[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 127 (Tuesday, July 5, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38697-38698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13147]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Record of Decision--National Institutes of Health, Master Plan 
2003 Update, Main Campus, Bethesda, MD

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of 
Health (NIH).

ACTION: Notice.

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    After completion of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
for the NIH Bethesda Master Plan 2003 Update and a thorough 
consideration of public comments on the Draft EIS, the Department of 
Health and Human Services, NIH, has decided to approve the Proposed 
Action, the Master Plan 2003 Update, as the guide for the future growth 
and development of the Bethesda campus. This alternative was identified 
as the Preferred Alternative in the Final EIS.
    The Master Plan 2003 Update is a revision of the campus' 1995 
Master Plan. It provides a framework for satisfying NIH's projected 
incremental growth needs on the Bethesda campus while ensuring long 
term planning and design coherence. The Update accommodates a potential 
growth in campus population from 17,500 to 22,000 employees by the end 
of the 20-year planning period. During this same period, building space 
on the Bethesda campus could increase from approximately 7.4 million 
gross square feet (gsf) to nearly 10.7 million gsf. While the Master 
Plan Update is a reasonable guideline for future campus development, it 
does not represent the pre-approval of any individual facility project. 
Implementation of individual projects is dependent upon the annual 
Federal budget process as well as the Department of Health and Human 
Services (DHHS) project approval process.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Ronald Wilson, Master Planner, 
Division of Facilities Planning, Office of Research Facilities, 
National Institutes of Health, 31 Center Drive, Room 3B44, MSC 2162, 
Bethesda, Maryland 20817-2162, telephone 301-496-5037, e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has 
prepared this Record of Decision (ROD) on the Final EIS for the Master 
Plan 2003 Update, NIH Main Campus, Bethesda, Maryland. This ROD 
includes:
    1. The final decision;
    2. All alternatives considered, specifying the alternative or 
alternatives which were considered to be environmentally preferable;
    3. A discussion of factors which were involved in the decision, 
including any essential considerations of national policy which were 
balanced in making the decision and a statement of how those 
considerations, if any, entered into the decision;
    4. A statement of whether all practicable means to avoid or 
minimize potential environmental harm from the selected alternative 
have been adopted, and if not, why they were not;
    5. A description of mitigation measures that will be undertaken to 
make the selected alternative environmentally acceptable;
    6. A discussion of the extent to which pollution prevention is 
included in the decision and how pollution prevention measures will be 
implemented; and
    7. A summary of any monitoring and enforcement program adopted for 
any mitigation measures.

Alternatives Considered

    Two alternatives were identified and considered in the Final EIS. 
They are (1) the Proposed Action, and (2) the No Action Alternative. 
The Proposed Action is described above under ACTION. Under the No 
Action Alternative, NIH would continue to maintain and repair its 
existing facilities in response to Congressional actions and to address 
building deficiencies and accreditation and safety codes and 
guidelines. In addition, NIH would complete several campus building 
projects already in various stages of planning, design, or 
construction. Consequently, despite the assumed limits on campus growth 
implied by the No Action Alternative, total building space on campus 
would still increase by 1.5 million gsf by 2007, or from 7.4 million 
gsf to approximately 8.9 million gsf. An estimated 17,900 employees 
would be located on the campus under the No Action Alternative.
    Various campus design alternatives and growth scenarios were 
identified during the development of the 1995 Master Plan, the 
forerunner to the Master Plan 2003 Update. Some of these design 
alternatives were rejected as not practical or unsuitable for the 
operational or physical conditions present on the campus, or because 
they conflicted with planning principles and goals. In the end, the 
design approach taken in the 2003 Update follows the 1995 Preferred 
Concept, with some refinements to adapt the plan to new and evolving 
NIH needs.
    Because of its limited scope, the No Action Alternative would 
result in less adverse environmental impact than the Proposed Action. 
The Final EIS does, however, contain mitigation measures to lessen or 
eliminate impacts of the Proposed Action.

Factors Involved in the Decision

    The primary factors involved in NIH's decision to proceed with the 
Proposed Action as the selected action are described below.
    First, DHHS' Facilities Manual requires Operating Divisions to 
prepare master plans for their sites if they contain more than one 
principal building or activity. The manual also requires periodic 
master plan updates as new conditions arise or as circumstances 
dictate. In addition, under Section 5 of the National Capital Planning 
Act, Federal agencies in the National Capital Region are required to 
prepare master plans for their installations and update them every five 
years. The Master Plan 2003 Update satisfies DHHS and National Capital 
Planning Commission (NCPC) master planning requirements.
    In addition, based on analyses in the Draft and Final EISs, the 
selected action best satisfies the proposal's Purpose and Need, as 
described in the EIS. The purpose of the Master Plan Update is to 
provide guidance for the orderly and comprehensive physical development 
of the Bethesda campus so that NIH can continue to perform its mission, 
which is to conduct biomedical research, educate and train researchers, 
assist in the transfer of biotechnology, and disseminate biomedical and 
related information to help improve and extend the lives and enhance 
the welfare of the

