[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 125 (Friday, June 27, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36540-36542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-14526]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY


Science and Technology Directorate; Notice of Availability (NOA) 
for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed 
National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF)

AGENCY: Science and Technology Directorate (Office of National 
Laboratories within the Office of Research), DHS.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF).

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SUMMARY: The Proposed Action to site, build, and construct the National 
Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) would allow researchers to study 
foreign animal diseases (FAD) and zoonotic diseases (transmitted from 
animals to humans) for basic research, improving diagnostic tests, and 
developing effective vaccines and other countermeasures such as 
antiviral therapies. DHS anticipates that the NBAF would focus 
biosafety level 3 agricultural (BSL-3Ag) research on African swine 
fever, classical swine fever, contagious bovine pleuropneumonia, foot 
and mouth disease (FMD), Japanese encephalitis, and Rift Valley fever 
(RVF), as well as BSL-4 research on Hendra and Nipah viruses. The NBAF 
would be approximately 500,000 to 520,000 square feet and consist of a 
primary laboratory building with a vaccine development laboratory 
adjacent or contiguous to it. The primary research building would 
contain the BSL-2, BSL-3E, BSL-3Ag, and BSL-4 laboratories with their 
associated support spaces. The other laboratory building would be a 
current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) laboratory adjacent to the 
primary

[[Page 36541]]

research laboratory. The cGMP laboratory would be needed for vaccine 
candidate production. Other out buildings would be considered ancillary 
and necessary to support operation of the NBAF. Those buildings would 
include a guardhouse, transshipping facility, and central utility 
plant.

DATES: The comment period for the DEIS will end 60 days after 
publication of the NOA in the Federal Register by the U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency.

