[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 85 (Tuesday, May 5, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20707-20710]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-10290]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health


Master Plan for Rocky Mountain Laboratories Record of Decision

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Institutes of Health (NIH), an operating division 
of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has decided, 
after completion of a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and a 
thorough consideration of the public comments on the Draft EIS and the 
Final EIS, to implement the Proposed Action, which is identified as the 
Preferred Alternative in the FEIS. This action involves the 
establishment of a long-range physical Master Plan for Rocky Mountain 
Laboratories (RML) in Hamilton, Montana to guide future development of 
the campus. This alternative accounts for potential growth in RML 
personnel, possible land acquisitions, and consequent construction of 
new administrative and research-related space over the 20-year planning 
period.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valerie Nottingham, Chief of the 
Environmental Quality Branch, Division of Environmental Protection, 
Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations, NIH, Building 
13, Room 2S11, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892, Fax 301-480-
8056, e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Decision

    After careful review of the environmental consequences in the FEIS 
for the Master Plan, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, and consideration of 
public comment throughout the NEPA process, the NIH has decided to 
implement the Proposed Action, described below as the Selected 
Alternative.

Selected Alternative

    The Selected Alternative is intended to be a strategic tool for the 
efficient allocation of campus resources, the orderly accommodation of 
future growth, and the creation of an environment, which is both 
functionally and aesthetically conducive to accomplishing the RML 
mission. The Selected Alternative will provide a guide for the reasoned 
and orderly development of the RML campus, one that values and builds 
on existing resources, corrects current deficiencies and meets changing 
needs through new construction or renovations. The plan sets forth 
implementation priorities and a logical sequencing of planned 
development.
    The Selected Alternative involves the establishment of a long-range 
physical Master Plan for RML. This alternative covers a 20-year 
planning period, with reviews every 5 years to ensure that the plan 
continues to address planning and development related issues affecting 
the campus. The alternative addresses the future development of the RML 
site, including placement of future construction; vehicular and 
pedestrian circulation on and off-campus; parking within the property 
boundaries; open

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space in and around the campus; required setbacks; historic properties; 
natural and scenic resources; noise; and lighting. This alternative 
accounts for potential growth in RML personnel, possible land 
acquisitions, and consequent construction of new administrative, 
research, and support space over the planning period. Future 
construction on the site could include such facilities as new animal 
holding, research laboratories, and support facilities. All future 
construction and renovation projects are contingent on programmatic 
need and funding.
    NIH will continue to develop RML to accommodate NIH's and NIAID's 
research needs and required programmatic requirements consistent with 
the commitment to maintain the ``campus'' character of the site. The 
alternative advances these objectives by programming and locating 
future RML growth so that local services and utilities are available to 
support growth and establishing development guidelines for future 
changes to the site that ensure that, as the campus grows, new 
development would be responsive to the context of adjacent 
neighborhoods or developments.
    Under the Selected Alternative, RML population is anticipated to 
grow in the next 20 years to a total campus population of 427. The 
primary growth at the campus would be in intramural research personnel 
and the administrative and facility staff to support them.

Alternatives Considered

    The Proposed Action Alternative, Capacity Growth Alternative and No 
Action Alternative were the three alternatives analyzed in the FEIS. 
Each addresses the future development of the RML site, including 
placement of future construction; vehicular and pedestrian circulation 
on and off-campus; parking within the property boundaries; open space 
in and around the campus; required setbacks; historic properties; 
natural and scenic resources; noise; and lighting. They account for 
potential growth in RML personnel, possible land acquisitions, and 
consequent construction of space over the planning period. Future 
construction on the site could include such facilities as new animal 
holding, research laboratories, and support facilities.

Factors Involved in the Decision

    HHS requires that NIH facilities have a Master Plan; however, there 
currently is no official Master Plan for the RML campus. In addition, 
factors such as the construction of Building 28, associated established 
physical security requirements, concerns in the Hamilton area about 
growth, and increased interest within the local community regarding 
activities on the RML campus have made clear the need for greater 
coordinated development of the campus. In order to accomplish the NIH 
mission, NIH has decided to prepare updated long-range facilities plans 
for all its campuses, including RML, to address issues of facility 
requirements, prudent land use, and orderly future development.
    The Master Plan contains information and recommendations to guide 
development of individual projects on the site. It also serves as a 
means of informing city and county officials and utilities of future 
RML development plans so they can anticipate and plan for the potential 
effects of RML proposals on their respective systems.

