DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE WASHINGTON DC 3 Nov l998 Office of the Secretary Ms. Ellen Thomas P. O. Box 27217 Washington DC 20038 Dear Ms. Thomas Thank you for your letter to President Clinton regarding the "Defense Monitor" Program. As you might imagine, the President is unable to personally respond to each and every inquiry he receives. Accordingly, his staff provided your letter to the Department of the Air Force for response. The "Defense Monitor" Program mentioned in your letter was a rerun of a program that originally aired a few years ago. Changes have occurred since the original program. The Air Force canceled the Idaho Training Range proposal and worked with the Bureau of Land Management, the State of Idaho, the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley Reservation, and the public to develop a new proposal. Approved by Congress and the President in October 1998, the new proposal balances military training requirements with the environment and traditional land uses. Enhanced Training in Idaho (ETI) is a range and airspace proposal that involves approximately 12,000 acres of public land while providing local training opportunities for aircrews in Idaho. It will augment the existing Saylor Creek Range by providing a modern, local range that will maximize training hours and limit travel time. It will provide the 366th Wing at Mountain Home Air Force Base (AFB), Idaho, with consistency, quality, and realism in training and will allow for variety and complexity in maneuvering and airspace use. These enhancements will ensure that aircrews receive efficient and effective high-quality training from their limited training hours. Implementation of ETI will substantially strengthen the 366 Wing's ability to ensure readiness to perform its assigned missions well into the future. ETI balances realistic local training with careful consideration of environmental, cultural, and economic concerns. The Air Force and the Bureau of Land Management have analyzed the environmental impact of establishing this training range in southwestern Idaho through the development of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The environmental impact analysis identifies potential impacts to natural, cultural, social, and economic resources, and where possible, cooperatively develops mitigations to reduce the effect of these impacts. Officials distributed the draft EIS to the public in May l997 and provided the public an opportunity to review and comment on the document from May to September 1997. The Air Force published the final EIS in January 1998. The public played a key role in developing and analyzing the ETI proposal. Their feedback resulted in the identification of the Juniper Butte location for the range drop site, which was more than 75 miles from sensitive wildlife habitat and recreation areas than the sites being considered under the "Defense Monitor" Program. Since the Juniper Butte site also met all operational requirements, the Air Force designated it as the preferred alternative when it signed the record of decision on March 10, 1998. The Air Force, Bureau of Land Management, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game have worked cooperatively during the environmental impact analysis process to address objections expressed by Idaho Department of Fish and Game. The Air Force provided $100,000 to the state of Idaho in 1998 to monitor bighorn sheep and sage grouse populations in areas where implementation of ETI would cause surface and airspace changes. The Air Force programmed an additional $110,000 per year for the next three years to continue the monitoring effort. The three agencies have agreed to implement altitude restrictions during April, May, and June over bighorn sheep lambing areas (attached). Future opportunities for cooperation and collaboration will be identified as data are gathered and analyzed during these initial efforts. We appreciate you taking the time to express your concern and trust this information is helpful. Sincerely, JEFFREY A. RAMMES, Major, USAF Chief, White House Inquiry Branch Office of Legislative Liaison Attachment: AF / BLM Agreement, 11 Jun 98 ENHANCED TRAINING IN IDAHO Memorandum of Understanding Between The Bureau of Land Management and The United States Air Force The United States Air Force and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have reviewed the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the Enhanced Training in Idaho. As a result of ongoing consultation with cooperating agencies and additional public comments, the following mitigation measures have been further defined and are being adopted as part of the Record of Decision for Enhanced Training in Idaho. 1. Seasonal Low-Level Flight Restrictions - The Air Force will institute the following seasonal low-level flight restrictions for military-users in the Jarbidge and Owyhee military operating areas to minimize conflicts with public land resources and uses. The restrictions apply during April, May and June. Bruneau / Jarbidge River System A. In general, low-altitude training flights over canyons will be limited to 1,000 feet AGL and at that level will only cross perpendicular to the major canyons. Parallel flights within a mile of the canyons will be limited to 5,000 feet AGL. B. In addition, within 1 mile of the canyon rim, from the confluence of the Bruneau end Jarbidge Rivers north to the intersection with the East Fork of the Bruneau River (Clover Creek), low altitude training flights will be limited to 5,OOO feet AGL, except for two Composite Wing Training (CWT) exercises per month. The 366th Wing will notify BLM and the public of CWT exercises. C In addition, from Friday through Monday, training flights will be limited to 5,000 feet AGL, within 1 mile from the rim, starting at the East Fork of the Bruneau (Clover Creek) N4235 W11538, north approximately 4.5 miles to Miller Water, N4238 W11541. Owyhee River System A. In general, low-altitude training Fights over canyons will be limited to 1,000 feet AGL and at that level will only cross perpendicular to the major canyons. Parallel flights within a mile of thee canyons will be limited to 5,000 feet AGL. B. In addition, except for two CWT exercises per month, training flights will be limited to 5,000 feet AGL within 1 mile of the canyon rim, from 45 Ranch, N4210 W11652, north on the South Fork of the Owyhee to the confluence of Owyhee River and east on the East Fork to Deep Creek, N4216 W11639. C. In addition, from Friday through Monday, training flights will be limited to 5,000 feet AGL within 1 mile of the rim, from the confluence of the East Fork of the Owyhee River and Deep Creek, N4216 W11639, southeast on the East Fork of the Owyhee to Battle Creek, N4214 W11632. This commitment replaces the mitigation measure in the FEIS and the ROD that restricts low level flights for a two-week period over the main Bruneau Canyon north of the confluence of the Jarbidge River to the northern edge of the airspace. The major canyons described above are shown on the attached map, Exhibit A. 2. Airspace Expansion over Little Jacks Creek - There will be no military overflights below 5O00 feet AGL in the airspace over the Little Jacks Creek WSA within a twelve mile diameter circle centered on N4241 W11612 during April, May and June. This commitment replaces the mitigation measure in the FEIS that restricts military training flights over the Little Jacks Creek area on Friday through Monday during the months of May and June. 3. Additional Measures - In addition to the overflight restrictions described above, the Air Force has also committed to the following measures: A. Air Combat Command (ACC) will make every good faith effort to schedule the 366th Wing for off-station training or deployments during April, May and June. B. The 366th Wing will work closely with the BLM to notify the public about low-level crossings of the river canyons and periods of increased military training activities. C. The 366th Wing will host semiannual meetings of ETI-interested parties to discuss issues, problems and concerns, and seek resolutions. D. The Air Force will participate in a collaborative study on recreational use in the Owyhee Bruneau / Jarbidge canyons and Little Jacks Creek WSA. There are five additional areas that the Air Force and the BLM will continue to work to discuss and resolve as part of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Air Force and cooperating agencies. The parties are committed to military training activities co-existing with public land resources and land uses. The five areas involve the use of chaff; special status species; Native American traditional cultural and sacred sites; deviation from commitments; and refinement of the agreement. The Air Force will ensure BLM has an opportunity to review its site plans prior to beginning construction. These commitments reinforce the collaboration between the Air Force and the Bureau of Land Management to ensure military training activities coexist with public land resources and other users in southwest Idaho. The parties may mutually agree to modify these commitments in light of experience gained through monitoring and mitigation actions or as a result of changed military circumstances. The Record of Decision will be further expanded to include the above commitments to address cooperating agency and public concerns. Patrick A. Shea Patrick K. Gamble, Lt Gen,USAF Director Deputy Chief of Staff Bureau of Land Managernent Air Space and Operations June 11 1998 9 JUME 98 Date Date