Welcome to the official website for the Comprehensive Airspace Initiative Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) at Moody Air Force Base (AFB), Georgia. The Department of the Air Force has created this website to:
The Public Scoping Period concluded on January 6, 2020. This was the deadline to ensure that the Department of the Air Force has sufficient time to consider public input in the preparation of the Draft EIS.
The public comment period for the Draft EIS has closed.
On August 15, 2023, the Department of the Air Force signed a Record of Decision (ROD) for the Final EIS for the Moody Air Force Base Comprehensive Airspace Initiative. On March 8, 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration signed an EIS Adoption Document and ROD.
The Department of the Air Force is publishing the Final EIS Notice of Availability on May 19, 2023. After the Final EIS is published a minimum 30-day waiting period is required before a Record of Decision can be issued. This starts the 30-day waiting period for the Final EIS.
The NEPA process provides multiple opportunities for public review and input.
The Proposed Action is needed to provide access for training missions operating at low altitudes from Moody AFB and to optimize the Moody Airspace Complex to enable effective training to achieve real-world combat readiness and survivability. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to provide a more realistic and regularly accessible airspace training environment to meet the need for aircrew training in Close Air Support and Combat Search and Rescue.
The Department of the Air Force has identified four alternatives that meet the project’s purpose and need.
There would be no changes to the existing special use airspace. Under the No Action Alternative, the operational floors of the Moody Airspace Complex would remain at 10,000 feet mean sea level (MSL) in R-3008D; 8,000 feet MSL in the Corsair North, Corsair South, Hawg North, Hawg South, Mustang, Sabre, Thud, and Warhawk Military Operations Areas (MOAs); at 500 feet above ground level (AGL) in the Moody 2 North MOA and R-3008C; at 100 feet AGL in the Moody 2 South MOA and R-3008B; and at the surface in R-3008A.
New low-altitude MOAs would be charted beneath and within the lateral confines of existing MOAs and Restricted Areas of the Moody Airspace Complex:
Under Alternative 1, there would be neither a change in the number of sorties at Moody AFB airfield nor would there be any change in the number of aircraft operations in the Moody Airspace Complex. However, there would be a change in the distribution of training operations at low altitudes within the Moody Airspace Complex, as training operations at low altitude currently limited to Moody 2 North and Moody 2 South MOAs would be redistributed to the new low-altitude MOAs. There would be no change in the quantity or type of defensive countermeasures used during training; however, chaff and flares would be permitted for use within the new proposed low-altitude MOAs except for the Corsair North Low MOA where the use of chaff would not be permitted. The use of flares would be limited to 2,000 feet AGL. No ordnance, other than chaff and flares, would be expended in the new low-altitude MOAs. There would be no change in urban Close Air Support training operations.
Proposed Action | Modified Alternative 1 | Alternative 2 | Alternative 3Modified Alternative 1 is a variation of Alternative 1, which was originally described in the Draft EIS. Modified Alternative 1 would be smaller than the Alternative 1 low-altitude airspace configuration. New low-altitude MOAs would be charted beneath and within the lateral confines of existing MOAs and Restricted Areas of the Moody Airspace Complex similar to those described for Alternative 1, but with different (smaller) lateral boundaries:
Compared to Alternative 1, Modified Alternative 1 would reduce the lateral confines of the proposed action area by approximately 42 percent, but it would maintain 1,000-foot AGL MOAs to support the redistribution of low-altitude training operations from the Moody 2 North and Moody 2 South MOAs. Other than the changes to the lateral confines of the proposed low-altitude MOAs, all other aspects of Modified Alternative 1 are the same as described for Alternative 1.
Proposed Action | Alternative 1 | Alternative 2 | Alternative 3New low-altitude MOAs would be charted beneath and within the lateral confines of existing MOAs and Restricted Areas of the Moody Airspace Complex:
Besides the creation of new low-altitude MOAs with an altitude floor of 2,000 feet AGL instead of 1,000 feet AGL, all other aspects of Alternative 2 are the same as described for Alternative 1.
Under this alternative, there would be neither a change in the number of sorties at Moody AFB airfield nor would there be any change in the number of aircraft operations in the Moody Airspace Complex. However, there would be a change in the distribution of training operations at low altitudes within the Moody Airspace Complex, as training operations at low altitude currently limited to Moody 2 North and Moody 2 South MOAs would be redistributed to the new low-altitude MOAs.
Proposed Action | Alternative 1 | Modified Alternative 1 | Alternative 3New low-altitude MOAs would be charted beneath and within the lateral confines of existing MOAs and Restricted Areas of the Moody Airspace Complex:
Besides the creation of new low-altitude MOAs with an altitude floor of 4,000 feet AGL instead of 1,000 feet AGL, all other aspects of Alternative 3 are the same as described for Alternative 1.
Under this alternative, there would be neither a change in the number of sorties at Moody AFB airfield nor would there be any change in the number of aircraft operations in the Moody Airspace Complex. However, there would be a change in the distribution of training operations at low altitudes within the Moody Airspace Complex, as training operations at low altitude currently limited to Moody 2 North and Moody 2 South MOAs would be redistributed to the new low-altitude MOAs.
Proposed Action | Alternative 1 | Modified Alternative 1 | Alternative 2The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) guides the Department of the Air Force public involvement and impact analysis processes.
NEPA has many ways to be involved:
This website:
The Department of the Air Force hosted a scoping meeting in Tifton, Georgia, on December 5, 2019. Once the Draft EIS was published, the Department of the Air Force hosted a virtual public hearing on October 29, 2020.
The availability of the Draft EIS was announced in the Federal Register and through newspaper advertisements. Although only a 45-day comment period is required for the Draft EIS, the Department of the Air Force elected to have a 60-day public comment period, ending on November 24, 2020.
Although comments can be submitted to the Department of the Air Force any time during the EIS process, scoping comments were requested by January 6, 2020, to ensure full consideration in the Draft EIS.
The public comment period for the Draft EIS has closed.
The Notice of Availability for the Final EIS was published in the Federal Register on May 19, 2023. This starts the 30-day Final EIS waiting period.
The Air Force Record of Decision was signed on August 15, 2023, and the FAA Record of Decision was signed on March 8, 2024.
The Notice of Intent to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was published in the Federal Register on November 29, 2019. Click here to download the document.
Public comments are being requested in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the President’s Council on Environmental Quality NEPA Regulations (40 Code of Federal Regulations [CFR] Parts 1500-1508), and 32 CFR 989, Environmental Impact Analysis Process (EIAP). The EIAP provides an opportunity for public input on Air Force decision making, allows the public to offer inputs on alternative ways for the Air Force to accomplish what it is proposing, and solicits comments on the Air Force’s analysis of environmental effects. Public commenting allows the Air Force to make better-informed decisions. Letters or other written or oral comments provided may be published in the EIS. As required by law, comments provided will be addressed in the EIS and made available to the public. Providing personal information is voluntary. Any personal information provided will be used only to identify your desire to make a statement during the public comment portion of any public meetings or hearings or to fulfill requests for copies of the EIS or associated documents. Private addresses will be compiled to develop a mailing list for those requesting copies of the EIS; however, only the names of the individuals making comments and specific comments will be disclosed. Personal home addresses and phone numbers will not be published in the EIS.
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