NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. -- The United States Department of the Air Force (DAF) has prepared a draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) and announces the beginning of the public comment period for the draft PEIS that evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with master planning and installation development activities at Nellis Air Force Base (AFB), Nevada. The proposed action includes development of the east side of the Installation to accommodate current and future mission needs. The programmatic approach to the draft PEIS considers changes in land use for the east side of the Installation but does not evaluate specific construction actions, as specific projects have not been identified at this time.
The DAF is requesting comments during the 45-day public review period from 16 May 2025 to 30 June 2025. Tribal governments; federal, state, and local agencies; organizations; special interest groups; and individuals are invited to be involved in the public review process and are encouraged to submit written comments regarding the analysis of impacts.
The DAF is hosting two virtual public hearings to provide the public with the opportunity to learn more about the draft PEIS and provide input. All members of the public are encouraged to attend as your input will assist the Air Force in making more informed decisions. The virtual public hearings will be held 10 June 2025 and 11 June 2025 will include:
• opening introduction by the 99th Civil Engineering Squadron;
• a pre-recorded video outlining the scope of the master planning and installation development actions and findings in the Draft PEIS; and
• an opportunity for attendees to provide oral comments.
The project presentation for the virtual the public hearings will begin at 5:30 p.m., formal oral comments will begin at approximately 6 p.m., and the virtual public hearing will end at 7 p.m. Oral comments will be limited to three minutes, and the virtual hearings will be recorded. If your statement is of considerable length, please submit it in writing through the project. All public hearing materials may be viewed on the PEIS website (https://www.nellisafbeis.com). For those without access to a computer or the internet, copies of the draft PEIS and hearing materials may be obtained by submitting a request to Nellis AFB Public Affairs at (702) 652-2750. The draft PEIS may also be reviewed at the following public libraries:
• Sunrise Library, 5400 E Harris Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89110
• Alexander Library, 1755 W Alexander Rd, North Las Vegas, NV 89032
Public comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:
1) submit a written or verbal comment in person at one of the two public hearings,
2) mail a written comment to Attn: Master Plan and Installation Development at Nellis AFB, 2222 S. 4th Avenue, P.O. Box 6257, Yuma, AZ 85366,
3) submit a comment via the project website at https://www.nellisafbeis.com, or
4) submit a comment via email to comments@nellisafbeis.com. For questions regarding the draft PEIS, contact Daniel Fisher at daniel.fisher.26@us.af.mil or (210) 925-2738.
The proposed action includes development of the east side of Nellis AFB to address current mission constraints with the potential to impact long-term planning objectives and potential future DAF mission requirements. The majority of land available for future development is located in the undeveloped area on the east side of the installation. The proposed land use categories have been sited based on functional use (e.g., areas adjacent to the flightline proposed for development would be compatible with aircraft noise). Areas with similar uses and mission functions have been co-located. For planning purposes, the DAF grouped similar mission activities into eight categories based on facility and infrastructure function and conservatively estimated the anticipated area of each functional use category. The eight functional categories are airfield operations/industrial/light industrial; administrative/small-scale administrative; medical/community services/community commercial/small-scale retail and service; lodging/residential (accompanied and unaccompanied); outdoor recreation/open space/training space; transportation; utilities/infrastructure; and existing pavements.
The purpose of the proposed action is to optimize Nellis AFB’s current operational capabilities and capacity for future warfighting training and testing. The proposed action is needed because the current Nellis AFB and DAF Warfare Center mission sets are outpacing the ability to expand resources and capacity. The existing infrastructure does not meet current and future mission needs; mission capability at Nellis AFB is nearing physical capacity, and additional space is needed for the eventual construction of flightline support facilities and infrastructure to meet anticipated future growth. Presently, the Installation’s infrastructure and utilities limit operational expansion and growth; utilities and the west-side ramp are reaching full operational capacity and must be expanded to accommodate future operations. Without expansion, the existing facilities and infrastructure at Nellis AFB would be insufficient to meet DAF and Department of Defense current and future mission requirements.
In order to address facility requirements needed to support current and future mission structure changes and the associated increase in mission personnel, the DAF is proposing two alternatives to gain functional capacity and support future mission growth at Nellis AFB:
Alternative 1, complete development, and Alternative 2, partial development. The DAF has also evaluated a no action alternative in the Draft PEIS.
Alternative 1 would involve the complete development of the east side of Nellis AFB to accommodate current and future mission needs. Alternative 1 would fully utilize this undeveloped area for the construction of future facilities and infrastructure needed to meet current and future mission needs over the next decade. Future development of the east side would include airfield, industrial, and administrative facilities; lodging/residential quarters; and community morale and welfare facilities to improve mission readiness. Space for additional future utilities and infrastructure also would be designated. Alternative 1 would also include dedicated open space for morale, welfare, recreation, and training.
Alternative 2 would involve partial development of the east side of Nellis AFB to accommodate current and future mission needs. Alternative 2 would include a reduced development footprint compared to Alternative 1, but would still address current mission constraints.
The draft PEIS provides analysis to inform decision-makers, as well as the public and tribal partners, of the potential environmental consequences and any associated mitigation, and provides interested persons or agencies opportunities to provide their input. The environmental impacts analysis has identified that eventual development could result in potential impacts to air quality from construction, potential impacts to threatened and endangered species from construction and habitat reduction, potential impacts to soil and water quality from soil compaction and erosion, potential impacts to stormwater from the increase in impervious surfaces, and potential impacts to cultural resources. Potential impacts to transportation could include eventual increased traffic on and off Base upon completion of the potential future build out alternatives. Permitting actions for construction, air emissions, and stormwater pollution prevention may be required.
For more information, please contact: Daniel Fisher at daniel.fisher.26@us.af.mil or (210) 925-2738.