Public Involvement

Public involvement is an integral part of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, which provides information to the public on the potential environmental impacts of the proposal and encourages public participation. The public has an important role in providing input during this process to help the National Guard Bureau (NGB) and the Department of the Air Force (DAF) make more informed decisions about implementing this proposal.

The public participates in the NEPA process during the following key stages:

• Public Scoping Period: During the public scoping period, the public helps to identify the scope of analysis, environmental resource areas to be evaluated, and potential alternatives to be analyzed in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). Input received during the public scoping period is considered in the development of the Draft EIS. The scoping period began with publication of the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register on June 4, 2024, and ended on July 11, 2024. The NGB held a public scoping meeting in Klamath Falls, Oregon, on June 26, 2024. Comments received during public scoping were reviewed and considered in development of the Draft EIS.

• Draft EIS Public Review and Comment Period: Following scoping, the next opportunity for public comment is during the Draft EIS public review and comment period, which begins with publication of the Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. During this comment period, the public may review and comment on the environmental impact analysis presented in the Draft EIS. Input received during this comment period is considered in development of the Final EIS. The Draft EIS public review and comment period occurred from April 10, 2026 to May 11, 2026. In August 2026, the DAF invited public review and comment on the revised Cultural Resources section of the Draft EIS (Section 3.9) and held a special public comment period from August 21, 2026 to August 31, 2026. The public comment periods are now closed.

Availability of Final EIS

The Final EIS is available on the Documents page, and hard copies of the document have been placed at the libraries listed below.

The Final EIS includes responses to all comments received on the Draft EIS and evaluates the Proposed Action and the No Action Alternative. Under the Proposed Action, one FTU squadron of F-35A aircraft would be based at and operated by the 173 FW, including associated construction and infrastructure improvements needed to support the new mission. Under the No Action Alternative, the Proposed Action would not occur; ongoing base operations would continue, and facility and infrastructure projects needed to support continued base operations would be considered.

The Final EIS is available on the Documents page and at the following libraries:

• Klamath County Library (Main Library)
  126 S. Third St., Klamath Falls, OR 97601
• South Suburban Branch
  3625 Summers Lane, Klamath Falls, OR 97603

For more information contact 173 FW Public Affairs at 173.fw.pa@us.af.mil or (541) 885-6677.