[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 120 (Monday, June 23, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33832-33833]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-16371]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 061797A]


Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Marine 
Environmental Health Research Laboratory at Fort Johnson, Charleston, 
SC

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement; 
request for comments.

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SUMMARY: NOAA, with the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
(NIST) as a cooperating agency, announces its intent to prepare an 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to address construction of the 
proposed Marine Environmental Health Research Laboratory (MEHRL) at 
Fort Johnson, Charleston, SC and to conduct a public scoping meeting in 
conjunction with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources 
(SCDNR).

DATES: Written comments on the intent to prepare an EIS will be 
accepted on or before July 25, 1997. Comments postmarked after that 
date will be considered to the extent practicable. A scoping meeting is 
scheduled as follows:
    July 23, 1997, 7 p.m., South Carolina Department of Natural 
Resources, Marine Resources Division Auditorium, 217 Fort Johnson Road, 
Charleston, SC.

ADDRESSES: Written comments on suggested alternatives and/or potential 
impacts, or requests to speak at the public scoping meeting should be 
submitted to Donna Howard, U.S. Department of Commerce/NOAA, National 
Marine Fisheries Service, 219 Fort Johnson Rd., Charleston, SC 29412-
9110 (803-762-8604).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    NOAA will prepare an EIS pursuant to the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., in accordance with the 
Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA (40 
CFR Parts 1500-1508) and NOAA Administrative Order 216-6, and conduct a 
public scoping meeting in conjunction with the South Carolina 
Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR). The EIS will address 
construction of the proposed Marine Environmental Health Research 
Laboratory (MEHRL) at Fort Johnson, Charleston, SC. NOAA is preparing 
this EIS to focus on the potential for significant environmental 
impacts and to consider reasonable alternatives.
    The MEHRL will establish state-of-the-art marine research 
capabilities for NOAA Fisheries, NIST, SCDNR, the Medical University of 
South Carolina (MUSC), and the University of Charleston (UC) at the 
Fort Johnson Marine Resources Center (FJMRC) at Charleston, SC. 
Research at MEHRL, will emphasize the multi-disciplinary and multi-
institutional linkages focused on understanding the processes promoting 
coastal ecosystem health and the linking of these processes to 
fisheries and human health. The facility will promote a campus-like 
environment for researchers from participating institutions and their 
collaborators.
    MEHRL will be a premier high-technology marine research center with 
programs that apply new scientific techniques to fisheries and marine 
resource management. Scientists will use new tools to assess the 
ecological health of the marine environment and the potential hazards 
of pollution on marine ecosystems. Scientists will also provide the 
information that can be used to address environmental problems and the 
means to evaluate the restoration of natural habitats. Research at 
MEHRL will emphasize multi-disciplinary approaches that link ecosystems 
with the health of both marine organisms and humans. The rapidly 
advancing field of marine

[[Page 33833]]

biotechnology holds great promise for improving the quality of the 
scientific information needed to manage living marine resources. MEHRL 
researchers will develop indicators to monitor the health of marine 
life. They will also explore impacts of environmental factors on 
reproduction, survival, and diseases of marine organisms. Research at 
MEHRL will greatly expand the information base required to manage 
fisheries. This new facility will emphasize the application of modern 
technology to manage coastal resources wisely and to rebuild 
sustainable fisheries and healthy coasts. This vision for MEHRL will be 
an important asset to address environmental issues and will play an 
integral role in accomplishing NOAA Fisheries strategic goals.
    Research at MEHRL will include both environmental chemistry and 
environmental biology. These research areas will provide capabilities 
that can be utilized for multi-disciplinary research. The core research 
capabilities necessary to provide the proper support for multi-
disciplinary environmental research include: A Nuclear Magnetic 
Resonance facility, cryogenic facilities, analytical clean 
laboratories, P2 biohazard laboratories, environmental controlled 
challenge laboratories, bioassay culture laboratories, incubator 
laboratories, culture laboratories, clean wet laboratories, etc. The 
nucleus of the facility will be state-of-the-art laboratories for 
environmental challenge research utilizing a range of seawater and 
temperature controls. The capacity to adequately handle hazardous 
materials with proper disposal and prevention of cross-contamination is 
a high priority. Equally important are the high-technology analytical 
laboratories with the capability to maintain the integrity and validity 
of the samples and to analyze samples safely with proper environmental 
protection for researchers working with hazardous materials.
    MEHRL will be a unique contribution to the marine sciences in that 
it will provide not only a center of scientific and state-of-the-art 
equipment serving the Nation, as well as the East and Gulf Coasts, but 
represents a true breakthrough in institutional cooperation (federal, 
state, and academic) aimed at removing traditional jurisdictional 
barriers and improving overall research and development effectiveness.
    A Web page has been established to inform the local community of 
the background information surrounding the MEHRL and to provide up-to-
date information on the planning, design, and the building phases of 
the project. The Web page may be reached at the following address: 
http://www.cofc.edu/grice/mehrl

