[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 5, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43644-43645]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-15783]


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NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement and 
Initiate Consultation for Proposed Changes to Sacramento Peak 
Observatory Operations, Sunspot, New Mexico; Notice of Public Scoping 
Meetings and Comment Period

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement 
and public scoping meetings and comment period.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended, the National Science Foundation (NSF) intends to 
prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate potential 
environmental effects of proposed changes to operations at Sacramento 
Peak Observatory, in Sunspot, New Mexico. (See SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION below for more detail.) By this notice, NSF is announcing 
the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and 
identify issues to be analyzed in the EIS. At this juncture, NSF would 
welcome public comments on the preliminary proposed alternatives and 
resource areas identified for analysis. NSF also intends to initiate 
consultation under section 106 of the National Historic Preservation 
Act to evaluate potential effects to the Sacramento Peak Observatory.

DATES: This notice initiates the public scoping process for the EIS and 
the initiation of public involvement under section 106 per 36 CFR 
800.2(d). Comments on issues may be submitted verbally during the 
scoping meeting scheduled for July 21, 2016 (see details in 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION), or in writing until August 5, 2016. To be 
eligible for inclusion in the Draft EIS, all comments must be received 
prior to the close of the scoping period. NSF will provide additional 
opportunities for public participation upon publication of the Draft 
EIS.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to this proposal by either 
of the following methods:
     Email to: [email protected], with subject line 
``Sacramento Peak Observatory''.

[[Page 43645]]

     Mail to: Ms. Elizabeth Pentecost, RE: Sacramento Peak 
Observatory, National Science Foundation, Suite 1045, 4201 Wilson 
Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding the 
EIS process or Section 106 consultation, please contact: Ms. Elizabeth 
Pentecost, National Science Foundation, Division of Astronomical 
Sciences, Suite 1045, 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA 22230; 
telephone: (703) 292-4907; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Sacramento Peak Observatory is located in 
Sunspot, New Mexico, within the Lincoln National Forest in the 
Sacramento Mountains. Established by the U.S. Air Force via a 
memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Forest Service in 1950, the 
facility was transferred to the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 
1976. NSF and the U.S. Forest Service executed a land use agreement 
(signed in 1980) to formalize this transition and the continued use of 
the land for the observatory. The primary research facility still in 
operation at the Sacramento Peak site is the Richard B. Dunn Solar 
Telescope (DST), currently managed by the National Solar Observatory 
(NSO). The DST is a high-spatial resolution optical/infrared solar 
telescope. In addition to its own operations, the Sacramento Peak 
Observatory supplies water for the nearby Apache Point Observatory 
(APO).
    The NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 
Division of Astronomical Sciences, through a series of academic 
community-based reviews, has identified the need to divest several 
facilities from its portfolio in order to deliver the best performance 
on the emerging and key science technology of the present decade and 
beyond. In 2012, NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST's) 
portfolio review committee, under the category of solar facilities 
stated that, ``AST and NSO should plan for the continued use of the 
Dunn Solar Telescope (DST) as a world-class scientific observatory, 
supporting the solar physics community, to within two years of the 
Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) [now the Daniel K. Inouye 
Solar Telescope, DKIST] first light.'' In 2016, in response to this 
recommendation, NSF completed a feasibility study to inform and define 
options for the site's future disposition that would involve 
significantly decreasing or eliminating NSF funding of the Sacramento 
Peak Observatory. Alternatives to be evaluated in the EIS will be 
refined through public input, with preliminary proposed alternatives 
that include the following:

 Continued NSF investment for science-focused operations (No-
Action Alternative)
 Transition to full operations with interested parties for 
solar astronomy research
 Transition to partial operations with interested parties, and 
decommissioning or mothballing of facilities not proposed to be used
 Mothballing of facilities limited to basic maintenance
 Deconstruction and site restoration

    The purpose of the public scoping process is to determine relevant 
issues that will influence the scope of the environmental analysis, 
including identification of viable alternatives, and guide the process 
for developing the EIS. At present, NSF has identified the following 
preliminary resource areas for analysis of potential impacts: Air 
quality, biological resources, cultural resources, geological 
resources, solid waste generation, health and safety, socioeconomics, 
traffic, and groundwater resources. NSF will consult under section 106 
of the National Historic Preservation Act and section 7 of the 
Endangered Species Act in coordination with this EIS process, as 
appropriate. Federal, state, and local agencies, along with other 
stakeholders that may be interested or affected by NSF's decision on 
this proposal are invited to participate in the scoping process and, if 
eligible, may request to participate as a cooperating agency.
    Proposal Information: Information will be posted, throughout the 
EIS process, at www.nsf.gov/ast.
    Scoping Meeting: NSF will host one public scoping meeting.
    Meeting Date and Location: July 21, 2016, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., 
New Mexico Museum of Space History, 3198 State Route 2001, Alamogordo, 
NM 88310. Tel: (575) 437-2840.
    Comments will be transcribed by a court reporter. Please contact 
NSF at least one week in advance of the meeting if you would like to 
request special accommodations (i.e., sign language interpretation, 
etc.).

    Dated: June 24, 2016.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2016-15783 Filed 7-1-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7555-01-P