[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 101 (Thursday, May 25, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30123-30124]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-4859]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army


Record of Decision for the Clinical and Biological Defense 
Program (CBDP) Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement 
(FPEIS)

AGENCY: U.S. Army Medical Research and Material Command (USAMRMC), 
Department of the Army, DoD.

ACTION: Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army, as executive agent for the CBDP, announces that 
a Record of Decision (ROD) has been signed documenting the decision to 
execute an integrated CBDP designed to protect our Soldiers, Sailors, 
Marines, and Airmen form the evolving chemical and biological (CB) 
threats they may encounter on the battlefield. The CBDP does not pursue 
effective CB weapon capability and its execution is in full compliance 
with both international and domestic law including, but not limited to, 
the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and 
Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on 
Their Destruction and the Biological Weapons Antiterrorism Act. The 
FPEIS evaluates the potential environmental impacts associated with the 
execution of the DoD CBDP. The No Action Alternative, continuation of 
current CBDP operations, was also evaluated. No other alternatives were 
identified during the public scoping process. Neither the selected 
action nor the No Action Alternative would result in the occurrence of 
significant adverse environmental impacts.

ADDRESSES: Requests for copies of the ROD may be made to Ms. JoLane 
Souris, Command Environmental Coordinator, U.S. Army Medical Research 
and Material Command, Office of Surety, Safety, and Environmental, 504 
Scott Street, Fort Detrick, MD 21702-5012 or by visiting the CBDP PEIS 
Web site at http://chembioeis.detrick.army.mil.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. JoLane Souris, by calling (301) 
619-2004; or by fax at (301) 619-6627.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Prior to 2003, the mission of the DoD CBDP 
was to provide CB defense capabilities to allow the military forces of 
the United States to survive and successfully complete their 
operational missions in battle space environments contaminated with CB 
warfare agents. Now this mission has expanded to cover military 
capability to operate in the face of threats in homeland security 
missions, as well as warfighter missions. If our military forces are 
not fully and adequately prepared to meet these threats, the 
consequences could be devastating. The CBDP to support this mission 
comprises research, development, and acquisition activities. Each of 
the Military Services, the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical 
and Biological Defense, and the Defense Advanced Researched Projects 
Agency conduct CBDP activities. Some of these CBDP activities 
necessarily involve the use of hazardous chemicals or infectious 
disease agents for research, development, and production purposes. The 
controls on and the potential environmental consequences of such use 
for both the proposed action and the alternative were primary focuses 
of the

[[Page 30124]]

CBDP FPEIS that can be found at http://chembioeis.detrick.army.mil.
    Although numerous environmental documents dating back to the 
Biological Defense Research and Development Program Final Programmatic 
Environmental Impact Statement (April 1989) have been prepared 
analyzing the potential environmental consequences of various elements 
of the CBDP, no one document analyzes the potential environmental 
impacts of the full range of CBDP activities. In keeping with the 
purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act, DoD prepared such a 
document in the form of the CBDP FPEIS. This document creates an 
overarching framework that will continue to ensure fully informed 
government decisionmaking within the CBDP and will provide a single, 
up-to-date information resource for the public.

    Dated: May 19, 2006.
Addison D. Davis, IV
Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army, (Environment, Safety and 
Occupational Health) OASA (I&E).
[FR Doc. 06-4859 Filed 5-24-06; 8:45 am]
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