to USARMY.JBSA.AEC.MBX@mail.mil or they may mail them to:

Public Comments USAEC

Attn: IMPA-AE (Army 2020 PEA)

2450 Connell Road (Bldg 2264)

Fort Sam Houston, TX  78234-7664

The Army's proposed action evaluated in the PEA is to reduce the Army's active duty end-strength from 562,000 at the end of 2012 to 490,000 by 2020.

The PEA analyzes two primary alternatives: Alternative #1: Implement force reductions by inactivating a minimum of eight Brigade Combat Teams (BCTs) and realign other combat, combat support, and service support units between FY 2013 and FY 2020; and Alternative #2: Implement Alternative 1, inactivate additional BCTs, and reorganize remaining BCTs by adding an additional combat maneuver battalion and other units.  The PEA also analyzes a No Action alternative, under which the Army would not reduce the size of the force. 

Locations that were included in the PEA analysis are those sites that have the potential to experience a change in Soldiers and civilians that exceeds a total of plus or minus 1,000 military personnel.

Installations considered in the PEA include: Fort Benning, Ga.; Fort Bliss, Texas;  Fort Bragg, N.C.;  Fort Campbell, Ky.;  Fort Carson, Colo.;  Fort Drum, N.Y.;  Fort Gordon, Ga.;  Fort Hood, Texas;  Fort Irwin, Calif.;  Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Ark.;  Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Va.;  Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.;  Fort Knox, Ky.;  Fort Lee, Va.;  Fort Leonard Wood, Mo.;  Fort Polk, La.;  Fort Riley, Kan.;  Fort Sill, Oak.;  Fort Stewart, Ga.;  US Army Garrison Hawaii; and US Army Garrison Fort Wainwright, Ark..

The implementation of Army force realignment will occur over the course of several years to arrive at an optimally configured force in 2020. Reductions in Army Soldiers will also be accompanied by some reduction in civil service employees.