Final Environmental Impact Statement on Powder River Training Complex Released

The Nov. 28 release of a Final Environmental Impact Statement has activated a 30-day waiting period before Air Force officials will decide whether to expand the Powder River Training Complex (PRTC), which is used by B-52’s housed at Minot AFB and B-1’s housed at Ellsworth AFB. The PRTC currently spans approximately 9,600 horizontal square miles, and the service would like to spread it across 34,000 square miles above parts of Montana, Wyoming, and the Dakotas. In the expanded airspace, pilots could employ occasional supersonic maneuvers, train more realistically and deploy more defensive countermeasures like chaff and flares, according to the Air Force. The service also contends that an expanded PRTC would allow for more aircraft to train closer to home, saving more than $24 million in yearly fuel costs. Local residents and commercial airline stakeholders have raised concerns including increased air traffic, noise and air pollution. On Dec. 28 or after, the Air Force and Federal Aviation Administrations will issue separate Records of Decision on whether and how to expand the airspace, a precursory step to establishing the protocol that will allow airmen to use the airspace, according to an Ellsworth AFB announcement.