[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 208 (Thursday, October 27, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74870-74871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-25964]


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DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS


Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
(EIS) for a Replacement Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Louisville, 
Kentucky

AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: VA proposes to site, construct and operate a new campus to 
replace the existing Robley Rex VA Medical Center (VAMC), Veterans 
Benefits Administration (VBA) regional office, and three community-
based outpatient clinics (CBOC) in Louisville, Kentucky. In accordance 
with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), VA has prepared a 
Draft EIS that analyzes the potential impacts of three alternatives for 
the replacement VAMC. The Draft EIS is available for review on the 
agency Web site and at the St. Matthews and Westport Branches of the 
Louisville Free Public Library system.

DATES: Interested parties are invited to submit comments in writing on 
the Replacement Robley Rex VAMC Draft EIS by December 12, 2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit written comments on the Replacement Robley Rex VAMC 
online at www.Louisville-EIS.com; by email to 
[email protected]; or by regular mail to the 
Replacement VAMC Activation Team Office, 800 Zorn Avenue, Louisville, 
KY 40206. Please refer to ``Replacement Robley Rex VA Medical Center'' 
in any correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Replacement VAMC Activation Team 
Office, 800 Zorn Avenue, Louisville, KY 40206 or by email to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: VA proposes to site, construct, and operate 
a VAMC and VBA regional office to replace the existing Robley Rex VAMC 
located on Zorn Avenue in Louisville, KY. The existing 63-year-old VAMC 
facilities have reached the end of their serviceable lives and need to 
be replaced. The existing building conditions and site configuration 
are inadequate to effectively and efficiently meet the expanding needs 
of VA's health care mission in the region. The replacement campus would 
include diagnostic and treatment facilities and required site amenities 
and improvements needed to provide sufficient capacity to meet the 
current and projected future health care needs of Veterans in the 
Louisville service area. This EIS analyzes the potential impacts of 
three alternatives for the replacement VAMC.
    Alternative A proposes construction and operation of a replacement 
VAMC campus at the Brownsboro Site at 4906 Brownsboro Road, Louisville, 
KY. Alternative B would construct and operate a replacement VAMC campus 
at the St. Joseph site on a parcel located east of I-265 and south of 
Factory Lane in Louisville, KY. Alternative C is the No Action 
alternative, which is required by NEPA and its regulations and also 
provides a baseline for comparing potential impacts from the action 
alternatives.
    VA's preferred alternative is Alternative A, the proposed 
construction and operation of a replacement VAMC campus at the 
Brownsboro Site at 4906 Brownsboro Road, in Louisville. VA would 
relocate medical facility operations to the Brownsboro Site from Zorn 
Avenue and a later process would evaluate the future use or disposition 
of the Zorn Avenue property.
    Environmental topics that are addressed in the Draft EIS include 
aesthetics, air quality, cultural resources, geology and soils, 
hydrology and water quality, wildlife and habitat, noise, land use, 
floodplains and wetlands, socioeconomics, community services, solid 
waste and hazardous materials, transportation and parking, utilities, 
and environmental justice. Best management practices and mitigation 
measures that could alleviate environmental effects have been 
considered and are included where relevant within the Draft EIS.
    The Draft EIS describes mitigation measures for the potential 
impacts to environmental resources that are identified in the impact 
analysis. Unavoidable adverse impacts include effects to air quality, 
aesthetics, noise, land use, solid waste and hazardous materials, 
utilities, and transportation and traffic. With the exception of 
aesthetics and land use, implementation of specified mitigation 
measures would substantially decrease the magnitude of these impacts.
    The Replacement Robley Rex VAMC Draft EIS is available for viewing 
on the VA Web site at www.louisville.va.gov/newmedicalcenter/ and at 
the St.

[[Page 74871]]

Matthews and Westport Branches of the Louisville Free Public Library 
located at 3940 Grandview Avenue, Louisville, KY 40207 and 8100 
Westport Road, Louisville, KY 40222, respectively.
    Information related to the EIS process is also available for 
viewing on the VA Web site at www.louisville.va.gov/newmedicalcenter/.
    Meetings: Interested parties are invited to participate in any of 
two public meetings summarizing the results of the Draft EIS. These 
meetings will be held in Louisville, KY. The dates, times, and 
locations for these meetings will be published in the Louisville 
Courier-Journal and online at www.louisville.va.gov/newmedicalcenter/. 
A court reporter will document comments from participants who wish to 
submit comments on the Draft EIS verbally instead of (or in addition 
to) submitting comments in writing as described under the ADDRESSES 
section above.

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. Gina S. 
Farrisee, Deputy Chief of Staff, Department of Veterans Affairs, 
approved this document on October 21, 2016, for publication.

    Dated: October 24, 2016.
Jeffrey Martin,
Office Program Manager, Office of Regulation Policy & Management, 
Office of the Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-25964 Filed 10-26-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 8320-01-P