[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 29, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45684-45685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-21778]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Environmental Impact Statement Supplement: Montgomery County, 
Maryland

AGENCY: National Institutes of Health (NIH), DHHS.

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347 (National Environmental Policy 
Act).

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The NIH is issuing this notice to advise the public that a 
supplement to a final environmental impact statement will be prepared 
for a revision or update of the 1995 Master Plan for the NIH Main 
Campus in Bethesda in Montgomery County, Maryland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janyce Hedetniemi, Director, Office of 
Community Liaison, National Institutes of Health, Building 1, Room 259, 
One Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0172, telephone: (301) 496-
3931.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 322-acre NIH Bethesda Campus encompasses 
the largest biomedical research facility in the world. Approximately 
17,000 people work at the site in 65 buildings with more than seven 
million square feet of floor space. The Office of the Director, NIH 
administrative staff, and the researchers and laboratories of 
individual research Institutes and Centers are located on the campus. 
The focal point of the campus is the Clinical Center Complex.
    A Master Plan provides guidance in coordinating physical 
development in terms of buildings, utilities, roads, parking, 
landscaping, and general design guidelines. A Master Plan and 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) were prepared for the campus in 
1995 (1995 Master Plan, NIH Main Campus, Bethesda, Maryland, Final, 
Environmental Impact Statement for the 1995 NIH Main Campus Master 
Plan, 2 vol. The Final Master Plan and Final EIS were published in 
January 1996 after approval by the National Capital Planning 
Commission.
    The NIH declared its intent in the original documentation to update 
the Master Plan at approximately five-year intervals. The proposed 
action is to prepare the updated documentation. Since the development 
of the 1995 Master Plan included a complete National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) scoping process and established baseline 
environmental conditions and potential cumulative impacts, and since 
the proposed action is an update/revision and not a new alternative, it 
is the intent of NIH to issue draft and final supplements to the 
original Final EIS. NIH has kept the surrounding community informed of 
planning issues on a continuing basis in the interim through the 
Community Liaison Council.
    Alternatives that will be considered include (1) an update or 
revision of the 1995 master plan, and (2) taking no action.
    No formal scoping meeting will be held. Letters describing the 
proposed action and soliciting comments will be sent to appropriate 
Federal, State, and local agencies, and to private organizations and 
citizens who have expressed interest in this proposal. A public hearing 
will be held, and public notice will be given of the time and place. 
The Draft EIS supplement will be available for public and agency review 
and comment. It is anticipated that the Draft will be available in 
November 2001.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to this proposed 
action are addressed, comments are invited from all interested parties. 
Comments and questions should be directed to the NIH at the address 
listed above.


[[Page 45685]]


    Dated: August 20, 2001.
Yvonne T. Maddox,
Acting Deputy Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 01-21778 Filed 8-28-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P