[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 120 (Thursday, June 23, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-15317]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: June 23, 1994]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION

 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
Reconstruction of the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, Antarctica

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

SUMMARY: The National Science Foundation proposes to reconstruct the 
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station over eight to ten years utilizing 
serviceable portions of the existing facilities while continuing 
ongoing science and education projects. The site, at the geographic 
south pole, has been occupied year-round by U.S. citizens since 1956. 
Due to the condition of the station and the need to provide for 
increased capacity to conduct ongoing and to develop new science and 
education projects at the South Pole, reconstruction of the station is 
necessary. A reconstructed station will enable science and education 
projects to continue to 2030.
    The Director of the Office of Polar Programs of the National 
Science Foundation intends to prepare an environmental impact 
statement, under the implementing regulations for the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and a comprehensive environmental 
evaluation, within the procedures of the Protocol on Environmental 
Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, for the decision to reconstruct the 
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station.

DATES: The final environmental impact statement is expected to be 
available to the public in August, 1995. The record of decision is 
expected to be available in October 1995. Comments on this notice of 
intent will be of most use if they are received before July 30, 1994.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be submitted to: Robert S. 
Cunningham, Office of Polar Programs, Room 755 National Science 
Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Robert S. Cunningham, Peter Karasik, or Allison Cook at the Office of 
Polar Programs, National Science Foundation TEL: (703) 306-1031, FAX: 
(703) 306-0139, EMAIL: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Science Foundation (NSF) 
manages and funds United States activities in Antarctica. The NSF is 
responsible for operation of three active U.S. research stations in 
Antarctica (two coastal stations as well as the Amundsen-Scott South 
Pole Station and the U.S. Antarctic Research Program). The South Pole 
is a geophysically unique site for important research in a number of 
disciplines. Since the 1956-57 International Geophysical Year, the 
United States has maintained excellence in merit-reviewed, year-round 
science projects at the South Pole that include measuring events in 
deep space to monitoring the changes that human actions are making in 
the stratospheric ozone layer.
    Scientists at the South Pole are pursuing technically challenging 
studies in astronomy and astrophysics, the areas of inquiry currently 
being emphasized at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. The stable, 
dry, cold atmosphere; clear ice; and location on the Earth's axis 
provide opportunities for such research not available elsewhere. Very 
distant phenomena such as the formation of stars and galaxies, and the 
growth and structure of the universe are examined from what is the best 
inhabited site on Earth for most of these studies. Current 
instrumentation research includes development of several specialized 
telescopes, including the world's most promising neutrino telescope 
prototype. International collaborative research is welcomed, and it is 
anticipated that there will be five or six large telescopes (i.e., with 
apertures of several meters) operated at the station as a result of 
such collaboration within the next decade. Participation in this 
research also furthers the educational objectives of the graduate 
students who participate.
    Research on the physics of the upper atmosphere and near-Earth 
space is another important area of inquiry at the South Pole. The 
purpose of such research is to understand how the energy carried from 
the Sun interacts with Earth systems, and how it can produce magnetic 
storms and ionospheric disturbances. Better understanding of these 
phenomena can improve our knowledge of how to improve communications. 
Importance of such upper atmosphere studies increase as the world 
depends more and more on high volume communications. The South Pole is 
also the best site on Earth to observe dayside aurora (lights in the 
upper atmosphere at an altitude between 90 and 300 kilometers).
    Researchers also monitor changes in the atmosphere's composition at 
this station as well, including the concentration of stratospheric 
ozone in the upper atmosphere. Ozone is a natural shield that protects 
life on Earth from ultraviolet radiation. Research indicates that it is 
destroyed by chlorine from chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), man-made 
chemicals that have been used as refrigerants, aerosol propellants, and 
cleaning agents. The South Pole Station has proved to be an excellent 
place to measure seasonal variation in atmospheric ozone because of its 
strategic location near the center of the ozone hole, high elevation, 
and lack of heavy cloud cover throughout the year.
    Some seismologic research is also performed at the South Pole. The 
location of the Amundsen-Scott Station on the axis of rotation of the 
Earth and the nearly aseismic nature of Antarctica make it an excellent 
location for studying the Earth's deep interior. The station also 
serves an important logistical purpose as a staging site for field 
research and operations surrounding the Pole.
    Without extensive reconstruction, the Amundsen-Scott South Pole 
Station cannot continue to support current and developing research that 
can best or only be pursued at the South Pole. Utilities and buildings 
at the station have exceeded their 15- to 20-year design life and are 
rapidly deteriorating due to age, intensive use, and climatic 
conditions. The facilities comprise 3,504 square meters (37,724 square 
feet) of heated space and 4,118 square meters (44,332 square feet) of 
unheated space. Many of the facilities do not meet current standards 
for buildings in the United States and modern engineering practices. 
Many potential hazards are mitigated through procedural controls on 
use, rather than more efficient and effective engineering solutions. 
These limitations are constraining scientists and are likely to further 
limit research activities.
    Accommodations are crowded, and lack of berthing space limits the 
number of scientists who can undertake research at the Station. In the 
summer most of the population is housed in Jamesways (canvas-covered 
temporary field quarters manufactured in the 1950's). Electrical power, 
and the fuel used to generate it, will constrain installation of newer 
and more powerful telescopes and other instruments limiting data 
