SBCT Final EIS - Govsupport.us

Chapter 5 – Environmental Consequencescreate short-term adverse impacts to air quality and would require a permit. Impacts form live-firetraining would be less than significant.5.4.11.4 Impacts from Maneuver TrainingSignificant ImpactsImpact 1: Fugitive dust from military vehicles. Significant impacts to air quality at FTC would beanticipated. Long-term adverse effects have the potential to result from mobile sources and increasedtraining exercises. Mobile sources have the potential to result in effects to air quality from increasedemissions of fugitive dust (PM) and vehicle exhaust. Increases in training exercises have the potentialto result in effects to air quality because of additional troop movements that result in fugitive dustemissions. Increases in criteria pollutants have the potential to decrease visibility and violate theNAAQS.To determine the effect that increases in training would have on air quality at FTC, findings of a studyconducted for the PCMS were extrapolated. FTC has similar soil types and training activities as thePCMS and, therefore a direct comparison can be made with impact. Off-road activity in the FTCmaneuver training areas would approximately double. Fugitive dust emissions remain a concern andany increased emissions add to the very large mitigation burden already facing the installation.Opacity regulations must also be considered if activities are close enough to installation boundariesthat visible emissions travel beyond installation boundaries. SBCT maneuver training at FTC isexpected to result in significant impacts to air quality on the installation and the surroundingcommunity. Mitigation measures will reduce impacts, but not to a less than significant level.Regulatory and Administrative Mitigation 1: The Fugitive Dust Control Plan (DECAM 2004b) wasestablished as a part of the state enforceable best management practice at FTC to minimize dustimpacts to air quality. The plan was approved by the Colorado Department of Public Health andEnvironment in August 2005. Additionally, site-specific land disturbance permits and dustsuppression regulations and procedures are applicable and are implemented at Fort Carson.Significant Impacts Mitigable to Less Than SignificantImpact 2: Fugitive dust from military vehicles. The only potential effect to air quality from additionaltraining activities would result from increased traffic on dirt roads and trails. Long-term adverseeffects have the potential to result from mobile sources and increased training exercises. Mobilesources have the potential to result in effects to air quality from increased emissions of fugitive dust(PM) and vehicle exhaust. Increases in training exercises have the potential to result in effects to airquality because of additional troop movements that result in fugitive dust emissions. Increases incriteria pollutants have the potential to decrease visibility and violate the NAAQS.At the request of the EPA, Class II Current modeling results demonstrated that the PCMS does notcontribute to the degradation of visibility at the scenic views that are more than approximately 31miles from the PCMS. Modeling results for Class II areas within 31 miles indicate that the plumes ofdust may be visible during active training exercises. However, given the limited number of actualtraining days per year, it is not expected to result in effects to the Class II Area Scenic Views alongthe border of PCMS. Therefore, the PCMS does not contribute to the degradation of visibility at theClass II Area Scenic Views.Las Animas County and the surrounding air quality region are classified as being in attainment for allcriteria pollutants. Currently, there is no requirement for Prevention of Significant DeteriorationFebruary 2008 5-176 2/25th SBCT Final EIS