Resources Impacts

    The FEIS describes potential environmental effects of the Selected 
Alternative. These potential effects are documented in Chapter 3 of the 
Final EIS. Any potential adverse environmental effects will be avoided 
or mitigated through design elements, procedures, and compliance with 
regulatory and NIH requirements. Potential impacts on air quality are 
all within government standards (federal, state, and local). NIH does 
not expect any long-term negative effects on the environment or on the 
citizens of Hamilton from planned construction and operations at RML.

Summary of Impacts

    The following is a summary of potential impacts resulting from the 
Selected Alternative that the NIH considered when making its decision. 
No adverse cumulative effects were identified during the NEPA process. 
Likewise, no unavoidable or adverse impacts from implementation of the 
Selected Alternative were found. The Selected Alternative will be 
beneficial to the long-term productivity of the national and world 
health communities by providing improved biomedical research facilities 
in which scientists can investigate human disease and disorders. 
Biomedical research conducted at the RML facility will have the 
potential to advance techniques in disease prevention, develop disease 
immunizations, and prepare defenses against naturally emerging and re-
emerging diseases. Additionally, the local community will benefit from 
increased employment opportunities and new income generating 
activities.

Housing

    RML is located in a residential area of Hamilton. Temporary impacts 
during construction are expected to have a minimal effect on the 
existing residential neighborhoods. The Selected Alternative will not 
have a significant, long-term impact on the housing supply in the area.

Education

    The current public school capacity in Hamilton would be adequate to 
accommodate the expected minimal growth caused by the Selected 
Alternative.

Transportation

    The development of the RML campus would produce increased traffic 
volumes on the area's roadways. The first ten years (beginning in 2005) 
would show the greatest increase in demand on the neighboring streets; 
in 20 years, there would be a total increase of 252 weekday trips. For 
Hamilton, this increase in weekday trips is still relatively small in 
comparison with the increase in background traffic for the collector 
routes in Hamilton as stated in the Hamilton Transportation Plan 2002.

Security

    In conjunction with the planned expansion of the campus, a new 
expanded perimeter fence will be built. The perimeter security fence 
will have staffed and monitored entrance gates and/or turnstiles to 
provide controlled access into the campus. Additional openings in the 
perimeter fence, beyond those planned, potentially tax personnel 
resources and physical security. All new construction must comply with 
the NIH Physical Security Design Guidelines to ensure the safety of 
persons and research. Visitors would continue to be screened in the 
Visitor Center and deliveries would be screened in the Shipping and 
Receiving Building.

Employment

    If the Selected Alternative is fully implemented, up to 77 new 
employees over the current (2008) 350 employees would be hired.

Environmental Justice

    The areas of potential effect for environmental justice are 
neighborhoods and populations adjacent to the Project area. Five steps 
are used to determine environmental justice issues: (1) Identify 
minority and low-income populations in the area affected by the 
Project; (2) consider relevant public health data and industry data 
regarding multiple and cumulative exposure of minority and low-income

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populations to human health or environmental hazards; (3) recognize 
interrelated cultural, social, occupational, historical, and economic 
factors that could amplify environmental effects of the Project; (4) 
develop effective public participation strategies that overcome 
linguistic, cultural, institutional, geographic, and other barriers; 
and (5) assure meaningful community representation. Low-income 
population refers to a community in which 25 percent or more of the 
population is characterized as living in poverty, as determined by 
statistical poverty thresholds used by the federal government. The area 
of potential effect does not have minority or low-income populations 
that fulfill the first step, In the absence of potentially affected 
low-income or minority populations in the affected area, the Selected 
Alternative will not have a disparate impact on any Environmental 
Justice populations.

Visual Quality

    All new development follows the orthogonal grid initially generated 
by the Historic Core and subsequent Buildings 13, 25, and 28. This 
pattern is continued and built on with the placement of new buildings. 
Advantages of developing the campus on a grid system include ease of 
integration with existing orthogonally oriented structures, efficiency 
of land use, economical integration with, and extension of, the utility 
distribution system, and the acknowledgment and further establishment 
of a clearly defined pattern to guide future growth.

Noise

    RML has established self-imposed Noise Criteria to limit the amount 
of noise at the campus boundaries. RML also has a program specifically 
focused on reducing noise and ensuring that the campus is in compliance 
with the Noise Criteria. Each new project has a noise analysis as part 
of the design to show that the new project would keep the campus in 
compliance with noise standards. After each project is complete, the 
noise levels are measured to ensure that the requirements have been 
met. As a new project progresses, RML would identify potential noise 
problems in the design phase, and determine what, if any, noise control 
measures would be implemented to meet the RML Campus Noise Criteria.