collection and processing. Structural weaknesses in the buildings, fuel 
lines, and heating systems require labor intensive repairs and other 
remedial efforts that detract from support to research.
    Year-round accumulation of snow around buildings at the South Pole 
Station now requires significant fuel and labor for removal. In spite 
of snow removal, snowdrift accumulation on top of the present station 
has led to structural damage to some portions of the station.
    A reconstructed station would incorporate architectural and 
engineering improvements which would reduce risks to health and improve 
the safety of station occupants. New structures would be elevated from 
the ground, allowing snow to blow under rather than pile up on them, 
reducing snow removal costs. Technological improvements would also 
enable the reconstructed station to operate more efficiently, therefore 
reducing the proportion of personnel devoted to facilities maintenance 
and minimizing the need to implement inefficient procedural controls to 
address safety risks.
    The proposed reconstruction would generally be concentrated in the 
austral summer of each year (October through February), but some 
interior construction would be carried out during the winter months. 
During reconstruction, portions of the existing station would remain in 
use for science and education purposes, but would be phased out as 
replacement facilities become available. All unused buildings, 
equipment, and construction materials would be removed from Antarctica 
for reuse, recycling, or disposal. All materials, equipment, and 
support would be provided by airlift from McMurdo Station, Antarctica. 
Most materials and equipment would be transported to McMurdo Station by 
ship.
    The proposed improvements include: construction of elevated 
buildings (specifically, space for laboratories, dormitories, and 
offices); upgrading the heat, power, water, wastewater, and fuel 
systems; and demolition and removal of old structures and utilities. At 
the conclusion of the reconstructed station's useful life (about 25 
years), NSF intends to either dismantle and remove the facility from 
Antarctica or replace all or most of the station. Either decision, 
removal or replacement, would be accompanied by appropriate 
environmental review.
    Several individuals familiar with activity at the station have 
commented on the reconstruction of the station. These include station 
residents, scientists, program administrators, and members of the 
public. From these comments, five categories of issues were identified 
for consideration in the environmental impact statement for the 
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station. These categories, useful in 
developing possible alternatives and in organizing the discussion of 
environmental effects, are:
    1. Health and safety of station personnel;
    2. Energy sources and consumption;
    3. Cost of reconstruction and operation;
    4. Treatment and disposal of wastes; and
    5. Capacity to support current and anticipated science and 
education at the station and throughout Antarctica during and after 
reconstruction.
    The NSF considered a number of alternative approaches for 
reconstructing the Amundsen-Scott station. Four alternatives that are 
proposed for further analysis range from a low-level investment--
maintaining the current station and replacing only the least efficient 
portions of the infrastructure--to building a renewed, up-to-date 
station able to support significantly more science and education 
activities to 2030. Other alternatives were considered, but they do not 
appear reasonable at this time.
    For example, NSF considered the option of constructing a completely 
separate, new station adjacent to the present one while maintaining all 
usual activities. In this scenario, construction would take place 
supported by temporary facilities for berthing, water supply, galley, 
material storage, and equipment housing and maintenance. While this 
option is technically feasible, it appears more expensive than 
replacing the current station because cost savings can be made by 
utilizing the remaining serviceable portions of the current station. 
Also, it would require more people at the South Pole than in other 
alternatives, and arguably generate more environmental impact during 
construction because of transportation, housing, heating, and electric 
power requirements.
    Construction of the station at other locations further from the 
geologic South Pole was also considered. One possible location was the 
High Plateau of Antarctica. While a higher altitude site would provide 
additional advantages for astronomy, the construction and operation 
would be much more arduous than at the South Pole. The additional cost 
of airlifting all construction materials from McMurdo Station and the 
inability to re-use serviceable portions of the old station were other 
deterrents to further consideration of this alternative. In addition, 
the Presidential Memorandum assigning NSF responsibility to manage and 
fund United States interests in Antarctica (Memorandum #6646, signed in 
1982) directs that the United States continue to occupy a station at 
the South Pole.
    The four possible alternatives for the reconstruction of the 
Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station proposed for further consideration 
are:
    Alternative A, Low-level investment or No Action. In this 
alternative no action would be taken to replace the station. Only the 
replacement of the most inefficient structures, utilities, and 
equipment would take place over the next decade. If this alternative 
were selected, it is anticipated that the station would have to close 
or that the science and education programs would have to be severely 
curtailed by the end of the decade. This alternative is the status quo 
or ``no action'' alternative required by NEPA regulations;
    Alternative B. The station would be reconstructed over eight to ten 
years. The capacity to support science and education programs would 
remain at the 1994-level as measured by the number of scientist in 
residence. However, in this alternative and in and Alternatives C and 
D, the technical sophistication and telecommunications capabilities to 
support scientists would increase;
    Alternative C. In this alternative, the station would be 
reconstructed over eight to ten years with year-long capacity to 
support science programs increased by 2 to 3 fold; and
    Alternative D. The station would be reconstructed as in Alternative 
C, except over five years, rather than eight to ten years.
    The public is invited to comment on any aspect of the proposal. The 
comment period on the draft environmental impact statement 
(comprehensive environmental evaluation) will be a minimum of 90 days 
from the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes the notice 
of availability in the Federal Register.

    Dated: June 17, 1994.
Dr. Carol A. Roberts,
Deputy Director, Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 94-15317 Filed 6-22-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7555-01-M