Brian Bradley
NS&D Monitor
1/23/2015
While five national lawmakers from the Dakotas reacted positively to the Air Force’s Jan. 16 approval of nearly quadrupling the size of the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC) used as a training area for B-52s housed at Minot AFB, N.D., and B-1s stationed at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.), and Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) expressed disappointment that the Air Force’s plans did not adequately address Montanans’ concerns about the potential of low military flights to cause disruptions. “The Air Force’s decision to move forward with this expansion without adequately addressing Montanans’ concerns is disappointing and discouraging,” Daines said in a statement to NS&D Monitor. “I strongly urge the [Federal Aviation Administration] to examine Montanans’ well-founded concerns about expansion’s impact on pilot safety, emergency services and economic activity in southeastern Montana, and ensure Montanans’ voices are heard in the final proposal.”
PRTC Would Become Largest USAF Training Area in U.S.
The expansion would make PRTC the largest Air Force training area in the U.S. In a Nov. 28-released Final Environmental Impact Statement, the service said it needs the expanded airspace so pilots can employ occasional supersonic maneuvers and train more realistically as training requirements grow for B-52s and B-1s. The service has also emphasized that an expanded PRTC would allow for more aircraft to train closer to home and save more than $24 million in yearly fuel costs. Annually, large force exercises involving an estimated 20 aircraft would be limited to 10 days or fewer. Local residents and commercial airline stakeholders, though, expressed concern that the PRTC could increase air traffic, noise and pollution.
PRTC Amendment added to Keystone Bill
After joining Daines in meeting with Air Force officials to reiterate Montanans’ concerns about the proposed expansion, the two senators on Jan. 16 introduced an amendment to the still-pending Keystone XL Pipeline bill to ban low-level military flights—defined as altitudes from 500 feet Above Ground Level to 12,000 feet above mean sea level—in “Powder River 3,” a zone of the PRTC starting about 20 miles east of Miles City, Mont., and overlying parts of Montana and the Dakotas. An onramp for Bakken oil in Baker, Mont., is being built under the “Powder River 3” airspace.
Within 45 days of the Air Force’s release of its Record of Decision, the FAA is expected to issue its own ROD about whether the proposed expansion will move forward. “[The Air Force] decision is no doubt disappointing, but there are still opportunities to make sure that Montanans’ concerns are heard,” Tester said in a statement. “Moving forward, the Air Force and the FAA must ensure that the proposed expansion doesn’t negatively impact general aviation, agricultural operations, and the safety of the Keystone pipeline. I’ll continue pushing until those concerns are addressed.”
Zinke said an approved PRTC expansion would add uncertainty to communities’ reliance on emergency services, agriculture, general aviation and commerce, and urged the FAA to reconsider the Air Force decision. “It is deeply troubling that the Air Force hastily released their recommendations to expand the Powder River air space to the FAA without fully weighing the concerns of the local communities,” he said in a statement. “I have said all along that Montanans need to have a seat at the table. There is certainly a way for the Air Force to maintain effective pilot training while still addressing the legitimate concerns of the impacted communities in the region.”
Air Force Proposes Mitigations
If approved by the FAA, the expansion will involve the existing 9,600-square-mile PRTC becoming one of four training areas, or Military Operations Area (MOA), in a 34,000-square-mile airspace. The 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth AFB, S.D., manages the existing PRTC, and the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot AFB, N.D., trains in the area. The Air Force ROD contained several ongoing and outlined mitigations, in part, designed to limit interference with general flight traffic and cater to ranching and community operations. “The Air Force decision incorporated a variety of mitigations devised to address, in a balanced manner, the concerns raised by the public, Native American tribes, and various governmental agencies,” the service’s ROD reads.
Mitigations include limiting all PRTC activity to lower-level altitudes to avoid interfering with high-flying civilian aircraft, moving PRTC boundaries further back than originally proposed from cities such as Miles City, Billings, Mont., Bismarck, N.D., and Sheridan, Wyo., instructing military aircraft to respond to Air Traffic Control directions during emergency events, and seasonal avoidance areas over residences, communities and ranching operations.
Decision Follows Collaboration with Thune
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) worked with the Air Force for more than nine years to expand the PRTC, and applauded the Air Force’s ROD. “It is rare to have an opportunity to increase national security while saving taxpayer dollars, but that’s precisely what this project does,” Thune said in a statement. “After nearly nine years working with the Air Force on this important expansion project, I’m pleased we’ve entered the final step to ensuring our Air Force pilots and personnel have the adequate airspace to perform the critical training they need in conditions that more closely resemble combat missions. I’m proud of the vital role Ellsworth continues to play in protecting and preserving America’s freedom at home and abroad and look forward to the FAA finalizing the PRTC expansion.”
After Extensive Meetings with Air Force Officials, Heitkamp Approves of ROD Language
Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) welcomed language in the ROD which allows the Air Force flexibility to improve its mitigation strategy pending more feedback from impacted communities, after stressing to several Air Force officials the importance of residential concerns. “Our country is made strong by our families, our businesses, and our national security forces that keep us safe,” Heitkamp said in a statement. “That’s why it’s crucial that we keep our rural towns healthy, and our local economies thriving by continuing to secure the access of our pilots, airports and businesses need to do their jobs throughout this expansion in Powder River. Over the past two years, and particularly in the past two months, I’ve been pressing the U.S. Air Force to make sure its plans protect the interests of North Dakota’s airports, businesses, ranchers, tribes, and local communities. As this process continues, I’ll continue to make sure that as we work to improve the Air Force’s training abilities, we also keep our local communities protected, too.” Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Reps. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) and Kristi Noem (R-S.D.) have also expressed support for the language in the ROD.