[[Page 38698]]

American people. The master plan also recognizes that NIH is part of a 
larger Bethesda community and that its activities have the potential to 
negatively impact surrounding residential communities if not carefully 
designed and controlled. In this respect, the master plan serves as a 
vehicle for educating and informing local, state, and federal 
authorities of NIH's long term facility objectives for its Bethesda 
campus so these authorities can align their own plans and proposals 
with the ideas presented in the plan. The master planning process also 
assists NIH in identifying and attending to community concerns related 
to NIH development.
    Finally, the Master Plan 2003 Update helps NIH create an 
environment conducive for the achievement of NIH research goals. One of 
the major factors in NIH's ability to accomplish its mission is its 
success in recruiting, attracting, and retaining highly qualified 
senior scientists and promising young investigators, many of which are 
part of NIH's Intramural Research Program (IRP) based at the Bethesda 
campus. Dedicated and talented research staff, state-of-the-art 
research and research support facilities, quality employee amenities 
and services, and an attractive and open academic-like campus 
environment that encourages intellectual exchange are considered vital 
to a successful IRP. The Master Plan 2003 Update provides a well-
conceived conceptual framework for the physical development of the 
Bethesda campus enabling NIH to provide the conditions necessary to 
compete over the long term with academia and industry for quality 
researchers.
    From an environmental perspective, the Master Plan 2003 Update will 
result in minor to negligible disruption to the physical and biological 
environment. In instances where unavoidable adverse environmental 
effects are anticipated, the potential adverse impacts will be 
mitigated through compliance with existing state and Federal regulatory 
requirements, application of Best Management Practices (BMPs), 
implementation of a campus Transportation Management Plan, adherence to 
the 1992 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between NIH, the Montgomery 
County Planning Board, and NCPC regarding parking and traffic, and 
construction contract requirements that limit construction-related 
effects.

Practicable Means To Avoid or Minimize Potential Environmental Harm 
From the Selected Alternative

    All practicable means to avoid or minimize adverse environmental 
effects from the selected action have been identified and incorporated 
into the action. As noted above, these include compliance with existing 
regulatory requirements, application of BMPs, implementation of a 
Transportation Management Plan, adherence to the 1992 MOU, and 
construction contract requirements that limit construction-related 
effects, such as dust, noise, and traffic.

Mitigation Measures

    During the preparation of the Final EIS several potential 
environmental issues associated with implementation of the Proposed 
Action were identified. These included land use (land disturbance), 
construction-related noise, dust, and traffic, transportation (traffic 
and parking), noise generated from new NIH facilities, terrestrial 
vegetation (removal of mature trees), cultural (historic and 
archaeological resources and potential impacts on National Register 
eligible properties), and pollution prevention/waste management 
(handling and disposal of solid, mixed/hazardous, and medical/
pathological waste generated during facility operations). NIH 
determined that these potential adverse impacts were capable of being 
mitigated through compliance with existing local, state, and Federal 
regulatory requirements, application of BMPs, adherence to established 
local/Federal agreements, and construction contract requirements.

Pollution Prevention

    In accordance with DHHS General Administration Manual Part 30, 
Environmental Protection (dated February 25, 2000), pollution 
prevention is a major focus of the Master Plan Update and will also be 
incorporated into the design, construction, and operation of future NIH 
facilities. Pollution prevention measures incorporated in the selected 
action include:
     Expanding upon NIH's program to segregate and minimize 
solid, mixed/hazardous, and medical/pathological waste;
     Requiring BMPs during construction of new facilities;
     Incorporating new state-of-the-art, energy efficient, and 
environmental-friendly systems in new facilities; and
     Enforcing NIH's Transportation Management Plan.

Monitoring and Enforcement Program for Mitigation Measures

    Since potential adverse impacts would be mitigated by compliance 
with existing regulatory requirements, application of BMPs, and 
adherence to agreements and construction contract requirements, 
existing reporting requirements and contract administration procedures 
will serve in lieu of a formal Monitoring and Enforcement Program.

Conclusion

    Based upon careful review and consideration of the impacts 
identified in the Final EIS; public comments received throughout the 
National Environmental Policy Act process, including comments on the 
Draft EIS; and other relevant factors, such as DHHS and NCPC master 
planning requirements, NIH has decided to approve the Proposed Action, 
the Master Plan 2003 Update as the guide for future growth and 
development of its Bethesda Main Campus.

    Dated: June 23, 2005.
Leonard Taylor, Jr.,
Director, Office of Research Facilities, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. 05-13147 Filed 7-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P