Fort Polk has moved closer to an expansion that will enlarge the Army base by 50 percent.

The Department of the Army issued a release Tuesday announcing it has completed its Final Environmental Impact Statement on the expansion, clearing the way to start acquiring land.

The expansion will increase Fort Polk from 200,000 to 300,000 acres, strengthening its position within the Armed Forces and signaling future growth for one of the major components of the Central Louisiana economy.

"This is great news and one more step in the process that, if successful, will continue to move Fort Polk to pre-eminent status in the Army," said Jon Grafton, executive director of the England Authority.

The expansion will "enhance the overall military value of Fort Polk by increasing the availability of training land and enhancing the maneuver training capability of the installation," the study read.

Following a 30-day public comment period, the Army Corps of Engineers, which is acting as real estate agent, will begin the process of land acquisition. That process likely will begin around the end of April, said Susan Walker, land purchasing coordinator with the Fort Polk Office of Public Affairs.

The purchase of up to 100,000 acres has been authorized. Troops could start training on the new land by late 2011.

Fort Polk currently owns approximately 198,000 acres and uses nearly 100,000 additional acres owned by the U.S. Forest Service. The land purchased would be south of Peason Ridge Wildlife Management Area and Military Reservation in Vernon Parish and east of the fort's main area in Vernon and western Rapides parishes.

Fort Polk officials have pledged the Corps will deal only with willing sellers, and private citizens will not be forced off their land.

Fort Polk is one of the larger forces in the Central Louisiana economy, with state and Army figures putting its economic impact at more than $1.6 billion annually. Should the expansion be completed and the installation grow accordingly, Grafton said, it could generate an additional $1 billion a year.

"This is big news," Grafton said. "Fort Polk already has an enormous impact on the regional economy."

"This puts Fort Polk on a growth trajectory in the Army, establishing it as a, if not the, pre-eminent training facility in the U.S.," said Paul Sawyer, director of federal programs with Louisiana Economic Development.

The environmental impact study process began in January 2009. The final draft was the third revision.

The Army has determined that significant impacts may possibly occur in regards to land use and noise as a result of the project, while moderate impacts would occur to soil resources, water resources, wetlands, biological resources, cultural resources and socioeconomics.

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