The Marine Corps has relinquished interest in approximately 33,000 acres of public land from further study in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), near the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center (MCAGCC), Twentynine Palms, Calif. A total of approximately 60,000 acres (federal, state and private) is being removed from further study.
The land was to be considered in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for potential land expansion to meet Marine Expeditionary Brigade training requirements.
The relinquishment is based on additional analysis of the Marine Corps’ training needs and public comments during the Environmental Impact Statement scoping period. This relinquishment is to align the alternatives for study in the EIS more closely with terrain features, eliminate lands that offer minimal training value, and reduce the number of occupied affected private parcels.
The returned land represents nearly 10 percent of the public lands that were in the original Application for Withdrawal of Public Lands, submitted in August 2008. The EIS study will now analyze the remaining approximately 360,000 acres and the airspace above that land contiguous to the installation on the west, east and south.
During the EIS analysis period, the Marine Corps continues to work with recreational and business stakeholders, and recreational lands will remain available to the public. The Draft EIS is currently scheduled for release in Summer 2010.
Maps depicting the revised study areas and updated information on the project may be viewed at the MCAGCC web site, http://www.29palms.usmc.mil/las/.