Air Quality

    Gaseous and particulate emissions are generated during normal 
operations at RML. The new lab and animal space and additional waste 
produced by campus activities under the Selected Alternative result in 
increased direct impacts. Research personnel also will generate medical 
waste. Increases in incinerator, boiler, and generator emissions would 
be monitored under conditions of the RML air quality permits and all 
air quality would be within Montana DEQ and EPA acceptable limits

Water/Wastewater Supply

    Monthly average per gross square foot (gsf) water usage rates for 
each building type at RML were multiplied by the gross square footage 
in the implementation projection to estimate future water usage. Based 
on these projections, water use would increase 89 percent over the 20-
year planning period from the 37.4 millions gallons/year measured 
inflow to the campus in 2007/2008. Increased water consumption by RML 
would contribute to increased municipal supply demands by the City of 
Hamilton Department of Public Works (CHDPW), although the increases are 
not expected to exceed the capability of the system. Federal mandates 
to cut water consumption would have the effect of reducing consumption 
in the long-term. Campus expansion would be coordinated with the 
implementation of the RML Environmental Management System that is in 
place. In an effort to minimize waste and conserve resources, RML has 
formed a Water Management Group that evaluates campus water consumption 
and develops ways to increase water use efficiency.
    As Hamilton is a rapidly growing area, the city utility 
infrastructure is in the process of being updated and expanded and 
would not be negatively impacted by the future RML expansion described 
in the Selected Alternative. The CHDPW Wastewater Treatment Plant 
(WWTP) is operating at or near capacity. To meet increased solids 
storage and handling and to increase throughput, the CHDPW is planning 
a facilities expansion. Increased wastewater discharge from RML campus 
growth plans would compound the CHDPW shortcomings with respect to 
increased throughput (and possible solid storage) until the facility 
expansion is realized; however, the WWTP upgrades are scheduled prior 
to major additions. The indirect consequence of wastewater discharge 
from the RML facility to the CHDPW is that it will contribute to an 
increased total maximum daily load from the WWTP; however, campus 
growth at RML is not expected to result in any decrease in effluent 
water quality.

Historic Resources

    The actions proposed by the Selected Alternative would have no 
adverse effect on the RML Historic District.

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 Alternative have been identified and 
incorporated into the action. The proposed Master Plan construction 
will be subject to the existing RML pollution prevention, waste 
management, and safety, security, and emergency response procedures as 
well as existing environmental permits. Best management practices, 
spill prevention and control, and stormwater management plans will be 
followed to appropriately address the construction and operation of the 
new Master Plan development and comply with applicable regulatory and 
NIH requirements. No additional mitigation measures have been 
identified.

Pollution Prevention

    Air quality permit standards will be met, as will all federal, 
state, and local requirements to protect the environment and public 
health. RML would continue to operate under Montana Department of 
Environmental Quality (DEQ) permit 2991-04 and EPA Title V Operating 
Permit OP2991-00, and would comply with all applicable traps, 
ambient standards and meet the provisions of ARM Title 17. Montana DEQ 
would continue to monitor activities at RML to ensure compliance with 
applicable air quality regulations. The NIH will develop a stormwater 
pollution prevention plan (SWPPP) for construction projects over one 
acre and acquiring the proper Montana DEQ permits. Appropriate BMPs for 
sediment control during construction activities would include practices 
such as installing silt fences, or creating sediment.

Monitoring and Enforcement Program

    The NIH will develop a monitoring and enforcement program to ensure 
that all practicable mitigation measures developed for activities under 
the Selected Alternative are fully implemented. The mitigation measures 
covered by the monitoring and enforcement program will include the 
Noise Criteria and air quality permits described above.

Conclusion

    Based upon review and careful consideration, the NIH has decided to 
implement the Selected Alternative as

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the long-range physical Master Plan for Rocky Mountain Laboratories in 
Hamilton, Montana. The decision accounts for potential growth in RML 
personnel, possible land acquisitions, and consequent construction of 
new administrative and research space over the 20-year planning period.
    The decision was based upon review and careful consideration of the 
impacts identified in the FEIS and public comments received throughout 
the NEPA process.

    Dated: April 28, 2009.
Daniel G. Wheeland,
Director, Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations, 
National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E9-10290 Filed 5-4-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P