[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 120 (Friday, June 20, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35145-35146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-14033]


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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 Transport of Laboratory Personnel Exposed to Infectious Agents From 
Fort Detrick, Frederick, MD to the National Institutes of Health 
Clinical Center, Bethesda, MD

SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, 42 
U.S.C. 4321-4347, the NIH is issuing this notice to advise the public 
that an environmental impact statement will be prepared for the 
transport of laboratory personnel exposed to infectious agents from 
Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland to the National Institutes of Health 
Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valerie Nottingham, Chief, 
Environmental Quality Branch, Division of Environmental Protection, 
Office of Research Facilities, NIH, B13/2S11, 9000 Rockville Pike, 
Bethesda, Maryland 20892, telephone 301-496-7775; fax 301-480-8056; or 
e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Fort Detrick is a U.S. Army Medical Command 
installation located in Frederick, Maryland, USA. Its 1,200 acres 
support a multi-governmental community that conducts biomedical 
research and development, medical material management, global medical 
communications and the study of foreign plant pathogens. It is home to 
the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC), with its 
U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), 
as well as to the National Cancer Institute-Frederick (NCI-Frederick). 
It is the home of the National Interagency Biodefense Campus.
    The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), 
a component of NIH, will be the occupant

[[Page 35146]]

of an Integrated Research Facility (IRF) currently being built at Fort 
Detrick as part of the National Interagency Biodefense Campus. The IRF 
will contain bio-safety level -2, -3, and -4 laboratory and animal 
research facilities for conducting biodefense and emerging infectious 
disease research. This laboratory will allow NIH to address a critical 
national shortage in bio-safety level-4 (BSL-4) capability.
    The Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 
Bethesda, Maryland, is the nation's largest hospital devoted entirely 
to clinical research. It is a national resource that makes it possible 
to rapidly translate scientific observations and laboratory discoveries 
into new approaches for diagnosing, treating, and preventing disease. 
Approximately 1,500 studies are in progress at the NIH Clinical Center. 
Most are Phase I and Phase II clinical trials.
    More than 350,000 patients, from all 50 states and throughout the 
world, have participated in clinical research at the Clinical Center 
since it opened in 1953. The Clinical Center promotes translational 
research--that is, the transference of scientific laboratory research 
into applications that benefit patient health and medical care. The 
``bench-to-bedside'' approach adopted in 1953 locates patient care 
units in close proximity to cutting-edge laboratories doing related 
research. This facilitates interaction and collaboration among 
clinicians and researchers. Most important, patients and families in 
the Clinical Center benefit from the cutting-edge technologies and 
research and the compassionate care that are the signature of the NIH.
    The Mark O. Hatfield Clinical Research Center (CRC) was opened in 
2005. The facility houses inpatient units, day hospitals and research 
labs and connects to the original Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical 
Center. Together, the Magnuson and Hatfield buildings form the NIH 
Clinical Center. They serve the dual role of providing humane and 
healing patient care and the environment clinical researchers need to 
advance clinical science. The 870,000-square-foot Hatfield building has 
242 inpatient beds and 90 day-hospital stations. This arrangement can 
be easily adapted to allow more inpatient beds and fewer day-hospital 
stations, or vice versa, because the new facility's design is highly 
flexible. The facility has unique ventilation systems that are designed 
to minimize the spread of infectious disease within the facility and 
includes isolation rooms equipped with special filtering and 
containment features.
    The proposed action is to transport laboratory personnel in the 
event of potential exposure to infectious agents from the Fort Detrick 
Campus to the NIH Clinical Center for monitoring, evaluation, and if 
necessary, treatment.The CRC is well-equipped to deal with such 
scenarios, unlikely as they are.
    In accordance with 40 CFR 1500-1508 and DHHS environmental 
procedures, NIH will prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
for the proposed transport of laboratory personnel exposed to 
infectious agents from the Fort Detrick Campus to the NIH Clinical 
Center for monitoring, evaluation, and if necessary, treatment.
    Among the items the EIS will examine are the implications of the 
proposed action on human health, traffic and transportation, and other 
public services. To ensure that the public is afforded the greatest 
opportunity to participate in the planning and environmental review 
process, NIH is inviting oral and written comments on the proposed 
action and related environmental issues.
    The NIH will be sponsoring two public Scoping Meetings to provide 
individuals an opportunity to share their ideas on the proposed action, 
including recommended alternatives and environmental issues the EIS 
should consider. The first meeting is planned for 6:30 p.m. on July 8, 
2008 at the C. Burr Artz Library, 110 East Patrick Street, Frederick, 
Maryland 21701. The second meeting is planned for 7 p.m. on July 10, 
2008 at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Service Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, 
Bethesda, Maryland 20814. All interested parties are encouraged to 
attend. NIH has established a 45-day public comment period for the 
scoping process. Scoping comments must be postmarked no later than 
August 8, 2008 to ensure they are considered. All comments and 
questions on the EIS should be directed to Valerie Nottingham at the 
address listed above, telephone 301-496-7775; fax 301-480-8056; or e-
mail [email protected].

    Dated: June 13, 2008.
Daniel Wheeland,
Director, Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations, 
National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E8-14033 Filed 6-19-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P