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3 August 2007
[Federal Register: July 31, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 146)]
[Notices]
[Page 41764-41765]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31jy07-105]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Science and Technology Directorate; Notice of Intent To Prepare
an Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Science and Technology Directorate (Office of National
Laboratories within the Office of Research), DHS.
ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement
for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF).
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SUMMARY: DHS announces its intent to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) to evaluate reasonable siting alternatives for the
construction and operation of the proposed NBAF. DHS invites
individuals, organizations, and agencies to present oral or written
comments concerning the scope of the EIS, including the environmental
issues and alternatives that the EIS should address.
DATES: The public scoping period starts with the publication of this
Notice in the Federal Register and will continue until September 27,
2007. DHS will consider all comments received, postmarked, or emailed
by that date in defining the scope of the EIS. DHS also intends to hold
public meetings during this comment period to provide the public with
added opportunities to present comments, ask questions, and discuss
concerns regarding the EIS with DHS officials.
All public meetings are listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section.
DHS will publish additional notices regarding the dates, times, and
locations of the public meetings in local newspapers in advance of the
scheduled meetings. Any necessary changes will be announced in the
local media and on the NBAF Web site (http://www.dhs.gov/nbaf).
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by mail, online, fax, or voice
mail:
U.S. Mail: Department of Homeland Security; Science and Technology
Directorate; James V. Johnson; Mail Stop 2100; 245 Murray Lane
SW., Building 410; Washington, DC 20528; Online: http://www.dhs.gov/nbaf
(click on Public Involvement); Toll-free fax: 1-866-508-NBAF
(6223); or Toll-free voice mail: 1-866-501-NBAF (6223).
Updates and other information will be posted to the NBAF EIS Web
page at: http://www.dhs.gov/nbaf.
In addition to providing comments at the public meetings, all
interested parties are invited to record their comments, ask questions
concerning the EIS, or request to be placed on the EIS mailing or
document distribution list by leaving a message on the EIS Hotline at
(toll free) 1-866-501-NBAF (6223). The Hotline will have instructions
on how to record comments and requests. Additional information on
public participation opportunities is included in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section.
All interested persons and organizations including minority, low
income, disadvantaged, and Native American groups are urged to
participate in this environmental impact review process. Assistance
will be provided upon request to anyone with special needs to
facilitate their participation in the process.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Consultations between DHS and the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on a coordinated biodefense
strategy called for in Homeland Security Presidential Directives 9 and
10 have revealed a gap that must be filled by an integrated research,
development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) infrastructure for combating
bio and agro terrorism threats. DHS S&T is responsible for filling this
gap in a safe, secure, and environmentally sound manner. The proposed
NBAF is envisioned to provide the nation with the first integrated
agricultural, zoonotic disease, and public health RDT&E facility with
the capability to address threats from human pathogens, high
consequence zoonotic disease agents, and foreign animal diseases.
DHS intends to select a single site for the construction of the
NBAF. A competitive selection process to identify and evaluate
potential candidate sites, other than Plum Island, for the NBAF was
recently completed. This process was initiated by issuance of a notice
of request for Expressions of Interest (EOI), on January 19, 2006 (71
Federal Register 3107-3109). DHS has determined that the following
``Site Alternatives'' are reasonable alternative sites for the
construction of the NBAF:
Manhattan Campus Site Manhattan, Kansas: This alternative would
locate the NBAF within what is identified as the Kansas City Health
Corridor on the Kansas State University Campus.
South Milledge Avenue Site, Athens, Georgia: This alternative would
locate the NBAF on the campus of the University of Georgia Whitehall
Farm.
Texas Research Park Site, San Antonio, Texas: This alternative
would locate the NBAF on the land of the Texas Research Park in San
Antonio Texas.
Umstead Research Farm Site, Butner, North Carolina: This
alternative would
[[Page 41765]]
locate the NBAF on the Umstead Research Farm site in Butner, North
Carolina.
Flora Industrial Park Site, Flora, Mississippi: This alternative
would locate the NBAF in Flora Industrial Park in Flora, Mississippi.
Although not included in the competitive selection process outlined
above, the DHS-owned Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) will
also be considered as a reasonable alternative.
Plum Island Site, Plum Island Animal Disease Center, Plum Island,
New York: This alternative would locate the new NBAF on the same
federally owned property as the existing PIADC.
