[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 95 (Friday, May 16, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28602-28603]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11316]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Integrated Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Black Hills Health 
Care System Proposed Improvements and Reconfiguration, Hot Springs and 
Rapid City, South Dakota

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

ACTION: Notice of intent

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4331 et seq.); the Council on Environmental Quality 
Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 
Parts 1500-1508); VA's NEPA Implementing Guidance (38 CFR Part 26); 
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966 
(16 U.S.C. Part 470F); and the Advisory Council on Historic 
Preservation Procedures for the Protection of Historic Properties (36 
CFR Part 800 et seq.), VA intends to prepare an integrated 
environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed improvements to 
and reconfiguration of the VA Black Hills Health Care System (VA BHHCS) 
services in the Hot Springs and Rapid City, South Dakota, vicinities. 
The proposed action would involve reconfiguring existing services and 
expanding points of access to health care within the VA BHHCS service 
area to better serve the health care needs and distribution of Veterans 
in the VA BHHCS service area over the next 20 to 30 years. That area 
includes parts of South Dakota, northwestern Nebraska, and eastern 
Wyoming. The effects and impacts to be addressed will include those 
identified in 40 CFR 1508.8; i.e., ecological, aesthetic, historic, 
cultural, economic, social, and health, whether direct, indirect, or 
cumulative. Both beneficial and detrimental effects of the proposed 
action will be identified as well. As part of the scoping process, VA 
seeks public input on the relative importance of these and other areas 
of environmental concern, and suggestions regarding additional 
environmental impacts that should be evaluated.

DATES: With the publication of this notice, VA is initiating the 
scoping process to identify issues and concerns to be addressed in the 
integrated EIS. Federal, state, and local agencies, environmental 
organizations, businesses, other interested parties and the general 
public are encouraged to submit their written comments identifying 
specific issues or topics of environmental concern that should be 
addressed. VA will hold two or more public scoping meetings within the 
VA BHHCS service area; the dates, times, and locations of which will be 
announced and published at least 14 days prior to the meetings. All 
written comments on the proposal should be submitted by June 16, 2014. 
VA will consider all comments received during the 30-day public comment 
period in determining the scope of the integrated EIS.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on VA's notice of intent to prepare 
an integrated EIS through www.Regulations.gov or 
[email protected]. Please refer to: ``VA BHHCS Notice of Intent 
to Prepare an Integrated EIS''. Comments may also be submitted to Staff 
Assistant to the Director, VA Black Hills Health Care System, 113 
Comanche Rd., Fort Meade, SD 57741

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Staff Assistant to the Director, VA 
BHHCS, at the address above or by telephone, 605-720-7170. Documents 
related to the VA BHHCS proposed reconfiguration will be available for 
viewing on the VA BHHCS Web site: http://www.blackhills.va.gov/VABlackHillsFuture/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In December 2011, VA made public a proposal 
to improve and reconfigure the Black Hills Health Care System services. 
The purpose of this proposed action is to enhance and maintain the 
quality and safety of care for Veterans in the 100,000 square-mile VA 
BHHCS service area, replace aging buildings for Veterans in Residential 
Rehabilitation and Treatment Programs (RRTP) and Community-Based 
Outpatient Clinics (CBOC), increase access to care closer to Veterans' 
homes, and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for Veterans' travel. VA BHHCS 
served approximately 18,650 Veterans in fiscal year 2012, a decrease 
from 20,500 in fiscal year 2009. VA projections estimate that within 10 
years VA BHHCS will serve about 19,750 Veterans in the two hospitals 
(Hot Springs and Fort Meade) and nine CBOCs currently in operation.
    The need for the reconfiguration of services is further 
substantiated by the following facts: (1) Veteran population centers 
are not in the same location as current VA facilities; (2) Difficulty 
recruiting and retaining qualified staff at current Hot Springs 
facility; (3) Difficulty maintaining high-quality, safe, and accessible 
care; (4) Long distances and travel times to receive specialty care; 
(5) Current residential treatment facilities and locations limit care 
available to Veterans; and (6) Higher operating costs than financial 
allocations.
    At VA Hot Springs there are approximately 2,800 Veterans that 
receive primary care. About 5,500 Veterans visit the facility annually 
for some aspect of care. The operation of this small, highly rural 
facility located in a community of approximately 3,900 persons raises 
concerns about safety, quality of care, sustainability over time, 
recruitment and retention of staff, and cost of operations and 
maintenance and upgrades to the facility. Contributing factors are the 
difficulty complying with rules and laws governing handicapped

