[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 7 (Monday, January 12, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1836-1837]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-617]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Finding of No Significant Impact for the Defense Logistics Agency
Human Resources Operation Restructuring
AGENCY: Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Defense.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: An environmental assessment on the restructuring of the DLA
human resources operation was prepared pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) and
the Council on Environmental Quality Guidelines (40 CFR part 1500-
1508). The environmental assessment concluded that there will be no
significant impact on the environment and that preparation of an
Environmental Impact Statement will not be necessary. Interested
parties may submit comments to the address listed below for a 30-day
period from the date of this Notice.
EFFECTIVE DATE: January 9, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Dan McGinty, Staff Director, Congressional and Public Affairs
Office, Defense Logistics Agency, 8725 John J. Kingman Road, Ft.
Belvoir, VA 22060-6221, (703) 767-6222.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Civilian workforce reductions, cost
controls, economies of scale, and the Department of Defense (DoD)
mandates to have a ratio of one human resource employee per 61
employees have caused the DLA to develop a strategy to restructure its
personnel service while still maintaining quality support to customers.
Further, DoD has established a goal of improving its service ratio to
1:100 by Fiscal Year 2003. The mandates and the goal can only be
achieved by consolidating functions and installing modern personnel
information systems to continue the current and projected levels of
service.
DLA has Offices of Civilian Personnel (OCP) at nine locations.
Given the DoD directive, DLA decided to establish a Human Resources
Operations Center (HROC) at the most favorable location. Determination
of the most cost effective site for the HROC was the result of a DLA
study completed in mid-1996. The study reviewed each of the existing
field locations and facilities. Each site was considered on an equal
basis and evaluated using the same criteria. The criteria included the
availability of office space, parking, meeting space,
telecommunications, and automated data processing (ADP); timing; and
cost. The Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC), located near Columbus,
Ohio, emerged as the facility having the most favorable space and
support services available at a reasonable cost. In addition, the
Columbus site offered the advantage of colocation with other DLA
components that provide ADP system support to current personnel
operations.
Modernizing civilian personnel systems is an important aspect of
increasing the efficiency of human resources specialists. The DoD
personnel community has been working on this issue aggressively since
1989. Most of the effort has capitalized on economies of scale while
maintaining or improving the quality of service without impairing
chain-of-command accountability. Further, DoD realizes that
restructuring alone will not achieve DoD goals for personnel
management. DoD must also engage in efforts to modernize its personnel
system to a single DoD system using the latest technology. The Columbus
location offers an excellent site for progressive system upgrading.
For DLA, the regionalization of civilian personnel support
functions would incorporate a division of personnel duties between the
HROC at DSCC and the nine OCPs.
There would be reductions in staff at each OCP associated with the
loss of some of the personnel functions currently being provided at
these locations, including losses from the OCP at the DSCC. At four
OCPs, 50 or more staff could be lost:
DSCC--96 staff.
Defense Distribution Region West (DDRW near Stockton,
California)--131 staff.
Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR near Richmond,
Virginia)--87 staff.
Defense Personnel Support Center (DPSC Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania)--84 staff.
The environmental effects of the gains and losses on these
locations are analyzed in the environmental assessment. At the
remaining five locations, less than 50 staff would be lost per site.
The environmental effects of these losses are not analyzed because
[[Page 1837]]
they are covered by a categorical exclusion (DLA NEPA Regulation--
Categorical Exclusion #10).
There would also be increases in staff associated with regional
personnel functions to be transferred to the HROC at DSCC.
Approximately 250 staff would be required for the HROC, so there could
be a net increase of 154 people at DSCC. The additional staff would be
housed in existing facilities at the DSCC. Only minor modifications to
the facilities would be required. The level of modifications that would
be undertaken would be covered by a categorical exclusion and would not
require additional environmental analysis. Therefore, this
environmental assessment does not analyze facility modifications that
might be required by this action.
The environmental assessment considered the environmental and
socioeconomic impacts of the proposed action and the no action
alternative. The conclusion of the assessment is that the restructuring
of DLA's human resource operation placing a regional office at DSCC is
not a major action significantly affecting the quality of the human
environment or requiring the development of an Environmental Impact
Statement.
A public comment period regarding the environmental assessment will
begin on the date of publication of this Notice and will conclude 30
days later. Copies of the environmental assessment are available for
inspection at the DLA Congressional and Public Affairs Office and from
the contacts listed below. Interested parties may also contact the DLA
Congressional and Public Affairs Office at telephone (703) 767-6222.
Jack Allen (DSCC-DEB), Defense Supply Center Columbus, 3990 E. Broad
Street, Columbus, OH 43216-5000, Tel: (614) 692-2328
Donna Foore (DSCR-DB), Defense Supply Center Richomond, Richmond, VA
23297-5000, Tel: (804) 279-3139/3209
Frank Johnson (DPSC-DB), Defense Personnel Support Center, 2800 South
20th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19145-8419, Tel: (215) 737-2311/2312
Doug Imberi (ASCW-WP), Defense Distribution Region West, Office of
Public Affairs, 700 East Roth Road, Bldg. S1, Stockton, CA 95296-0010,
Tel: (209) 982-2839
Carol J. Simpson (DRMS-XB), Defense Reutilization and Marketing
Service, Defense Logistics Service Center, Federal Center, Battle
Creek, MI 49017-3092, Tel: (616) 961-7014/7015
Ann Jensis-Dale (DCMDE-DB), Defense Contract Management District East,
Office of Public Affairs, 495 Summer Street, Boston, MA 02210-2184,
Tel: (617) 753-4298
Gay Maund (DCMDW-DB), Defense Contract Management District West, Office
of Public Affairs, 222 North Sepulveda Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245-4320,
Tel: (310) 335-4440
Keith Beebe (DDC-DB), Defense Distribution Center, Office of Command
Affairs, 14 Dedication Drive, Suite 2, New Cumberland, PA 17070-5001,
Tel: (717) 770-7209/6223
Dennis J. Lillo,
Director, Environmental Quality, (Environmental and Safety Policy).
[FR Doc. 98-617 Filed 1-9-98; 8:45 am]
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