Environmental Assessment for Construction of a Communications Facility at Snowy Peak, Alaska.

摘要

The host unit at Eielson Air Force Base (Eielson AFB), the 354th Fighter Wing (FW), operates F-16 Fighting Falcon and A/OA-10 Thunderbolt aircraft. The 354 FW s mission is to train and equip personnel for close air support of ground troops in an arctic environment. The complex combat scenario training requirements and advanced capabilities of the aircraft require large parcels of airspace to train. In Alaska, the Military Operating Areas (MOAs) that are used by these aircraft cover large areas. Military, as well as civilian and commercial aircraft jointly use this airspace. It is imperative that adequate radar and radio coverage for these areas exist to ensure aircraft safety. There are currently areas within this airspace where radio and radar coverage is not adequate. Complete radar sensor coverage of the entire Pacific Alaska Range Complex airspace at all altitudes is not economically feasible due to the mountainous terrain. However, it is the goal of the USAF to achieve 70 percent coverage at 2,000 feet above ground level (AGL), and 90 percent coverage at 5,000 feet AGL within each MOA. It is also the goal of the USAF to provide ground-to-air radio coverage over at least 90 percent of the Military Operating Areas at 2,000 feet AGL. The USAF considers this to be an operationally acceptable and realistic goal and constructing a communications facility at Snowy Peak will help achieving this standard. Proposed Action The proposed action would result in the installation of a communications site on the summit of Snowy Peak. The developed site would consist of three distinct areas including a gravel helicopter pad, a sheltered area containing equipment and three 60-foot towers, and a power generation area containing a wind and propane generator and five 200-gallon propane storage tanks.