[[Page 28603]]

access, and the increasing age and cost of operating, maintaining and 
improving buildings ranging from 40 to over 100 years old.
    At present, VA has identified seven potential action alternatives 
to be analyzed in the EIS: Alternative A would involve building/leasing 
a CBOC in Hot Springs and a Multi-Specialty Outpatient Clinic (MSOC) 
and 100-bed RRTP in Rapid City. Alternative B would involve building/
leasing a 100-bed RRTP in Hot Springs and a MSOC in Rapid City. 
Alternative C would entail renovating Building 12 for a CBOC and the 
Domiciliary for a 100-bed RRTP at Hot Springs and building/leasing a 
MSOC at Rapid City. Alternative D would involve building/leasing a CBOC 
and 24-bed RRTP at Hot Springs and a MSOC and 76-bed RRTP at Rapid 
City. Alternative E would involve implementing a proposal put forward 
by the ``Save the VA'' committee, a Hot Springs public interest group, 
to repurpose VA Hot Springs as a multifaceted national demonstration 
project for Veterans care in a rural environment. Alternative F would 
be an as yet unidentified alternative use that might be proposed during 
the EIS process. Supplemental Alternative G would entail repurposing 
all or part of the Hot Springs campus through an enhanced-use lease or 
other agreement with another governmental agency or private entity in 
conjunction with Alternatives A through F. In addition to the above 
seven action alternatives, the EIS also will evaluate the impacts 
associated with the No Action or ``status quo'' alternative 
(Alternative H) as a basis for comparison to the action alternatives.
    Potential issues and impacts to be addressed in the EIS will 
include, but not be limited to, physical and biological resources, 
cultural and historic resources, land use, socioeconomics, community 
services, transportation and parking, and cumulative effects. Relevant 
and reasonable measures that could alleviate or mitigate adverse 
effects and impacts also will be included. VA will undertake necessary 
consultations with other governmental agencies and consulting parties 
pursuant to the NHPA, Endangered Species Act, Clean Water Act, and 
other applicable environmental laws. Consultation will include, but not 
be limited to, the following Federal, Tribal, state, and local 
agencies: State and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers; U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; National 
Park Service; and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. 
Information related to the EIS process, including notices of public 
scoping and other informational meetings and hearings, will be 
available for viewing on the VA BHHCS Web site: http://www.blackhills.va.gov/VABlackHillsFuture/
    VA anticipates that many of the issues to be addressed in assessing 
the impacts of the various alternatives will be broadly cultural in 
character; that is, they will involve potential impacts on the cultural 
environment as perceived by Veterans, their families, Indian tribes and 
communities of the area. Such impacts may include, but are not limited 
to: (a) Impacts on historic properties; (b) impacts on the cultural 
values ascribed to the Hot Springs and Fort Meade campuses by Veterans, 
local residents, Indian tribes and others; (c) impacts to ongoing or 
traditional cultural uses of such locations; and (d) impacts on 
archaeological, historical, and scientific data.
    In the interests of efficiency, completeness, and facilitating 
public involvement, it is VA's intention that all cultural impacts be 
addressed together, in consultation with all appropriate parties. To 
facilitate this inclusive process, VA will incorporate into its NEPA 
analysis process the review procedures for historic properties usually 
carried out separately under 36 CFR 800.3 through 6 of the NHPA Section 
106 implementing regulations. This process is described in 36 CFR 
800.8(c) of those procedures and in the Council on Environmental 
Quality and Advisory Council on Historic Preservation handbook for 
integrating NEPA and Section 106 dated March 2013.

Signing Authority

    The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, or designee, approved this 
document and authorized the undersigned to sign and submit the document 
to the Office of the Federal Register for publication electronically as 
an official document of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Jose D. 
Riojas, Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, approved this 
document on May 6, 2014, for publication.

    Dated: May 13, 2014.
Robert C. McFetridge,
Director, Regulation Policy and Management, Office of the General 
Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2014-11316 Filed 5-15-14; 8:45 am]
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