[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 6 (Friday, January 9, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 1590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-452]



[[Page 1590]]

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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories Facility in 
Boston, MA

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

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
for the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories facility in 
Boston, MA.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National 
Institutes of Health (NIH), announces its intent to prepare an 
environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate a proposed new 
National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories facility in Boston, 
MA. This EIS is being prepared and considered in accordance with the 
requirements for the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, 
regulations of the President's Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 
parts 1500-1508), and NEPA Compliance Procedures of the DHHS General 
Administration Manual, Part 30 (Environmental Protection) 25 February 
2000.
    Cooperating Agencies: There are no cooperating agencies for this 
project.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Institute of Allergy and 
Infectious Diseases (NIAID), a component of the NIH, conducts and 
supports research of infectious diseases and the human immune system. 
Its resources and expertise have been applied to studying emerging 
infectious diseases such as SARS, West Nile virus and Lyme disease and 
organisms that might be used as agents of bioterrorism such as anthrax 
and tularemia. Knowledge of how these organisms cause disease and the 
response of the immune system to those organisms is desperately needed. 
This knowledge will be used to develop new and improved diagnostic 
tests, vaccines, and therapies to protect civilians.
    Since fall 2001, NIAID has greatly accelerated its biodefense 
research program. Achievement of the research goals requires the 
construction and certification of biological containment laboratories 
with facilities and procedures for handling potentially lethal agents. 
Equally important is the need to minimize potential threats from 
infectious agents to laboratory and clinical personnel working within 
these facilities and to adjacent communities. The Federal Government 
has awarded a grant in the amount of $128 million to partially fund the 
National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories facility in Boston, 
MA as a crucial element of this NIH initiative.
    This proposed action is the funding of the construction of the 
National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories in Boston, MA, a new 
building comprised of laboratories designed and constructed to 
Biosafety Levels -2, -3, and -4 standards that will allow translational 
and clinical research on emerging infectious diseases including agents 
of bioterror. The proposed new facility will have imaging capabilities 
and will include administrative support offices. It will occupy 
approximately 3 acres on the BioSquare Medical Research campus at 600-
620 Albany Street, Boston, MA and will be located on the Boston 
University Medical Center campus.
    Significant issues to analyzed in the EIS will include safety of 
laboratory operations; public health and safety; handling, collection, 
treatment, and disposal of biomedical research waste related to the 
proposal; and analysis of other risks, as well as concerns for 
pollution prevention and impacts of the proposed action on air quality, 
biological resources, cultural resources, water resources, land use, 
and socioeconomic resources. The No Action alternative under which the 
new facility would not be built will also be considered. Additional 
alternatives may be identified during the Scoping Process.
    Publication Participation: The DHHS will invite full public 
participation to promote open communication and better decision-making. 
All interested persons and organizations, including minority, low 
income, disadvantaged, and Native American groups, are urged to 
participate in this NEPA environmental analysis process. Assistance 
will be provided upon request to anyone having difficulty with learning 
how to participate.
    To ensure that the full range of issues related to the proposed 
action and the scope of this EIS are addressed, oral and written 
comments are invited from all interested parties, including appropriate 
Federal, state, and local agencies and private organizations and 
citizens. Pursuant to this, a Public Scoping meeting will be held on 
Monday, January 26, 2004 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the auditorium at the 
Thomas P. O'Neil, Jr. Federal Building, 10 Causeway Street, Boston, MA.
    Comments on the scope of the EIS for the proposed project should be 
received no later than January 28, 2004. Comments and questions should 
be directed to the address listed below. Public comments are welcomed 
anytime throughout the NEPA process and should be directed to the 
address listed below. Additional formal opportunities for public 
participation after the Public Scoping are tentatively scheduled as 
follows:
    Review and comment on Draft EIS (including a public meeting): 
Spring, 2004.
    Review of Final EIS: Summer, 2004.
    Notices of availability for the Draft EIS, Final EIS and Record of 
Decision will be provided through direct mail, the Federal Register, 
and other media. Notification also will be sent to Federal, State, and 
local agencies and persons organizations that submit comments or 
questions. Precise schedules and locations for public meetings will be 
announced in the local news media. Interested individuals and 
organizations may request to be included on the mailing list for public 
distribution of meeting announcements and associated documents.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valerie Nottingham, Chief, 
Environmental Quality Branch, Division of Environmental Protection, 
Office of Research Facilities, National Institutes of Health, DHHS, 
B13/2W64, Bethesda, MD 20892; by telephone 301-496-7775; fax 301-480-
8056; or e-mail [email protected].

    Dated: January 5, 2004.
Stephen A. Ficca,
Associate Director for Research Services, National Institutes of 
Health.
[FR Doc. 04-452 Filed 1-8-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-M