Additionally, a No Action alternative will also be evaluated. Under
the No Action Alternative, the NBAF would not be built and DHS would
continue to use PIADC with necessary investments in facility upgrades,
replacements, and repairs so that it could continue to operate at its
current capability.
Additional alternatives may be identified during the public scoping
process. DHS invites comments and suggestions on alternatives that
should be considered. A preferred location for the construction of the
NBAF has not been identified at this time.
DATES: The Public Meeting dates are:
1. Wednesday, August 22, 2007, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Old Saybrook,
CT Saybrook Point Inn, Two Bridge Street, Old Saybrook, CT 06475.
2. Thursday, August 23, 2007, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Greenport, NY,
Southold Town Hall, 53095 Main Road (Route 25), Greenport, NY 11971.
3. Tuesday, August 28, 2007, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Manhattan, KS,
Kansas State University, K-State Student Union, Manhattan, KS 66505.
4. Thursday, August 30, 2007, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Flora, MS,
First Baptist Church, Christian Life Center, 121 Center Street, Flora,
MS 39071.
5. Thursday, September 6, 2007, from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Washington, DC, Grand Hyatt Washington, 1000 H Street NW, Washington,
DC 20001.
6. Tuesday, September 11, 2007, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. San Antonio,
TX, Marriott Plaza San Antonio, 555 South Alamo Street, San Antonio, TX
78205.
7. Tuesday, September 18, 2007, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Creedmoor,
NC, South Granville High School, 701 North Crescent Drive, Creedmoor,
NC 27522.
8. Thursday, September 20, 2007, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Athens, GA,
The University of Georgia, Center for Continuing Education, 1197 South
Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30602.
Onsite registration and sign-up to present oral comments will be
available at 6 p.m. for all meetings (12:30 p.m. for the Washington, DC
meeting).
Preliminary Identification of Environmental Issues: The following
issues have been tentatively identified for analysis in the EIS. DHS
invites suggestions for the addition or deletion of items on this list:
Land-use plans, policies, and controls;
Visual resources;
Air quality;
Acoustic (noise) environment;
Geology and soil characteristics;
Water resources, including surface and groundwater,
floodplains and wetlands, and water use and quality;
Plants and animals, and their habitats, including
Federally-listed threatened or endangered species and their critical
habitats, wetlands and floodplains;
Cultural resources, including historic and prehistoric
resources and traditional cultural properties encompassing Native
American or culturally important sites;
Human health and safety (involving both members of the
public and laboratory workers);
Socioeconomic effects that may be related to the new
construction and facility operations;
Public infrastructure, including utilities and local
transportation;
Waste management practices and activities including the
handling, collection, treatment, and disposal of research wastes; and
Compliance with all applicable federal, tribal, state, and
local statutes and regulations and with international agreements, and
required environmental permits, consultations and notifications.
The list of issues discussed above for consideration in the NBAF
EIS is preliminary and is intended to facilitate public comment. It is
not intended to be all-inclusive, nor does it imply any
predetermination or relative importance of potential impacts. During
the process of preparing the EIS, DHS will evaluate the potential
environmental and human health impacts of the alternatives, together
with engineering and socioeconomic considerations. The NBAF EIS will
present the results of this environmental impact evaluation process.
DHS anticipates that certain classified or otherwise protected
information will be consulted in the preparation of this EIS and used
by decision-makers to decide where and how to relocate the NBAF. To the
extent allowable, the EIS will summarize and present this information
in a publicly releasable form.
EIS Preparation and Public Participation Process: The process for
preparing the NBAF EIS begins with the publication of this Notice of
Intent in the Federal Register. After the close of the public scoping
period, DHS will begin the environmental impact evaluation process. DHS
expects to issue a draft NBAF EIS for public review in the spring of
2008. Public comments on the draft will be accepted during a comment
period of at least 60 days following its publication. DHS will consider
the public comments received on the draft EIS, perform further
environmental impact evaluation if needed, and expects to publish a
final NBAF EIS during fall 2008. No sooner than 30 days after
publication of the Notice of Availability of the final NBAF EIS in the
Federal Register, DHS will issue its Record of Decision and publish it
in the Federal Register. In addition to the Federal Register, the
Notices of Availability for the draft EIS, final EIS, and EIS Record of
Decision will be provided through direct mail and other media.
Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347 (National Environmental Policy
Act).
Dated: July 30, 2007.
Jay M. Cohen,
Under Secretary, Science & Technology.
[FR Doc. E7-14692 Filed 7-30-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-10-P