ADDRESSES: To obtain a copy of the DEIS, ask questions, or submit 
written comments, contact Department of Homeland Security; Science and 
Technology Directorate; Mr. James V. Johnson: Mail Stop 2100; 
245 Murray Lane, SW., Building 410; Washington, DC 20528.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: All comments, both oral and written, 
received during this 60 day public comment period will be given equal 
consideration when finalizing the NBAF EIS. Comments may be submitted 
at the public meetings or online at http://www.dhs.gov/nbaf [click on 
Environmental Impact Statement]. You may also call: Toll-free fax 1-
866-508-NBAF (6223); Toll-free voice mail; or 1-866-501-NBAF (6223).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Consultation between DHS and the United 
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on a coordinated biodefense 
strategy called for in Homeland Security Presidential Directives 9 and 
10 have revealed a gap that must be filled by an integrated research, 
development, test, and evaluation (RD&T) infrastructure for combating 
bio and agro terrorism threats. DHS S&T is responsible for filling this 
gap in a safe, secure, and environmentally sound manner. The proposed 
NBAF is envisioned to provide the nation with the first integrated 
agricultural zoonotic disease and animal health RD&T facility with the 
capability to address threats from high consequence zoonotic disease 
agents and foreign animal diseases.
    DHS intends to select a single site for the construction of the 
NBAF. The NBAF DEIS analyzes six action alternatives as well as the No 
Action Alternative. The six action alternatives include construction 
and operation of the proposed NBAF at one of the following six site 
alternatives: (1) South Milledge Avenue Site; Athens, Georgia; (2) 
Manhattan Campus Site; Manhattan, Kansas; (3) Flora Industrial Park 
Site; Flora, Mississippi; (4) Plum Island Site; Plum Island, New York; 
(5) Umstead Research Farm Site; Butner, North Carolina; and (6) Texas 
Research Park Site; San Antonio, Texas. Under the No Action 
Alternative, the NBAF would not be constructed and DHS would continue 
to use the Plum Island Animal Disease Center with necessary investments 
in facility upgrades, replacements, and repairs so that it could 
continue to operate at its current capability, but not the expanded 
mission requirements associated with the NBAF.
    DHS has not identified a Preferred Alternative. The evaluation 
conducted during the NEPA process will be used in conjunction with 
other factors to assist DHS in selecting the proposed federal action. 
Additional studies are being performed concurrently with this EIS that 
will provide important decision-making information. Results of these 
studies will be used in the development of the Final EIS and the Record 
of Decision (ROD). In order to make these decisions and formulate the 
ROD, the following reports will be considered: (1) EIS, (2) Threat and 
Risk Assessment, (3) Site Cost Analysis, (4) Site Characterization 
Study, (5) Plum Island Facility Closure and Transition Cost Study; and 
(6) Prior analysis of the alternative sites against DHS's site 
selection evaluation criteria.
    The information contained in these reports will assist DHS and 
USDA, a major stakeholder in this endeavor, in considering the 
protection of the public and the environment while meeting the need for 
a modern, high-security BSL-3Ag and BSL-4 research facility with the 
capabilities needed to address potential threats to our agriculture.
    Comments on the Draft EIS received during the 60-day public comment 
period will be considered in preparing the Final EIS. Public meetings 
to comment on the NBAF DEIS will be held at various locations near each 
alternative site location and in Washington, DC. Notification of the 
times and locations for the public meetings will be published in local 
news media and on the DHS Web site, http://www.dhs.gov/nbaf [click on 
Environmental Impact Statement]. The dates of the public review 
meetings are listed below.
    The Public Meeting dates are:
    1. Thursday, July 24, 2008, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. 
Washington, DC, Grand Hyatt Washington, 1000 H Street, NW., Washington, 
DC 20001.
    2. Tuesday, July 29, 2008, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 6 
p.m. to 10 p.m. Butner, NC, Butner-Stem Middle School, 501 East D 
Street, Butner, NC 27509.
    3. Thursday, July 31, 2008, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 6 
p.m. to 10 p.m. Manhattan, KS, Kansas State University, K-State Student 
Union, Manhattan, KS 66506.
    4. Tuesday, August 5, 2008, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 6 
p.m. to 10 p.m. Flora, MS, First Baptist Church, Christian Life Center, 
121 Center Street, Flora, MS 39071.
    5. Thursday, August 7, 2008, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 
6 p.m. to 10 p.m. San Antonio, TX, Radisson Hill Country Resort, 9800 
Westover Hills Boulevard, San Antonio, TX 78251.
    6. Monday, August 11, 2008, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Old Saybrook, 
CT, Saybrook Point Inn, Two Bridge Street, Old Saybrook, CT 06475.
    7. Tuesday, August 12, 2008, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Greenport, NY, 
Greenport School, 720 Front Street, Greenport, NY 11944.
    8. Thursday, August 14, 2008, from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and from 
6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Athens, GA, the University of Georgia, Center for 
Continuing Education, 1197 South Lumpkin Street, Athens, GA 30602.
    Copies of the NBAF DEIS are available for review at the following 
locations:

Georgia

University of Georgia Main Library, 320 South Jackson Street, Athens, 
GA 30602.
Oconee County Library, 1080 Experiment Station Road, P.O. Box 837, 
Watkinsville, GA 30677.

Kansas

Manhattan Public Library, 629 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502.
Hale Library, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506.

Mississippi

City of Flora Library, 144 Clark Street, Flora, MS 39071.

New York Site

Acton Public Library, 60 Old Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook, CT 06475.
Southold Free Library, 53705 Main Road, Southold, NY 11971.

North Carolina

Richard H. Thornton Library, 210 Main Street, Oxford, NC 27565-0339.
South Branch Library, 1547 South Campus Drive, Creedmoor, NC 27522.

Texas

Central Library, 600 Soledad, San Antonio, TX 78205.

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


[[Page 36542]]


    Dated: June 20, 2008.
Bruce Knight,
Under Secretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs, USDA.
Jay M. Cohen,
Under Secretary, Science & Technology, DHS.
 [FR Doc. E8-14526 Filed 6-26-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4410-10-P