Project Description

    The State of South Carolina has provided a lease of land up to 14 
acres for the MEHRL (Phase I) and support facilities (Phase II). The 
MEHRL will be built on approximately eight acres within the Fort 
Johnson campus of the SCDNR in Charleston, SC. The NMFS Charleston 
Laboratory and satellite NIST facility is currently located on this 
campus in leased facilities. The UC and the MU.S.C. also have existing 
facilities on this campus.
    The proposed MEHRL complex will be approximately 69,000 gross 
square ft and will accommodate approximately 90 scientists/staff. The 
goal for MEHRL is to be a multi-use facility with complimentary 
institutional partnership functions and activities. Thus, MEHRL will be 
staffed with researchers from the partner institutions. MEHRL should 
attract visiting scientists, students, post-doctoral researchers, and 
require minimal new staff positions. MEHRL will provide approximately 
34,000 net square ft for environmental biology and chemistry research.
    Phase II of the project consists of dormitory, dining facility, and 
visiting scientist housing. The dormitory will be approximately 8,250 
square ft and the dining facility will be approximately 1,750 square 
ft. The dormitory will be adjacent to the dining hall since the 
residents will be the primary users of the facilities. The dormitory 
will be a quad of five to eight person living suites of 1,050 square 
ft. The dining facility will include a dining hall for informal dining 
for 10 to 15 people. There will be a residential style kitchen for the 
residents to prepare their own meals. The visiting scientist housing 
will be a high quality living arrangement to be used by researchers and 
their families for an extended period of time. The housing will be five 
1,250 square ft townhouses. The unit will be self-contained and 
independent of other facilities. The townhouses will be located away 
from the dormitory, but will have a direct relation to each other in a 
campus atmosphere. Phase II is contingent upon funding and may not be 
developed immediately.
    NOAA and SCDNR invite interested agencies, organizations, and the 
general public to submit written comments or suggestions concerning the 
scope of the issues to be addressed, alternatives to be analyzed, and 
the environmental impacts to be addressed in the EIS. The public also 
is invited to attend a scoping meeting in which oral comments and 
suggestions will be received (see DATES). Oral and written comments 
will be considered equally in preparation of the EIS. Those not 
desiring to submit comments or suggestions at this time, but who would 
like to receive a copy of the Draft EIS should write to Donna Howard 
(see ADDRESSES). When the Draft EIS is complete, its availability will 
be announced in the Federal Register and in the local news media, a 
public hearing will be held, and comments will be solicited.

Public Scoping Meeting

    The public scoping meeting will be chaired by a NOAA representative 
but will not be conducted as an evidentiary hearing; speakers will not 
be cross-examined, although the chair and other NOAA and SCDNR 
representatives present may ask clarifying questions. To ensure that 
everyone has an adequate opportunity to speak, 5 minutes will be 
allotted for each speaker. Depending on the number of persons 
requesting to speak, the chair may allow more time for elected 
officials, or speakers representing multiple parties, or organizations. 
Persons wishing to speak on behalf of organizations should identify the 
organization. Persons wishing to speak may either notify Donna Howard 
in writing (see ADDRESSES) or register at the meeting. As time permits, 
individuals who have spoken subject to the 5-minute rule will be 
afforded additional speaking time. Written comments also will be 
accepted at the meeting.

Special Accommodations

    The meetings are physically accessible to people with disabilities. 
Requests for sign language interpretation or other auxiliary aids 
should be directed to Donna Howard (see ADDRESSES) at least 5 days 
prior to the meeting date.

    Dated: June 17, 1997.
Bruce Morehead,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine 
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 97-16371 Filed 6-20-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-F